Career Tips
  Tips from Dan Simmons, CPC

Creating your resume
Providing references
Writing a great cover letter
Writing a Thank You note after the interview
Writing a letter of resignation
Should I take a Counter-offer from my present employer?

Creating your resume

Length
A resume should be long enough to cover important details and accomplishments, but short enough to attract and keep the reader's attention. Only on rare occasions should a resume be more than two pages. If you need more information, then end the resume with "Additional information and references readily available." Academia is the exception to this rule, but in commercial settings, hold to two pages.

Style
There are functional, chronologic, and reverse chronologic.

Functional resumes highlight your skills and accomplishments and work best when you have been doing the same type of work for many years. Start with an objective, then a summary, a section on your education or professional training, follow with a skills or accomplishments section, then end with a job history.

Chronologic resumes are still the most common and easiest to read. Use this format unless you have a need to use another. Start with a well-written objective, then job history or education (education first if you have less than 5 years professional experience), a skills section will finish this nicely.

Reverse Chronologic resumes almost always throw the reader a curve ball. Only use this style when you need to tell a story or when your most applicable experience was early in your career.

Quantify and Qualify
Engage the reader of your resume. Tell a good story with lots of details. When you say that you were responsible for something, describe the size or otherwise qualify the statement.

Examples
Which shows the candidate in the best light?

• Responsible for hiring, supervising, and training the sales force along with sales, loss prevention and merchandising the store.
• Recruited and developed a staff of over 100 in a 100,000 sq. ft. store with $11M in sales. Improved loss prevention by 10%. Won company wide award for store presentation.

Use details to enhance your resume. Don't exaggerate; just provide the facts.

What if my resume makes me look old?
If you would prefer to not disclose your age, document the last 20 years or so, then add a section entitled "Earlier Experience". In this section use a few sentences to highlight any work you did that is not on the resume. You didn't hide anything, but you didn't give anything away unnecessarily. Additionally, list your education, but leave the years off.

Should I use an objective?
Absolutely. I have interviewed thousands of candidates during my career and can tell you the most important question in each of my interviews is "Tell me what is going to be important about your next position."

If there is a reason for you to create a resume, there is an objective. Your objective will come out eventually and if your priorities don't match with the employers, you're not going to get the job anyway. Tell them what you want in the first paragraph of your resume, doing so will expedite the process if you are a fit.

Example
Objective: To apply my 10 years of government related sales management experience to a position as a Director of Business Development with an aggressive Government Services Provider.

This will keep you from getting some calls, and you can thank me for it. Now all the foodservice companies in Baltimore won't call you, but you can bet you will attract the attention of the government services companies.

I have worked for companies no one has heard of.
Always assume the reader never heard of your employers. Every company does at least one thing well. Take this opportunity to tell the reader. Use this in your description.

Example
Director of Recruiting

Executive Recruiter

In the example the reader has the (accurate) impression that the candidate worked for two first-rate organizations instead of two small businesses that would be unknown to most people.

Most important tips

• Tell how you positively impacted the organization you were with, list accomplishments, awards, quantify & qualify. Don't list a job description.
• Explain what you actually did in terms anyone could understand. The use of acronyms, heavy use of technical jargon may be impressive to the person that will hire you, but a recruiter's assistant, researcher, or worse yet, a Human Resources intern might be the first person in the recruiting chain to read your resume. If they don't understand that you are a fit, no one else will ever see your credentials.
• Tell the truth, but do it in good taste. Liars get caught and fired.
• Leaving something off your resume, (like a short time with a lousy employer), is ok if you describe your JOB HISTORY as CAREER HIGHLIGHTS and use years as time markers and not months. Tell the story when you are interviewing, hiring managers will be more understanding face to face. It is never ok to leave a job off your employment application.
• If there might be any question of your citizenship or clearance status, then list it in the first portion of the resume or at the very end. If you are on a VISA, put it on your resume, it simply saves time getting to the information. It does not help you get the job.
• If your name might be considered male or female, (like Sandy or Jean) consider putting Mr. or Ms. in front of your first name. This has nothing to do with sexual discrimination; it is simple courtesy.
• Remember to put your contact information on the resume and include a professional sounding email. If your email address could be considered offensive, silly or hard to remember, get a yahoo or hotmail account with a more appropriate address.
• Keep these things off your resume
  o Religious status, (unless applying for a job with a religious organization and you think it will help).
  o Marital status, (it is no one's business and organizations don't want to know)
  o Race
  o Date of birth
  o Ages of your children

Providing References

Never list your references on your resume.
Listing your references on your resume is just plain dumb. I'll show you why. Suppose you are applying for your first Sales Manager job and you list your last 3 Sales Managers as references. The recruiter or hiring manager would be very tempted to bypass your candidacy and call the three people with years of experience that you listed as references and recruit them. I guarantee this happens. Do not let it happen to you.

