blueskyresumesblog

To Thine Own Self Be True

We’ve all heard that phrase a thousand times and we know all that it’s good life advice, and yet, when it comes to marketing ourselves, it’s often a lesson that we forget.

I can’t tell you how many senior executive resumes sound exactly alike. Filled with words like ‘results-focused leader’ and “high-energy executive” - everyone is “dynamic” and ‘proven’ and ‘experienced.’  After reading the same thing 30 times, everyone starts to blur together.

Which is really crazy! Because you are totally unique. You have something that no other candidate has. You will add value in a different way. And yet I am willing to bet that your resume doesn’t express  that unique value.

I speak from experience, because for years, I didn’t know how to express my value either. When I first started my resume writing business, I wasn’t sure who my target audience was and why they should choose my company. As the business grew, I started to figure out my unique value (I have prior HR and recruiting experience, which means I know how to get the attention of HR and recruiters). As I figured this out, my marketing messages became clearer. But I still knew I wasn’t getting to the bottom of what made my business different. And very recently, I was hit over the head with the realization that we have a very obvious selling point – we’ve had it all along but I just took it for granted.

It happened this way. One day, I received a request for proposal from a person in the UK. We don’t write resumes for the UK because frankly I have no idea what works there, so I wrote back to the person and politely declined the project. The same day, I also declined a project from a teacher because no one on my staff has expertise in writing resumes for teachers. The next morning, I had emails from both potential clients thanking me for my honesty and for not just taking their money regardless of whether I could provide excellent results.

And it hit me that we do that all the time – we only take on clients I know we can help. On the rare occasions that we misjudge and don’t get results, we refund money.  Our whole business is built around trust – trust that our resumes get results, and trust that we will treat people fairly. And our resume writing process is also base on honesty – we don’t ‘sell’ what people are not – we help them communicate their authentic unique value.  And yet our branding has never reflected that – at least not as a conscious effort. It should!

If you’re like me, you see other people much more clearly than you see yourself. So when it comes to marketing yourself, you probably fall back on platitudes, or standard ideas of what a good executive does. And the resulting resume is probably flat and boring and not at all reflective of what makes you YOU.

Here are a couple of ways you can fix that right now.

1. Think back to compliments you’ve received from bosses, co-workers or clients. What do they say abut you? What words do they choose? Don’t get stuck on what YOU think ... in fact, forget that for now. Just focus on what other people say.

2. Looking back over your career, what themes keep re-emerging? Are you always the person brought in to tackle the most challenging problems? Or have you always found new ways to cut costs?

3. What is your management philosophy? Write it down – don’t worry about spelling or grammar or finding the perfect words – just write whatever comes into your head.

Reviewing all this information will help you determine the answer to the most important question of all: “what make you unique?”

Once you have that answer, you can rewrite your resume, you can prepare for interviews and you can create your ‘elevator pitch.’ All based not on what executives are ‘supposed to be like’ but on who you really are.

Half Right ... Half Wrong

Seth Godin is one of my favorite bloggers and but in this post about resumes, he's only 50% right.

Seth's looking for an intern and he doesn't like the resumes he's seeing. They're bland and boring and they don't tell him why these candidates are remarkable. Well, that means they're like 99.9% of all resumes out there (which is why people like me get paid to write the other 0.1%).

Seth goes on to say that he wants evidence of what makes a person remarkable.

If you don't have a resume, what do you have?

How about three extraordinary letters of recommendation from people the employer knows or respects?
Or a sophisticated project they can see or touch?
Or a reputation that precedes you?
Or a blog that is so compelling and insightful that they have no choice but to follow up?

Some say, "well, that's fine, but I don't have those."

Yeah, that's my point. If you don't have those, why do you think you are  remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular? It sounds to me like if you don't have those, you've been brainwashed into acting like you're sort of ordinary.

I absolutely agree that those things are important - that's why I often include glowing LinkedIn testimonials when I write resumes. It's why I advocate for those clients who are good writers to start blogging. It's why I create only portfolios where people can show off their extraordinary work.

