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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Resume ObservationsRecently, I have talked with several colleagues who are proactively updating their resumes just in case. After we chat about what kind of a position interests them, I often share a few additional tips about how to customize a resume to apply for a specific job. As a many-time hiring manager, I have seen lots of bad and lots of sort-of-okay, and just a few resumes that were really, really good. For me, a resume needs to answer three fundamental questions in order to position the candidate for success. Having a resume that addresses each of these will help get you out of the no pile and into the “I am excited to talk with them” pile. Question 1: Does This Person Want This Job?In a previous job working at a software company, I was working on filling an instructional designer position on my team. I received one resume where the person’s career objective stated that they wanted to be a curator at a museum. The good news: this person knew what they wanted and made it clear in their resume. The bad news: I was not searching for a museum curator. Most (like maybe a good half) of resumes that end up in the “no” pile are so nondescript that they could be applying for any number of office positions. Once, when I was hiring for a technical trainer position, I received a resume for someone with a lot of experience working as a corrections officer. The good news: this person had many potentially transferable skills. The bad news: I didn’t know if this person was interested in this particular role or was mass applying for anything that wasn’t their current job. Overall, make sure you customize your resume just enough so the hiring manager can see that you are interested in the role they have available. Given how costly a bad hire can be, help the hiring manager (and your chances at getting an interview) by reassuring them you applied for their opening on purpose. Question 2: Can This Person Do The Job?Once I know a given candidate wants the job, I look for indicators that the person has the skills to do the job. Some candidates’ work experience is neat and tidy and points logically toward the open role. For example, they were a call center representative, then a senior call center representative, then a call center supervisor, then a call center manager. If they were applying for a call center manager position, from their job titles alone, I could be reasonably sure they could do the job. If the candidate did not have obvious work experience in a similar role, I need them to help me connect the dots. I’d expect them to explain to me how their previous education and jobs prepared them for this role. For example, if I’m hiring for an instructional designer position, the job description might include “collaborate with subject matter experts to create learning materials for client-facing courses.” If someone with a background as a teacher applies, I need them to help me understand how their previous work experience relates to the available position. For example, they might include “collaborated with subject matter experts in the media center to create learning materials for a course for parents on encouraging their children to read more.” Without emphasizing those transferable skills, I might not realize they could perform the required tasks. Help the hiring manager by making the tie between your skills and the role for which you are applying clear. Question 3: If I Hire Them, Will They Stick Around?Filling an open position can take a long time and is a huge gamble. The goal is to find someone who wants the job, can do it, and will want to be in that position (or a part of your organization) for a good long time. This part of resume assessment is teeing up the phone screen and helping me determine the questions I need to ask. For example, will this salary be in line with their desired salary range? Will they be happy working from the office or working from home for the amount required? Will they work well with this organization's structure and formality level? Will they want to travel as much (or as little) as is needed with this job? Are they going to be happy managing or not managing people? As a hiring manager, details in the resume are helpful as a starting point for those questions. Sharing information on what you want in a role, and drawing comparisons between the role you're applying for and what you want, will help make this process easier for all involved. Learn More
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady A Resume for Each Job? Won't That Take Forever?When applying for jobs, customizing each resume is one way to help you stand out. Unfortunately, it’s easy to spend a lot of time and effort updating your resume. Check out these shortcuts for customizing your resume that can save you time and improve your impact. Identifying Your Target RoleWhen applying for jobs, an important first step is to know what specifically you are looking for in your next job--your target role. This includes details like your desired job title(s), industries, core work responsibilities, geographic location, day-to-day responsibilities, pay rate, and work arrangements (onsite, remote, hybrid). If you don't have a clear idea of what your target job looks like, it makes everything else harder. I encourage you to dedicate time to figuring out what you want. This action alone will help you be more efficient as you search for open positions, determine what to apply for, create your target job resume, and apply for specific jobs. During a previous job search, these were key components of my target role:
