Article Title: The Big 4 Accounting Firms - How to get that perfect job with one of the big ones
Author Byline: The Big 4 Guru wants to help you land the perfect job! Get all the insider information that recruiters don’t want you to know! http://www.big4guru.com
Author Website: http://www.big4guru.com

Industry professionals, recruiters and college professors are unanimous in their belief in one thing: there is no better way to start a career in accounting than experience with a Big 4 public accounting firm. If you are reading this you no doubt are well aware of who these guys are:

PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touché, KPMG and Ernst & Young.

While each of these companies has various strengths and weaknesses, they are all alike in the fact that they provide the recent accounting grad with a world class experience. First year associates at these firms are given a level of responsibility that is truly remarkable. When I was a first year I remember thinking on an almost daily basis “I can’t believe they’re letting me do this.” As I strolled into the CEO’s office of the firm we were auditing, as I tallied up a multi-million dollar mistake I’d found in another company’s books and as I traveled the country with my very own American Express Corporate Card, I kept repeating this thought:

“I can’t believe they’re letting me do this”

Truly the world of accounting is at your fingertips when you are employed with one of the Big 4. There is an air of respect in those names: PwC, E&Y, KPMG and D&T. There is camaraderie and there is pride. These are the truly elite in the accounting field, and the top of the business world.

Starting your professional career at one of these companies is a ticket to a career in the fast lane. The experience you receive at a Big 4 is, literally, priceless. Many beginners at these firms admit that they would be willing to work for nothing: the experience is that valuable. Land a job and you will guarantee yourself the following:

- For the rest of your career your resume will automatically move to the top of the pile - For the rest of your career you will have access to a network of professionals that is staggering in its depth - You will earn an industry busting salary, putting your friends at regional and local firms to shame - Your resume will contain experience that is recognized and respected globally - An opportunity to travel the world

At a speaking engagement in 2004, Martin J. Whitman, billionaire and namesake of the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management, was asked the single best piece of advice he could offer college graduates. His reply? “Begin your career with a Big 4 Public Accounting Firm. Period.”

Of course.

Think this all sounds good? Of course you do. You’re probably thinking to yourself - there must be a catch? Unfortunately, there is. The benefits of working for a Big 4 are widely known and the demand for these positions is higher than ever. These positions are EXTREMELY competitive and often IMPOSSIBLE to obtain without an edge. A great GPA and resume are no longer enough.

If you are serious about your career and want to maximize your earnings potential, you need an edge. How do you land an interview with a Big 4 when there are thousands of others just like you? Once you get the interview, how will you be prepared for the barrage of questioning you will face?

When I graduated from college I had one interview and one interview only: I landed a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers on the first shot. How did I do it? Good grades? Charming personality? Incredible experience? No! I had an insider at PwC who knew the ropes and coached me through the process, from the application to the signing bonus! When I learned these secrets I just watched as my peers struggled and I jumped easily through all the hoops. Unfair? Sure, but life in a world class industry is not fair. While working at PwC I also experienced the recruiting process from the side of the recruiter. For more information please visit http://www.big4guru.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Yesterday, Dan Schawbel released the free sample pre-edition of his magazine, Personal Branding Magazine. The full issue, which is a paid subscription, is scheduled for publication on May 1.

You can get the free sample or sign up for the paid edition of the magazine by visiting his website www.PersonalBrandingMag.com. We are happy to be of sponsor of Dan’s and highly recommend that our readers take an opportunity to at least check out the sample.

Dan is a subject matter expert on personal branding and writes an engaging blog [called Personal Branding Blog, what else ] and is the first ever Social Media Specialist at EMC Corporation. This latest issue brings together 25 articles from leaders in the recruiting world. Get the sample here.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: Can MBA Degree Guarantee Career Success?
Author Byline: Practical Tips for Young Urban Professionals
Author Website: http://youngurbanprofessionals.net

In part, it may or can contribute to a successful career, but never a guarantee. However, if you want to grab the opportunities below, you might want to consider getting an MBA degree.

