Faced with a choice, would an employer hire a generalist or an expert? Who would you hire?

A generalist might begin her resume stating that she wants a job that “uses my skills and provides room for growth.” The idea is that being flexible is attractive to an employer. But every position, whether custodial, sales, or accounting, has a set of skills, training, and even personal attributes that are necessary to do the job well. The person who demonstrates that he or she has what it takes is much more likely to do a good job from the get-go than one who has no demonstrated background in this area.

Need a bit more convincing? You’ve applied with a general resume. Two hundred others have also applied. Out of these, 95 percent are general resumes sent to hundreds of companies. The few that “stand out” are focused on the position and, from beginning to end, describe the ideal candidate. The authors of these resumes have positioned themselves as experts.

How can you take your resume from generic to expert? It’s simple!

Create your resume with focus. Demonstrate how you have the precise set of skills, education, and past accomplishments to step into the particular job that you are applying for. Carry this strategy throughout your resume from the first word to the last, and get ready to field the calls for interviews.

Keep in mind that you must always be truthful and stay authentic to who you are.

Here’s how to do it:

• Remove the passé objective statement. Give yourself a title. (For example: Customer Service.)
• Add key words by creating a list of job-related skills. The Customer Service rep could list Conflict Resolution, Sales Follow-up, Data Entry, and Keyboarding of 60 wpm. Each position has hard skills that are needed to complete the job—list yours.
• Pen a profile. Whether in point form or paragraph, list the highlights: Number of years of related experience, the accomplishment you are most proud of, the skill you are most recognized for, and the personal attribute for which you are well-regarded. Back it up in the body of the resume.
• Strategize that profile. If you are applying for a position such as police officer your profile must address those many qualifications they are looking for: Licenses and certificates that you hold, training, even your physical condition (Conduct daily training in preparation for the New York marathon).
• Add context to your workplace accomplishments that focus on the bottom line (profits, performance and productivity). For example, improve “Responsible for the filing system,” to “Revamped a 2,000 file, and growing, filing system. Researched available systems, secured management buy-in, and received ‘Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award’.” Context makes all the difference!

Here’s another added benefit sure to convince any remaining skeptics. Everyone pays more for a name brand, whether in clothing, sporting gear or construction tools. The same holds true for employment. Do your career and your pocket book a favor: Drop the generic approach and position yourself as an expert.

Stephanie Clark is a certified professional resume writer and interview coach. Passionate about career management, and about writing succinctly and with clarity, Stephanie’s resumes have been recognized with four best-in-category awards through Career Professionals of Canada. Her work is published in Directory of Professional Resume Writers, Cover Letters for Dummies, and the Best Canadian series. Now in her sixth year as a full-time self-employed career practitioner, Stephanie indulges her love of writing with blogging and article writing.

Read Stephanie’s blogs at www.newleafresumes.com/journal, http://interviewsavvy.wordpress.com and www.newgraduateresumes.com. Read her articles at ArticlesBase.com and EzineArticles.com. For more information, visit www.newleafresumes.com.

Do you need to spice up your job search? Are you doing the same thing everyday? If so, overtime your strategies will become dull, boring, and unproductive. So why not try something new each day?

You need to psych yourself up for your career workout. Savor the self-esteem boost! When you feel mentally and physically strong, you feel strong in every aspect of your life.

Here are my tips for shaking up your stagnant job search:

Know who you, what you want to do and where you can be hired – A targeted search and active networking are keys to uncovering opportunities.

Spruce up your resume and other marketing documents. If you haven’t had your resume professionally written, you may want to have that done in the New Year. The competition is fierce in today’s tough economy; you must stand out from the crowd to get noticed.

Have a timeline, plan of action, and accountability. Post your goals where you can see them. Get inspired! You must start small by tackling little goals that inspire you to take larger ones on. Revel in small successes and think like a winner.

