Resume Writing Blog: Creating Prints

Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow?

 By Rosa E. Vargas. As a member of a community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective, this post is one of many responses to help job seekers secure their future in a changed economy.  I encourage you to visit other members' responses, see links at end of this post. Please follow our hash tag on Twitter: #careercollective. This month we have combined efforts with QuintCareers.com in Job Action Day, 2009!


What will it take to secure your career success in the future? As the world advances and becomes more information-rich, environment and health conscious, and technology savvy, the job market quickly adapts-- are you? Let's assess; please ponder the following...

Is your digital self strong enough to leverage an interview over other candidates who are job searching online? Are you ready to shape a strong career built on a series of short-term employments? As the world shrinks, who can you communicate with internationally?  Do you foresee a green job in your future? Will your carbon footprint exclude your eligibility for a job? Well, no, but let’s take a look at what may be ahead for the hireable candidate of the future...

The Future Job Market Place:

As the needs of our planet and market demands change, so is the way companies run operations and business development, produce and promote services/products, and staff their teams. This climacteric change in the mist of one of the worse economies in America's history has spurred a new way of caring for the environment, thinking of consumerism, and planning our future ventures.

It seems our focus will be on Technology, Science, Engineering, Math, and Eco-friendly initiatives...and for that we will need industrious, innovative, and adaptable professionals who have a thirst for knowledge and thrive on challenges. For more on the future job market: See Top 60 Jobs That Will Rock the Future also Career Choices That Offer a Stable Future.

Web 2.0 Image/Branding:

If you are in Generation Y, you are already aware of what social media/networking and Web 2.0 Branding is because this is the way you communicate with your friends daily. However, for others...Social Media Networking is essential for the job seeker of the future. Beyond posting your resume to the top career sites, you must establish and cultivate an online presence. Why? Because the way in which we exchange information is mostly digital and via the web. As companies strategize to staff their teams with forward-thinking and information-driven members, you must prepare yourself to join this type of leading-edge team. Where should you begin? Begin developing a presence online on sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and FaceBook. For a more comprehensive list, see.


Investing In You:

The professional of tomorrow must be a life-long learner according to Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley based technology forecaster (quoted by Jenny Lynn Zappala), and I agree with him 100%.

You must keep yourself "marketable" via ongoing education because in the future you will most likely fill a succession of numerous short-term employments. Many of today's job seekers are not use to thinking of their careers in this manner. Let's face it; most of us pretty much went to school, chose a field, and worked at the same company for years until retirement. That is not the way of the future. Begin to think of yourself as a contractor for your own company rendering services to corporations.  

In addition to staying abreast of the latest in the job market, perfecting your online brand, and learning new computer skills,  you may want to invest in learning new languages. The consensus is that future dominant languages will be English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic. You may want to invest in learning the language of the Web as well. A little HTML, XHTML, and XML won't hurt you as publishing a simple web page will be as common as how administrative assistants were required to prepare memos in a word processor.

As always, if you have any questions, email me at rvargas@creatingprints.com or call 303-600-8603.

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer
www.creatingprints.com

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Please visit the following post by the Career Collective Experts regarding the same topic I addressed above!

 

Meg Montford:  Job Action Day: Finding Your “MOJO” After Layoff

Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesn’t work out?

Heather Mundell: Green Jobs – What They Are and How to Find Them

Erin Kennedy: Cutting Edge Job Search Blueprint

Grace Kutney: Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Change

Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa– Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Different 

Gayle Howard: The Enlightened Jobseeker

Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurship

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogging

Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: It’s Not Just for Boyscouts

Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow?

Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth

Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for today’s economy

GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You?

Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes

Martin Buckland: Job Search–The Key to Securing Your Future Career. 

Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are:

Heather R. Huhman, Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job

Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are 2009 and Beyond:

Kathy Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes 

 

Does Your Resume Tell Your Story?

Are you confident your resume outshines by promoting your candidacy in a style that is coherent, deliberate, and especially engaging by revealing your value-laden career story? When your prospective employer reads your resume will it convincingly tell your career adventure? Have you guided them in imagining you...at work...for them?

What story? A substantiated tale of how with enthusiasm you launched and sculpted your career; how over time you have exponentially flourished; how your contributions have been unparalleled; how painstakingly you've worked; and how you've been successively "morphing" into the invaluable producer you are today! Hmm...think you may have some rewriting to do?