The demand for marketing, advertising, promotions and public relations managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. -U.S. Department of Labor’s 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook

The MBA Advantage

For those of us who are pursuing careers in these fields, this is a good time to consider an MBA degree. While, as I asserted, MBA degree is no guarantee, it can however give you an edge over other employees or candidates for managerial positions. In fact, some companies would require managerial candidates to get a graduate degree to qualify for a management office.

“Why would I spend my time in the university again? I have already put on 5 years of my life in college, and then you expect me to put on another three in graduate studies? That is too much! It’s time to earn my way through my career, besides work experience is much more important than an MBA degree!”

Sound familiar?

Many young professionals, I noticed, tend to shun pursuing graduate degrees or higher education beyond college. Some would even contend that it is a waste of time and money. Further; they aver that you can succeed without a MBA strap on your shoulders. I agree partly, because a degree is only one of many contributing factors in career success. I have already made that assertion earlier. On the other hand, I disagreed on the former contentions. Graduate degrees, an MBA for example, have their own merits, and would prove to be an advantage if you are vying for a managerial position.

During my stint as Corporate HR Manager, I have interviewed more than a thousand candidates for specialist, supervisory, managerial, and executive positions. I have noticed, roughly, only 1 out of 10 candidates has a Master’s degree or is pursuing a graduate program. My stats show that whenever I short list one of these candidates against two others who are not in their category, 99% of the time, the CEO or COO will prefer the former.

What does this implies?

Young urban professionals with Master’s degrees or pursuing graduate education are:

* Viewed to have more potential for promotion to leadership or managerial positions than other candidates. Which can easily be translated to savings and profits on the cost of staff hiring and training;
* Considered as forward-looking professionals. They step ahead of their peers, innovative, creative, and are visionaries;
* Considered as good and well-informed business decision makers. They value statistics, careful studies, and planning while taking calculated risks;
* Found to be aggressive and tenacious in any undertakings. Getting an MBA, for example, is a result of hardwork and perseverance in itself because of stiffer requirements than a bachelor’s degree;
* Serious about their career growth.

Here are your quick takes:

* If you are not fending for your own family, meaning you can afford to pursue a graduate program on a full-time basis –enroll today and get that MBA or graduate degree of your choice. Sometimes, a job can wait a little longer. An investment on graduate degree today can mean more and better job opportunities and offers in the future;
* If you are being offered a job, do not just negotiate about the salary and benefits package, include time allotment or scholarship fund for a graduate program;
* If pursuing graduate studies in-campus is not feasible, try online graduate courses or any other similar on line universities. By all means , get that master’s degree;
* Do not put-off pursuing graduate education in the latter years of your career, for by then you might not need it. You need it today!

Again, can MBA or a graduate degree guarantee career success?

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: Interview like a Rock Star
Author Byline: Phil Rosenebrg, President reCareered
Author Website: http://linkedIN.com/in/philrosenberg

Nope, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke.

You just had a Rock Star interview….you walked out of the office and knew the job was yours for the taking. The company is dying for you, and even you choose that this job isn’t the right move for you – at least the ego boost feels great.

There are two secrets to a Rock Star interview: Preparation and Execution.

Preparation:
Research - Rock Star preparation starts before you even write your resume. Research the company and industry, using SEC reports (if public), Company Website, press releases & Articles, Hoovers, Yahoo Finance, Google searches, social network contacts, and blogs. Find out everything you can about industry trends, how the company is reacting to them, or planning for them. Find out the company’s goals and challenges.

Peel - After you’ve done your research, start to peel the onion a little. Ask yourself what challenges the company is likely to face along the way. How will the company’s changes also change the area you are interviewing for. What problems are likely to arise that your Subject Matter Expertise can uniquely solve.

