Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 Part 21

GUERRILLA PROOFREADING CHECKLIST

Print this page for easy reference. Then, proofread your resume for each section below. Check the box after completing each task, just like a pilot does before takeoff: * Contact information: Contact information: Verify that your name, address, ZIP code, and phone are correct. Verify that your name, address, ZIP code, and phone are correct.* E-mail address: E-mail address: Use a personal e-mail on your resume, not one from work. Besides looking unprofessional (readers will a.s.sume you'll use company time to look for a job again after they hire you), it's dangerous to get e-mail at work about career opportunities. Employers often have the right to read any e-mail that comes to your work address. Furthermore, make sure your personal e-mail address is Use a personal e-mail on your resume, not one from work. Besides looking unprofessional (readers will a.s.sume you'll use company time to look for a job again after they hire you), it's dangerous to get e-mail at work about career opportunities. Employers often have the right to read any e-mail that comes to your work address. Furthermore, make sure your personal e-mail address is not not something like [email protected] or [email protected] If you need to get a new e-mail that looks professional, do so. And put some thought into it. Best yet, put in your LinkedIn personalized URL so they will check out your online portfolio. something like [email protected] or If you need to get a new e-mail that looks professional, do so. And put some thought into it. Best yet, put in your LinkedIn personalized URL so they will check out your online portfolio.* Facts and figures: Facts and figures: Check all years and numbers in the resume and cover letter. Do they add up? Are they consistent? Check all years and numbers in the resume and cover letter. Do they add up? Are they consistent?* Clarity and content: Clarity and content: Read the resume aloud for awkward, missing, or extra words. Read the resume aloud for awkward, missing, or extra words.* s.p.a.cing: s.p.a.cing: Make sure the s.p.a.ce between each sentence and section is the same. Make sure the s.p.a.ce between each sentence and section is the same.* Spelling: Spelling: Use your word processor's spell checker and then read it yourself. Most misspelled words occur in the headings and in the names of software and companies. Use your word processor's spell checker and then read it yourself. Most misspelled words occur in the headings and in the names of software and companies.* Punctuation: Punctuation: Read the resume backward, looking for missing or incorrect punctuation, such as commas, dashes between dates, apostrophes, and so on. Read the resume backward, looking for missing or incorrect punctuation, such as commas, dashes between dates, apostrophes, and so on.* Layout: Layout: Are the upper and lower margins even and pleasing to the eye? Is there white s.p.a.ce throughout the doc.u.ment, or is the text too dense? Print the resume and show it to friends for their comments. Are the upper and lower margins even and pleasing to the eye? Is there white s.p.a.ce throughout the doc.u.ment, or is the text too dense? Print the resume and show it to friends for their comments.

SELLING YOUR VALUE-ADDED ADVANTAGES

What's your personal 2-for-1 strategy? Why should an employer hire you over the next equally qualified person? You can bet that in the United States today there are thousands of people who have skills similar to yours.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you're well qualified, and I really am on your side, but you have to know that you'll have compet.i.tion for every job you go after. Your compet.i.tion will come in 3 forms: internal candidates, external candidates, and the status quo. You will need to convince interviewers that hiring you will get them to their desired future result better than any other option. Doing nothing is a very viable option, especially for people in middle management who are risk averse.

So, back to my question-why you?

As a job hunter, if you understand that you are likely to have compet.i.tion for a coveted position, you can leverage other skills to appear more qualified. You do this by selling your personal value-added qualities, and everybody has one or more.

The American Heritage Dictionary American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines value-added as: adjective-"Of or relating to the estimated value that is added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution." In short, it is something added to a product to increase its value. In this case, the product is you. of the English Language defines value-added as: adjective-"Of or relating to the estimated value that is added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution." In short, it is something added to a product to increase its value. In this case, the product is you.

Your value-added is a skill, life experience, or att.i.tude that when added to your basic qualifications gives you an advantage over the next candidate because you exceed the employer's expectations for the position. For example: * Nurses who have had active combat training could have an edge on other candidates applying for an emergency room job at a hospital because they're already acclimatized to the environment.* An engineer who has graduated from Toastmasters, or a similar public speaking program, could have an edge because he or she can also be a spokesperson for the company.

The preceding job hunters added an unexpected but welcome dimension to the job because they highlighted their value-added in their cover letter and later in the interview. In essence, they shifted the interviewer's focus to areas they knew others were not likely to have.

On a more personal note, my wife was selected for a job as a drug and alcohol education supervisor by focusing her cover letter, resume, and interview around her military experience. The fact that she has a degree in psychology and ran several addiction centers qualified her for the job. But I'm convinced she was chosen because the selection committee knew she had the self-discipline to create the course material and the presence to deliver it.

