Blue Sky Resumes Blog
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The Words all Professional Resume Writers Hate to Hear
Checking my email one day this week, I found one that started in a way destined to make my heart sink: “I know we finalized this resume a while ago, but I showed it to a friend and he had some comments …” My heart doesn’t sink because of the extra work – I don’t mind that if the comments are helpful – but because I know that they probably won’t be. So I now have two choices. 1) Make changes that will be detrimental to the document I worked so hard... |
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Why Trying for Less Will Get You More
Can narrowing down your job search focus actually get you more interviews than trying for a wide range of jobs? That’s been my experience. First let me give you a business example, and then I’ll tell you about a client of mine who got amazing results just by narrowing her sights. When we worked with the amazing Squared Eye to redesign our website earlier this year, we made a big decision: we would clearly define our target audience for the first time. We wouldn’t try to attract... |
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Just How Many Jobs Are You Missing Out On?
I recently nagged a client to get her LinkedIn profile fully up and running. She emailed me the other day to say that she got an email from a recruiter within 2 days of doing it. A new survey explains why. Jobvite surveyed 600 HR and recruiting professionals across the US and found that 73% are using social media and online networks for recruitment purposes. Of those companies, 78% cited LinkedIn as a tool they used regularly. So if we do the math, that means 57% of companies are using LinkedIn... |
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Are You Hoarding or Sharing?
A client asked me “should I put the PDF of my resume on my personal website and keep the Word document to myself? I don’t want someone downloading it and stealing the content.” A fellow resume writer told me “I never put my best samples online because someone might steal my designs.” And a web designer once suggested to me that we only show partial sample resumes on our site “to stop people copying your work.” Think about that for a moment … the... |
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7 Ways to Prove Your Worth on Your Resume
I just read a great post by Jonathan Fields over on Awake@theWheel about the 7 types of proof clients/customers need before they will buy a product or service. And as I was reading, it struck me that his advice also applies to resume writing. All too often you read things like ‘looking for a job is a marketing campaign’ and ‘your resume is a marketing document,’ but perhaps it’s hard to know how to translate that vague principle into a new resume or job search plan. Jonathan’s... |
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Blue Sky Resumes Featured in Oprah Magazine
I’m so proud to say that Blue Sky Resumes is prominently featured in the latest issue of O Magazine. I was contacted a few months ago by Adam Glassman, the magazine’s creative director, and asked if I’d like to take part in career makeovers for several women who needed a job. I was thrilled to help, but honestly had some reservations – would the magazine be genuinely interested in helping the women, or just interested in getting a good article? But on my first visit to... |
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The Chocolate Roses & Hot Pink Paper Fail
Every now and then, the media latches on to a story about some creative job seeker and his or her strategy for getting attention. There was the guy who walked around Manhattan with a billboard around his neck. There was the guy who offered to work for charity in exchange for interviews. And the guy who created a slide show presentation instead of a resume. Usually these stories end well – the job seeker in question quickly gets interviews and lands a new job. So I can understand why desperate... |
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The Downfall of a Blogger and What It Means for You
Last week the Washington Post fired one of its rising stars. Dave Weigel is a political reporter who made his name writing about the conservative movement in America and he was recently hired by the Washington Post to expand their online coverage. Dave was also a member of a private listserv group named JournOlist, where 400 bloggers who trusted one another discussed the issues of the day in a private forum. Or should I say, a forum they thought was private. One anonymous member of the group,... |
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Professional Resume Writers and Their Magic Wands
Today I’m working on a fantastic project. My client has a diverse and interesting background and is making a career change. His experiences are perfect for what he wants to do next, but presenting them well means carefully sifting through them and selecting the things that are most helpful while minimizing the stuff that might distract recruiters. I love doing this and I’m good at it. I instinctively know what to include and what to leave out and how to lay it all out on the page.... |
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Resume Lessons from a Garden
When we moved into our home 11 years ago, the garden was completely overgrown with ivy and weed vines. I spent a few years chopping them back and finally got it to the stage where I could plant flowers. But after clearing all those vines, I also discovered a few plants from some other previous gardener, including rose bush that was situated under a tree. Anyone who gardens knows that roses need sunlight, so it’s not surprising that my little rose never bloomed. The tree was blocking all... |
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Why Lee DeWzye Won American Idol (and what it means for your job search)
I watch American Idol religiously (What? Don’t look at me like that!). One of the things I love about it is that it’s like a really long job interview and we get to choose the person who ultimately gets the job. (Well, I must admit that I don’t actually vote, but I still feel somehow like I did. I voted in my mind!) Once I started thinking of it as a job interview, I started to get really good at picking the winner. This year, I knew Lee DeWyze would win about 4 weeks into the... |