Solve Problems - Now you’re set to write a Rock Star resume – one that presents a solution to problems your target company faces. Throw out the old biographical resume. Instead, craft a resume that anticipates your target company’s problems, and demonstrates what you’ve already done to solve the exact or similar problems in your past experience.

Bait - To make a truly Rock Star resume, you’ll want to list a few points that cause the reader to ask more questions….questions that you’re dying to answer. Bait your resume with a few partial statements, and leave your audience curious to learn more, helping you to control the interview by what you’ve left out of your resume.

Prepare questions - Lots of them. Forget the questions about work environment career advancement and benefits – you’ll have plenty of time to ask these later. Ask questions to draw out problems and implications – of problems you can uniquely solve. Ask questions you already know the answer to, to see how the prospective employer answers, and how impressed they are that you had the insight to ask.

Anticipate - What questions will the interviewer ask you? Practice answering questions in a positive manner, while still telling the truth.

Execution:
For management/professional roles - Go in with the attitude that you are interviewing the company…not the other way around.

Dress the part – see my earlier post What to Wear? Acing the Interview – Part 1

Open - Stand tall, maintain eye contact, smile, and use a firm handshake – just like Dad taught you.

Initial impressions count - Remember that people form an initial impression of you in the first 30 seconds. That’s before the interview even begins. Start it out with a little small talk or a quick joke – getting your audience to laugh goes a long way to pass the “likability test”.

Control the interview - For more on controlling the interview see my post on How to Take Control of the Interview.

Eye contact - Maintain eye contact while talking, but don’t stare the interviewer down, either.

Questions - You control the interview and demonstrate both Subject Matter Expertise and leadership by asking questions. For more on questions to ask, see my earlier post Do you have any Questions?. Ask the same questions to different people in your interviews and see if they answer differently.

Turn negatives to positives - Why say you left because your boss was an insufferable jerk, when you can say that you didn’t agree with management’s direction? Wouldn’t you look wiser by anticipating the poor strategy of your company, than looking like you were a difficult employee for your boss? Don’t lie in your interview – it’s not necessary, and there’s a high likelihood you’ll get caught.

Close – Closing techniques will take a number of future posts to cover. In general, close by gaining some sort of feedback, and time/action commitment to next steps. If your interviewer is asking you what other companies you are interviewing with, you’re a finalist (not applicable for recruiters – headhunters ask this question to everyone). If your interviewer is asking you when you’ll be making your decision…you’re the Rock Star.

Re-Close - Send a Thank You note. For Thank You note strategies, see my earlier post Thank You! Make an Impact in 5 minutes.

Now that you’ve been through Rock Star School….what are you going to change in your next performance?

If you’d like to discuss how you can turn ordinary interviews into a Rock Star interview, a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice about your career transition, just email your resume to reCareered at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we’ll schedule a time to talk.

http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/04/nope-this-isnt-april-fools-joke.html

Phil Rosenberg
President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global
Email: phil.rainmakers@gmail.com
Web: http://reCareered.com
Blog: http://reCareered.blogspot.com
LinkedIN: http://linkedin.com/in/philrosenberg
Facebook: http://profile.to/philrosenberg/

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: 5 Job-Search Tips for New Grads
Author Byline: Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php
Author Website: http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php

5 Job-Search Tips for New Grads

It’s almost that time of year again, when newly graduating seniors hit the job market in search of a paycheck.

I don’t know about you, but everything I know about job hunting I learned after college. Like how to network and write an effective resume, for example.

So, to give you graduating seniors a leg up, I interviewed two career experts to uncover 5 ways for new grads to find a job faster. This is the stuff I wish they taught in school …

1) Cast a wide net
“In a declining economy such as we face now, you have to expand your options. If you’ve looked only at large corporations, start looking at small businesses, non-profits, universities, government jobs — a huge area of job growth — and other types of employers,” advises Lindsey Pollak, Author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World.”