I guarantee you have a pick-me story. You've just discounted it by narrating the mundane and not accentuating the phenomenal. Eradicate "just-my-job" descriptions from your resume and tell your story -- but, tell it like no one else's business!

Resume Tips:

As always, if you have any inquiries, I am at your service: rvargas@creatingprints.com

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer

Presentation, Branding, & Going The Extra Mile...

When something has been done too many times or when there are so many of the same...how do you emerge from the pack?

Regardless of how you feel about Michael Jackson, we all can agree that since his death there have been too many artist singing his songs, walking his moon walk, and just doing everything they can to impersonate him. To make a point of which I'm positive will help you in your job search, I'd like you enjoy and assess this:

What is so special about this? Is it that it's the same person singing in concert? The creative video compositing? The harmonic medley of top singles? The fantastic voice? I would say yes to all of the above. More so, what makes this video stand out is that it's memorable because it's distinct; it captivates us because it is not a common approach to singing/performing Michael's music.

Again, whether you love Michael or care nothing for him -- the message is not about him but about how this young singer stood out in a voluminous online crowd by leveraging his creativity, delivering a unique presentation, and by going the extra mile to showcase his talent via an outdistancing video that has now branded him. Branded him so well that his video has been viewed over a million times! This video has been played on the popular television show, Entertainment Tonight. And, I am sure it has been played on other TV shows as well.

You know, this young singer could have just walked up to the mic, sang, and recorded a simple video--and it would have been lovely; but his video would have been soon forgotten and would have faded in the mob of YouTube videos.

Are you going the extra mile in the presentation of your qualifications? Will you step it up or are you willing to wither away in the job seeker mob?

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer

 

Being a Cookie-Cutter Job Seeker is a Misfortune

By Rosa E. Vargas. As a member of a new community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective, this post is one of many responses to the question, "Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?" I encourage you to visit other members' responses, see links at end of this post. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

The Meeting

It was Friday and the end of a very hectic workweek! A career as an assistant buyer during a tough economy is no piece of cake. This particular Friday Susan had to attend a meeting at 4:30 PM with Rebecca, the senior buyer (also, the boss). It quickly became 3:45 PM and Susan began to walk past seven offices to take the elevator to the 32nd floor and meet in Rebecca’s office. As Susan walked toward the elevator, she thought of weekend plans with her little girls. I should pick up mom first on the way to Antonio’s tomorrow…The girls would love to have dinner with their grandma… “Have a great weekend, Susan.” Susan looked back at Thomas (one of the procurement clerks). “Good weekend, Thomas. See you on Monday.” Susan waved as she returned the sentiment. Susan really enjoyed her work environment; she knew everyone in the department (all 35+) by first name.

Susan pressed the elevator button and looked down at her black pumps and thought, the girls could really use new school shoes... We should go shopping before dinner…It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow… “Hi Susan, come right in.” Rebecca’s voice pulled Susan out of her incessant mental planning. Susan had unmindfully made her way to the meeting.

When Susan walked into the office, she noticed Maggie from HR was there. Susan became nervous and could not conceal it as she anxiously said hello to both women and awkwardly sat in a chair. “Susan, how was your afternoon?” Rebecca’s tone was friendlier than usual. “Great!” Susan forced a smile. Rebecca looked at Maggie from HR, then back at Susan, and took a deep breath before saying, “Susan, I am sorry. This is not easy for me to say to you because you are a highly esteemed colleague…” Susan could not believe what she was hearing. Rebecca continued to apologize for what she had not yet said, but Susan could only think, Oh no! Not me. I thought I was safe. What about my girls?

Poor Susan. I don’t have to tell you the rest of that story. What I will convey is that many job seekers in a similar situation, panic. While finding yourself without a job is frightful, the last thing you should do is allow panic to launch you into a desperate job search campaign. Hastily creating a resume, beginning a non-targeted job search, and then sitting back and expecting the phone to ring is what cookie-cutter job seekers do-– but not you!  While developing a unique, pragmatic, and targeted job search campaign is a lot more labor intensive, it will reveal the hidden job market and help you outdistance other job seekers so you find employment in a tough job market.

