It's a JUNGLE out there...whether you are hiring or looking for a job.
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CAROLYN THOMPSON, Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME is a leading FREE TO THE PUBLIC resume workshop Thursday, APRIL 23rd in MD.
The job market is very competitive right now, so it’s important to have an informative and complete resume. It’s often difficult for people to narrow down what’s important and what’s not on their resume. TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME gives a solid roadmap to anyone looking to create a well organized, content driven, resume. Please bring your current resume to work from, and a friend! Whether you are looking for a job now, just need to update your resume, or have no idea where to start, this FREE WORKSHOP is for you!
Location:THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd, 2009 at 3pm.
MARRIOTT BWI
1743 West Nursery Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
After Carolyn’s Presentation at the Baltimore Metro Area American Payroll Association Luncheon.
We’ll go through the Ten Steps, discuss them in detail, and answer individual questions as time permits. Copies of the book are available on Amazon and in select bookstores and libraries. Post workshop individual resume critiques are also offered.
Carolyn’s second book in her series is now available at Amazon; TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB.
See you there!
Tags: community, economy, resume, resume workshop
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Apr 1, 2009 in
Executive Coaching,
Job Search,
Thinking Positive Last week, I attended a Hay Group presentation in Tysons Corner, VA where I was able to speak one-on-one with a variety of DC area Human Resources professionals. While we all came to the event from different companies and backgrounds, we had one major commonality last week: companies are struggling with decision making in the quicksand of our current economy.
Hiring authorities in many fields feel they are dangling by a vine in the quicksand. Many are scared to make too quick a decision, which may cause the sand to collapse around them, eventually smothering their career and/or the company. Others have jobs that they just can’t locate qualified people for (like nursing and engineering) and are grasping at any and all available vines hoping candidates they find hanging there will ultimately pull them out of their understaffed situation.
The general consensus was that this analysis paralysis is the direct result of executives now being forced to bear an unlikely double burden. Leading an organization in an uncertain economy forces them to make the best choices they can with the information they have available. But that information is changing at the speed of light. One day the stock market is up, one day it’s down. One day their best client is signing a new contract, the next day the best client is being bought out.
These leaders are struggling just like everyone else is with loss of retirement savings coupled with concerns about job security. Yet, for the good of the company, they are forced to put up a good front for the employees that report to them, making them feel safe, secure and ensuring productivity increases with fewer resources. It’s a tough position to be in; hanging on a vine, hoping the quicksand will fill in beneath their feet, eventually buoying them above the danger back into business as usual.
According to a study published in the current issue of the journal Nature, it is impossible for a person immersed in quicksand to be drawn completely under. The fact is, quicksand is heavier than water so humans float in it. At rest, quicksand thickens with time, but it remains very sensitive to small variations in stress. At higher stresses, quicksand liquefies very quickly. The higher the stress the more fluid it becomes. This causes a trapped body to sink when it starts to move.
The problem is that we panic. We’re fearful of drowning and we do anything we can to prevent it, when, if we trusted general physics (and mother nature), we’d ultimately rise above the danger.
At the Hay Group event, I discovered most companies are still hiring, but they are inundated with applications, thus making them feel they have plenty of choices so they don’t need to be in a rush to hire someone. Digging a little further, though, I found that the truth is that companies really are still seeing very few exceptionally qualified people in those piles of resumes. Essentially, the inbox is full, but not with a high quality workforce, so they are unwilling to move forward until the perfect candidate surfaces.
As a job seeker, how can you rise above the quicksand to meet the executives on the vines? For one, make sure you are only applying to positions you are qualified for. My recent book TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB discusses creative, unique strategies for navigating the new economy and conducting a well planned job search. You can locate those executives, just above the quicksand, that need your help. Get your resume right in front of them before they get sucked under by the pressure around them and convince them YOU are the person they should hire.
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: economy, fear, hiring, Job Search, jobs, resume
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Mar 10, 2009 in
Job Search Crocodiles prepare for and engage in the hunt for food in a methodical way. This leads to lots of overall success in the end result. You should prepare too if you want to be successful in your interview.
Crocodiles identify their prey, move in, and then attack. Once the attack is on, crocodiles do not deviate from the goal until they get their dinner. You should also identify the job you want. Have a resume that gets you noticed and then conduct your interview process full on until you have the job you really want.
Here’s how you do it…
First, make sure you have a well written, relevant resume. If you need help writing a resume, a great resource is Ten Easy Steps to a Perfect Resume.
This book will help you to write an excellent, professional resume. Some general rules of thumb are:
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-Make sure your contact information is accurate.
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-Make sure there are no spelling errors on your resume.
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-Make sure your objective is in-line with, and that you are qualified for, the position that you are applying for.
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-Be sure that you write a little bit about what each company does underneath the company name and then list several well thought out bullet points about your job duties and accomplishments.
Second, apply for jobs that interest you and that you are qualified for. Many people apply to positions in the hope that someone will interview them even if they know you are not qualified for a job. This almost never happens, so do not waste the time of the hiring manager on the other end of the submission.
Third, once you get an interview, be prepared. Research the company. Learn about what they do. There is a lot of good information out on the internet these days. Utilize that information. When the hiring manager asks you what you know about their company, make sure you know. Dress professionally. Shine your shoes, cut your hair, and dry-clean your suit. Show that you care about yourself and that you take yourself seriously and the hiring manager will feel the same about you.
Finally, after the interview is complete, send a thank you note or e-mail depending on timing. Be sure to do this step since many applicants do not. This will set you apart from the competition.