Often, jobs at smaller and non-profit organizations are harder to find, requiring more networking on your part. However, you’ll face less competition from other job hunters who are not willing to put in the effort.

2) Persist without being a pest
Follow-up is one of the most important elements of any successful job search, especially for new grads lacking traditional experience. “‘No’ may really mean ‘not right now,’” says Pollak. “Getting a job is often about timing, so stay on employers’ radar screens. But instead of saying, ‘Hi, I’m just calling to follow up,’ try to add value in each communication, and only follow up once every two weeks or so.”

One way to add value is to use Google Alerts (Google.com/alerts) to stay current on industry news and trends. The service is free and emails you daily updates of the latest Google results (blogs, news, etc.) based on the topics you choose. Then, presto! You have a valid excuse to email or call employers about the relevant articles you find online.

3) Get experience — any way you can
Employers today expect — and in many cases demand — that you have hands-on work experience when you graduate from college, according to Peter Vogt, author of “Career Wisdom for College Students: Insights You Won’t Get in Class, on the Internet, or from Your Parents.”

“If you don’t have the right experience, you need to get some, be it through a post-graduation internship, working for a temporary staffing agency, or perhaps even volunteering,” says Vogt.

While this may come as a nasty surprise, especially if you’ve spent four years and five or six figures getting a degree, it might be necessary.
Especially if the economy continues to slow down. So you should have a Plan B that includes temping, interning or volunteer work. Some sites to check out are Net-Temps.com, Kellyservices.com, Manpower.com and Volunteermatch.org.

4) Your resume probably stinks — fix it
This unpleasant fact comes from my own experience reading hundreds of resumes from new grads over the years. To be specific, there are two things missing from most entry-level resumes: focus and results.

First, to give your resume focus, include an Objective at the top, with a specific job title. If you can’t focus on one job, tell readers the three skills you want to use (not 5 or 11). You must do the thinking for the reader and make it clear exactly what you want to do.

For free resume-writing help, send your resume to 5 people and ask them if they can figure out what job you want. If they can’t, employers can’t.
Revise as necessary.

Second, to give your resume results, add up all the time or money you saved or made in every position you’ve held since high school — paid or unpaid.
Then, include those totals in your resume and put them up front, where they can’t be missed.

Wrong example: “Duties included, but were not limited to, filing, faxing, answering phones and greeting clients as receptionist.”

Right example: “Saved 24 staff hours per month ($2,880 per year) by devising new filing system while handling receptionist’s duties.”

5) Get used to competition
Many new grads overlook or ignore this obvious fact, according to Vogt.

“As a student, you were graded on your efforts alone. If you scored 90 percent on a test, you got an A — no matter how anyone else did. As a job hunter, employers grade you against your peers. Suddenly, a performance that might otherwise have earned an A might earn you an F — failure to get hired — because another candidate else did just a little better,” says Vogt.

To compete in today’s job market, start with your mindset. Whether you’re writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, or out there networking, keep reminding yourself that good enough is … not. According to Vogt, “Your #1 job-search thought at all times must be this: How can I
outdo my peers?”

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php
copyright (c) 2008 by Kevin Donlin

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Thomas Pretty writes a very informative article about migration to New Zealand and how candidates can put their best foot forward.  In his article he mentions the difficulty that differing time zones can introduce into the interview process.  New Zealand happens to be 17 hours ahead of us (we are in Atlanta on Eastern Time) and is over 8100 miles away.  Those are two big obstacles to overcome if you are trying to migrate there and need to secure employment.

Not to worry though.  Thomas suggests (and we do as well) that you try setting up a video interview.  Since he only talked about how video interviews could help with the distance problem, we surmise that he wasn’t familiar with the time-shifted video interviews that Interview on Demand offers.  Our video job interviews can help employers and candidates bridge the ‘distance gap’ and make the interview possible without having to travel anywhere near 8000 miles.  Simply plug in your webcam, and take answer interview questions that the employer has stored on our system.   Now, using our video career profile for jobseekers, you could even send a mini-interview to an employer who doesn’t even know about video interviewing.

