It's All in the Details

Technical recruiters will often hire people who will be writing, testing or reviewing code - which requires a certain level of methodical thinking and attention to detail.

Your resume is often the first time a recruiter or hiring manager is getting to learn about you. If a resume has typos, it makes me wonder... If that person can't manage their own personal details, how are they going to manage lines and lines of code?

In this competitive market, everything matters. When you've finished your resume - spell check it - then have at least two of your friends who are spelling fanatics go over it for you as well.

It may seem like a nit picky thing - but as they say - it's all in the details.

Job Interview Bootcamp - Video by Wendy Hill

My former co-worker, Wendy Hill, and I put together a Job Interview Bootcamp presentation for the Microsoft Certified Career Conference last fall. Since my departure from Microsoft, she is doing the presentation solo, and while I don't get a shout out... She rocks it! :)

Even though this is presented with Microsoft in mind, this is a great way to learn about interviewing in general. If you prefer to read about how to prepare - I did a three part series and you can read them here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Avoid these six resume mistakes

 

You have about 15 seconds to make an impression with your resume. That’s about the amount of time recruiters and hiring managers say they spend with each job seeker’s resume, given the tidal wave of applicants for open positions these days.

As a result, any glaring mistakes can land your resume in the trash bin.

“The wow factor isn’t as important as being precise,” said Ryan Carfley, President and CEO of recruiting firm MRINetwork Personify. But, he added, “even though hiring managers are inundated, you have to stand out, and the only way to do that is with precise examples of achievements, and do it quickly.”

Here’s a rundown of six resume mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

1. Being too vague
One big resume no-no is not getting to the meat of the matter, notes Pennell Locey, a senior consultant at career management and consulting firm Keystone Associates.

This includes focusing only on job responsibilities in your resume and not including specific accomplishments. You’ll get extra minus points for actually using the phrase “responsibilities included,” said Locey.

“A recruiter once told me that [the] phrase immediately raises suspicion, since it can be used as a dodge when you were supposed to deliver something [and] actually didn’t.”

Locey suggests asking yourself what your major accomplishments were, and what you did that made a difference for your employer.

She offers some alternative phrases, such as “streamlined/ initiated a process,” or “maintained compliance at 100%,” or “participated in a fund-raising campaign that delivered X% over plan,” or perhaps “increased website traffic by X%.”

MRINetwork’s Carfley likes to see dollar signs.

The best way to catch a hiring manager’s attention, he said, is to provide something measurable. Don’t say “led the organization in sales.” Instead, say, “Grew revenues from $500,000 to $1 million,” or “reduced project cycle time by two months, saving the company roughly $200,000.”

2. Ignoring the Cyber Age
Many people still look at resumes the same way they did 20 years ago, but with so much communication taking place online these days you have to make your resume tech savvy, experts say.

“Nowadays, since everything is electronic, and electronic ‘contact’ is the first contact you have with HR, headhunters or a corporation, one of the biggest mistakes a person can make is not to include the right keywords for the position you’re applying for, or want,” said Kiki Weingarten, cofounder of career consulting company Atypical Coaching.

She suggests scanning the ads for industries and positions you’re looking into and find the words that are repeated. Those words are a good bet because you can be sure a hiring manager is looking out for them, Weingarten said.

You don’t want to go cyber crazy, though, and go for cyber gimmicks, added Holly Paul, national recruiting leader for Pricewaterhousecoopers. She advises job applicants not to use “emoticons [smiley faces], text message abbreviations or excessive exclamation points.”

Another faux pas is not thinking of what you name your resume document file. If it’s just called “resume,” rename the file to include your name if possible so that a hiring manager can find it easily.

3. Every job but the kitchen sink
In this economy, there’s a good chance a long-term job seeker has a part-time job (or jobs) under his or her belt just to make ends meet. But that doesn’t mean you should include every burger flipping, or retail-selling job you’ve had. Putting too many of those jobs on your resume, especially if they have nothing to do with the job you want, can hurt your chances of landing a new position.

“Resumes are a summary of the most important data,” said Debra Feldman, a job search expert known as the JobWhiz. “In my opinion, a part-time job just to pay the bills would not fall into that category.

“I think if the skills or accomplishments are relevant, then by all means if there is space and it enhances the content, include these achievements,” she added.

However, if you can connect your experience on the sales floor of a home-improvement store to the job you want, then great. I’ve known many high level executives who felt their time on the retail floor, or working behind a counter, helped them better understand how a company worked.

4. Not being your own cheerleader
One of the biggest resume mistakes is “underselling your role or accomplishments,” said Keystone’s Locey.

Job applicants, she continued, “are often worried about appearing to inflate their experiences, or taking credit for something that others also participated in; they often actually under-represent their accomplishments.”

While you don’t want to lay claim to more than you did, “you do want to claim your accomplishments, and make it clear what you actually did,” Locey explained.

So, she advises taking out terms such as “co-led”, “co-created” or similar phrases used multiple times just to show others worked on the same projects as you. And don’t use “assisted”, “supported” or “participated in,” she added. Say what your role on the team actually involved.

