No Wonder Job Seekers Are Confused: Part 2

Here's the second blog post in a series I'm doing to refute the ideas in what I believe is a misguided article: "Five Out-Of-Date Job Search Tactics" from Bloomberg Business. (You can feel free to weigh in using the Comments section below, and read the first post in the series here.)

They say: "Creaky Cover Letter Language" is out-of-date.

Okay, I agree with them that you shouldn't address a cover letter to "Dear Sir or Madam" -- and I prefer finding the hiring manager's name (when possible), but sometimes that just ISN'T possible. So "Dear Hiring Manager" is an acceptable substitute, or so is my suggestion -- simply leaving off the salutation entirely.

Contrary to the author's opinion, it can be difficult to find a hiring manager's name. Without the hiring manager's name, you're usually sending it to HR anyway, so addressing it to "Dear Hiring Manager," isn't going to offend the HR person. They know that ultimately the best resumes will be forwarded to the hiring manager (decision-maker).

Of the five "out of date" tactics, I probably have the least objection to this one (and I offer an even simpler alternative -- no salutation -- but I don't think the simple line "To Whom It May Concern" is going to kill a job seeker's chance of an interview if the resume and the rest of the cover letter is solid, and they have the right qualifications.

Tomorrow: "Here's Why You Should Hire Me."

No Wonder Job Seekers Are Confused: Part 1

I came across this article on another career professional's Facebook status, and my first thought (which I tweeted) was, "Just read a career article from a major, mainstream business magazine that was completely off base. It's no wonder job seekers are confused."

I wondered if I should even draw attention to the article, because it would increase attention to yet another presumptuous, prescriptive article that is going to confuse job seekers. But I think it's important for us, as career professionals, to reinforce the idea that there are lots of opinions about what does and doesn't work in the job search -- but even huge media companies endorse some stinkers.

(My colleague, Julie Walraven, of Design Resumes, does the same thing in her blog post today: "Point - Counter Point: Is the Resume Dead?")

Here's the article: "Five Out-Of-Date Job Search Tactics" from Bloomberg Business. In a series of blog posts, I'm going to offer my rebuttal to each of their points. (You can feel free to weigh in using the Comments section below.)

They say: "Dedicated resume paper and envelopes" are out-of-date.

They say not to use any kind of special paper or matching envelopes in your job search because "Dedicated-use resume paper is a 1980s artifact."

Brought to you by the same people who find online applications "more efficient" are the folks who suggest you use "plain white bond paper" when you *do* print out a resume to bring with you? Yikes. Have you heard of the importance of first impressions, people?

How do you stand out today? Go the extra mile.

If everyone else is applying online, follow-up with a paper resume in person or via mail.  Sure, the 16-year-old temp employee ("Jennifer," I call her) may not care (LOL, BFF -- BRB!!!*) but the hiring manager (as long as they're over 25), probably will appreciate the effort.

While I agree with the author that content is king, ugly resumes aren't effective either. Horizontal lines absolutely have a place on resumes ... even for non-creative types. Is she serious?!?!

Rather than being out of date, dedicated resume paper and envelopes can help you stand out from a sea of job seekers.

[Addition: This article, "Is The Paper Resume Dead?" appeared in online in Wall Street Journal's Career section on Jan. 25, 2012. The answer is: It's not.]

Tomorrow: "Creaky Cover Letter Language."

* Jennifer is more versed in text messaging than text resumes ... LOL = Laugh out loud; BFF = Best friends forever; BRB = Be right back)

Is Your Search Optimization Strategy Working?

You may have heard a lot about SEO. (I've written about it before a couple times on this blog.) It stands for "search engine optimization" and is important to the algorithms that can put your resume writing website at the top of the search results page on Google or Bing or leave you at the bottom. Here are some ways to measure if your efforts are getting noticed.

You first need a basic understanding of SEO. When people search the Internet, they use keywords or phrases to find what they are looking for amongst the hundreds of thousands of web pages that have been created. If you've ever looked in the upper left-hand corner of your search engine results, often certain words return millions of results. For example, this search for "Resume Writer" on Google returned 3.8 million results. Yikes!

No one bothers to go through all of those. They rarely look beyond the first or second page. So that is where you want your web pages, content, videos, and blog to appear, in order to be found by those who are looking. (And here's another trick: Don't try to rank nationally for "Resume Writer" -- instead, try to rank for "Resume Writer (Your Area of Expertise or Geographic Area)" -- i.e., "Resume Writer Baltimore" or "Resume Writer Elementary School Teacher.")

