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How to crack that cold equation? Just a little face time, says unemployed veteran Ruty Rutenberg, who believes that simply standing eye-to-eye with a hiring manager allows former service members to naturally radiate the ocean of intangibles that can only be absorbed in combat.
"That presence, that aura about military people is very tough to see online in a resume, where (HR executives) are only looking at lines of text," says Rutenberg, 29, who served as an Army medic in Iraq, riding in Black Hawk helicopters. He's been searching for his "mainstay" career for about a year. "Online, it's tough to tell a person's emotions, let alone a person's energy.
"But when you get to be right in front of these people and interact with them, there is no trepidation for veterans in those moments. We've been in stressful situations that people can't fathom, that they've only seen in movies," Rutenberg said Tuesday at a job fair in Los Angeles sponsored by Got Your 6, an entertainment-industry-backed, national veterans campaign. NBCUniversal is a partner in that movement.
On Wednesday, Hiring Our Heroes — a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that aims to get veterans back into the work force — is hosting a hiring fair at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City.
Both events are part of the Got Your 6 "veteran hiring week." Such events, Rutenberg believes, are critical for companies with spots to fill and veterans with bills to pay: "One of the things the military ingrains in us is how to be present and confident in the moment, really in any moment." Click here for a list of upcoming Hiring Our Heroes job fairs.
Still, owning that moment may require a touch of coaching, say some career counselors, who have spotted common, repeated flaws in the resumes and in interviewing skills of ex-service members.
Humility 'can be damning'
On paper, the mistakes typically involve the use of jargon: cumbersome acronyms, technical descriptions, and — to many civilians — the complicated system of military ranks. Is a "specialist" special?
"They feel: 'I've earned this rank. I want to make it prominent on my resume.' But that's one of the biggest complaints we hear from employers. They don't understand what 'sergeant first class' means," says Shareem Kilkenny, co-owner of Veteran Career Counseling Services. She operates VCCS with her husband, Kester Kilkenny, an Army veteran who spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"What I have to get them to understand is: How do I translate their ranks and skills into the skills that employers are looking for? It might be better, for example, if a resume reads: 'Worked under extremely stressful conditions,' or 'Worked in a deadline-driven environment' or 'Dealt with constant change.' ”
In addition to reading like a foreign language, militaryspeak may just get a veteran's resume tossed, warns Elizabeth Hruska, assistant director of career and internship services at the University of Minnesota.
"This can be a barrier to a civilian employer who needs to quickly understand the basics of you and your qualifications — and (emphasize) quickly: Employers tell us they spend only 10 to 30 seconds on that initial resume once-over," Hruska says.
While many veteran candidates may try to pitch themselves as the ultimate team players, some are prone to selling themselves short due to that group-first mindset, says Jason Dozier, veteran transition specialist with Hire Heroes USA, a nonprofit dedicated to creating job opportunities to veterans and their spouses through personalized employment training.
"Military members are very team-oriented, and the word 'individual' can be a euphemism for those who fail to be a productive member of that team," Dozier said. "And so tasks and accomplishments are more likely to be framed as 'we' rather than as 'I.' Humility is a great virtue, but it can be damning if you're looking to be competitive in the job market."
Dec 03, 2012
It's almost a new year. With that new year, many people are looking at what strategies will help them land that new, dream job. But don't be fooled by the holiday hubbub and pause your job search — hiring managers are absolutely still working and looking for new talent during the holiday season.
First, before anything, arrange all of your resume content in ReadyRez.com, and create a free resume to use on your upcoming job search. If you already have a resume, upload it to your ReadyRez profile to take advantage of a free custom domain to show your resume to anyone and anytime via the web.
Actually, they have more incentives to hire now. Why? Many companies receive federal income and employment tax benefits due to hiring during the holiday season, among other stipulations, under the HIRE Act.
All the more reason to stay active this holiday season during your job search! And if you're looking to discover what tactics you should use in your job search, take a hint from this list of the 25 days of your job search:
Day 1: Find your target. Know what industry, job titles, and locations you're looking to target in your job search.
Day 2: Revise your resume on ReadyRez.com! Make sure all contact information, dates, employers, and measurable results are up-to-date.
Day 3: Create your elevator pitch. Draft a 30-second pitch for potential employers on why you are right for their company.
Day 4: Refocus your cover letter drafts. All cover letters should be specific to each job, but sometimes it's helpful to have updated drafts ready to edit.
Day 5: Register your resume and cover letter on large job boards. Online job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder, and Indeed all allow you to post your resume and cover letters on their site for recruiters to find.
