Job Hacking

Targeting your audience

I've written more than a few posts about resume writing, with one clear point being to think about what the Hiring Manager wants in the ideal candidate, and then write to that audience.

Today, FTE 1.0, one of the funniest HR Blogs (or is it HR Art?) out there had a post which made me think twice about this point of view regarding resumes. My take is that it makes your resume creation choices that much more important - which boss do you want to work for?

And for you bosses out there, it should help you improve what you ask your staff to do in any given role.

re: Top 10 overused words & phrases on Linkedin

Here's a tip for anyone looking to improve their career in 2011, and wants to stand out from the crowd, don't use these words & phrases:

1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial

Maybe try something like rhythm.

 

The story

I've been pondering writing this blog for a bit, I think it was an article in the NY Times about Mark Twain as literary critic that did it to me, and I'm thinking it would be fun to try out some different writing styles.

And then, I ran into this post by Penelope Trunk, Turning Point.

Now, I have some issues with some of what she writes, but the gems she comes up with are worth it. This one is a gem - such a great little story. And it inspires me to write better.

And what was on Marcelo's mind today?

There are a number of entrepreneur-types in Seattle and many of them blog. And you should be reading them.

Marcelo Calbucci is one, and he has a G-R-E-A-T post today about how your ignorance might be costing you. Given that he, like many of the people in the Seattle start-up scene, uses these tools himself to improve what he does, his comments have a ring of truth to them. Ignore at your own risk!

The #1 Reason to look at your profile today

Matt's got a nice, long story on his blog about jargon and how it can help or hurt the perceptions others have of you in your quest for new employment.

 The MOST IMPORTANT bit comes right at the end, where he says that you should make sure you've got the right words and phrases on your linkedin profile. I could not agree more.

Why?

Three reasons:

1. It helps those who are like you, or who lead people like you to know that you are in their tribe.
2. It helps recruiters find you.
3. It helps those who really do not know anything about what you do know that you (might) know your stuff.

Oddly, it's the third reason that might be the most important to Software/Web Developer-types in our current economy. The reason is that startups and smaller firms have a sense of the results they want, but they don't know all the details about the work. 

Sounds like the role of Web Developer to me!

Can you tell just by looking at it?

How do yo know that a software program, or a website, or an iPhone app has a bad UI?

When there are explanations to help guide you through the interface.

The latest example: Facebook's explanation, "Welcome to our new, simplified home page."

This change reminds me of a Grocery Store reset. You know, when the contents of a store's shelves are all re-arranged to "make it easier on you, the shopper", when actually they are just trying to make you confused, upset your usual shopping patterns, and in the process, get you to pay attention to products you don't normally look at.

I posit that Facebook is changing their focus away from the people with the accounts to the companies that will pay them to be in Facebook.

And what kinds of apps or features will we see in Facebook? More games, certainly. And... recruiting tools.Which means you should be paying more attention to what you post if you care about your career (and you should be doing this anyway, given that any recruiter worth their salt checks you on social networking sites before giving you serious consideration).

I bet a a baker's dozen Krispy Kremes that your writing sucks!

There's this job. It's THE BEST FRICKIN' JOB IN THE WHOLE WORLD! You were born, bred and trained to do it. And there it is, it's open, it's yours. You know it in your soul of souls. 

Then, you have to apply. Time to re-write your resume. A little doubt creeps in. Your hands start to sweat. You try to re-write the resume. Ugh. You aren't certain. You take another pass. And another. Will this get the call to happen?

As much as the HR and Recruiting pundits talk about new technologies changing the recruiting process, or how video resumes will alter things, the reality is that there is a lot of writing involved in both sides of recruiting. Job ads are written. Your linkedin profile is written. Except for your picture. Your resume is written. Your email to the recruiter is written.

So, can you write?

Chances are, your writing skills are not up to the task. And, even if they are pretty good, you could probably use some 'sharpening of the saw' from time to time.

With this in mind, check out this post by Jeff Sexton on Copyblogger. 

After reading this, are you wondering how to improve the Summary section of your LinkedIn profile? Your resume?

What can sink your odds of landing a job faster than...?

A while back, I did a post, What Does the Internet Know About You?

Over the weekend, Seth Godin posted Personal Branding in the Age of Google.

I like his advice a lot, "The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you're on Candid Camera, because you are."

What are you proud of?

Have you seen somebody really knock one out of the park lately? Maybe someone close to you - despite obviously challenging times? Makes you proud, doesn't it?

I've got one of these, too. And I have to share: http://www.tesshardwick.com/

Congrats, Tess!

Are you a Baking Soda Company?

A while back, I wrote about the challenge that many candidates have in defining a picture of themselves that is distinct and attractive. That post was, Are you a Baking Soda Candidate?

Today, I read a post that made me realize that many companies have the same problem.

The post in question is at Inside Facebook where their Engineering Hiring Manager, Dave Fetterman answers some key questions for (Dev) candidates who are looking for a role at Facebook.

I like Facebook. They are tremendously successful, and they are trying new things. I wish them well. However, this post isn't really going to help them find the game-changing people they are looking for.

Why?

And why is it important for you, Mr./Ms. Hiring Manager to know this?

Simple. Dave says exactly the same stuff that every other Technology Leader I know says off-the-top about their startup/small company or org. In other words, they are defining themselves as a commodity product, and not differentiating themselves from the competition.

Additionally, and this is highly important at this point in our economic cycle, most candidates are not that concerned about creating a nifty new future. The high-order bit right now for almost everyone is survival. Making sure the paycheck is coming in. In other words, solve the lower-order issues on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and then go on from there.

Were I needing to hire someone for my Dev Team, I'd walk around and ask the most recent hires why they were attracted to the firm and the team. I'd ask them which other companies they were thinking about talking to. I'd ask them what differentiates us from them. And that's where I'd start in writing up the next recruitment campaign.

As to Facebook, my suggestion to them would be to get real aggressive, and write a post to all Yahoo Devs: Come join us and avoid becoming Borg.

Nobody would think of them as a Baking Soda company any more!