That's the 50% that's right.

But it's wrong to advocate for people to scrap the whole idea of a resume, just because the resumes they are writing are ineffective.  For better or worse, almost all hiring managers want to see a resume. Seth might not, but he's unusual and most people won't thank you for mailing in 3 reference letters and a blog URL when they asked for a resume. It'll just make you look like you're too stupid to follow instructions!

Instead, you should look for ways to communicate all those great things that make you special via your resume. You should include quotes from former managers (or peers or employees or clients). You should post the link to your blog and/or Squidoo page and/or web portfolio. You should focus the entire resume on showing how you have made an impact at former employers, how you've shaken things up, what you've contributed ... above all, how each company is different because you worked there.

It's not the resume that's the problem - it's what's on the resume that Seth doesn't like.

Can Your Hobby be a Career and Still be Fun?

I recently rediscovered a love of art that has lain formant for many years. I used to paint and draw, and actually studied art in college, but then life got in the way and I stopped creating.

I find the act of putting pencil to paper to be incredibly relaxing. I concentrate deeply and yet, when I stop working, I feel refreshed rather than tired. Now that's a good hobby!

But recently I did a series of pictures that got a great reaction - people really liked them and before I knew it, I had volunteered to do something similar for a few friends. The only problem is that I don't like doing these pictures as much as I enjoy doing my own pieces. The process isn't as enjoyable. I look over at my drawing table and see a half-finished work and completing it feels like a bit of a chore.

Last night I was browsing on a popular online forum for artists. While reading through some of the conversations, I came upon a discussion between working artists. One said "I wish someone would pay me to paint what I love instead of wanting pictures of their kids or their dog." Others argued that she was lucky to get paid to paint and I suppose that's true .... but looking over at the half-finished portrait on my drawing table, I do know how that artist feels.

I think we all dream of doing what we love for a living, but I tend to think some things are best kept as hobbies.

Is This Really Want You Want?

Recently, several interesting business opportunities came my way. My first reaction was to jump at all of them - after all, who doesn't want to grow their business? But on closer evaluation, some of these opportunities were not quite right for my company. As I built up to the decision to say 'no' to one company, I was tense and worried - but the moment it was done, I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

The sense of relief reminded me of the last time I looked for a job. Five years ago, before I decided to start my business, I was out interviewing with various companies. One company was very keen to hire me to run their HR function. Everyone was very nice, but the job was just not for me. The culture wasn't right, the job wasn't exactly what I wanted, and the pay was much lower than I was used to. But despite all these flaws, I agonized over my decision.

What if this was the only offer I got?

What if I had misjudged the company?

What if all the future opportunities they were promising really did materialize?

In the end, I listened to the persistent little voice that told me to run far, far away from that job and - once the decision was made - I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was right.

So what does this all have to do with you? I guess I just wanted to remind you that it's important to consciously choose what you want to do, and that it's OK to say 'no' sometimes.

Aw Shucks! The Art of Taking a Compliment

Interesting post by Alexandra Levit over on Water Cooler Wisdom.

Andrea's husband has noticed a growing tendency for professional athletes to shrug off compliments and offer reasons why they don't really deserve praise:

"Inevitably, a reporter will be congratulating an athlete on a spectacular play, and in response the athlete will blush, shrug his/her shoulders, and say something like: “I just got lucky” or “the other guy/team had an off night.”

Andrea goes on to explain that being unable to accept a compliment may not always have the desired effect (to make everyone marvel at your humble spirit and modesty) but may actually undermine your credibility in the workplace. After all, if you tell people often enough that you don't really deserve credit for something, eventually they will believe you and stop giving it!

That said, a recent personal experience has taught me the opposite is just as detrimental to other people's perceptions of you. I help to run a group unrelated to my work. Because I am a visible figure, I am often given credit for things I didn't do alone - sometimes even things I wasn't involved in at all. Whenever this happens, I am quick to correct the record by saying something like "thank you but I can't take all the credit because so-and-so also helped a lot."