Create a Target Job ResumeStart by creating a resume aligned with your target job. To be clear, this IS NOT the resume you submit each time you apply for a job. Instead, this target job resume is the one you start with and customize just a bit for each job application. You could also share your target job resume with those people who say, "Can you send me your resume?" who may not have a specific job description to share. Overall, this resume should be a solid representation of your skills, the type of work you do, and the unique value you would bring to a new role. Your target job resume should also include keywords commonly appearing in job descriptions for the type of work you do. Target Job Resume: Professional Summary SectionStart your target job resume with a professional summary. The goal of this section is to give the reader a quick overview of the value you bring to the position. This summary includes a few sentences that summarize who you are, what drives you, and how those factors align with an available role. This is also an opportunity to highlight important keywords that will resonate with employers. During a previous job search, this was my Professional Summary: Proactive learning consultant driven to help organizations succeed. Thrives when partnering with leaders and stakeholders to improve performance. Able to think strategically and execute tactically while managing multiple projects. Committed to constant learning, continuous improvement, and delivering training that drives results. Target Job Resume: Relevant Skills SectionThink about the skills employers typically ask for in your area of expertise. Make a list of those commonly used skills that keep popping up in job descriptions that interest you. Prioritize the ones that you really want the hiring team to know about. Include those in your Relevant Skills section near the top of your target job resume. During a previous job search, I listed these keywords as my Relevant Skills: Blended Learning, Coaching, Collaboration, Communications, Consulting, Facilitation, Instructional Design, Needs Analysis, Onboarding, Project Management, Relationship Building, Strategy, Video Production Target Job Resume: Work Experience DetailsFor each of your previous roles, be sure to outline specific projects on which you worked and the results of your efforts. In those bullet points on your target job resume, use the words you’ve seen in job descriptions. Be sure to include a wide variety of keywords to help even the least experienced recruiter see the tie between what you describe and the skills the employer wants. During a previous job search, I included these keywords in my description of core responsibilities for my previous roles:
The words in bold are keywords pulled from relevant job descriptions. Throughout my resume, I use as many variations of industry-standard words as I can. For example, the terms learning experience design, instructional design, and curriculum design are often used to describe the same set of skills. Instead of using the same term all the time, I alternate between these three to include a company's preferred term. When You Might Share Your Target Job ResumeOnce you have your target job resume completed, save a copy of it as a .pdf with a file name that includes your first and last name and the word "resume." For example, I would save mine as Brenda L. Peterson Resume. Now, if someone asks you for "your resume" with no specific job title in mind, you have a resume that is a good representation of you. In most cases, though, you will share a slightly different version of your resume for each job that interests you. Creating an Application Resume: Save AsNow that you have a target job resume in good shape, make sure the editable copy of your target job resume with a file name that includes your first and last name and the words "target job resume." For example, I would save mine as Brenda L. Peterson Target Job Resume. Now, when you apply for a new role, you’ll start by opening your editable job target resume document and then saving it under a new file name that specifies the role for which you are applying. For example, I would save my application resume as Brenda L. Peterson, Lead Learning Consultant at Super Cool Company. This way, I still have my target job resume and a specific application resume to use for this job application. From Target Job Resume to Application ResumeNow you have a solid target job resume with the right sections and a wide variety of relevant keywords. When you are ready to apply for a specific job, start with the editable version of your resume. Remember, your resume is 80-90% ready. Now, you will focus on customizing two key sections before submitting an application: Professional Summary and Relevant Skills. Application Resume: Professional Summary SectionFrom here, use the language in the job description to tailor your resume for this role. Since you already have a framework in place for how you write this section, now you can modify the exact wording to make it even more applicable to the job. In this example, I will customize my Professional Summary Section to align with the language used in the job description for a Lead Learning Consultant role. Here is the Professional Summary section from my target job resume: Proactive learning consultant driven to help organizations succeed. Thrives when partnering with leaders and stakeholders to improve performance. Able to think strategically and execute tactically while managing multiple projects. Committed to constant learning, continuous improvement, and delivering training that drives results. Here is the updated Professional Summary section for my application resume for the Lead Learning Consultant role: High-performing lead learning consultant who thrives when delivering engaging employee performance solutions. Excels when partnering with internal and