• Brush up on your computer skills. Most jobs these days require you to use a computer. All of us need to develop proficiency and sharpen our skills from time to time.
• Invest in yourself. Demonstrate to your next boss that you are a lifelong learner. The number one skill that an employer wants in an employee is the ability to learn.
• Learn how to navigate online job search tools. Are you familiar with how to find companies, colleagues, and decision makers on LinkedIn? Have you Googled yourself lately? How can you use these online tools in your job search?
• Push yourself! Take inventory of what you need for career advancement. Catalog your skills, interests, and values so you have a clear vision for what career you are pursuing.
• Expand your network. Let’s face it, getting hired is about interpersonal relationships. This is the number one way to get your foot in the door and get hired faster.
• Manage your time and priorities. Your hard work is what will propel you to the next level in your career. By taking small steps to reach your goals, staying focused, keeping a continuous effort, and staying motivated, you will be able to accomplish what you set out to achieve.
• Know and be able to speak to the top 4 skills employers want: Ability to learn, strong communication, analytical skills, and the ability to work well with others.
• Get job interviews. Once you have your marketing materials in shape, you can reach out to recruiters, potential employers, and your network to get interviews secured.
• Seal the deal. Do you have an ideal salary in mind? What can you live with? And what is your deal breaker? Think about these critical questions ahead of time so you aren’t caught off-guard.
• Remind yourself of this bottom-line everyday: Job search is not about posting your resume on job boards. It’s about adding meaning to your career.  You will get out of this job search experience what you choose to put into it.  Now, go get busy doing something meaningful and NEW!!!

Know who you are. What are your strengths, knowledge, abilities, and personal characteristics? What do you do better and faster than anyone else? What makes you unique? How are you different or better than other similar candidates? Take time to evaluate it. Be honest. Write it down. Take time to write a list of all the skills you like and the skills you don’t. This is a starting place for uncovering who you are.

Are your career goals aligned with being “world class” in your career?  Do you have short-term and long-term goals going into 2012 that will set you apart from your competition?

Here are some questions for you to consider:

Are you able to talk about your top five most relevant and “stand out” attributes using adjectives that describe you?

Do you know what others would say is your biggest strength?

Can you state your top strengths?

Do you know your biggest weakness?

Can you identify what could be holding you back from reaching your goals?

If you aren’t able to answer these questions with confidence, you need to try a career assessment. Below are a few of the career assessments that Careerlaunchusa offers:

• Strengths Finder 2.0
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• O*NET™ Work Importance Profiler™

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, whether your current career is less than satisfying or you’re seeking a job without much success, it’s time to be creative and “get out of the box.” Start over and reevaluate your career goals and desires. Figure out where your talents and skill set lie so you can get back on track with your job search. By partaking in a career assessment, you’re taking a very important first step toward your future. You’re basically starting from scratch so you can build a solid foundation and finally gravitate toward the profession that you were born to do.

Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Confused. Do any of these feelings ring a bell when it comes to your job search? If you answered yes, then you aren’t alone. Whether you’re a new graduate or a mid-level professional who is in desperate need of a new job, the same feelings of bewilderment are often mutually shared. Before you lose hope and throw in the towel on your job search campaign, consider taking a step back to examine your overall goals.

A lot of career professionals are in such a rush to land a job that they often don’t spend the time necessary to develop a targeted job search campaign. Before you go broad and start looking for every job in the field of marketing, consider narrowing down your search so you can better focus on the areas that interest you. Here are a few tips that will help you formulate your targeted job search campaign:

• Pick a location- Do you like the current city that you’re living in? If not, consider looking for jobs in cities that interest you. Pick the top 5 cities that you would like to live and work in and start searching for jobs in these markets. Just be sure to factor in the cost of living.

• Pick a career- Do you like the field that you originally chose? If you’re tired of corporate marketing, consider other areas that are similar to marketing that might interest you like public relations, working for a non-profit, event planning, etc. If you’re completely dissatisfied with your chosen career, you may want to consider exploring other areas that interest you. Consider taking classes or going back to school full time in order to achieve the degree that you desire.

• Pick a job- Once you figure out what career path you want to go down, it’s time to figure out what type of job you’re looking for. Do you want to work full time, part time, or as a consultant? Do you like working for a non-profit or for a Fortune 500?

• Pick an interest- Just like doctors; no two marketers are the same. There are many different fields of marketing that you can enter. If you have an interest in the environment, consider applying for marketing jobs that have to do with the environment. Do you like fashion? Consider looking into marketing jobs at fashion houses or cosmetic companies. Like sports? Look into sports marketing jobs. You get the picture…

• Pick a company- Since not all jobs are advertised online, consider selecting five or so companies that fit your ideals. Don’t be afraid to contact the hiring manager at these companies to learn more about the organization. Submit your cover letter and resume too. You never know when the company will start hiring again. After all, most jobs are obtained through the hidden job market.

Below you will find all of the tools necessary to start creating your very own targeted job search. By following these steps, you will feel more in control of your career destiny.