Recently I spent a significant amount of my personal time on something and - as always - when the kudos came in, some of them were directed at people who had not helped me at all. But to my surprise, not one of those 3 people said "thanks but this wasn't actually my work, it was Louise's." One of them even basked in the praise a little!

The morale of the story is to accept compliments graciously when they are merited, so that your worth is cemented in people's minds, but to also be quick to share credit when you don't deserve the praise. Both will ultimately improve your standing with peers, managers and subordinates.

Oh Kelly!

Kelly Clarkson is without a doubt the most successful pop star of the last few years. She's sold over 15 million albums worldwide and won a slew of awards including several Grammys.

Her success to date has been a fairy story, but recently things have been going wrong for Kelly. A highly publicized fight with her record label and tepid reviews for her soon-to-be-released album were the start. More recently she fired her manager and canceled all of her summer tour dates due to poor ticket sales.

The story of how Kelly got from there to here is a manual of career 'dont's.'

It all started with Kelly wanting more autonomy. So far so good.Many of us know the feeling of wanting to be stretched at work, wanting to push for more challenging goals, so we can empathize.

To this end, Kelly decided she wanted to write all her own music for her third album . But here's where she broke my first rule of career management...

Rule #1 - Know Your Limitations.

It isn't enough to just say you want to write your own album (or get a promotion to Manager or take on a challenging new project) if your skills are not up to par. The smart move is to seek help from people who can help you get where you want to go. Having sold millions copies of her last CD, Kelly could surely have called on any number of wonderful songwriters to help her polish her material, but she chose not to. The result is a sub-par album and a cancelled tour.

Don't make this mistake in your own career. Don't push for promotion past the point of your current abilities. Instead, define your goals, and then identify who can help you learn the skills you need to get there. Set a realistic time frame and work towards your goal a little every day. In no time at all, you'll be where you wanted to go, and you'll have the skills necessary to succeed.

Rule #2 - Listen to feedback - both good and bad.

Kelly's label didn't like the new music and asked her to reconsider some of the song choices. They offered to bring in professionals to help her tweak her songs. But she resisted, saying "I’ve sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. Because I’m 25 and a woman," 

It would have been one thing if that was the reason - but it's not. Most of the songs really are objectively not very good. Listening instead of resisting might have enabled Kelly to find a compromise that would have kept her bosses happy and advanced her own skills, ultimately giving her more power over her career in the long run.

Keep this in mind: You will have much more power to determine your future success if you listen to criticism and learn from it. One day, having developed your skills and minimized your weaknesses, you will be in a position to walk away from the people who may have been keeping you down. But if you refuse to listen to those who point out your flaws, you will never be ready for the step you so badly want to take.

Rule #3 - Never let a disagreement with your boss escalate into a full-blown fight.

In several interviews, Kelly made it clear that she refused to compromise. It seems that neither she nor the label looked for a middle ground where both could feel they had won. This puts her label just a much at fault as she is, but the reality is that they are in charge so they get to make the rules.

The same applies to any of us. Our bosses can always overrule us. Or they can humiliate us in public. Or they can demote us. Or worst case, they can fire us. If you disagree with your boss, be smart about what you try to get from the situation. Accept that you are not in a position of power, and then see if a compromise can be reached - a compromise that brings you closer to your ultimate goal.

Rule #4: Don't air your dirty laundry in public.

As the disagreement escalated, Kelly told Elle magazine that she hated the idea of singing her new single on the American Idol charity show designed to raise money for African AIDS victims:

"My label wanted me to sing 'Never Again' and I was like, to promote yourself on a charity event is beyond crass," Clarkson said [...] "And believe me, everyone wanted me to sing it. Because they are jaded and they have no soul."

Her disagreement was certainly more than valid and she won the argument, but what good can come from publicly embarrassing people who will presumably be working to make her CD a success?