Even if you aren’t trying to migrate to New Zealand, video job interviews and video career profiles by Interview on Demand can help you close the gaps of time and distance when you are trying to find new employment.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

by Dan Schawbel, Personal Branding Expert

The concept of personal branding is revolutionary and has changed our perception of those around us.  People, instead of products or corporations are now being regarded as brands, sharing similar characteristics.  Both personal and corporate brands have values, identities, personalities, an image and equity.  Today, this concept has been adopted by both recruiters and applicants alike, all for the common goal of capturing the best-fit match.  The competition in both the job and college marketplace has never been more severe.  In order to alleviate this fear and threat, students and professionals have turned to Personal branding.  According to a recent survey from Korn Ferry, personal branding accounted for over 11% of getting an executive recruiters attention.  

Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leveraging it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence.

The audience in this equation is recruiters, other professionals or members of your network.  In order to brand yourself, you must have some form of differentiation, so that your audience can separate you from other applicants vying for the same position.

Your personal brand consists of three elements:

• Value Proposition: What do you stand for?
• Differentiation: What makes you stand out?
• Marketability: What makes you compelling?

Online personal branding (eBranding) focus areas:

YourName.com:  Your own domain should be your first focus area because it is a collection or central location of all your work and your branding materials.  After purchasing your domain and adding pages, such as your resume and portfolio, you need to communicate the site with your audience by using marketing tactics such as word-of-mouth.  Other tactics you may use is viral marketing through direct contact with others through email and phone mediums and by submitting your domain to search engines like Google.  If you already have a blog or another website, be sure to advertise your brand domain name on it.  Connecting with people in your network is also a smart strategy to drive traffic to a newly created brand domain.

Avatars:  These small graphical elements should be a professional picture of you.  Avatars are used in a variety of different ways on the internet, but are especially concentrated in social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Second Life and many blog networks. Your Avatar should display your professional photo.  Corporations use Avatars to illustrate their logo’s as a form of advertising. Whether you are posting in a blog or sending an email, you want your Personal Brand to represent your true appearance. Avatars have recently been deemed the standard in portrait displays for all of web 2.0 on the internet.  After developing one, it can be leverage in almost all social media websites, which is why it’s important that you make one immediately before investing in other parts of your brand.

Social Networks:  Today, most of the population is registered in at least one social networking website, whether it is MySpace, Facebook or others.  Issues do arise from messages that are posted that have a negative impact on Personal Brands.  If you join one of these networks, be sure that you set your privacy controls, use professional pictures and moderate comments and messages.  Recruiters view these websites and may turn you away after finding out certain information. 

Blogs:  A content distribution system, that not only creates a community of people that share similar interests, but acts as its own subscription service, where your words are syndicated through emails or other websites through RSS.  Blogging is one of the most remarkable Personal branding channels because the content is personable and direct.  When starting a blog, you may register with a host such as Google Blogger or Wordpress.  The idea with blogs and your brand is to stand out through taking a niche topic and blogging about it on an ongoing basis.  Blogs consist of posts that are either written or in a video format, where you can express your interest and expertise in a given topic.  Typically, you should avoid any ideas or visuals that would give your brand a bad reputation.  Photos and video’s should be used to re-emphasize your points, as well as links to other blogs that directly connect with your topic.  Be sure to comment on other blogs, as that creates a network, where you will get more visitors and more people writing on your topic.

Podcasts:  Video content is especially useful for your brand if you have a vivacious personality in front of the camera.  In the future, resumes may be formatted into multimedia, where individuals will have to pitch their core message in 30 seconds and forward it to a recruiter.  Podcasting is useful because it highlights your overall brand, in the form of dynamic content.

