I Want My MTV Back (You Can Have Your Job-Search)

“I want my, I want my, I want my MTV” – so said Dire Straits in their song Money For Nothing (one of my all time favorites).

When I was growing up there was one station that was always on – MTV. I loved the music, loved the videos, loved the VJ’s, and loved the attitude. Over the years that has eroded to what MTV is now – unwatchable, unbearable, and really everything ‘un’ that is not good.

In many people’s eyes job-search has gone the same way.

They used to be able to go in to an organization and fill out an application, they used to be able to do this or do that and now things have changed.

It’s time for some harsh truth today – MTV isn’t going back and neither is job-search so we all have to deal with it.

To be succesful in today’s job-search world you need to understand the why, where, when, and how of today’s business environment and how to interact with those that move the recruitment process forward.

Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have replaced going in to fill out an application as a potential first contact and first impression with a company / recruiter. If you make a bad impression (or make NO impression) the game is probably over with before it gets started but if you work things right it can open doors up, if not with their organization then with their network.

If you really want to go back to handwriting applications and not being able to interact with people inside an organization other than turning that application you can have it – I just want my MTV back.

Until next time – good hunting and good luck!

What Do #2 Diapers Have To Do With Résumé Writing? Everything.

My wife, Christina, and I have been blessed with three healthy boys and right now we are in the process of trying (and struggling) to potty train our youngest.  Until he decides the ‘potty’ is a fun place to go one of my responsibilities as a dad is to change #2 diapers.

It’s not fun, it’s not glamorous, but it is a responsibility of being a dad One thing I can guarantee you is that when I get asked about what I think about fatherhood that is not one of my go to statements that defines what it means to me.

So let’s talk about résumés now.

In the vast majority of the ones I see (a good 90%),the writer talks about responsibility after responsibility (i.e. “I change #2 diapers”) instead of achievement after achievement (i.e. “I was father of the year three times”).

What that tells me is that the writer was (allegedly) good at doing what his/her manager said to do and little else.

In my opinion one of the most effective questions you can ask about EVERY (and I do mean EVERY) line on your résumé, LinkedIn profile, personal website, etc is, can five other people do this same exact thing?

If your answer is yes to a majority of what you have written you are in serious trouble and probably want to go back to the drawing board.

It’s important to remember that résumés are a nothing more than junk mail until the reader finds something attention grabbing (hopefully in a good way) and/or worthwhile to hold their attention and responsibilities just don’t cut it.

Here’s hoping that you don’t have much #2 in your résumé so you can be the #1 candidate for someone very soon!

Until next time – good hunting and good luck!