You have to do some work first. SEO is not an exact science. But, you can use keyword programs (for free) to help you find out which have the highest amount of competition and which are underused. From there, the trial and error begins. Some recommend using one keyword per web page to see which ones are drawing the most traffic for you. Also be sure that your website is registered with the major search engines.

Some Ways to Measure SEO Success:

• Backlinks. These are the external links that link back to your website from other places. You can create backlinks by using the resource box when submitting content to article directories, bio boxes when guest blogging, as well as signature lines on forums and places like that. (You can also get a backlink by becoming a member of BeAResumeWriter.com -- there are two member directories on the site -- one for free members, and one for paid members -- that can provide a backlink with high authority.)

• Traffic metrics. How many unique visitors do you have compared to returning visitors? What you want are unique visitors because these are new faces that are being drawn in by your marketing strategies. You can also look at revenue generated against visitors at any given time. You can find out your traffic by using Google Analytics. This free program gives you lots of information to calculate your SEO success. Test your keywords for at least three months to get an accurate picture of whether or not they're working.

What you ultimately want is for people to buy from you. You want that conversion from casual visitor to customer. It is essential that you include a call to action on your website pages that will compel the reader to make that conversion. You can track this metric as well.

Help your prospective resume clients find you online by maximizing your efforts at "Search Engine Optimization Success."

Wearing Two Hats: Resume Writer and Mom

I'm not a mom myself, but I am a dedicated aunt to a whole bunch of nieces and nephews, including "The Five Princesses," who are featured prominently in my Facebook timeline. (My brother lives next door to me, and when he has the girls, they're frequently found at my house.)

The "Five Princesses" on Halloween. 

So while the kids aren't around 24/7/365, when they are next door, I really understand the challenges of resume writers who are also parents. And one of those challenges is balance (and, along with that, time management). An advantage of being a self-employed resume writer is the flexibility that it *can* offer you, to both serve your clients and support your family (financially, emotionally, and physically).

A balanced life helps you continue to "have it all" and gives you the time you need to enjoy the life you've designed. Here are some tips, strategies and ideas to balance your working and family time.

• Schedule time for everything. It may sound extreme. However, scheduling time to work and time to play really does help you find the balance that's right for you. Scheduling your life forces you to look at your priorities and make sure you find time for them. When Sean has the girls, I know that I'm not going to get a lot of work done. (Unless you count a massive shredding party as "work." Kids love to help out. Get them involved in your work.) Conversely, when they're not here (or when your kids are at school, for example), buckle down. Schedule your client consultations for those times, because it's not going to be quiet when the kids are around!

Allocate your schedule as you see fit. For example, you may decide that working from 6 a.m. to noon every day works best for you. Then you have from noon until bedtime to focus on your mom responsibilities. Alternatively, you may decide that working three 10-hour days a week works best for you and then taking the other four days to focus on your mom responsibilities. There's no right or wrong schedule here. A balanced life is defined by you.

• Prioritize. This is important for both your business and your personal life. There's always more to do in every area of your life. Take the time to prioritize both. For example, for your business your priorities are likely your income-producing activities (writing resumes, career coaching, etc.). The time you spend working with clients (or working on client projects) is a high priority.  

On the personal side, spending time with your partner each week is a priority -- as is spending quality time with your children. However, cleaning the house or having the greenest lawn on your block may not be a high priority.

• Get help. Once you know where your priorities are, you'll most certainly notice that there are tasks and responsibilities that are not on that list. For example, the house cleaning or your bookkeeping. These are tasks that get pushed to the back of the list. These are also tasks that you can get help with. For example, you can hire a housecleaner for an hour a week, or outsource your bookkeeping to a professional (or a virtual assistant). Figure out the "highest and best use" of your time. If you can make $50/hour working with clients, it can be worth it to hire a neighborhood kid (or your own kid!) for $10/hour to mow the lawn or rake the leaves.

Make sure that when you outsource a task you fill the available time created with a high priority task. For example, if you outsource your bookkeeping, perhaps that frees up three hours of your time each month. Make sure you use that time to work on income-producing activities. The goal is to earn more money than you're spending on outsourcing.

Finally, learn to recognize when your life feels out of balance. There's no formula that can tell you. It's up to you to know when things are askew. This is where regular planning sessions and quiet time alone can help. You can perform an honest analysis of your life and where it is going and make any changes necessary. This is your life. You decide how you want to live it.