More tips to getting the job you want can be found in Ten Steps to Finding the Perfect Job.
For a list of on demand webinars relating to job searching, interviewing, and resume writing visit: http://www.carolynthompson.net/webinars.htm
Jake Hanson
Senior Associate, CMCS
Tags: advice, hiring, interview, jobs, resume, steps
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Mar 9, 2009 in
Career Path,
Thinking Positive Where have all the hardworking professionals gone? Have they retreated to their caves (or Florida) for a long winter’s hibernation? Are they snuggled in, hoping to emerge their sleepy heads in a few months when the promise of the new administration finally starts to pay off? Are they waiting to complete that resume re-write until they can send it to 100 positions like they could a year or so ago instead of just one or two? Are they waiting for the abundance of the good old days?
Well, in some professions, the good old days are still around. Professionals looking for work should pay astute attention to what jobs are being advertised. There are large pockets of professional areas that are still lacking talented people.
Take the tax profession as example. Not a generally exciting topic, but it’s a lucrative field. Right now, if you were a Senior Tax Accountant in our area, there are over 100 positions available within 50 miles of DC.
So, unemployed professionals take note…if you’re looking for a new career path, there are jobs out there! Some training or re-training might be necessary, in some cases, the bill for that might be picked up by an employer. Do your homework, it never hurts to ask! Don’t hibernate your days away! Wake up, get out there, and find your niche!
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: jobs, resume, training, unemployment
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Feb 11, 2009 in
Building Confidence,
Job Search,
Self Improvement Tiger stripes are as individual and unique as human finger prints. They also act as the perfect camouflage in tall weeds and grasses. But, did you know that if you were to shave the fur from a tiger it would still have stripes?
To be a true tiger, an elite top member of the food chain, your stripes have to run deep beneath the surface. So, as you prepare yourself and your resume, to embark on a new job search because you’ve been laid off or fear that you’ll be laid off in the near future, remember, in the Job Search Jungle you can’t hide behind the stripes on your resume. You have to deliver.
Are you presenting factual information that faithfully represents your skills and work experience? In our current competitive job market with so many talented folks unemployed, employers are being extra particular with their next hire. The successful new hires must possess all the skill requirements of the job and be ready to hit the ground running! If you’ve already been laid off, now maybe the perfect time to update your skills and education by taking a computer class, attending a workshop, or finally enrolling in school to obtain your AA, BS, MS or MBA.
Make some inner stripes that will shine out on the surface and make you a true tiger in the Job Search Jungle!
Courtnie Cho
Partner, CMCS
Tags: education, layoffs, resume, training
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Feb 4, 2009 in
Thinking Positive This week I am in Las Vegas, participating in the BULLHORN LIVE User’s Conference. This has been one of the best events I’ve attended in the staffing and recruiting industry for the past couple of years. The technical information has been excellent, but the positive enthusiasm shared by this diverse group of attendees and presenters has been the most refreshing part of this conference.
Search industry guru Danny Cahill and President of Bullhorn Barry Hinckley both discussed a sentiment I firmly believe in; looking at the glass half full. No doubt, a continually rising unemployment rate is troubling. However, let’s not lose sight of the other side of that statistic; if an area has 7% unemployment, it also has 93% employment.
In response to President Obama’s call to volunteer service, Bullhorn provided me a meeting space at the Red Rocks Resort to conduct a RESUME WORKSHOP which was free to the public here in Las Vegas yesterday evening. NBC affiliate KVBC3 invited me to appear live on the noon news Monday to promote the event and I also had a great conversation with Barbara Kusak on KDWN Las Vegas Talk Radio yesterday.
About 60 local job seekers attended the workshop where we discussed my book TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME as well as some specifics about job search and interviewing. With 7.2% unemployment in the Las Vegas area and 10.1 % statewide, the attendees really wanted to know how to set themselves apart from other job seekers. They all left with enthusiastic, positive, outlooks towards their job search, newly empowered with creative strategies, ideas and techniques to utilize in this competitive environment.
As my second book TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB comes out next month, I look forward to continuing to share some positive job search strategies and ideas with people in other cities over the next few months. Upcoming workshops are slated for Washington DC, Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, Baltimore, Omaha, and Denver over the next four months.
Since none of us (including our elected officials) really know how to tame the ELEPHANT, we all need to adjust our thinking and find areas of positive change within the situation. Everyone has something to contribute and there are jobs out there, it may just take a little more strength, internal fortitude, and personal willpower to move the ELEPHANT out of your room to find it.
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…now available on Amazon.com!
Tags: jobs, resume, resume workshop, statistics, unemployment
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Nov 5, 2008 in
Building Confidence 
Wondering if you should blend in with the herd, or take a risk and stand out? In today’s predatory job market sticking to current skills and familiar jobs might seem the best way to stay safe, but life in the herd isn’t easy when resources get scarce. By taking a chance on a different kind of job, or playing up your more unusual assets, you might discover a different oasis where you’re the alpha beast. Who knows, the herd might follow, so keep reinventing those stripes!
Don’t know what makes you different? Consider your past experiences: Which ones give you the edge and perspective that’s unique to you? Remember the contributions you’ve made to former employers and managers; how did you set yourself apart from your colleagues? What particular strengths got you those jobs? Does your resume show off your experiences? Do you have specific examples of how and when you were able to save your previous boss time and money? Don’t be afraid to show your stripes – they’re what makes you unique!
Mario Valdez
Associate, CMCS
Tags: advice, education, resume, training