external stakeholders to design innovative talent management programs. Able to think strategically and execute tactically while managing multiple projects. Committed to constant learning, continuous improvement, and delivering talent initiatives that drive engagement. The sentiment is similar, but now I'm conveying my value add using the employer’s words to describe this position. Note the bolded words were pulled directly from the job description. Application Resume: Relevant Skills SectionNow, it's time to customize the Relevant Skills Section to include keywords from a listing for a specific opening. In this example, I will update my language to align with the terms in the Lead Learning Consultant role job description. Here is the Relevant Skills section from my target job resume: Blended Learning, Coaching, Collaboration, Communications, Consulting, Facilitation, Instructional Design, Needs Analysis, Onboarding, Project Management, Relationship Building, Strategy, Video Production Here is the updated Relevant Skills section for my application resume for the Lead Learning Consultant role: Blended Learning Solutions, Employee Coaching, Collaboration, Communication Skills, Consulting, Facilitation, Curriculum Design, New Hire Onboarding, Project Management, Relationship Building, Strategy, Talent Management Programs To mirror language the company used, I added "solutions" to blended learning, changed "instructional" to "curriculum", and added a few terms emphasized in the original job posting to this list. Realize these skills are also included in bulleted points for each role. This is just another opportunity to help the recruiter align the skills needed with the words listed in the job description. Finalizing Your Application Resume: Save As .pdfOnce you have your application resume completed, save a copy of it as a .pdf with the same file name, in my example, Brenda L. Peterson, Lead Learning Consultant at Super Cool Company. Now, you can submit your application resume to the company along with other details they request. What Do You Think?Do you customize a resume for each role? What are your tips, tricks, and strategies? Include your thoughts in the comments. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Interview Progression IssuesAfter you apply for a job, your goal is to be selected for an interview. That process usually includes an initial phone screen, one or more face-to-face interviews, then a job offer. As you progress in your job search, it's important to take time on a regular basis to evaluate what you are doing and see if you need to modify your approach. Let's look at possible ways to proceed if you are not receiving callbacks from employers for initial phone screens. No Initial Interview InvitationsI’ve seen variations on the following LinkedIn post way too many times: “I’ve applied for 300 jobs over the last six months, and I have only gotten a couple of interviews.” Realize you won’t get a phone screen for every job application you submit, but you should be getting some. If you apply for even 20 jobs and don’t hear anything back from any of them, it’s time to reassess and figure out what you need to change to have more success. The first huge step in job searching is getting out of the virtual pile of job applications and into the much more selective “we gotta talk to this one” pile. Taking these steps can help. Step 1: Identify Your Target JobOften, people who struggle with getting job interviews need to revisit what they want in a job and target their job search toward that goal. Unfortunately, while applying for as many jobs as possible seems logical, it often backfires. Instead, job seekers who identify what they really want, then apply for those roles more closely matching their interests and qualifications get hired sooner. Step 2: Realign Goals and MessagingAnother problem shared by people who struggle with job searching is not talking about what they want, their work experience, and their most relevant qualifications. Ensure your resume has a strong Professional Summary highlighting the type of role desired and your value to your target role. Step 3: Focus on Fewer ApplicationsHow many applications should you do in a given week? Applying for 300 jobs over six months (26 weeks) is an average of 11.5 applications per week. That is A LOT. When I’m job searching, my weekly goal is three applications per week, and I could submit as many as six per week if I’m driven to apply for a few more roles that look promising. By focusing on fewer job applications, I increase my quality instead of relying too heavily on quantity. Step 4: Customize your Resume for Each ApplicationWhen I decide to apply for a role, I take 15-30 minutes per application to customize my resume. Taking this extra time to update my language helps potential employers understand how my skill set aligns directly with what they are looking for in a candidate. Ensuring the right keywords are present for an Automated Tracking System (ATS) and for the recruiter who initially reviews each resume will give you a better chance of being selected for a phone screen. To make these updates efficiently and effectively, I focus on two sections: Professional Summary and Skills & Competencies. Check out the Learn More section for additional information on strategies for customizing your resume. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady A Note About The NumbersLearning from experience can be one of the best ways to make needed changes. Learning from stories is another great way to glean valuable information. I invite you to review my lived experiences and see what insights resonate with you. As a bona fide Excel nerd, and meticulous planner, I kept detailed records on my job search journey from layoff #4 through finding a new role. Here are a few statistical highlights of what on earth I did with myself in the months between when my previous role ended and starting a new job. I’m including several numbers in this article. Keep in mind that while I pride myself in my ability to count and do basic math, I’m dealing with a very small sample size. This article can only barely be called “research” and is more appropriately described as me sharing my personal experience. With that disclaimer, on to the numbers! How Long Will This Take: Job Search Length