Identify your top companies

You need to generate a list of 30 to 50 companies that might be a good fit for you. Take the opportunity to use print materials, LinkedIn, the Internet, and your own personal network to connect with decision makers (or others) at your specified companies. Focus on: Location/commute time, company size, reputation, opportunities available within the company, passion for the company’s products/services, relationships with people in the company, company culture, benefits, and so on. Stay organized by keeping a spreadsheet of contact names that can lead you to a decision maker in your target company.

Read, research and get informed

Stay current with the news that surrounds your industry. Spend time reading materials related to job searching and preparing for interviews. Here’s what you should be reading:

1. Read your target company’s website, which has a wealth of information.
2. Industry/niche websites
3. Company blogs
4. Online news, trade journals, and local/regional/national newspapers
5. Analyst reports, industry and white papers, popular business books, etc.

Use a targeted letter search

This letter simply describes your unique career situation and background. It’s often addressed to the hiring manager of a target company. You will need to do your homework and take the proper steps when writing this particular letter. By implementing this strategy, you have created an excellent way to get your foot in the door of an organization.

Talk to people you know

These people will come from your business relationships.

• People inside your target companies
• Colleagues
• Customers/clients
• Distribution/retail partners
• Vendors
• Industry leaders
• Service providers
• Peers
• Support staff in other companies
• Members of industry or professional organizations

One important rule of thumb: Don’t write a generic thank you note. Instead, use your thank you letter as one more way to highlight your skills, value, and successes.

Here are the components of a professional and compelling thank you letter that any recruiter or employer would appreciate.

• Recap your conversation from the interview in an intelligent way. Reinforce your goal.
• Single out what the company is facing – competitive situation.
• Highlight how you are equipped to tackle those challenges.
• Thank employer for time and consideration.
• Be upbeat and tell them your next steps.

By closing with a friendly and excited tone, the employer will remember you and hopefully make you an offer! If you aren’t sure how to end it on a high note, check out the example below.

Example: “I hope you can tell how excited I am about joining your team!”

Consider this…You wouldn’t introduce yourself by just listing your attributes without having a formal introduction of who you are as a person. The same holds true when applying for a job. Use your cover letter as a formal introduction of yourself, your skill set, and your career ambitions. Your cover letter will not only highlight your best features, it will also serve as your first impression to a potential employer.

To ensure that your cover letter is effective, it must be targeted. Research the potential employer and find out what their specific needs are. A quality, customized cover letter will quickly move you to the top of the stack. The only time the cover letter is detrimental is when it’s poorly written, or not tailored for the specific job that you are applying for.

Overall, the reason you are writing a personalized cover letter is to convey to the reader that you possess the skills, experience, and desire needed to land the job.

There are three essential ingredients that encompass a top-notch cover letter:

Step 1: Introduce yourself. You want to get right to the point. Who are you? You need to reference the position (make it crystal clear) that you are applying for in the cover letter. Get right to the point and drop names if possible.

Step 2: Support your unique selling points. Ask yourself, “What were the RESULTS of my efforts on previous jobs, projects, or tasks that I’ve undertaken?” Take this opportunity to address several points in the job description to inform the reader that you have the skills and abilities needed to perform them. Offer any accomplishments from your past efforts as proof that you can do the job. The bottom-line is to show the potential employer your true value.

Step 3: Be direct about getting an interview. Employers love perseverance! Don’t be shy and say that you hope to hear from them. Instead, take the extra time to locate the contact information of the hiring authority and state that you are going to call him/her at a future date and time. You MUST then follow up because he/she has marked that time on his/her calendar. It’s critical to provide your contact information as well because the hiring authority might just call you up to find out more information that will help him/her in the decision making process. Politely, let them know that you will follow up with a phone call if you don’t hear from the hiring manager in two weeks.

Reality Check Proof: A client of mine, Jennifer, followed up once for a position that she was seeking. Thank goodness she decided to call back because the employer had lost her cover letter. If she had not called and had waited for the hiring manager to call her instead, she would have never been asked to interview for the job, which she ultimately landed.

Here’s the bottom-line on the cover letter dilemma. Some recruiters will read them, some will not. Hiring managers almost always do. You put yourself at a huge disadvantage with decision makers that do read cover letters by not submitting one. There is absolutely no downside to writing a cover letter that isn’t going to be read.

In my opinion, you should absolutely write a cover letter for every resume that you submit!!!

Kris Niklawski, ACRW, has been an executive/professional resume writer for more than 13 years. During her tenure, she’s observed numerous resumes. If you don’t think a well-written resume is important, listen up. Niklawski explains why it’s imperative to hire a professional resume writer to ensure that your resume outshines the competition.