Forums:  Discussion forums give you the ability to learn from others, display your brand through an avatar and for self-promotion purposes.  By participating in forums, especially ones involving recruitment, you are able to connect with others who share your interests or recruiters that may have open positions.

LinkedIn:  A networking website that allows you to connect with previous coworkers, schoolmates or new acquaintances.  Your resume should be visible, including recommendations and a core message summary.  Your network is your most powerful tool to excel in your career, so make sure that as you meet new people you connect with them through this site. [Editor’s note: Dave Mendoza of Six Degrees from Dave and Paul DeBettignies at RecruitingBlogs.com are very active LinkedIn linkers and experts.  Check them out.]

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

I hope you all read our recent post Interview On Demand is TiVo for hiring.  (We love TiVo.)  In an interesting coincidence, I ran across some news recently:  As cool as TiVo is, it has trouble attracting, identifying and hiring top candidates.  I can’t believe it, but OK.  In an effort to improve their stats, TiVo has signed up to be a tester for the beta version of LinkedIn Recruiter–in a nutshell, this setup has upgraded search features, allows recruiters to group candidates in folders and tag them with comments and offers teams the ability to collectively keep track of candidates to avoid repeating contacts (and annoying the daylights out of passive candidates).  Every little bit helps, right?  The whole concept’s getting some nice attention…(see what TechCrunch and Cheezhead have to say.)

Of course, at Interview On Demand we know the value of keeping track of candidates online and allowing teams to work together in the interest of acquiring the best talent.  We’d also like to put our two cents in: going after passive candidates becomes a little easier and more acceptable to them if their first interview can be done online at their convenience and at their own location.  It’s much less intrusive to them, and having a first interview recorded for teams at the hiring company to see makes multiple contacts much less necessary until there’s something serious going on.  Hiring top candidates can be a tricky business, but Interview On Demand is here to help!

Are you listening, TiVo?

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: Developing A Standout Executive Resume
Author Byline: Abby M. Locke, Executive Director of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com), is a Nationally Certified Resume-Writer and Personal Brand Strategist who helps senior-level professionals and C-level executives achieve personal success with customized, branded executive resumes and career marketing documents. Her resume samples have been pu
Author Website: http://www.premierwriting.com/

No-one can deny the importance of a résumé in a job search. Despite the invention of web portfolios, online applications, and leadership profiles, you will find that a well-written résumé is still a highly effective tool for interviewing, networking, and relationship building purposes. [Editor’s note: resumes are an important part of our Video Career Profile for jobseekers]

For executive jobseekers, the job search arena is a whole different playing field. The compensation is higher, but the competition for C-level positions is fiercer than that of the average jobseeker. As senior-level executive positions shrink, a powerful executive résumé /portfolio can give you an edge over your peers.

When taking a close look at résumé s on the whole, there are distinctive features that are unique to the executive résumé. While information like job responsibilities, areas of expertise, accomplishments, and technical skills will always apply to any jobseeker, the executive must also demonstrate leadership capabilities, industry insights, revenue-enhancing performance, and staff management in his or her résumé. In addition, the executive résumé should be targeted, highly-customized, and clearly describe the executive’s personal attributes.

Sounds like a tall order, right? So how exactly do you begin to put the pieces together?

**Building Block #1: Know Where You Are Headed. Regardless of what circumstances bring you to a job search, you must be clear on the type of positions, companies or industries you will be targeting. Before I even critique a client’s résumé, I always begin by getting a solid understanding of what positions they are considering and the companies that interest them.

It cannot be stressed enough that a one-size fits all résumé does not work, it makes you appear unfocused and the reader is left to guess about your career aspirations. Bottom-line – it ends up in the trash pile. [Editor’s note: I did an article on building executive resumes which you might find interesting as well.]