Please Look At My Resume: Applications Submitted
Now We're Talking: Interviews
I Know People: Referrals and Getting an Interview
I Will Never Work Again: Job Search Low Points
Everything Works Out: Lessons Learned
What Do You Think?What lessons have you learned from previous job searches? Share your best practices in the comments. Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Surprise! It's Layoff #5!Learning from experience can be one of the best ways to make needed changes. Learning from stories is another great way to glean valuable information. I invite you to review my lived experiences and see what insights resonate with you. In 2019, for the fifth time in my career, I found myself unexpectedly in a position where I needed to change jobs. The last time around, my position was suddenly eliminated on the day I returned from vacation. That was about two years before, and I was not expecting to have to do this again quite so soon. My Job Search NumbersAfter this layoff, things moved a bit more quickly than they had during previous career transitions. Even so, Keep in mind, too, that about half of the jobs I applied for did not send me any response. In their defense, I was on and off the market pretty quickly. With that, here’s how this job search shaped up:
Differences From Previous Job SearchesMy job search after layoff #4 lasted 147 days. That's right. It was exactly 100 days longer. So what were the differences between these two job searches? What magic did I use this time around to land a great new position so quickly? Time of YearFortunately (as I look at the bright side), I realized it was time to make a job change in late September. I’ve also found that being unemployed over the holidays nearly guarantees an extra month or two of job searching (or, more likely, waiting). My two previous job searches included the holiday season, lasting 180 and 147 days, respectively. This time around, when I estimated the possible length of my period of unemployment, I surmised that I would either secure a new position before Thanksgiving or I’d most likely be waiting to start a new role until February or March of the following year. Getting a jump start, even by a couple of weeks, made a big difference. Position AvailabilityDuring layoff #1 and layoff #2, I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. While I love Madison as a city, as someone whose chosen profession is corporate training, I knew that I needed to move to a larger job market or consider doing something else for a living. In the middle of layoff #2, I started targeting companies in Minneapolis and planning a move. Even with the challenge of relocating (and managing all of the other areas of my life that were in transition right then), finding a new job took under five months. Being in the greater Twin Cities area, even with me being more selective on where to apply, I still had a lot of options. I also learned to manage my job search anxiety by applying for additional positions each time I was concerned about not hearing back from one potential employer. Doing something that gave me a better chance of securing a new job felt much more productive than simply hoping that a particular role would work out. Professional NetworkI started using LinkedIn seriously in 2006, shortly after I started a new job. Since then, I’ve connected with coworkers, members of professional development organizations, colleagues with whom I’ve interacted, and pretty much anyone who I encountered and found interesting. I stay active on social media, share useful content, and attend industry meetings on a regular basis. Having this robust professional network and assisting individuals in my network when they are job searching or exploring new fields of interest has helped me immensely. When encountering a position that interested me, I immediately looked to my network to see who might be able to put in a good word for me and help me get pulled out of the initial pile of candidates. I have also had more than one “informal interview” with a possible referrer, so they feel comfortable recommending me for a position. Since people are putting their reputations on the line, I don’t take their assistance for granted. Strong QualificationsDuring this job search, I was also clear on the roles that interested me. I also had relevant degrees, recent job titles well aligned with the roles I was applying for, and current industry knowledge. While having someone refer me for a position definitely helps, I also knew I still needed to be a well-qualified candidate. Those qualifications helped me get from a courtesy phone interview to being considered a viable candidate for an open role. Pure Dumb LuckThere is a certain amount of planetary alignment that happens whenever something good manages to happen. In this case, a company in a field that interests me (software) had an opening for which I was qualified, and I had a former coworker willing to refer me for the position. The quote “The harder I work, the luckier I get” comes to mind, as does “luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Sometimes, timing is everything. What Do You Think?What lessons have you learned from previous job searches? Share your best practices in the comments.