The takeaway? If you disagree with your boss, your co-workers or your company, never say things which may humiliate them. Argue and discuss and negotiate in private, but once you step out into the outside world, you must never express your true feelings. Because you will always diminish yourself in the process.

I like Kelly Clarkson very much, so I hope she comes out of all this in a better place than she is right now. But in the meantime, she's providing a step-by-step guide in how NOT to advance your career.

Cross-posted on Career Hub

Is it OK to Cheat?

Andrew at Jobacle thinks so - or at least suggests that it might be in a post entitled "Would YOU Hire A-Rod?"

Andrew directs his posts at employers, asking if they think it's OK to hire someone who pushes the boundaries a little. But I'm directing the same question at you as an employee --- do you want an A-Rod on your team?

If you don't follow baseball, you may be confused, so let me pull the background from Jobacle:

"New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez was running the bases.  There was a pop fly. As he passed the player who was waiting to catch the ball, he yelled, "Ahhhh!"  The player dropped the ball.  The Toronto Blue Jays were mad.  Screaming mad.

Some players have called it "Bush league" - saying it was a play out of an eight-year-old little league game.  Others have said that A-Rod was desperate for a Yankee win and was doing anything he could to help."

I saw this when it happened and I was instantly outraged ... actually, that's a bit of an overstatement since I don't really follow baseball and don't really care that much, but I'm having trouble finding the word to describe how I felt about seeing such a high-profile player cheat to win a game.

It was just wrong. Wrong on every level and wrong no matter how you spin it. When one player breaks a cardinal rule, what's to stop everyone else doing the same? And once everyone's doing it, you don't have a game anymore.

So I would not want to work with A-Rod on my team. His rule-breaking might bring some short-term success but he's too much of a risk, and the costs down the road would probably be too high.

What do you think?

Great Career Change Advice!

Marketing guru Seth Godin has great advice for anyone looking to make a career change. Instead of wondering how you can change from one career to another, Seth advises you just do it.

My answer is easy to write, harder to implement. In my experience the single best way to become a marketer is to market. And since marketing isn't expensive any longer (it takes more guts than money), there's no need to work for Procter & Gamble. None. In the old days, you could argue that you needed to apprentice with an expert and that you needed access to millions (or billions) to spend. No longer.

So, start your own gig. Even if you're 12 years old, start a store on eBay. You'll learn just about everything you need to learn about digital marketing by building an electronic storefront, doing permission-based email campaigns, writing a blog, etc.

This is the advice I give my clients too - it's very hard to persuade someone that you can do something without evidence that you have done it.

I wrote more about making a successful career change using this method on Freeresumehelp.net. You can find the article here.

Where do the Resolutions Go?

January is always a very busy month for my business. We're inundated with calls from new clients looking to make a move and with returning clients who want to update their resumes.

I'm definitely not complaining! But it did get me to thinking.

I haven't made a New Year's Resolution in years. Not because there aren't things (lots of things!) that I would like to improve, but just because I've learned that I never keep my resolutions.

When I finally stopped smoking, it was my birthday that provided an unexpected turning point. I woke up that day, with a tight feeling in my chest, and realized that I didn't want to be a 40 year-old smoker. And it still took a month after that before I actually quit. "Stop smoking" had been my new year's resolution for years, but it never worked. Just like "get in shape" and "give up chocolate" never worked either.

Of course, this is why most gyms make people sign a 1-year membership in January. They know Joe will be gone by March, but this way they have his money while he's on the couch  watching "Desperate Housewives" and eating Cheetos.

For most of us, New Year's resolutions don't work because we're forcing choices on ourselves when we're not really ready.

A new year begins, we return to work and that's when we remember that we don't really like our job/our boss/our industry/the corporate cafeteria/the accounts payable manager. The realization is exacerbated by the fact that we've had a week or so at home, and also by the fact that it's a new year. That's supposed to be the time to make changes, turn over new leaves, drastically improve our entire lives ... but truthfully, nothing changed except a page on the calender.