Day 6: Define your networking strategy. Networking is the most important aspect of your job search. Who do you want to connect with, how, by when, and what's your pitch?
Day 7: Update your social media profiles. Make sure all of your social media profiles are updated and professional, including a proper headshot and bio.
Day 8: Pinpoint niche job boards. While large job boards are nice, don't forget to use niche job boards too.
Day 9: Search for recruiters in your targeted area. Sometimes, recruitment agencies are a great place to get started with your job search. Just remember that recruiters are usually working for the employers, not you.
Day 10: Take a look at the classifieds. While most job seekers are looking online for jobs, don't forget to take a look at the classified ads in your local newspaper, too!
Day 11: Network, network, network. You have your networking strategy set, so start connecting with people. Be sure to share, not sell.
Day 12: Stand out and create a video resume or infographic. If you want to be a little creative, try creating a video resume or resume infographic to catch the attention of hiring managers.
Day 13: Organize your networking contacts. Don't make the mistake of forgetting who you've contacted and followed up with–keep it all in a Word doc or spreadsheet.
Day 14: Organize the jobs you plan to apply to and research each company. Once you've determined what jobs are good for you, research the company prior to sending in that application. If possible, tailor your resume and cover letter to fit the needs of that specific job and company.
Day 15: Apply for the jobs you've found through large job boards, niche job boards, recruiters, and networking. Try doing this throughout the entire 25 days of your job search!
Day 16: Create a spreadsheet of the jobs you've applied to. You don't want to apply for the same job twice, so stay organized and know where you've applied and who you still need to follow up with.
Day 17: Schedule informational interviews. If you're generating some interesting new job contacts, ask them to meet for an informational interview to learn more about them or their company.
Day 18: Target new contacts via social media. Social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitterare great ways to target new networking contacts.
Day 19: Send thank you notes to new networking contacts. If you've had the chance to connect with new job contacts via phone, email, or informational interviews, be sure to thank them for their time in form of a thank you note.
Day 20: Follow up on job applications. Use the spreadsheet that you've been updating to follow up on your job applications. Make note of who you sent your application to or if it was through a ATS platform. Either way, you should be able to find an email or phone number to contact.
Day 21: Prepare for your interviews by researching the company and the interviewer.Through all your hard work, interviews should start rolling in within a few months. Before you attend the interview, make sure you know the in's and out's of the company, as well as pertinent information about your interviewer.
Day 22: Update any portfolio materials or work-related examples. Spruce up your past work example to ensure their professional, accurate, and relevant to the job.
Day 23: Prepare a list of questions for your interviewer. Through your company research, you should have a few questions for the hiring manager. Show your interest in the position and company by asking these questions at the conclusion of the interview.
Day 24: Follow up with a post-interview thank you note. As usual, the thank you note is a great way to solidify your candidacy for a job.
Day 25: Be patient. You might not land an interview in 25 days. But if you follow the steps above, you'll certainly become a competitive job seeker. So, be patient as you continue your job search into the new year.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-days-of-your-job-search-2012-11
Nov 08, 2012
To view the press release Click Here.
Will Russell – Co-Founder of ReadyRez.com
Conversation. It's amazing what you'll learn from talking to people, whether that be someone you trust or the guy who sells hot dogs on the corner. Ideas can come out of the smallest thing mentioned in a conversation.
Will Russell is the Co-Founder of ReadyRez.com, a website dedicated to helping people easily make the perfect resume for free. He started ReadyRez with Co-Founder Jon Arkin after the two became fed up with the hassle of making, formatting and saving resumes while searching for jobs right out of college. They have been giving people a chance to get a job faster and easier for the last few years.
Russell and his business partner Arkin are looking to grow ReadyRez into the ideal place online to easily create and store resumes for employees and employers. The drive to get Americans back to work keeps them striving to create the best product for job seekers.
Russell, a native of the Windy City, is a graduate of The University of Kansas and lives in New York City, where he enjoys some of the best music in the world along with some of the best food in the world. If he isn't in New York, he's probably traveling down the west coast surfing or playing air guitar.
What are you working on right now?
Personally? Soup. I'd like to perfect the perfect soups for fall—a little weird, but a little delicious, too. As for ReadyRez, Jon (my business partner) and I are working to release a new version of RR that will be the best yet, with new features and a better user flow to make creating the perfect resume even easier.
Where did the idea for ReadyRez come from?
In college, Jon and I were really fed up with trying to make resumes all the time when applying for jobs right out of school. From formatting issues with a certain word processing software to keeping track of all the different versions of resumes, we just thought there could be an easier way to do things.
