Be careful what you say online. Your opinions may come back to haunt you.

A recent survey by Careerbuilder.com revealed that 45% of employers are researching their job candidates on the internet using social networking sites. These sites include MySpace, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts…which reveal much more than the obligatory criminal background check.


Of course, no employer would ever use any of the information gleened through these searches to illegally or inappropriately discriminate against certain candidates….right?? Well, wrong. As much as we want to believe in the good nature and fairness of employers, discrimination can happen in unlikely places.

Take for example a blog post where you mentioned getting injured in a ski accident. You didn’t give many details other than mentioning injuring your knee. A month later, you apply for a job, and the employer does a little research about you and finds the blog post. A less than fair employer may consider you a liability, not knowing whether your knee has, or ever will heal. While this is clearly illegal discrimination, discrimination can also happen legally, albeit inappropriately.

Suppose you have tweets or Facebook posts disparaging your former employer or even another person. They may have a negative impact on a prospective employer. Maybe you talked about having a blast at a party where people were drunk or posted racy pictures of yourself or your friends. It can all go into the equation for making a hiring decision by an employer.

Inside Track to Resumes

This is my next pitch for a spot on ABC. Let me know what you think.

An Inside Track to Resumes

There is a lot of good advice about resume writing and formats and it seems that the advice you get varies depending on the source. So here is an inside track to resumes that permeates almost every profession.

1. Make your resume as long as it needs to be. There is an old myth that your resume has to be one page. That myth is simply not true. If you have 2 ½ pages of important info, make it 2 ½ pages long. Just make sure your story is compelling throughout the entire resume.
2. Make an impact in 5-7 seconds. HR managers and recruiters read a lot of resumes throughout the day and don’t have time to dissect a difficult resume. If you can make a great first impression and make the information easy to find, you are more likely to get an interview.
3. Keep it to business. No personal info. Divulging personal info on a resume (like hobbies, leisure activities, family info, etc) can result in being discriminated against or simply being passed over because you should have known better. So as a rule, keep the entire resume to your professional and educational life.
4. List where you have: Made the company money, saved the company money, or improved a process that positively impacted the bottom line. This sets you apart from other candidates because it is rarely mentioned. Companies these days want to know that you will be a worthy investment. Companies go on the assumption: Past performance predicts future performance.

Remember: The goal of your resume is to get the interview. Tell a compelling, truthful story and you will get more interviews.

Getting the Attention of a Recruiter

One of the tenents of getting a job is to realize that it’s not about you. It is about them. You have to meet the needs of the recruiter or company you are talking with before they will want to meet your needs. Whether it’s a job fair, resume, interview, or even day to day work. Workers like to be united by a common goal, not individual agendas. That process starts in the hunt.

Job Fairs
When I do job fairs, people will come up to me and ask,” What kind of jobs do you have?” Needless to say, I am not motivated to bring them into the fold. It is an attitude of, “What will you give me?”
• Here is what I like to hear:
• “Hi, my name is ___ ___. Tell me about what your company does.”
• “Hi, my name is ___ ___. It looks like you guys are doing some interesting work. Tell me about it.”
• Show an interest in the company first, then tell them how you could add value to company.
• Recruiters want to see a confident candidate that is looking for a specific good fit, not someone that will take anything. Even if they are filling a ditch digger position, they are looking for the right fit, not just someone who will take the job.
• Be honest. – This is another tenant of job hunting that permeates the entire search process. Remember that recruiters see people on a daily basis and have interviewed hundreds if not thousands of candidates. We can usually smell out posers at 50 yards.
• Present your resume to the recruiter at the booth in paper copy, but not a reference sheet. If they want a reference sheet or examples of your work, they will ask for it later.
• Ask questions. –
• “What do you think of my resume?”
• “How do you see me fitting into your company?”
• “When will you be interviewing?”
• “What do you like about working for the company?”
• “Who is the head of the department?” (where you might work)
• “When can I expect to hear from you?”
• Listen intently to the information the recruiter provides and take notes. It shows the recruiter you have a keen interest in what they are saying and you want to make sure you have the facts straight
• Get the card of the recruiter at the booth. You may follow up the visit with a call in a few days.

Resumes (Your Advertisement)
• Resumes need to be easy to read. 5-7 second rule, bulleted lists (no long narratives)
• Five things on first page: Name, Contact info, Skills, Education, Experience
• Always truthful, but not unabridged
• Avoid: personal details (hobbies, SS#, marital status, social clubs, politics, religion, etc.)
• Don’t be afraid to be unique or funny, just not dorky
• No typos! (spelling, punctuation, grammar) Great recruiters will typically not forward a resume with errors on to their client….and they don’t have time to make the corrections themselves.

Dealing with Recruiters
• Never pay a recruiter a fee (all fees are paid by the client company)
• Know what you want, what you would be willing to work for ($), and when you can start. Identify any obstacles that could get in your way and address/resolve them early in the process.
• Always be honest about your skills, willingness to move, availability, personality
• Goal of a recruiter is to make the right fit, not to find you a job
• Great recruiters will qualify their candidates early and often.
• Worst case scenario is for the placement to crash at the 11th hour
• If immediate placement doesn’t work out but the relationship was positive, you may be called again for another job
• Follow up with your recruiter on a weekly/biweekly basis. Many times placements are made with people that are on top of the recruiters mind.
• Cooperate with your recruiter. Recruiters have specific processes they follow that you may not understand. Provide truthful answers on a timely basis and follow up immediately when contacted. This is in everyone’s best interest.

I just watched a news segment about unemployed workers and how they are coping with the loss of their income. The mounting debt, the loss of a home and/or car, and the pressure to rebound and succeed can seem insurmountable. On top of it all, when they are the most vulnerable, they must face constant rejection through their search.

Salespeople are trained to face rejection on a daily basis and move on. In fact, some salespeople are trained to get even more energized from a rejection because they know statistically, they are closer to a sale. The trouble is, most of unemployed workers are not salespeople.

So here is some help:

1. Be a salesperson. Even though you may be an engineer or a factory worker or a manager, if you are unemployed, you are now a salesperson. Your current job is to sell yourself.

2. Meet the needs of your client (future employer). Great salespeople understand what their clients need and provide solutions to their needs. Focus on your client’s needs first. If you are able to meet their needs, your needs will be taken care of.

3. Plan your work and work your plan. Job hunting is a full time job and great salespeople plan their day before they even start it. They know that prime calling hours are 8:30-11:00 and 1:00-4:00. Let nothing stand in your way to maximize the brief time you have during the day to make a significant impact and yield positive results.

4. Accept rejection and move on. Rejection is part of the selling profession. Even the best salespeople do not make a sale to every prospect or client. A great person once told me, “Speak the truth and do not get attached to the outcome.” Doing the right things and doing them often enough will yield results. The sales profession has proven it time and time again.

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