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About PortfoliosDepending on your chosen field, you may be asked to submit work samples at some point during the hiring process. The collection of examples of your work product is often called a portfolio. The content of your portfolio will vary depending on your goals, your industry, and the type of roles for which you are applying. Portfolios in Days of YoreEarlier in my career, I had my "me book" that I woudl bring with me when I had in-person job interviews. It was a three ring binder the included neatly organized printed samples of my previous work. I did not give this to a hiring manager, but I would do a brief show and tell and explain each document. In addition, I also included a copy of my resume, certificates from classes I had taken and certifications I had achieved, and transcripts from college and graduate school. When I attended and interview with a hiring manager or potential coworkers, often someone would ask if I happend to bring any work samples with me. I would often walk them through one or more of my work samples, described the design decisions involved in its creation, and told them the story of how I solved a work problem and how that work sample fit in. Portfolios NowNow, typically a portfolio is expected to be available online. You should have a link that you can share with a potential employer. In some cases, employer may review your work samples later on in the hiring process. Many times, employers may ask for a portfolio link during the application process. Depending on the role and organization, companies may even not consider applications for some jobs which do not include a portfolio link. What To IncludeWhen it comes to determining what to include in your portfolio, it comes down to your overall goals. At it's most basic, you need to make sure you include samples of your work that align with the tasks and projects included in the jobs you would like to do. Here are a few examples:
Overall, you need to figure out what skills are required, and show examples of how you have done that type of work in the past. What You Can ShowcaseYour overall goals for your portfolio will help you determine what to include. Depending on what skillset you are trying to demonstrate, here are just a few of many possible focus areas for someone who is an instructional designer:
None of these examples is right or wrong. Instead these are alternate approaches you might want to take to support your overall professional goals. What Do You Think?What skills do you want to showcase in a portfolio? What skills and work examples might you include? What approach might you take to organizing your portfolio? Share your thoughts in the comments. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Eye on the Prize: Getting the InterviewThere are a lot of opinions on how to interact with employers early in the hiring process. They include everything from sending a basic “I applied” email to off-the-wall rom-com level gesture like sending the hiring manager a cake with your resume attached to the inside of the box. In this article, we’ll focus on using email to follow up after you have formally applied for the job. Regardless of your approach (and my overall follow-up recommendations are closer to the email than the cake end of the spectrum), stay focused on what you’re trying to accomplish. Remember, your goal at this point in the process is to get your application into the “must interview” pile. What Follow-Up Email Messages Will and Won't DoLet’s first set a few expectations on the impact sending a follow-up email message will have:
Like with most of the hiring process, there is no guarantee that you will get an interview for any given role. However, doing the right things consistently gives you a better chance of having a positive outcome. My Horror Story: Follow-Up Gone AwryOnce upon a time, I was the hiring manager for an instructional designer position. A person who I had never met, but who knew a colleague of mine, had a background in instructional design and was interested in the job. Through our shared colleague, that person (who I will now refer to as “the candidate”) ended up with my name and work contact information. What followed was an example of the worst-case scenario of a how a candidate reaching out to a hiring manager can actually be detrimental. From mid-December through the end of the calendar year, over the course of 10 business days, the candidate (who—reminder—I had never before interacted with in any way) contacted me 16 times via phone and email about the open position. I do not remember what all the candidate asked during each request (because