Does The Employer Care About the Jobs, Cont.

In the last post, we started to discuss how many jobs to list on your resume. The answer to that question is “few.” The more jobs you list, the less each job is going to be reviewed by the interviewer, and you risk giving off the impression that you bounce around from job to job.

However, the most important thing to remember is that the employer does not care about most of the jobs you have held. It may seem counterintuitive, but most of your work history is simply not important. The best way to prove this is with examples. For the sake of discussion, let’s pretend you are applying for a job working with computers.

Irrelevant Jobs

Scenario: You are applying to an IT job. You are writing your resume, and you have held 4 jobs in the past. You list them all on your resume. The companies you worked with are as follows:

• 2009-2010 Microsoft Corporation.
• 2008-2009 Intel Corporation.
• 2006-2008 Apple, Inc.
• 2004-2005 McDonalds

It’s pretty easy to see from this list that the employer is not going to give a damn about the McDonalds job. You may have something you believe is relevant (for example, maybe the job is looking for someone that had leadership experience, and you were a manager), but the employer is going to take one look at a resume that lists “McDonalds” as an employer and completely ignore it. The hiring manager simply does not care.

This applies to college graduates as well. You probably worked a lot during college for various crappy businesses. Then you get one job that looks good on a resume, but the boss is a jerk and you quit. Now you have the option of making your resume again for a new employer.

In this case, you may want to only put the one job that you held that was impressive. Yes, it makes your resume look smaller, but no corporate job cares that you worked for a grocery store, or worked as a waiter, or worked as a barista. They don’t care. It’s unlikely any of your achievements with those types of companies is going to impress a corporate employer.

Redundant Jobs

That brings us to another point. What if the jobs are all relevant to the position? Here, still, we have another issue – does the job you list say anything new about your eligibility, or does it bring nothing to the table? Let’s look at a similar list again:

• 2008-2010 Microsoft Corporation.
• 2006-2008 Intel Corporation.
• 2004-2006 Apple, Inc.
• 2002-2004 Dell, Inc.

Now, at first glance it appears that all of these jobs are relevant to the position. However, that is not the question. The question is – does the job add anything to the resume that helps you get the job? The answer is probably a big “no.” Most likely you had the same tasks at Dell that you had at Microsoft, and most likely you already listed those achievements. So while the name “Dell” may be impressive to the employer, it adds nothing that isn’t already on your resume. It is simply added space, and added space with no value is bad space.

Note: The oldest job may not be the redundant job. If you worked at Intel for only 4 months, that is the job that may be useless on your resume. Short jobs and jobs that aren’t as impressive can be removed from a resume, unless it makes it look like you were out of work for a long period of time.

Old Jobs

Finally, jobs you held a long time ago may also now be irrelevant. A job you held for 3 years in the 1980’s is not as useful as the job you held last year. It may have no use at all. All it does is provide the employer with an idea of your age. The older the job is, the less likely it is useful on your resume, especially if your newer jobs are more impressive.

Overall, it is important to remember that resumes are essentially sales documents, with yourself as the product. You only want to list your absolute best features. All of the less important features are unnecessary.

Take Away Tips

• Your resume should only list your best and most relevant jobs.
• If there isn’t a great reason to put the job on the resume, don’t list it.

How Many Jobs Should You List on Your Resume?

This is a question that a lot of applicants have. You have held anywhere between 0 and 100 jobs in the last ten years. You want the hiring manager to see how qualified you are for the position, so you are tempted to list every single job you have held to show the employer that you are a work experience machine.

Quality over Quantity

This is not the best strategy. In fact, it is the worst strategy. Employers have all of 30 seconds or less to look at your resume before deciding if you are someone they want to seriously consider. When they see that large a resume, one of three things is bound to occur:

• The employer won’t bother looking at anything other than the first page.
• The employer will spend less time looking at your more recent jobs in the interest of time.
• The employer will skim around, missing important points.

No matter what happens, your chance of getting the job suffers. You have a limited amount of time to draw the interests of the interviewer. The best way to do that is to have your best information be the only information available to the interviewer.

The Employer Doesn’t Care

The truth is that the employer really doesn’t give a damn about the crappy job you had 10 years ago. Maybe you believe the tasks were relevant, but if you haven’t done them recently, the employer is going to doubt that you still have any of the skills.

Similarly, if you held a lot of jobs in a short amount of time, the employer is not going to care about any job you held for a very short period of time, nor are they going to think highly of you for bouncing around from job to job.

Whenever you write your resume, it is important to ask yourself: Does the employer care?

In the next post we will take a look at some examples to help you figure out whether the employer cares about the job you are going to list on your resume.

Take Away Tips

• Always choose quality over quantity.
• Remove any jobs that don’t help you get the job.
• Review the next post.

How to Improve the Chances of Your Resume Getting Selected in a Semantic Search

In the last post, we looked at what a “Semantic Job Matching Engine” actually is, and how it is quickly changing the application process. Your resume now must contain good information, otherwise the semantic matching engine will not know that you are a good candidate for the job.