Locey said you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I design and deliver a new project in partnership with line managers? What did I do, what was my role?
• Was my role on the team to track team milestones and ensure the project was on budget/schedule? “Reflect that in what you write in the resume,” she stressed. “It’s more memorable and brings you to life for the reviewer.”

5. Being “cookie-cutter”
I know it’s a pain to tailor every resume to every new job, but if you really want a gig it may be worth the extra work.

Nick Vaidya, managing partner of The 8020Strategy Group, a consulting firm, is sick of seeing the same old, same old.

“I get exasperated looking at resume after resume that talks about what [an applicant] does, or has done,” Vaidya said. “After a while all of the candidates start looking like white penguins on snow. I want the [person] who understands what I need and tailors his or her resume accordingly. I want the yellow penguin.”

And Vaidya downright hates career objectives on resumes, especially if they are “banal and devoid of all ingenuity, integrity and meaning.”

(The best way to provide these three objectives is to simply read the job description and write a resume directed to that, he said.)

6. Forgetting the basics
“Resume mistakes have become smaller and more important with the level of competition out there,” said Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University and workplace consultant. That’s why you can’t forget the basics when it comes to resume writing.

As a refresher, Langerud offered a list of the basic resume blunders he hears about most often from hiring managers at companies:

• Poor spelling.
• Incorrect address or phone number.
• Font too small to read.
• Crazy formatting.

“While simplistic, the most effective resumes lead a reader through the material like a good book or magazine article,” Langerud explained. “Every time you change the format with spaces, new fonts, etc., you focus the reader on the format change and away from the content. Keep it simple.”

And Lynne Sarikas, Director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University, has her own list of basic things not to include on your resume:

• Marital status
• Number of kids
• Year of graduation (unless it’s recent)
• Your GPA (unless it’s over 3.7)
• Your age, a photo and, above all else, lies.

“So much can be verified easily these days,” she said. “If you stretch the truth or embellish it you can quickly be eliminated from consideration.”

Your Career: Avoid these six resume mistakes - Money - TODAY.com

Career Factor: Microsoft's online reality show where IT meets the social web

 

Microsoft is using social media as foundation for a web-based reality show following the career quests of nine participants. You can follow their exploits online (e.g., at work when the boss isn't looking), no television required. The Career Factor website went live last week, but the nine participants only started updating their quests yesterday.

The website describes itself as an "online reality show based on the experiences of nine IT personalities. Each of our candidates have set a professional goal for themselves, and have invited you to follow their every step along the way." Each participant has a personal page where "you can explore their backgrounds, learn from their experiences and share your findings. You'll find videos, links to learning resources, tips and updates via their blog and various social media outlets."

Career Factor: Microsoft's online reality show where IT meets the social web | IT Systems News - Betanews

Why LinkedIn Is the Social Network That Will Never Die

 

No matter how successful and monopolistic Facebook gets, no matter how many awesome features Mark Zuckerberg announces in Palo Alto or how many ex-presidents he interviews, none of it appears to be slowing down LinkedIn, the social network that doesn't want to be known as a social network -- the one that's about having, getting and keeping a job.

Why LinkedIn Is the Social Network That Will Never Die - Advertising Age - Digital

How positivity leads to interview success

 

Job hunting can be a laborious and morale-draining process. Many companies do not reply to the large quantities of candidates applying for jobs. A lot of candidates find this extremely frustrating and upsetting.

Take a step back from travelling down the same route and look at innovative ways of improving your job search. Seek out networking opportunities and surround yourself with positive people. Even purchasing a book on positive thinking can have a very uplifting impact on your positivity.

When you attend an interview, remember to always be POSITIVE.

You may have had 10 unsuccessful interview attempts before this but the interviewer does not care. It’s blunt and it’s direct but it is the truth.

Do not tell the interviewer about your unsuccessful attempts or your length of time out of employment or your horrible work experiences in the past. They are looking to recruit you and this will harm your chances of being hired.

By being optimistic and having a positive attitude, you'll demonstrate to the interviewer within the first few seconds that you are a go-getter who will fit in with their organization. The interviewer is at all times envisaging how you will fit in with their organization, how you will interact with the team, and most importantly how well you will respond to supervision. This question is common to interviews and reference-checking forms.

Read the full article: Your Career, Your Choices - How positivity leads to interview success - Galway Advertiser - October 28, 2010.

What Not to Do Before an Interview

 

Many people are focused on worrying about what to say in the interview and what questions to ask, and while these are extremely important, it’s also important to think about what you should do before the interview. Unlike the way my morning unfolded, you should first wake up early with enough time to relax and get yourself ready. Eat a substantial breakfast and if you drink coffee, make sure you do so before the interview and not during it. You definitely should brush your hair, make yourself presentable and please wear deodorant. Instead of focusing on finding clothes that just match, you should pick out clothes that are professional but not too stuffy. It is perfectly OK for women to wear pants, and for men it is perfectly required. Avoid wearing low-cut shirts or really high heels, as they can both be uncomfortable and potentially send the wrong message to your interviewers.

After the logistics are taken care of, the most important part should begin: relaxation.

