Career

Steve’s Job Search 2012: Resumes

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And more on my 2012 job search and what I learned . . .

Resumes are vitally important to a good job search.  In fact, they’re even more important because:

  1. They communicate a level of skill.  A bad resume and a bad cover letter just make you look bad.  There’s no excuse to have a bad one with so many tools out there.
  2. They communicate about you.  If you’ve  ever seen a dull, inhuman resume, you know no one cares because it’s a pile of text.  A resume and cover letter say who you are.
  3. They help out recruiters and HR people.  Your resume is not there to convinece people to hire you, it’s there to help people hire you.  Keep that in mind (the convincing part is part of the whole job search picture).  The resume should help people get a handle on you.
  4. A good resume is also scannable and analyzable, be it by software or people.  That’s part of #3.

I knew I was onto something in my job search when people complimented me on my resume.  I’m not bragging – this has been the results of years of perfecting it.  It let me know I’ve been on the right track.

It also tells me that these people have seen some terrible resumes.

So here’s what I found works:

1) A format of it’s own.  Unless you’re an artistic type, your resume doesn’t have to be all fancy, but it shouldn’t be a dull pile of points.  Add some lines, boxes, spacing, etc. to make it look like something.  Newspapers, newsletters, guides, instructions all look like “something” – you need to find a something for your resume.

A quick trick here – find a template that works.  Is your resume better like a newsletter, manual, guide, chronology, etc.?  Find something and make it work.

2) Communicate a narrative.  This is something I heard several times – your resume must coherently tell your story.  I’ve written on this extensively, and am telling you again.

If you don’t know your story, find one first.  But a resume must illustrate what you’re telling about yourself.  If there’s no story, there’s your problem.

“I want a job” is not a story, or at least not a unique one.

3) Hit the high points.  A resume must include the skills, titles, buzzwords, and so forth that say you can do the job you applied for.  Make sure they’re in there.

4) Helps the recruiter.  Look a recruiter is there to get the right people into the jobs.  Ask yourself what they want to see, put yourself in their shoes, truly feel what it’s like to be a recruiter.  If you can’t do that (more on that later), then you will have a problem.

As alway’s there’s my Epic Resume Go guide!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/

Steve’s Job Search 2012: Relocation

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I have a confession to make.  In May I lost my job.

Oh, sure I wanted to tell you, loyal readers.  But I had a job search, Anime North, and frankly I had no idea what to SAY.  Also I was insanely busy just getting my normal posts done.

The good news?  I found a job about three weeks after my layoff.  I did this by applying a lot of my techniques, and I’m going to be writing it up for you folks – because I learned a lot and had a few surprises . . .

So let’s dive in, because I’ve got a lot to write about!

Regional Issues

Doing an actual full-time job search in Silicon Valley, while other people I know do full or part-time job searches elsewhere in the world let me draw a lot of contrast.  Namely, places are really, really different job-search wise.

Yes, this is a “No sh*t, Shatner” moment, yes it’s “obvious” but when you experience the contrast it’s really incredibly, painfully obvious.  It’s also apparent how I didn’t get regional differences, and how anyone can miss them.

It’s easy to assume areas are relatively similar in the Geekonomy as we gravitate towards creative-type megaregions – SF Bay, Seattle, LA, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, etc.  But as much as these regions are alike, their differences are as great as, or perhaps greater than their similarities.

This allowed me to find out a few things:

  1. Job titles can vary radically, especially from coast to coast.  This was a great shock to me, but now it makes sense.  I saw first-hand how resumes could be re-interpreted based on region, and thus job titles.
  2. The usefulness of job search boards also varies highly.  Some regions will favor job boards – and certain boards – some won’t.  For instance, I think everyone in Silicon Valley uses Dice.
  3. The value of certain experiences and certifications – and how they’re communicated – also varies highly among regions.  Certain certifications are more universal, and thus more valuable, but even then you need to communicate them right.
  4. The use of regional language and understanding is important.  My ability to discuss my commute and so forth really made a difference.
  5. Your history and how people react to it varies greatly from place to place.
  6. Attitude also varies in your search.  I’ve found Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Toronto to be less formal and more friendly, with Boston surprisingly casual.  Not so much New York.

A shining example of this was seeing how people with a writing background were treated in Silicon Valley.  Here, we’re up to our armpits in tech writers, so even very senior people with a publishing background can get assumed to be “just writers” unless it’s communicated properly.  At times, it was mind-blowing.

Another example is employment history. It’s a running joke in Silicon Valley that people with short employment histories (2 years at each place) are unremarkable.  At times I’ve even heard people talk of those staying in one spot a long time with suspicion.  Meanwhile that seems to not be the cast, say, out east.

So when doing a job search, make sure the region fits you – and make sure your strategy fits your region.  If you are leaving one region for another, make a concerted effort to adapt your strategy and expectation to that region.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/

Promoting Professional Geekery #43 – Cooperate On A Book

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(For more Promoting Professional Geekery, see this Roundup of past columns.)

So you’re really not up for writing a book on your particular progeeky subject.  Fine, that gives me a room to sell more.

But still you might have knowledge that’ll help on a book.  You may have editing skills that would come in handy.  You may be able to do cover art (and of course pick up a credit).  You may pen an introduction, you may . . .

. . . well you get the idea.  You could be a big help in getting out that progeeky book on careers, or skills, or whatever your friends, family, or co-workers are working on.

Go for it.

  1. You probably have something to contribute to a book of some kind, even if it’s a viewpoint.  Ask just what that something or somethings are.
  2. You likely know people who want to write a book, or people that do want to write a book; probably they’ve already talked to you about it.
  3. If you don’t, mention to people that you’ve got an interest in helping people on certain subjects.  They may know someone or have advice (or point you in other directions).
  4. If you help one person, they may know others you can help.

This may sound simplistic, but as a writer of books, let me note a few things:

  • Putting out a book is pretty bloody hard.  Any support is appreciated.
  • Almost no one is able to do a book on their own, and those who can do a book on their own probably shouldn’t (usually there’s a need for editing).
  • Authors need all the support they can get – sometimes it’s that extra person that gets the book out.

So, you’re not up for a book.  You can just help make others possible in the realm of progeekery.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/