**Building Block #2: Decide How You Want To Be Perceived. This portion of building the résumé is especially important for individuals seeking to advance from general management roles to senior-level or C-level responsibilities. What personal strengths and career-defining achievements are most valuable to your target audience? Do you want to be perceived as the finance guru or the innovative leader? Each person is different and those distinguishing features and unique value propositions have to be reflected on paper. This is generally very thought-provoking, but the information you can extract is well worth the effort when it is translated into your executive résumé.

Take the time to develop a list of your personal attributes – enlist help from your mentors, colleagues, peers, and family to help give you feedback on those areas. A company is interested in hiring a real person, not just education, credentials, and technical skills.

**Building Block #3: Include Only Relevant Information. Gone are the days when creating a résumé meant rehashing every job you held in your life. Most likely, as an executive you will have a minimum of fifteen years or more experience. Do all those experiences relate to your target market? Are you still holding on to your first position or internship since college?

Understandably, having consistency and longevity on your résumé will work in your favor, but the goal is to have a two-to-three page résumé, not a book! In addition, if you have done a variety of training courses, list those programs that would highlight your knowledge and proficiency in areas that your target market wants.

**Building Block #4: Gather The Facts, Get The Numbers. Your executive résumé must tell the reader what you have done, but in “big picture” snapshots with active words that bring the résumé to life. There is a huge difference between saying “Manage daily activities for real estate portfolio for investment management company and supervise staff members.” and saying instead “Challenged to deliver 10% return on $700 million investment portfolio in unpredictable real estate industry. Oversee all daily activities including ROI maximizations, client relations, loan negotiations, and investment dispositions. Recruit, train, and coach 50 employees.

In three short sentences, without going through the painful step-by-step details, the reader is able to capture what the jobseeker does, the breadth of the work responsibilities, the challenges, and the overall scope of the desired outcome. Being able to incorporate quantitative facts and figures can really enhance the executive résumé. You probably won’t remember intricate details from ten or fifteen years ago, but does some research, make logical estimates, and call up old co-workers to get the facts.

**Building Block #5: Accomplishments: The Icing On The Résumé. Once you have communicated to the reader what your responsibilities are in a three-to-five line paragraph, it’s time to show how you made a difference. In every consultation I conduct, I find that clients can underestimate what they have done. Sure, they can tell you their responsibilities or the company’s annual/quarterly goals, but when it comes to summarizing the level of impact they have made – they sometimes stumble. An accomplishment or an achievement can be identified by those actions you took to overcome a challenge or resolve a problem that your company was facing.

An accomplishment does not always mean you scored $1 million in sales. While more impressive accomplishments relate to revenues and profits, your accomplishments can relate to customers, work productivity, cost reduction, and business expansion as well. Again, if you can quantity or qualify those accomplishments, they add more zest to the final document.

**Building Block #6: Compiling Your Core Competencies. In this section of the résumé, you will pull together a list of keywords relevant to your target industry, your direct experience, your leadership capabilities, and your technical/business skills. Incorporating keywords throughout the résumé in addition to the core competency section helps you to “speak” the same language as the hiring company. For assistance with finding the right keywords, visit association websites, talk to contacts in the industry, and research company literature and websites.

**Building Block #7: Handling the Dates. Anyone who has more than 20 years’ experience has to address the issue of age when seeking new employment. A general (and safe) rule of thumb to follow is to avoid listing any employment or education dates from the 60’s and 70’s.

When making reference to number of years of experience instead of saying “30 years’ experience in government relations” say “20+ years’ experience or even 15+ years’ experience.” You have to be prepared to answer in an interview exactly what the “+” equates to in years.

**Building Block #8: The Final Layout. After hours of hard work and information gathering, you begin the final assembly and layout of the résumé. In general the sections should go in this order: Name/Contact Information, Title Header (indicating your job title), Executive Summary or Profile, Core Competency Areas, Career Progression, Education & Training, and Memberships.

Getting prepared to develop a new résumé is never an easy task especially if you haven’t done a one in a long time. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the entire process – start by working on one section at a time before pulling it all together.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

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