Changing Your Resume

There are several things you can do to improve your resume – and several things you cannot. You cannot make up experiences, and you cannot claim you have skills that aren’t there. If the hiring manager searches for those skills, you’re out of luck. In addition, there is no surefire way of designing a resume for the matching algorithm. The algorithms are too complex, and generally unbreakable. Even if you could break it, you wouldn’t know what the interviewer is searching for in order to guarantee you show up in the results. You can only give your best guess.

Adding Keywords With Accomplishments

Though the specific keywords matter less, keywords are how a matching system learns what you know and what you don’t know. Recruiters across the world advise that you put accomplishments on your resume, such as:

• Improved sales by 500%.

They are correct. You should have accomplishments all over your resume. However, you should not allow the accomplishment to stand alone. The algorithm does not know how important “500%” is without additional information. Add words. Good words, not cliché words. For example:

• Improved sales by 500% by instituting “authentic relationship building” techniques.

The keywords will improve the content of your resume, which will improve your chance of showing up in searches.

Replace Objective Statement with Professional Summary

This is a no brainer. The professional summary is a great way to add content into your resume without ruining the impact of your accomplishments. Use the professional summary to sprinkle great words throughout your resume.

Tailor Your Resume to Each Job

Finally, your best bet of showing up in a search is to make sure your resume is written with the job, job description, and probable tasks in mind. If you are applying for a job in Networking and your resume focuses on your expertise in web design, you are not going to show up in networking searches. Each job has its own expectations and needs, so you should review each job description and company and write your resume based on what you believe they value.

No Perfect Formula

There is no way to know exactly how to change your resume, or whether the company is going to use a semantic matching engine at all. The best you can do is design your resume with the semantic search in mind, but make sure that it is still impressive to human readers. That is the best way to give yourself a chance of getting the job.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Use professional summaries.
• Add good words as needed.
• Cross fingers and don’t break any mirrors.

7 Tips for Better Email Cover Letters

Now that most people apply for jobs online, the way that people apply has to change. In the past, the first part of your application was the cover letter. Employers would open an envelope and see your professionally typed cover letter before they had a chance to look at your resume.

Now, the first thing that the hiring manager sees is going to be the email you use to send the cover letter. You need to make sure that you have sent an email that is designed to improve your chances of getting the job. Note that an email cover letter is not the same as an actual cover letter. Actual cover letters should be attached to your email.

Tips for Making a Good Email Cover Letter

1. Use the Subject Line

It is vitally important that you utilize the subject line of your email. Subject lines should not be bland and boring. They need to reference the specific job you are applying for, and possibly something about yourself, such as “Experienced CPA Interested in Accounting Lead Position.” Use title casing.

1. Write a Unique Letter

You should still write a professional cover letter that you attach to your email. Your email letter should be unique and not contain any of the same sentences in your cover letter. It is easily possible that the hiring manager goes straight from your email to your cover letter, and if they do, you do not want them to re-read something they have already written.

1. Keep it Short

Remember that you will have an actual cover letter attached to the email, so there is no reason to write a completely new cover letter for your email. Instead, simply write something that resembles a cover letter but is far briefer.

1. Mention Your Resume and Cover Letter

At the end of your email, mention that you have both of your cover letter and resume attached. This will accomplish two things. First, it ensures they realize there is an additional cover letter to read. Second, if for any reason they are not attached, the employer knows to ask for them. It is not uncommon for employers to receive emails that say “please hire me” without any intention of sending a resume.

1. Stay Professional

Your email letter should be as professional as your cover letter. Mention the job you are applying for, where you found it, and list your best qualities that make you an ideal candidate.

1. Follow General Cover Letter Tips

The same tips that are used for writing cover letters apply to emails too. Don’t use clichés, don’t simply regurgitate your resume, etc. You do not need to write the complete cover letter, but you should at least keep the writing style in mind.

1. Make it Readable

If possible, stay away from huge, bulky, single paragraph writing. It is better to use multiple paragraphs or bullet points or anything else that adds to readability.

An Email is a Terrible Thing to Waste

The first thing the employer is going to see is your email. Write a  nice email to the employer when you send your resume and cover letter and you give a favorable first impression.

Take Away Tips

• Write a unique letter following cover letter rules.
• Remain professional and make your email job letter readable.
• Utilize your subject line.



Q&A – Can Employers Find Out About Jobs Not On the Resume?

Question

“I held a temporary jobs that I kept off my resume since they didn’t have anything to do with the position I was applying for. Can my employer find out?”

Answer

When you write your resume, you are provided a limited amount of space to supply the employer with a reason to call you in for a job interview. You need to use that space wisely. If you have a lot of random, meaningless part time jobs in between your jobs that have relevancy to the position, it makes perfect sense to want to keep them off your resume.

Can they find out that you left them off your resume? Yes. Will they care? That’s debatable. Most employers only care that you are not lying on your resume. A huge number of companies do thorough background checks to ensure that the applicant did not lie on their resume. By omitting information, you did not lie. You simply omitted. Employers understand that, because they know you have a limited amount of space on your resume.

