tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69072855486163508052012-02-16T08:37:39.156-08:00Expert Resume WriterKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-8917430972077796162012-01-10T21:12:00.000-08:002012-01-10T21:12:28.030-08:00MAC It Yourself?Over the course of the last 7 business days I received 4 client resumes that looked virtually identical. It turns out that each client had used the very same template from their respective Apple iMac computers. One can only imagine how widespread computer resume template usage actually is!
As per my article on the Canadian job market becoming more competitive than it has ever been in recent Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-58053410023741174072012-01-06T12:11:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:11:28.453-08:00Stand Out Or Stand Down – It’s More Competitive Than EverCanada’s unemployment rate (CANLXEMR) rose for a third month in December 2011 as a gain in jobs trailed growth of the labor force, with the labour market likely to stay stalled in 2012 according to a survey of economists conducted by Bloomberg news.
As always in a tight market where employers have their choice of candidates, you need to stand out. You really do. Getting in front of a hiring Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-41809444972001630942012-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:10:00.568-08:00Tales From The TALEO Crypt – How To Be Screened InOne of the most frustrating things for job seekers can be not knowing why they were screened out of a recruitment process. Having your resume screened out repeatedly and not knowing why breeds anxiety and loss of confidence.
Over the last couple of months I seem to have encountered a surge in job seekers with tales of woe about their resume being screened out and never finding out why even Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-34891199048975067392012-01-06T12:07:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:07:57.960-08:00Mine Yourself - Tips From The TopOne of the first things you should do when you sit down to write your resume is ask yourself the following question; what can I offer an employer? Many people I work with draw a blank a step 1. The reasons for this range from the fact that the job seeker has never before actually had to think about their marketability, to a lack of understanding as to what an employer would find useful or Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-63628463726475956252011-03-26T10:55:00.000-07:002011-03-26T11:07:22.311-07:00Third Time Lucky...In any line of business, choosing the right professional to partner with is crucial to the success of the project and that's one of the reasons I put so much time and effort into my website!
I was recently working with an executive who had paid good money to have his resume written by a firm headquartered in Toronto. When that resume didn't live up to expectations, he had it re-written by Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-3776157175825534072010-11-16T16:07:00.001-08:002010-11-16T16:07:36.729-08:00Get Noticed! Get Hired!<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
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mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-91989161416561094962010-11-16T16:05:00.000-08:002010-11-16T16:05:03.085-08:00Revered & Reviled - The Insider Guide To Working With Employment Agencies<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
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mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-77093331832477281722010-09-15T20:32:00.000-07:002010-09-15T20:32:10.516-07:00Full-Time Professional - V - Part-Time HobbyistI recently had the pleasure of working on a resume project with a talented manager, who had sent in his document for review after he had booked his consultation. His resume looked like every other document I see, perhaps marginally worse than your typical D.I.Y. resume with spelling errors, poor use of language, no real selling features etc.
Imagine my shock when he told me that he had actuallyKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-29971711388672595612010-09-06T15:17:00.000-07:002010-09-06T15:17:39.302-07:00Interview Preparation 101Ok, so the skillful presentation of your skills and expertise on your resume has won you the interview. What next?
1) Research the company! Visit the website, read about their history, founders, products/services and corporate values. Many companies will perform an additional screen of shortlisted candidates to identify those individuals with similar values to themselves. For example, if a Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-67280244384941674862010-08-31T22:26:00.001-07:002010-09-06T12:21:18.901-07:00Who Are You Anyway?It's a question many clients have told me they asked the selection of resume writers they canvassed when deciding who to select for their project. Anyone visiting my website will be greeted by, among other things, my 'mugshot', and links to my biography which outlines my experience and expertise.
My background is unique in this industry. I believe that my skills, expertise and experience of Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-78369431044685630282010-06-16T11:53:00.000-07:002010-06-16T11:53:04.171-07:00Beware - The Job GuaranteeI was speaking with a prospective client recently who asked about our "guarantee". Our policy, per our website, is that we will work with any client for a period of two weeks post consultation in order to ensure that they are satisfied with their documents. The fact that I've never actually had to do that is testament to the quality of product we produce.
Apparently, there is a company out Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-72726418986725371052010-05-31T20:23:00.000-07:002010-05-31T20:23:08.233-07:00The Screen OutHaving screened over 24,000 resumes in over a decade of recruiting and executive recruiting, I've mastered the art of (very) quickly determining the viability of any given job application. When I was assessing an application against a specific job specification, I was looking for reasons NOT to bring you in for an interview.
I'm still surprised by the number of clients who hadn't actually Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-29375646286547672010-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:002010-05-31T14:14:17.750-07:00End-to-EndI received a delightful email from a former client informing me that he had secured his dream job! His new employer is located 10 minutes from his home, are a major player in his field of specialty, and the role offers a significant increase in scope, responsibility and of course money!