What does your typical day look like?
Coffee. ReadyRez. Repeat.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Conversation. It's amazing what you'll learn from talking to people, whether that be someone you trust or the guy who sells hot dogs on the corner. Ideas can come out of the smallest thing mentioned in a conversation.
What's one trend that really excites you?
Cloud-based computing. I love the idea of having everything in one place accessible from anywhere on any device. It's something we're championing with ReadyRez: always have your resume accessible. You never know when you'll need it.
What was the worst job you ever had, and what did you learn from it?
I served up pies at a local pie store when I was in high school. It was mind-numbingly boring because nobody came into the store. But it taught me to make the best of a crappy situation. I started thinking like a marketing manager to get people in the store, thought of new ways to serve pie quicker or how to cut cleanup time in half—essentially, skills I use now, like how to wear many hats and not being afraid to get dirty when necessary.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Act quicker. Don't sit on an idea if you have one.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Wake up early. It's simple and annoying at times (especially after a long night), but the old saying of the early bird getting the worm is still true and never truer than it is when you're a young entrepreneur.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?
Focus the national conversation on conserving the world and nature. All of our problems won't matter if we don't have a world to live in.
Tell us a secret.
There's nothing to be scared of. Fear is fake.
What are your three favorite online tools or resources, and what do you love about them?
1. Evernote – Use it every day to capture ideas.
2. Dropbox – Such an easy way to share things.
2. Instagram – Addicted to pictures. (Follow me @willrussell.)
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It'll change the way you approach work every day.
Who is your hero?
I don't have a single hero. It's a group of people—men and women—who have shaped my life into what it is today. They know who they are; I make sure they know all the time.
What do you do with your downtime during work hours?
Day dream.
High fives or low fives?
Low fives.
Connect:
Will Russell on Facebook: facebook.com/wfrussell
Ready Rez's Website: http://www.readyrez.com/
The Dos and Don'ts of Job Searching While You're Still Employed.
Ready for a new job? Most career experts would tell you to start looking while you're still employed. And when you do—you must tread carefully.
“I totally agree with this,” says Andy Teach, a corporate veteran and author of From Graduation to Corporation: The Practical Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder One Rung at a Time. “When you're working, your professional network is working for you because you're constantly interacting with your industry contacts. They can inform you about jobs you may not be aware of. If you're not working, you're out of sight and out of mind.”
Sara Menke, the founder and chief executive ofPremier, a boutique staffing firm in San Francisco, says having a job while looking for a job makes you that much more attractive to a potential employer. “Companies want to hire the best of the best and [those people] are usually employed,” she says. “Plus, quitting your job before having a job is a big risk that you should avoid. Most people do not have endless streams of income, so you should stay in your position until you get that firm offer for new employment.”
Teach agrees. He says most potential employers prefer job candidates who currently have a job because it gives them more confidence that you'll be a good hire. “If you don't currently have a job, it raises a lot of questions and puts you in a defensive position, and you won't be coming at them from a position of strength,” he says.
Furthermore, when you look for a job while you still have a job, there tends to be less pressure on you, he adds. “If you don't get the new job, you have your current job to fall back on and you can just try again. Having a job gives you confidence because you're not in a desperate situation. You may need a new job, you may want a new job, but you don't have to have a new job, unlike someone who is out of work.”
Another reason to start looking while you're still employed: Having a job while searching for new employment gives you leverage when it comes to negotiating terms for the new gig, Teach says. “You're in a greater position to make demands and get what you want. Without a job, this leverage goes out the window.”
While the experts highly advise against quitting or waiting until you're fired to start your job search—there are risks associated with job hunting while you're still employed.
Perhaps the biggest danger of looking for a new job while you have one is that someone at your company will find out and tell others, Teach says. If your boss finds out, he or she may take it personally and see it as a lack of loyalty to them and the company. “They will assume that you're unhappy and worst case scenario, may start taking steps to terminate you. Supervisors want employees who are committed to the job, not to a job search.”
Michael Kerr, an international business speaker, author and president of Humor at Work, agrees. He says the biggest danger is the optics and the fear of a backlash from your employer, who may view your job search as being “almost treasonous.” Depending on the maturity level of your immediate supervisor, “they may seek ways to punish your efforts, such as freezing you out of discussions and opportunities. And obviously, if the new job you are seeking is with a major competitor, then certainly ethical issues will arise and even legal issues around conflict of interest. Depending on the job and environment, you may even be perceived as a security threat,” he says.
