Is The Current Style of Qualifications Profile Dead?

I've been thinking about this for a week now, because a couple of resume writers talked to me about it in Savannah. And with yesterday's post, about the recruiter not seeing the value in the profile, I got to wondering, "Are profiles going out of style?"

I think the answer is yes -- and no.

The flowery, puffy, superlative-filled qualifications profile is dead. Or should be. I've written them myself:
"Seasoned sales professional with demonstrated organizational, planning, interpersonal, and team building capabilities. Skilled in identifying, prioritizing, and capturing new business opportunities. Proven ability to deliver bottom-line results under pressure. Excellent relationship-building skills with the capacity to work effectively with individuals at all levels and from diverse backgrounds."

Blah, blah, Blah, BLAH, BLAH!

Sharon Williams, of JobRockit, was the one who first clued me into the demise of the traditional qualifications profile, telling me that resume critiquers at a recent session were simply crossing off the profiles. And the repeated use of "personal brand" when discussing the resume development process only drove a few more nails into the traditional qualifications profile's coffin.

The "so what" factor comes into play here, as does this question: "Does the qualifications profile you just wrote truly reflect this client, or could it be written of a dozen other candidates with his same job objective?"

I'll have more on this topic, including how to write new-style qualifications profiles -- and a future interview with the queen of personal branding, Kirsten Dixson, co-author (with William Arruda) of "Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand."

A Technical Recruiter's Perspective on Resumes

I corresponded recently with a temporary technical recruiter in Seattle, Washington who does contract placements. She shared her insights into the resume screening process -- very instructive for resume writers working with these candidates. She wanted me to note, however, that executive placements are handled quite differently. Temporary placement firms are sourcing for 10-30 jobs per day. She works specifically with IT candidates.

If your client works with a temporary placement firm, due to the high volume of job openings, the job she calls you about today might be gone tomorrow. That's not only due to the larger number of candidates out there, but also because contract recruiters (unlike contingency recruiters) are competing against other contract recruiters. ("I know if I don't fill the job with my candidate, someone like Kelly, Volt, or the like will get the position filled before me," she says.)

Here are her comments about resumes:

• Candidates need to put their phone number on all documents and in e-mails. If you don't provide immediate contact information (and that means phone, not e-mail), you might miss your chance. And tell your clients to return all phone calls promptly. Candidates who call back a week later miss the boat. With 10 jobs to fill a day, the job isn't going to be there in a week, or even a few days.
• Soft skills are important, but hard skills win interviews. What kind of projects have they worked on? What are their technical skills? Areas of expertise? It's not enough to say "good with people." What industry? What tools? What did you create? She wants "the whole alphabet soup." Linus or MS? Database or Web/front end? .net or Java? She'd prefer to have it in a grid to match against the job description. List the skill and the number of years used.
• Don't use a two-column table if you know it's going to be imported into a database. You'll lose the formatting and then it just looks jumbled. ("If you're submitting it to a recruiter, please realize the hiring manager won't see your formatting," she notes.)
  
• "I only give the resume 10 seconds. I read from the bottom up, looking for career history and how the candidate evolved. The hiring manager may be interested in the qualifications profile, but it's less important for me." (As a former resume writer and career coach, she said that's hard for her to admit.)
• Length is less important than depth. ("Six page tech resumes can be fine, surprisingly," she says.) Follow the old adage: "Make the resume as long as it needs to be to make the candidate look credible and worth the money they are asking.")
  

Guest Article: Helping Your Clients Connect the Dots

Editor's Note: We can help our clients by helping connect them with decision-makers. In this guest article, Frank Traditi (co-author of Get Hired Now!) offers tips to help clients use their network to connect with decision-makers.

Connect the Dots - Tracing the Steps to Job Opportunities
By Frank Traditi
As you've probably heard many times before, it's your network of people that will eventually help you land the job you really want. You can create and nurture this network through the familiar channels like networking functions, seminars, volunteering opportunities, and social gatherings. Another tactic you can use to build your network is called connecting the dots. Here's how it works. In order for companies to survive in today's competitive marketplace, they must rely on the services and expertise of other companies.

Many businesses maintain close relationships with their customers, service providers, affiliates, partners, bankers, and many others. All are part of what could be called the intelligence network. Members of this intelligence network interact with this business at different levels, but all are privy to information potentially beneficial to you.

Following is an example that illustrates the power of connecting the dots. Let's say you are targeting a job opportunity with a specific software development company. Here are the possible connections in their intelligence network:

1. Reseller Partners. The company that has contracted to sell their software will know the inside scoop on how the product works Maybe they also know about an opening in the software development department.

2. Web Design Firm Find out who designed their website. They are usually connected with the companies' marketing, information technology, and sales department. Perhaps they know some challenges the company is dealing with. Maybe the VP of Marketing is looking for a good Internet Marketing strategist?

3. Investment Bankers or Venture Capitalists Your target company might be in the early stages of growth. Bankers and Venture Capitalists know just about everything there is to know about the company and what their challenges are. Do you think these folks might know when a management shake-up may take place and when they are looking for good people and new talent?

4. Executive Recruiters They may have hired an executive recruiter to bring in new management talent for specific departments. That new manager may need to bring in new talent to the department. The recruiter might also have some intelligence about other areas of the company. Could they refer you to the leader of that other department?

5. Clients Some companies display a client list on their website or in their brochures. If you can identify and talk with a few players at these client companies, they may reveal clues to job opportunities. You may also recognize a company or two and know who works there. Leverage these relationships to get the inside track on your target company.

6. Sales training company Perhaps they've contracted with a sales training company that's working with their sales force and management team to increase their productivity. Maybe the training company personnel know about open sales positions? A good place to start is to write down all the services a company needs to run their day to day operations. Pick a company that you are interested in working for and try to identify the intelligence network that serves or is connected to this company. Make it your goal to find at least six connections. Then start connecting the dots. I'll bet you'll like the picture.

Copyright © 2005, Frank Traditi.
Frank Traditi is the co-author of Get Hired NOW!: A 28-Day Program for Landing the Job You Want. He is an author, speaker, career strategist, and executive coach with more than 20 years of experience in management, sales, and marketing for Fortune 500 companies. Frank works with talented professionals to design a game plan for an extraordinary career. For a copy of his free guide "How to Find a Job in 28 Days or Less," visit www.gethirednow.com

Using SCORE to Build Your Business

Did you know there is a free resource to help you create and refine your business plan and give you guidance with your resume business? It's called "SCORE" (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and you'll find tons of free advice, from marketing to business-startup, and more.

Here are some of my favorite resources:

• 60-second marketing plan
• Business plans and worksheets (breakeven analysis, and more)
• Growing Your Business Section

You can also ask SCORE counselors questions online (FREE) or sign up for an in-person consultation at your local office.