Reasons They May Care

That said, it is possible that the employer may find an abundance of jobs disturbing. People that get hired and leave jobs often tend to be less reliable, and this can be a concern to these companies. Similarly, if you held jobs that seem odd for someone in your position, they may question whether or not you are qualified for the role.

In general, however, you can assume that employers are not too concerned with the jobs you do not put on your resume. They are going to be far more concerned with any instances of lying or deceit.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Don’t lie.
• Don’t deceive.

Should You Remove Jobs You Held Short Term on Your Resume?

Resumes are your chance to sell yourself to a company. You want to make sure that the employer knows the experiences you have that should win you the position. It is like a sales letter for your employment.

Like a sales letter, you should only include the features that are going to win you the job. You have a limited amount of space to try to win over the recipient, and you need to use that space as wisely and as impressively as possible.

Lots of Short Jobs

It is not uncommon to find that you have a number of different jobs that you held for only a short amount of time, especially if you are a young worker that was employed through college. It is tempting to want to add these jobs to your resume. Most of the time you should not. Employment that you held for less than a year does not always speak highly to your value as a candidate:

• Short term employment makes it look like you can’t hold down a job.
• Multiple positions make it look like your career has no focus.
• Temporary positions do not appear to be great job experiences.

Ideally, you should only list either the most recent or longest term jobs you have held.

When to Remove Jobs

You should remove these jobs from your resume when they meet any of the following criteria:

• They are irrelevant for the position.
• Removing them will not cause a massive gap in employment.
• You have held several jobs for a longer period of time.
• You do not have any major accomplishments at these positions.

As you can see, most of the time you will remove these jobs from your resume. However, there may a reason to keep the job on your resume. Perhaps one of your short term jobs is your only job that was relevant for the position. When that is the case you should consider switching to a skill based resume, or doing your best to make it appear as though you held the position for longer (perhaps by removing the months from the “time employed” section of your resume so that employers cannot see how long you were actually employed, only the year(s) you were employed.

There are very few instances where you will want to place short term positions on your resume. See if you can omit them without affecting your job chances, and look at skill based resumes or fancy workarounds if you are convinced that listing the job is necessary.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Short term employment is not very useful on a resume.
• Omit any jobs that will not help your chances.



Resume Tips for Overqualified Applicants

It’s hard to find a job. Companies across the nation have cut down on who they are willing to employ, Layoffs are the word of the day. To find a job in today’s economy, you have to apply to whatever looks good, and this means applying to jobs that you may be overqualified for.

Problems for the Overqualified

When you are overqualified for a job, employers are become worried about your ability to hold down the job long term. They recognize that you probably have the intelligence and the work experience to succeed, but they are concerned that you will:

• Become bored and produce less than your abilities.
• Demand higher salary over time for your hard work.
• Ignore instructions from your supervisors.
• Leave the position as soon as a higher paying position opens.

As a result, as much as some companies may want to hire you for the position, they will not because they do not expect you to stay long or work well with the team.

How to Apply as an Overqualified Applicant

That is why if you are overqualified you must dumb down your resume in order to get the job. The more the company realizes that you are overqualified, the less likely you will get selected for an interview. Below are several tips for helping your resume look more attractive to the employer.

• Change Your Titles

The first step is to edit your titles. “Chief Financial Officer” shows too much responsibility. You can change it in two ways. You can simply change your title to something that is basically the same, such as “Manager of Finances” or “Financial Manager,” or you can use a title that you used to have before you were promoted from within the company. For example, “Assistant Finance Officer.” Changing your title will not put up as many red flags.

• Focus on the Job

Many business professionals create their resume beforehand, showing off all of their accomplishments in bulleted list form. If you are overqualified, it is a good idea to scrap your professional resume and create one from scratch that only highlights the achievements that are relevant for the position. For example, if the position are applying for does not require management experience, then there is no reason to put “Managed a Team of 200 Staff Members.” It isn’t relevant for the position and makes you appear overqualified, so it becomes superfluous and unnecessary information.

• Remove Education/Jobs

As long as it doesn’t cause you to be underqualified for the jobs, it is acceptable to remove some of the unnecessary information from your resume. For example, feel free and remove any advanced degrees (like Ph.D. or Masters) if they will not help you get the position. Remember not to make yourself underqualified for the role, however, and if you are asked what degree you received during an interview it is important that you tell the truth.

Use the Same Tips at Your Job Interview

These same resume tips are also effective during your job interview. Focus only on the qualifications you have that are relevant to the job, don’t volunteer any over-qualifications (though always be honest when asked) and keep the interview focused on why you are right for that job, not why you are taking a role you are underqualified for. With the right changes, you will have both a successful resume and a successful interview.

Take Away Tips

• Overqualified applicants should change their titles.
• Overqualified applicants should focus their achievements on the job.
• Overqualified applicants should remove any unnecessary information.

Additional Links:

• Herald Newspaper Article
• Monster.com Career Search Advice
• HowCast Ways to Dumb Down Your Resume