The Plan

Luckily, Susan is a fictitious character. Had she been a living and breathing job seeker, she could have applied her skills as an assistant buyer to kick off a differentiating job search, like so:

Procurement: Where is your employer? Instead of only posting your resume to online career sites, make a list of all the companies that can benefit from your experience and acquire a way to contact them directly!

Understand the Target Market by Region:What does your prospective employer want from you? What results would be ideal for them? Are their needs different based on the region you may find them in? Are you willing to relocate? If so, where to? Study who your ideal employer is and learn their specific needs. 

Interact with Contacts:Translation into job search terms -- network, network, and, yes, network! Interact online via social media sites and offline through professional associations and at industry-relevant events.

Pre-Market and Competition Analysis: What’s the average salary for the positions you are seeking? What does your competition offer that you cannot? What will you have to leverage in order to win an interview over other qualified candidates?

Communicate Value: Once you have researched, compiled information, and analyzed, you can create a targeted resume (and other marketing tools) that captures the attention of employers. You will also be better prepared to develop a 30 to 60 second pitch, quickly summarizing your qualifications.

You decide. Are you a cookie-cutter job seeker?

 

 
The following are links to other blog post by Professional Resume Writers and Career Coaches who have formed an alliance "Career Collective" to inform and help job seekers via blog post. I am proud to be part of this group and look forward to tackling future topics. Please link below to additional "Cookie-Cutter” blog posts from Career Collective members:

Megan Fitzgerald, Career By Choice’s Expat Success Tips: Ongoing Career management is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today’s New World of Work

Gayle Howard,Top Margin:  Sabotaging Your Prospects: Cookie-cutter Style

J.T. O’Donnell, CAREEREALISM: Cookie Cutters are for Baking…Not Job Searching!

Chandlee Bryan, The Emerging Professional: On the “Cookie Cutter” Approach to Job Search: Do You Need a Recipe?

Laurie Berenson, Sterling Career Concepts:  Job seekers: Break out of the mold!

Dawn Bugni,The Write Solution: Dawn’s Blog: Is your job search “cookie-cutter” or “hand-dropped”?

Heather Mundell, life@work: How Not to Be a Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Sweet Careers, Passive Job Seeker=Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers Blog:Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager’s Mouth

Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers: How Can a Job Seeker Stand Out?

Kat Hansen, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog: Avoid Being a Cookie-Cutter Job seeker in Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: Break the Mold: Don't Be a Cookie Cutter

Rosalind Joffe, WorkingWithChronicIllness.com Forget the cookies! Start with vision 

Career Sherpa, Hannah Morgan: Are Your A Cookie Cutter Job Seeker? 

 

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer

 

Networking is Key in Finding a Job in a Challenged Job Market

You've heard it before, "Network in order to optimize your job search." How exactly do you go about it? It depends on the way you best build relationships and the industry you are targeting. Is the industry you seek employment in best penetrated online or offline? It is not as difficult as it seems. We are all human and we all want to help each other. The idea is to get in touch with as many people you can (in the right channel), make a connection, gain their trust, cultivate the relationship, and earn a good lead. It is as easy as pie! :-)

There are a myriad of ways to begin networking (just Google it so you see what I mean). Yet, if you walk away with anything after reading this post, I want you to walk away with this:

• Be aggressive but polite
• Get your creative juices flowing -- think outside of the ordinary
• Employ all strategies available to you (in person, online), even if it makes you uncomfortable. You will soon be comfortable in your new zone
• Value every contact you come across whether they provide you a job lead or not. Engage, listen, and help them too!
• Keep track of whom you have met, where you have met them, and keep notes on what you most remember about them
• Follow up and thank everyone that attempts to help you

Below, I have listed great blog posts on networking, which I have read during the past few days. Also, watch the following video for great networking / job searching tips.
 
Think positive, keep at it, strategize, and you will find a new career! As always, if you have any questions, email me rvargas@creatingprints.com

Interesting and helpful blog posts on networking / job searching:

Who Does Your Grandma Know? 
What to do in an effective networking call!
by Harry Urschel (Twitter @eExecutives) 

What Network? Finding Your Network
by Liz Ryan (Twitter @Lyzryan)

Looking for a job? Use old-fashioned marketing techniques – be where they are!
By Miriam Salpeter (Twitter @Keppie_Careers)

Prepare Network Cards
Network Online 
By Rosa Vargas (Twitter @resumeservice)  

Rosa E. Vargas
Master Resume Writer
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