There are reasons you are in a job that you don't enjoy, and those reasons haven't gone anywhere. Perhaps you're conscious of them, perhaps you're not.  But unless you take the time to really understand why you are where you are, you will probably not keep that resolution to go out and find something better.

So if you're going to make a new year's resolution about finding a new job, make it this: "I resolve to understand why I haven't made a move in the past. I resolve to deal with those issues. And when I'm ready, I resolve to go find something better!"

Cross-posted at Career Hub

Katie Couric, Clint Eastwood and the Peter Principle

Katie Couric was supposed to set the world on fire in her new role as CBS News anchor. After all, as co-host of the Today show, she had been hugely popular for many years. Why wouldn't that translate to massive success as a newscaster? So CBS paid Katie a fortune to move, and the ratings for her first show were amazing.

But they've dropped off dramatically since then. Katie says they'll come back. She says it's just a matter of time because success doesn't happen overnight.

But I think she's wrong. I don't think she will never succeed in that slot because she's not playing to her strengths. I think CBS misunderstood her appeal and they're paying the price now.

On the Today show, Katie's breezy, engaging personality allowed the TV viewers to feel a connection with her. She bantered easily with guests and with her co-hosts. Even those, like me, who don't often watch morning TV felt like as if they knew her.

But reading the evening news stripped Katie of all the things she excels at. She can't be breezy and engaging when she's the lone presenter of serious news. She can't draw her audience in with a quip or a giggle. She can't tell a funny, self-deprecating story or two to lighten the mood. Instead, her new job plays to her weaknesses and has no use for her strengths, which leaves a talented lady looking very average.

It's a new take on the old Peter Principle, which says "in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." And with the new year on the horizon, as many of us take stock of our  careers and make decisions about our future, it's a valuable reminder that self-knowledge is key to good decision-making.

Or as Clint Eastwood once said: "A man's got to know his limitations."

Being Nice Pays Off

At least according to this Newsweek article.

It doesn't surprise me that the idea is being promoted by two women. At first women wanting to rise through the ranks of corporations were forced to fit in with the guys - be tough and competitive and work twice as hard just to prove that we could cut it. But as we've become more established, we've started to assert ourselves.

In all spheres of our lives, women have always succeeded by helping out other people and asking for help when we needed it. In other words, being nice to each other. Now we're bringing it into the workplace. I think that's really cool.

Advice for New Graduates

Curt Rosengren asked for contributions to his new group blog, Collective Genius. He asked for advice for new grads. Here's mine ...

Cliches are cliches for a reason - they're so true that people say them over and over until they become overplayed. This is certainly true of the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know." We've all heard it so many times that it barely registers anymore. But it should. Because it's a fact. Sadly, I am much older than you (as my brand new eye wrinkles will testify!) and during my former career as an HR executive, I heard the same thing thousands of times: "how did he/she get that position when he/she is such a [insert abusive word of your choice here]?" The answer, of course, is that they knew the right people.

Over on Career Hub, we highlighted two recent surveys about executive job search. One found that 43% of positions were filled as a result of networking. Another surveyed headhunters and found an even higher number filled their openings through networking - an astounding 63%. So, while it's important to work hard and develop your skills, the single most effective thing you can do to ensure future success is to build and maintain a thriving network.

Stay in touch with everyone. Look for ways to help others. Share your goals with friends, family, neighbors, hairdressers, random strangers in the street. Always be generous with your time and ideas. Ask for help when you need it.

It really is all about who you know.

Accident or Design?

Billie Sucher asks an interesting question over on Career Hub. Did your career happen by accident or by design?

In my case, I left college with no idea what I wanted to do. My love of music led me to an entry-level job in a record store, the company promoted me into HR, I did well, and eventually I parlayed that experience into helping people find jobs and started Blue Sky Resumes.

Perhaps none of this would have happened if I had loved shoes instead of  rock music!