Another danger is that if you start to focus too much on getting a new job, you may not be giving your full attention to your current employer, says Teri Hockett, the chief executive of What's For Work?, a career site for women. “You'll not only be impacting your company, but your own professional credibility. You may no longer be considered for prime assignments and projects, and this can hurt you in a multitude of ways from your confidence level to your networking capabilities when you need them at an all-time high.”
So, to avoid these potential consequences and to ensure a successful job search while you're still employed, here's what you should and shouldn't do:
Don't tell anyone at work. “Do not share your search and impending departure information with the rumor mill,” Hockett says. Depending on your relationship with your boss, you may want to share information about your job search, but letting co-workers know can make it difficult for you to leave on a good note, especially if they are vying for your job.
Teach adds: “There's an old World War II saying, ‘Loose lips sink ships.' In your case, loose lips can jeopardize your current and prospective job.” If you tell one person at work that you're looking for a new job, you might as well tell everyone. The exception to this would be if your boss has told you about upcoming layoffs and has offered to help you in your job search, he says.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete. With so many people on LinkedIn, having a complete profile these days won't raise any suspicions, Teach says. “Perhaps the first place a hiring manager will look when they have a job candidate is at the job candidate's LinkedIn profile. It's best to keep it updated all the time so that you don't have to rush to complete it when you start looking for a new job.” However, don't indicate that you're looking for new job opportunities on your profile, in case your current employer monitors your page.
Never bad-mouth your current employer. “Even if you are in a bad situation with a tyrannical Vader-like boss, it's prudent to take the high road, demonstrate some class and ensure that you don't burn any bridges,” Kerr says. Keep your conversations and your psyche focused on the positive benefits of moving forward, rather than the negative aspect of what you are trying to escape.
Let your prospective employer know that your job search should be kept confidential. Teach suggests that you inform them that you don't want your current employer to know that you're looking for a new job and would appreciate it if they told as few people as possible that you are interviewing.
Don't use any of your current co-workers or supervisors as references. If one of them is contacted while you're looking for a new job and they're not aware you're looking for a new job, you'll have a lot of explaining to do, Teach says. Don't put yourself in this position.
Schedule interviews during non-work hours. “Remember the key is to keep productivity up while at work, and missing work hours can directly have an effect on this,” Menke says. “Don't create a situation where your employer will question your loyalty due to your absence at obvious work hours.”
Try to schedule informational interviews and job interviews before work (perhaps a breakfast meeting), during lunch, after work, or personal days, if possible, Teach says. “If you inform the interviewer that you'd prefer to keep your job search a secret, they may try to accommodate you by scheduling your interview during non-work hours, which will raise the least suspicion with your current employer,” he says. “You may even consider using unused vacation days to interview since you'd be losing these days anyway if you get a new job.”
Don't use the company computer, Internet, fax machine, or phone in your job search. Most companies track your Internet usage so anything related to your job search may raise suspicions, Teach says. “Your company may also track your phone use so it's best if you use your personal cell phone to further your job search, but make sure no one at work overhears your conversations.”
Stay focused on your current job. Continue to perform at or above your current performance level, Hockett says. “It is important to show respect and professionalism to your current employer.”
Kerr agrees. He says you should never check out prematurely or “go on autopilot.” “As difficult as this may be, this is the time to keep doing stellar work, to preserve your reputation and be able to leave, when the time comes, with your head held high.”
Teach says though it can be hard to stay focused on your current job when a job search requires a lot of time and effort, you must remember who is “giving you that paycheck every week or two.”
Don't dress differently than normal. If you show up to work in a suit and tie because you have a job interview that day but you never wear a suit and tie to work, this will raise suspicions, to say the least. “Bring your interview clothes with you to work and change in the car or in the restroom when you get to your destination,” Teach says.
Don't mention your job search in social media. “It may find its way back to your current employer, and prospective employers may view your lack of discretion unfavorably,” Hockett says.
Teach agrees. He says you may think you have privacy settings, “but you'd be surprised how many people have access to your social profiles.” Also, don't forget to remind your close friends not to mention your job search online, too.
Don't post your résumé on job boards. Menke says it's highly possible that your current employer will see your résumé posted, “which can potentially create a situation in which you will be let go.”
Always be honest if confronted by your supervisor or a manager.Though most of these points are telling you how to prevent your employer from finding out you're looking for a new job—if and when they explicitly ask you about your intentions, don't lie!
“There's nothing to be gained by being deceptive–if indeed you've decided to keep the search under your hat–and it will threaten to bite you in the backside later,” Kerr says.
"The Breakroom" is a constant stream of useful job search related content to further help you on your way to being ready!
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