For many people, interviewing is a nerve-wracking and absolutely terrifying experience. Many people become so anxious that they start losing their self-confidence. If there is one thing you should remember to bring to your interview, above your letter of references and resume, you should bring your self-confidence. No one can take that away from you except yourself and it is one of the first things that potential employers see. Without your self-confidence, nervousness will get the best of you and will ruin all the hard work you put into preparing for the interview.

So with self-confidence in hand, you should arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to the interview. While waiting, make sure you look purposeful, because believe it or not, people are watching you. Try to be aware of the fact that other people can see you, people who may potentially be important. While you are waiting, go over your resume or look over your cover letter and reference list. Also take this time to relax and unleash your self-confidence. The key is to be confident without being arrogant, and once this happy medium is reached, you will do great.

What’s that? Did they just call your name? Stand up, take a deep breath, and rock that interview.

What Not to Do Before an Interview - Hire Education - WSJ

Windows Phone 7: The games you'll want to play

 

Here's the complete list of games that have been officially announced for Windows Phone 7. Though Microsoft describes these as the "first wave" of games in the "launch portfolio," a spokesperson told me that it's still unclear how many of these will be available on the very first day of launch.

• "3D Brick Breaker Revolution" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Age of Zombies" (Halfbrick)
• "Armor Valley" (Protege Games)
• "Asphalt 5" (Gameloft)
• "Assassins Creed" (Gameloft)
• "Bejeweled LIVE" (PopCap)
• "Bloons TD" (Digital Goldfish)
• "Brain Challenge" (Gameloft)
• "Bubble Town 2" (i-Play)
• "Butterfly" (Press Start Studio)
• "CarneyVale Showtime" (MGS)
• "Castlevania" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst" (MGS)
• "De Blob Revolution" (THQ)
• "Deal or No Deal 2010" (i-Play)
• "Earthworm Jim" (Gameloft)
• "Fast & Furious 7" (i-Play)
• "Fight Game Rivals" (Rough Cookie)
• "Finger Physics" (Mobliss Inc.)
• "Flight Control" (Namco Bandai)
• "Flowerz" (Carbonated Games)
• "Frogger" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Fruit Ninja" (Halfbrick)
• "Game Chest-Board" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Card" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Logic" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Solitaire" (MGS)
• "GeoDefense" (Critical Thought)
• "Ghostscape" (Psionic)
• "Glow Artisan" (Powerhead Games)
• "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
• "Guitar Hero 5" (Glu Mobile)
• "Halo Waypoint" (MGS)
• "Hexic Rush" (Carbonated Games)
• "I Dig It" (InMotion)
• "iBlast Moki" (Godzilab)
• "ilomilo" (MGS)
• "Implode XL" (IUGO)
• "Iquarium" (Infinite Dreams)
• "Jet Car Stunts" (True Axis)
• "Let's Golf 2" (Gameloft)
• "Little Wheel" (One click dog)
• "Loondon" (Flip N Tale)
• "Max and the Magic Marker" (PressPlay)
• "Mini Squadron" (Supermono Limited)
• "MONOPOLY" (EA)
• "More Brain Exercise" (Namco Bandai)
• "Need for Speed: Undercover" (EA)
• "O.M.G." (Arkedo)
• "Puzzle Quest 2" (Namco Bandai)
• "Real Soccer 2" (Gameloft)
• "Rise of Glory" (Revo Solutions)
• "Rocket Riot" (Codeglue)
• "Splinter Cell Conviction" (Gameloft)
• "Star Wars: Battle for Hoth" (THQ)
• "Star Wars: Cantina" (THQ)
• "Tetris" (EA)
• "The Harvest" (MGS)
• "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
• "The Revenants" (Chaotic Moon)
• "The Sims 3" (EA)
• "Tower Bloxx NY" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Twin Blades" (Press Start Studio)
• "UNO" (Gameloft)
• "Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet" (i-Play)
• "Zombie Attack!" (IUGO)
• "Zombies!!!!" (Babaroga)

Technolog - Windows Phone 7: The games you'll want to play

Really: New Windows Phone Ad

 

YouTube - Really: New Windows Phone Ad

CONNECTING THROUGH COMMON GROUND

 

As you saw in my most recent JobsBlog posting, I had the chance to learn how to use my new Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera in Disneyland. The kind and generous folks at Tours Departing Daily showed me the ropes and posted one of my pictures on their blog! You must check out their pics!

 

Photography by Ryan Graves
Writing by Matthew Hansen

This awesome picture was taken by a friend we recently made. Ryan contacted us to see if we could meet up with him and give him a few photography pointers. We jumped at the opportunity and we had a fun time at Disneyland, sharing in our common interests of Disney and photography.

One of the things I love most about Disney is that it has the ability to bring people together and give them a common ground. Have you ever been at the park and just stopped to look around at how different everyone around you is? There are people from all over the world and all walks of life, yet we're all at the same place enjoying ourselves. As different as we think we are, Disney magic is able to bring us together by tapping into the best of humankind and showing us that there are things we can all appreciate about each other.

Ryan wrote about his experience with us over at the Microsoft Jobs Blog, check it out here.

CONNECTING THROUGH COMMON GROUND | TOURS DEPARTING DAILY