Always have a separate document with your references to provide when asked or at the end of the first face-to-face interview. If a recruiter, HR manager or the hiring manager asks for references, it is a good sign. You should have these references ready and provide them in an easy to ready format, showing name, contact information, number of years known and your relationship to the person. Always contact these people in advance and ask their permission to use them as references.

Who should I list as references?
Everyone has friends, and usually they will say nice things about you. Provide the names of supervisors, executives and peers who have first hand knowledge of your work experience, work habits and accomplishments. List 4 if at all possible, most companies want to contact 3 and this gives them room for error.

Writing a Great Cover Letter

As published in DominoPower.com, apply these principles to your situation.

You need to stand out from the pack to get the right job. To do this, you'll need to go through a few steps. One trick of the trade is to make your cover letter read just like the job requirement. Follow this example; below is an excerpt from actual job posting from http://www.lotusnotesjobs.com. This position is in San Diego.

Senior Domino System Administrator: Come join a challenging and cutting-edge team! [Name of company], an IBM premier partner, is a fast growing Internet software consulting company that needs individuals to architect exciting e-business solutions, design Domino infrastructures, assist with detailed network problem analysis, and support our large expanding customer base. We create secure, interactive business solutions for the Internet and corporate intranets. Our company rapidly builds, deploys, and manages applications that help our clients, partners, and customers communicate, collaborate and coordinate critical business activities on-line.

The ideal candidate would have four or more years of proven advanced experience in system administration with Notes and Domino. All candidates need to have a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university. Candidate should have good verbal and written communication skills, a good working knowledge of the Internet, information systems, networking issues, and standard protocols. If you are a technical, creative team player, this is the right opportunity for you! Expect an environment where continued learning, innovative consulting, elegant technical solutions, and team camaraderie are experienced daily.

We do not have a VISA sponsorship program at this time. Candidates must possess documents that allow them to work legally in the United States.

First thing's first, if you have lived your whole life in New England, don't rush to apply for this job. Remember, companies are more likely to hire locally or regionally. Secondly, if you only have two years of systems admin experience or most of your time has been spent developing applications, you're probably wasting your time.

Now read the job posting's requirements closely. Most ads have this specifically spelled out. Our goal is to match the position's requirements and responsibilities with your experience, so your resume or cover letter reads very similar to the job posting. Now there's no mistake that you are the perfect fit for the job!

Compare this cover letter to the position above:

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am submitting my resume for the position of Senior Domino System Administrator. I believe you'll find that my 5 years of experience in system administration while working for [name of company], a Fortune 1000 manufacturer and [name of company] a leading consulting company, as well as my Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a minor in Information Technology from State University has prepared me for this opportunity. The position's responsibilities are also of great interest to me.

Much of my time as a Domino Administrator and Systems Engineer has been spent architecting critical e-business solutions for retailers and manufacturers. I also have designed Domino infrastructures for midsize organizations and have been a member of a team that designed the infrastructure for three manufacturing plants. I have a solid experience base with Internet, intranet, and client/server application development. This development experience coupled with a strong "hands on" understanding of networking principles lead me to believe I could be an asset to your firm.

I desire a position in which I regularly interact with my peers; I feel my people skills and industry knowledge will allow me to perform well as a member of your team. I am a permanent resident of the United States with the ability to work for any employer.

My present salary is near the range advertised. I have visited your Web site and researched your company's culture, and I believe I could flourish in such an environment. I am available to interview with your firm on a few days notice and appreciate your time in reviewing my resume.

Regards,
John Q. Public

Do you see how the job advertisement and your credentials have merged to become one? Your experience is so clearly highlighted that a rookie recruiter with a hangover can see that you are perfect for this position. Remember, this same recruiter is getting flooded with resumes; most of them will be filed in the circular bin. Stay out of that dreaded file by closely matching your skills with the job description.
One important point: Don't lie just to match your skills with the position description. You'll eventually get busted, and everyone's time will be wasted. Find a position where you can write a cover letter that intertwines your experience with the job requirements and you may have found the perfect job!