Your value-added can come in the guise of: * Complementary skills* Alumni* Att.i.tude* Industry contacts* Domain expertise

Complementary Skills

For example, a nurse who becomes a doctor could leverage her bond with nursing staff when managing a medical team.

Alumni

I can't count the number of people who have specifically asked me to recruit Wharton or Harvard grads because they would have experienced the discipline needed to graduate from those inst.i.tutions.

Microsoft recruits engineers from the University of Waterloo because many employees are alumni. Want to know what happened to all those high achievers you went to school with? Surf over to www.cla.s.smates.com and start networking. and start networking.

Att.i.tude

Employers understand that pa.s.sionate employees outperform normal employees 10-to-1. Pa.s.sion is a simple cost/benefit equation and qualities like drive, ambition, and vision tend to come as part of the package. Here's an example:

Fresh from Teachers College and two thousand miles from home, my younger sister Monica decided to apply for a coveted position as a kindergarten teacher. She did her homework. She briefed me on the highlights of the six-hour interview, and I asked what questions they asked her. She replied, "Well not many really.... I asked most of them.... I started by saying I was not very experienced at interviewing so did they mind if I asked a few questions ... and the time just flew ... we talked about best practices, educational philosophy, and the work ahead of us." I roared with laughter. Monica's pa.s.sion was evident by her preparation. Monica is the most pa.s.sionate teacher I've ever met-it shows in the eyes of her students' parents and the hearts of her students.

Industry Contacts

Time is money, and if you can leverage your industry contacts to get up and running in a new job faster than the next candidate, all things being equal, you will be hired. Your contact list is very valuable. Are you leveraging it correctly?

Domain Expertise

For a job hunter, domain expertise is knowledge and experience that has been acquired through a track record that represents a core competency in a specific technical area or marketplace (e.g., you could be a property manager who understands everything there is to know about HVAC systems, which in the building facilities industry makes you worth your weight in platinum).

Domain expertise is a hot commodity for headhunters. Someone in banking could be a success in insurance or financial services. Sales professionals in the technology industry often have both domain experience and specific industry contacts, making them more valuable than the next candidate.

GUERRILLA TIP.

This "new economy" and relentless cost-cutting place great strains on the ability of managers to pick those few candidates who can provide them with the value they need to stay alive. Since top people knock on the door daily, you need to:* Differentiate yourself by demonstrating you bring more to the job.* Highlight your complementary experience in your cover letter.* Exploit alumni points of reference.* Leverage your domain expertise.

If you did something like the following, say it:

Proposed and presented in-house training so that shippers would avoid mixing heavy and delicate items. Reduced product damage and customer complaints by 95 percent.

This shipping clerk is thinking, acting, and communicating like a manager and will be on top of any good hiring manager's resume file.

THE ONLY COVER LETTER YOU WILL EVER NEED

What does your cover letter tell employers about you? The one-size-fits-all form letter addressed to "Dear Sir/Madam," tells employers that you're too lazy to do a little digging to find out who should receive it and that you're not the type of person who is willing to go the extra mile when necessary. Think I am a little harsh? I'm not. If you remember nothing else, remember this-a cover letter with a proper salutation is essential-always!

A cover letter is a personal sales letter, and all good sales letters keep the reader's interests foremost. Correctly researched and written, your cover letter is your best opportunity to tap into an employer's hopes and fears. Your cover letter is your opportunity to go beyond the resume and its focus on the past and target what employers care most about-themselves.

Put yourself in the employer's shoes. Your resume may be one of several dozen or even several hundred they have to read. Most employers will quickly separate those resumes that deserve a full read by reading the cover letter first. The cover letter is a screening device, but beyond that there are more important reasons employers like a cover letter: * It tells them why you are interested in "them"-remember it's not about you, it's about them.* It demonstrates to them whether you can write succinctly and express yourself-a vital skill for modern managers.* It provides a snapshot of your accomplishments as they pertain to their needs, thereby answering their biggest question-can you fix my problem?

The goal of your cover letter is to convince that initial reader to select you for an interview. Your letter and resume may travel through many hands before they reach a hiring manager's desk, so put your best foot forward right from the start. This is your last opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Make sure you tell employers what's in it for them right up front. Make it clear and compelling that not interviewing you is an opportunity lost.

Initially, hiring managers don't know who you are, nor do they care for that matter; they have a problem to solve or an opportunity to exploit-and you are either the solution or you aren't. You can be the most competent person in your field, but if you can't connect your skills to their needs, you will go undiscovered. Make them believe that you can help them achieve their goals and they will interview you.