Yolanda M. Owens
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Media Buzz
  • Speaker Booking
  • Career Coaching
  • Contact
  • Blog

5 Things Recruiters Look for in a Resume

6/23/2012

2 Comments

 
Picture
Yolanda M. Owens is an author chick who's fluent in humor and employer dating issues. Her book How to Score a Date with your Potential Employer parallels job searching with dating from the lens of a corporate recruiter.

Picture
5 Things Recruiters Look for in a Resume
By Yolanda M. Owens

Have Recruiters Seeing STARS!
You've heard people say that when they met that special someone, they saw fireworks. Well, when a potential employer reads your resume, they should see S.T.A.R.S. (Simple; Truthful; Assertive; Results-driven; Swagger). 

A resume should be intriguing and informative, alluring yet accurate, should tell a story, but leave room for conversation and the reader wanting more. So how do you accomplish this without sounding cliche, self-absorbed, or like you're trying to hard? Follow the S.T.A.R.S. guide below and win the attention of recruiters who will be screening your resumes.

Simple = Skip the fancy formatting! Recruiters respect the fact that you're innovative and have a knack for clipart and textbox formatting. But at the end of the day, just keep it simple, sunshine! Be more graphic about the skills and deliverables you have to offer than showing off your flair for
clip art.

Truthful =
Make your resume sound interesting but keep it accurate. In other words, save the embellishments for your outfits. Most companies conduct background checks on your resume information, so that little white lie could banish you to the unemployment line.

Assertive =
Don't be afraid to toot your own horn! That's why they call the resume a brag sheet. It's an opportunity to show what you've accomplished. But keep it professional and relevant to the position(s) you're applying for. You don't need to list every accomplishment you've made since your third grade spelling B! 

Results-Driven =
Focus on your deliverables and quantify them. This will make you stand out among the competition. Anyone can say they make widgets. But if you say you made widgets 25% more efficiently while saving the company $10k in production costs, you'll get more attention.

Swagger =
Having swagger means taking that extra step to tactfully get someone's attention and getting them to want to know more about you. This means showing you put some thought and effort into your resume before dispatching it. A well-crafted, thoughtful resume is the first step in demonstrating that you've got game.

2 Comments

Hooking up on LinkedIn

7/9/2011

5 Comments

 

Why people just aren’t into your LinkedIn invites…

Picture
You’ve been there.  You meet someone inspiring at a presentation; share a wink and a gun with a few movers and shakers at a networking event; exchange some laughs with an infectious social butterfly at the local bar…You’re enamored. You want to bask in the glow of their effortless charisma. So you give in to the urge to add this professional Phenom to your social networking circle of professional life on LinkedIn only to find out they’re just not that into you.

So what do you have to do to professionally “hook up” with someone on
LinkedIn?

Don’t fret my wounded butterfly.  Your social skills will flutter again on LinkedIn. Here are a few rules of thumb to help you emerge from the cocoon…

Stop sending John Doe requests.  You know the John Doe request I’m talking about.  The “I’d like to add you to my professional network” template. I get about five of these a day and they drive me absolutely bonkers.  Why?  I interact with hundreds of candidates on campuses, via phone and online and my mental rolodex can only hold so much at the end of the day.  So when I receive one of these John Doe requests where I have no idea who you are or how we recently met, you lost me at the subject line. Luckily I’m nosy and have an inherent need to help people professionally.  So I usually open the request to see if we have someone or something in common.  However, if I’ve I come up empty after all those page clicks, not only am I ticked that you’ve added to my spam, but that’s precious time out of my day I’ll never get back.

So stop contributing to the spam epidemic and get time back on your side.  Personalize requests to individuals you’ve recently met. Instead of using the
LinkedIn template, take a few seconds to write “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and would love to network with you on LinkedIn.”

Much. Better.  When someone takes the time to personalize a message to me (even if I don’t know them from a can of paint) I’ll accept the request.  But without a point of reference, there’s no point of us being
LinkedIn.

Subtract from your Common Denominators.  Six degrees of separation is certified gold in any hook up scenario.  Do a little digging and see if you and the Phenom have any friends in common.  Then ask those friends for a
LinkedIn introduction request.  Since the introduction is coming from a trusted source, you’ll elevate yourself from potential spam to friend of the inner circle.

Stroke that ego.  Flattery will get you somewhere so go ahead and work it to your advantage when personalizing your requests. For example, “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and was impressed with your knowledge about XYZ. I would love the opportunity to network with you on LinkedIn and learn more about where you get your information.” Now you’ve stroked my ego, probably made my day, and have a new
LinkedIn hook up. 

Flutter. Flutter.

5 Comments

    Author

    About Yolanda M. Owens
    Author Chick. Recruiting Sensei. Gen Y Guru. Education Enthusiast. Intern Whisperer.  Read more tips in her book "How to Score a Date with your Potential Employer".

    Archives

    June 2016
    February 2015
    June 2012
    May 2012
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    January 2011

    Categories

    All
    Career Advice
    Employment Search
    Etiquette
    Fashion Etiquette
    Job Hunting
    Job Search
    Networking
    Social Networking

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.