Do the same thing for your resume as you did for your cover letter by changing the summary and objective sections on your resume to match the position description. Again, dissect the job posting and make certain your resume contains all applicable information--and is easily found. Generic resumes are tossed out; use yours to show why you are right for the position by highlighting responsibilities and achievements that mirror the responsibilities and requirements on the job positing. Follow these "insider" tricks of the trade, and you'll stand out from the pack every time.

Writing a Thank You note after the interview
You just had a great interview; you blew them away. You go home and wait by the phone. 5 days go by, 10 days go by and still no call. Why? They may be waiting for your "Thank you" note. It seems the person you would have been replacing had just been fired for taking people for granted and for not following up. In this situation the first test of any candidates was to see if the person had good follow-through was considerate enough to be part of this professional and caring organization. Instead of blowing them away, you just blew it!

A thank you note should be polite, brief, show your enthusiasm for the job and should mention something relevant from your interview.

Example

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for the opportunity to interview with XYZ Corporation for the Controller position. After talking with you and learning more about the role, I believe my 3 years experience as Manager of Accounting with Super Company has adequately prepared me for the job. I have given thought to the challenge of bringing in new accounting software and would look forward to the opportunity. I look forward to meeting with you again and appreciate the time you gave me.

Finest regards,

John Doe, Jr.

Rules

1. Hand-written notes are preferable, however, if you decide to email the letter, send it right away and use confirm receipt.
2. Send notes within 72 hours of your interview. However, late is better than not at all.
3. ALWAYS USE SPEL and GRAMMMER chek!
4. Send a 'thank you' to everyone who interviewed you that day.
5. Send a 'thank you' after each interview, but don't send the same one each time.

Writing a letter of resignation

General guidelines

• Keep it brief. Don't tell them anything they don't need to know.
• Keep it positive. You have kept your mouth shut about things that bother you this long; a few more weeks won't kill you.
• Make it final. You have already made your decision (maybe including family, spouse, etc… in on the process); nothing is gained by being indecisive. You have probably been through a long interview process, you have talked this to death with your family (or whoever) and you have been awake in bed two nights considering the move. But you have made your decision and while you have been taking orders from your boss for quite a while, it is your turn to give the order. "It is time for you to find someone to replace me."

Here's an example
Put your name and address at the top like a resume or use personal letterhead

<Insert today's date>

<Your Boss's Name>
<Your Company's Name>
<Your Company's Address>

Dear <Boss's name>,

It is time for me to move on in my career. Another firm made an exceptional offer and I accepted as I feel it is in my best long-term interests.

I will wrap up most of my projects and administrative responsibilities and will turn over my notes and clean out my desk by 11 am on <insert date>.

I will not entertain a counteroffer, as this company provides an opportunity for me that <current employer's name>cannot provide.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to working with you and I hope I can leave with your good wishes. I wish you and the staff success.

Sincerely,

Should I take a Counter-offer from my present employer?
If you are considering a counter-offer, it could be due to your boss or co-workers making you feel sorry for them or guilty for leaving. They are being selfish. If they cared about you, they would wish you well. This new job is a great opportunity.

Ask any recruiter if you should take a counter-offer and they will tell you absolutely not. We have all been trained to say this and most of the time it is wise. Occasionally there are reasons to take a counter-offer, I can think of five. If you are really thinking about accepting a counter-offer then here are the best reasons to stay.

5 Reasons to turn down a great job and stick with your present employer

1. The president of the company has decided that you are more valuable to the company than your boss and he/she is firing him and promoting you with a huge salary increase. Maybe you should stay put.
2. During your interview process with your potential employer a great company bought your present employer and you have a great opportunity that was not present before.
3. Your family will hate you for making this change.
4. The company that offered you the job is changing the rules or has just been acquired by another company or is suddenly involved in scandal. (Example - Enron)
5. You hit the lottery and want to hang out every day with old friends.

If any of these 5 situations arise, talk with your family, recruiter, potential employer and an executive at present employer. Discuss this situation and go with your gut instinct.

Otherwise, rather than accept a counter-offer, take the new opportunity and gain additional experience. If it turns out in a year or two that you made a mistake, then call your old boss. If you were really valuable to the team, he or she will find a job for you.