Are You a Discouraged Worker?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a monthly jobs report of detailing, among other things, the number of jobs created as well as the number of persons unemployed. October’s report came out last Friday. The report shows that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.0 percent, representing more than 13.9 million Americans that are out of work. This number is huge by any comparison and suggests that we still have a tough uphill battle to turn this economy around.

It's All About the Numbers

When tackling the job search, it helps to know which job search methods work and which ones don’t.  The North Carolina Career Resource Network posted some figures related to the job search recently that I thought were pretty revealing. Let’s take a look at a few:

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "Y" is for YOU

XYZ: YOU Are More Important Than Your Resume.

This entire blog series has been focused on strategies for writing your resume. We all know that the resume is a very important and integral communication tool for use in your job search and sufficient attention should be given to it make sure it is well written and effective in communicating your personal brand. At the end of the day, however, remember that employers hire people not resumes and you are more important than your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "U" is for UNDERSTAND

U: The One Thing You Must UNDERSTAND About Resume Writing.

As I get closer to completing this series, it is getting harder and harder to come up with new and interesting subjects that are worth writing more than 300 words about. I have to admit, I struggled with today’s post. There are just not enough “good” words starting with the letter “u” that I could tie to resume writing. So I chose to go with the word understand.

In today’s career search, so much emphasis is placed on resume writing, because let’s face it, more times than not, you are going to need a resume at some point in the career search process. Even if you do not need a resume to get an interview, which happens to be the real purpose of a resume, you will need a resume during the interview so that you and the interviewer can have an intelligent discussion as it relates to your skills and accomplishments.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "S" is for SEEK

S: Seek Professional Help

Most of you probably agree that writing your resume is not one of your favorite tasks to complete. In fact, most of you probably do not even think about your resume until it is time to look for a new job. If it has been some years since your last career transistion, you may not realize that the “rules” of resume writing have changed. For instance, you no longer list personal information on your resume; you do not necessarily list every job you have had; and you no longer include the phrase “References Available Upon Request.” With these and so many other changes as well as the fact that there is so much more competition in this job market, it may be worth it to seek professional help and engage the services of a professional.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "R" is for REVIEW

R: REVIEW the job description for clues on tweaking your resume. 

Whenever I am giving a resume writing seminar, I make it a point to mention these two facts: one, that resume writing is an art, not a science and two, a one-size resume does not fit all. What I mean by the latter is that it is very important to revise your resume to fit the position you are applying for. Blindly applying to jobs with a single resume is not a good career search strategy. Employers are looking to hire employees to solve specific problems. They need to fit a round peg into a round hole and in this economy there are plenty of round pegs to choose from. To give your resume a chance at getting past the gate keepers, review the job description for insights into how to revise your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "N" is for NARROW

N: NARROW your focus before writing your resume.

Across the nation, there are more than 14 million people unemployed and looking for work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate for June sits at 9.2 percent. That means that for any job opportunity, hundreds and even thousands of people are submitting resumes and applications. Oftentimes, many of the clients are not qualified or are only loosely qualified for the position. Why is this? At some point during the job search, desperation sets in; severance may be running out and bills are coming due.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "L" is for LEAD

L: Lead Off Accomplishments With Results.

Accomplishments can make or break your resume. Accomplishments are why employers read your resume in the first place and when I say read, I really mean scan because employers do not read resumes thoroughly, at most, they give them a casual scan. Because resumes are a marketing tool, your accomplishments need to be written to sell your skills and abilities to the employer. Your accomplishments must entice them to make a purchase, e.g., to “buy” you and invite you in for an interview. You may be thinking, "What is the best way to write my accomplishments?" Of course you should start each accomplishment with a strong action verb, but there is one little trick to help your accomplishments really stand out.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "K" is for KEYS

K: KEYS to formatting your resume.

It’s no secret that the content of your resume is very important. After all, including good content, i.e., information that markets you as a viable candidate, can definitely help you win more interviews.   Conversely, including bad content, i.e., personal information, dated technical skills, or reasons for leaving past employers (see earlier post for the letter “I”) can hinder your job search and keep your resume from making it to the top of the stack. Just as including the right content is important to writing an effective resume, the formatting of this content is equally important. A visually appealing resume is easier to read and a well formatted resume helps make information on your resume easier to locate. Keep these five keys in mind when arranging the information on your resume. 

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "J" is for JOURNAL

J: Keep a career JOURNAL.

We’ve all been there. It’s time to update your resume. For some, this task is not terribly difficult, especially if you do not have a long career history, or you have been keeping your resume current throughout your career. But for those of you who have not taken the time to update your resume throughout your career, it could be a very trying task to recall information earlier in your career. So what do you do? Unless you have the mind of an elephant, you next best bet is to keep a career journal. Few job seekers do this because, let’s face it, it is a task that you have to keep up with month after month and year after year. But a career journal is an invaluable tool to help you document three key pieces of information useful for updating your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "I" is for INCLUDE

I: Five things not to INCLUDE on your resume.

Last week, I covered three areas that you must include on your resume in an effort to land more interviews. You can read that blog post below. Today, I am writing about what not to include on your resume. Some of you may have heard this before, for others, this may be news to you. Whatever the case may be, keep these five things as far away from your resume as possible and you’ll be destined for more interviews.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "B" is for BUYING

B: Focus on BUYING motivators when detailing accomplishments.

In this week’s earlier post, I talked about the fact that resume writing is an art, not a science. There is not only one way to write a resume. There are strategies for each individual situation and there are three standard resume formats. In this post, I talk about employer buying motivators.

When writing your resume, keep in mind that your goal is to create desire. You must create desire for the employer to want to select you for an interview and ultimately for employment. This desire must be greater than the desire created by your competition. You may be asking “But what can I do to create desire and influence an employer to select me for an interview?”

Customization makes a résumé stand out | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

In this article, I was interviewed by Bobby Sisk, on the importance of customizing your resume. The article appeared in the Charlotte Observer and online at Charlottebserver.com.

Customization makes a résumé stand out

By Bobby Sisk

Posted: Sunday, Mar. 27, 2011

For nearly 20 years, Nathan Adams has helped job-seekers improve their résumés. But in this current job market, he recognized his advice is only one part of the sometimes difficult process of finding work.

"I had always held firm to the belief that once you got a solid résumé that accurately highlighted your skills, the next thing to do was start applying for any and all positions that you thought you were qualified for," Adams said.
Recent struggles of job seekers competing against hundreds of other applicants led him toward a different approach, one of more customization.

Welcome to the Art of the Job Search!

Welcome to the Art of the Job Search, a blog written by me, Nathan Adams, a certified professional resume writer and owner of First Impressions Resume Center. I have been in business since 2002 and this is my first attempt at writing a blog on a consistent basis. I'll talk about all things involved in the job search, from resume writing, to personal branding, to salary negotiations. So feel free to reach out to me at anytime. You can contact me via email at nadams@firstimpressionscount.com.