The client first approached me with a job specification and requirements portfolio issued to him by an Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-78487725733431128462010-03-24T22:24:00.000-07:002010-03-24T22:39:39.178-07:00Quips'n'QuirksQuick tip - do NOT make quirky quips in your cover letter! I was contacted recently by a rather senior executive who had not been receiving any attention from her job applications. Upon reviewing her cover letter, I uncovered the possible reason for her buzz-free blackberry. Her cover letter was replete with quirks'n'quips - here's a modified example to give you an idea;
"I am a senior Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-40693800415480131692010-02-28T21:25:00.003-08:002010-03-24T22:05:10.919-07:00What Not To Say...The "What not to say..." blogs will be dedicated to the random selection of answers to my interview coaching session questions. Can you follow that?!
Question - What steps do you take to reduce personal stress during the working day?
What Not To Say - "I tend to Squeeze my squishy ball"
Luckily for that respondent he went on to receive a good 2 hours of interview counseling!Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-42264052815578335762010-02-28T21:25:00.001-08:002010-03-24T21:56:10.212-07:00The Questionnaire Laid BareAs part of the information discovery process, I usually ask clients to bring along to our meeting any additional information they feel is useful, relevant or in some other way important. Last month, one of my clients produced an old "questionnaire" they had been asked to fill our by a resume writing firm about 8 years ago.
The first thing that struck me about the document was how impersonal it Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-8937752838129878332010-01-14T23:16:00.000-08:002010-01-20T21:20:48.570-08:00It's Good To Talk...I've just come off the phone to a client who was weighing up his options about whether to work with me or one of our competitors.His deliberation was in part, based around the process each firm employed en-route to gathering the information needed to complete the project. So we had a nice little chat!Our competitor likes to employ the 'questionnaire' method. The questionnaire, I was told, wouldKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-76774996911248216282010-01-07T21:11:00.000-08:002010-01-07T21:38:18.865-08:00New Year! New Resume! New Job!We've been rushed off of our feet lately by a deluge of pro-active job seekers desperate to improve their chances of landing their dream job by having a complete resume and cover letter re-work.New Year! New Resume! New Job! seems to be the mantra, and I can only applaud them for their foresight. I was speaking to a real live-wire sales manager earlier this week and he said that over the Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-65934248366686631352009-11-20T18:45:00.000-08:002009-11-20T19:46:46.341-08:00Cookie Cutter = Job Hunt StutterThe whole idea behind seeking professional assistance to create a powerful resume and portfolio of career documents is to get ahead of the competition. You do this by crafting a document that truly represents your strengths and achievements while never losing sight of the expectations of those likely to be reading it.I was talking with a client who had previously sent off her resume to a Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-85802026084814040542009-11-20T16:31:00.000-08:002009-11-20T17:40:14.432-08:00Not All Resumes Are Created Equal!I was contacted recently by a client looking to update their resume. The client wanted us to add in his most recent position but did not want us to re-write the resume as it had been "professionally done" by another resume writing firm.After reviewing his documents, I was dumbfounded.The format of the "professionally written" cover letter was unlike anything I had seen in a decade of reviewing Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-69758968943172394702009-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:002009-11-18T14:30:40.055-08:00300:1It wasn't so long ago that the buoyant job market and apparent shortage of qualified candidates spun a tale that brought the phrases "Gen X" and "Gen Y" into the mainstream lexicon.Employee wages and benefits were on the rise as forward thinking companies embraced the realities of the market and took concrete steps to offer innovative incentives or sweeteners to make sure they snared the best Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-20569839420719794152009-11-13T10:13:00.000-08:002009-11-13T10:53:41.258-08:00Content is King!During a recent association event I got talking to an old acquaintance who happens to be the CFO of a local junior resource company. We discussed career issues, hiring practices and resume writing, specifically, writing your own resume.Having worked closely with this professional in my previous life as an executive recruiter, I had been responsible for re-writing his resume, providing interview Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-24378556262790196912009-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:002009-11-13T09:52:32.410-08:00www.DON'TDOTHIS.comWith the advent of the internet and myriad of related technologies, it is easier than ever to connect with people online and promote your particular skills, experience and personal attributes in the hope of expanding your network or pitching for an open position.However, things can go awry.Consider this. A recent graduate engaged us to work solely on his cover letter as he was quite pleased withKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907285548616350805.post-25381609052530927052009-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:002009-11-09T21:45:23.842-08:00The Eyes Have It!When you have finished drafting your resume and cover letter - make sure you get someone else to read it over for you! A pair of fresh eyes could be all it takes to uncover the hidden errors lurking in your documents that quite often survive the spellcheck!The original resume of a recent client had stated rather impressively that they were a "gifted oral and written communicator". Further down Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839601681023212507noreply@blogger.com0