blocking out awful memories is a real thing). I do remember one early request was asking how to apply for the job. Given that this role was with a technology company, and I needed someone who could work independently and solve problems, a candidate who wasn’t sure how to apply for the job through a pretty typical Careers webpage was not going to be a top candidate. In addition, after they managed to apply, they then called and also emailed the recruiter multiple times, again in the spirit of follow-up. The good news—we definitely knew the candidate’s name. The bad news (for them)—we knew for sure we were NOT going to interview them. Worst Practices: Job Application Follow-UpAs a hiring manager, here are the issues I’ve seen when people follow up on job applications:
Finding the Right People and Contact InformationRemember, typically the two people to follow up with regarding your job application are the recruiter and the hiring manager. The first challenge is figuring out who these people are, then getting their email addresses. In some cases, the name of the recruiter may be included on the job posting. Through using LinkedIn or the company website, you may be able to find a professional email address to use for them. You can also potentially do some digging through LinkedIn and find out the name of the recruiter through their LinkedIn posts. It could be little to no effort to find their email address, or a genuine project, to find out that detail about the recruiter. For hiring managers, some job listings will include the title of the hiring manager (who the position reports to), or even sometimes their name. Again, you may be able to use LinkedIn to find their contact information, or you may find the naming scheme a company uses (like [email protected]) to figure out their email address. You may also need to contact HR or a current employee to find out more, or there might be fee-based services you can use. When it comes right down to it, it is important for you to determine how much time and money you want to dedicate to finding this information. You also need to decide if the time you spend on this quest is worth the value you will gain from sending a follow-up message. It's your call. What To Include In Your Follow-Up EmailOnce you’ve identified the person to contact, and have their email address, think about what you’ll say in your message. Here are my recommendations on details to include:
How a Follow-Up Message Might LookSubject Line: Following Up on my Support Manager Application Body of the Message: Hi, Annette. I’m Esme Whitlock, and I'm sending you a quick message to introduce myself, and let you know I just applied for the Support Manager role with Super Cool Company. Because I have a background working in tech support specialist and help desk supervisor jobs in manufacturing companies, I think I am a great match for this position. As indicated in the job description, I have experience setting up a knowledge base using Super Cool Software and training new staff on using internal resources. I also enjoy hiring and training new associates and helping them grow their skillsets to meet performance goals. These skills, and my desire to grow in my career, drive my excitement for this role with Super Cool Company. If you’re interested in talking to me directly about the Support Manager role and my qualifications, please contact me via text/phone at 555-555-5555 or via email at [email protected]. Thank you! Esme Whitlock 555-555-5555 [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylinkedin/ewhitlock Follow-up Email Timing and FrequencyThere are also various opinions on when to contact a potential employer and how many contacts to make. I suggest emailing once sometime between the day you apply and a week after you apply to briefly introduce yourself and get your name in front of the hiring manager and/or recruiter. If you decide you want to do a second message, I suggest waiting until a week or two after the first message and modifying the message so it is not just a repeat of the first message you send. Remember, you get to do whatever you want to do. Some hiring managers and recruiters may be very open to messages, and others might prefer to avoid being contacted. I believe reaching out one to two times with a few days in between contacts should show your interest without venturing into being way too much. Learn More |
Author7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience. Buy The Book!
Were you recently laid off? Need a roadmap for what's next? Or planning just in case? Check out my book, Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide!
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