What difference does a good resume make, and how does it boost your success rate?

In today’s competitive market where hundreds or even thousands of candidates are competing for the same job, a stand out resume is essential!  You must ensure that your resume is not only satisfactory, but also noticeably different in language, tone, style, impact, and overall effectiveness than your pool of fellow contenders. In return, this will boost your success rate and land you that coveted interview.

What are the top mistakes that you often notice on people’s resumes?

One of the most common mistakes I often notice on people’s resumes is the lack of a clearly defined job target or title. It is important to include a job title or headline at the top of the page that is clear and descriptive as to quickly inform employers of what type of position you are seeking.

I also notice that many people lack a summary section. The summary section is designed to give an overview of your qualifications and strengths as a candidate. This section is meant to sell the reader in 10–15 seconds by illustrating that you are a valuable, viable candidate.

What’s the first thing that a hiring manager looks at when he/she glances at your resume?

The first thing a hiring manager looks for is “What can you do for me.” Therefore, it is essential that your greatest attributes, whether it is your experience, achievements, technical skills, or other qualifications stand out as the asset it truly is.

Do you personally know of someone who has used your services and has landed a job because of their perfect resume?

A client who was a successful sales executive was tired of her commission-based position and wanted to make a career change to supply chain management or purchasing. We used a headline to call attention to career goals, documented personal attributes and professional experiences related to her current job target, and concentrated on her ability to produce results. Within a few weeks time, she had landed several interviews and ended up accepting the job of her dreams as a purchasing manager with a highly reputable company and has since been promoted to purchasing director.

Why should someone hire a certified resume writer?

A professional resume writer can create a powerful, attention-getting resume that reflects your unique skills and qualifications. An expertly prepared resume heightens the likelihood that you’ll be chosen from a crowd of qualified competitors, and it can make the difference in getting selected for a job interview—or not. A credentialed resume writer has successfully completed a training/testing program and has demonstrated the competency to deliver best-in-class resume writing and design. Specifically, ACRW certification indicates the recipient has completed a rigorous training and mentoring program and has earned the world’s most exclusive professional resume writing credential.

When I glance at these candidates’ LinkedIn profiles, I often find that there is not much content and value in the brief information that is listed. I often wonder why their job search has stalled and why they haven’t taken the time to update this essential online networking tool? As a career coach, it is my duty to grasp why their job search has come to a standstill.

Most professionals eagerly tell me that they are on LinkedIn, but upon further questioning, they quickly realize that their profile is less than stellar. What many people fail to realize is that an incomplete LinkedIn profile will not grab the attention of an employer or executive recruiter.

My initial advice would be to get your LinkedIn profile developed so that you can successfully begin your job search. If you’re solely relying on job boards for your next position, you’re going to lose out on receiving the next great opportunity. If you want to get noticed by a hiring manager, make sure you have the following information on your LinkedIn profile.

Hiring officials are looking for LinkedIn profiles that include:

• What you have accomplished? Think of things that you have accomplished by being in your current leadership role – solving problems, saving money, making money, and/or adding value.
• What you are currently doing? Showcase your talents, expertise, and successes. Provide insight into who you are and how you operate.
• What are you interested in doing? Look towards the future and how you can solve problems and add value to a company.

In today’s competitive job market, you have to have more than one selling piece. While having a quality resume is essential, a LinkedIn profile is equally, if not more, important, especially in an online world.

Tips for Making Your LinkedIn Profile Productive and Effective

For those of you who have been absent from the job market in the last five years, the rules, career tools, and techniques have all changed significantly. Don’t go it alone; it is a jungle out there. Seek out a career professional to help you get to your next great opportunity.

This is an area that I often help leaders overcome. By removing their LinkedIn barriers, I can help launch their job search to the next level. Below you will find five of my tips for getting noticed on LinkedIn.

Looking to be Found – If you aren’t on LinkedIn, you don’t exist. If your profile is barebones with just your initial information plugged in, this will not get you found. You will be overlooked because hiring professionals will not understand your value and will move on to the next candidate.

Wanting Visibility – It’s a necessity to have a developed LinkedIn profile so that employers and executive recruiters can see what you can do and how that talent can be transferred to your new opportunity. Being able to attract the “right” audience to you will provide more opportunities/connections.

Networking/Building New Relationships – You have an online presence providing you with unlimited connections. Also, your professional colleagues can uncover leads for you in the future.

Groups/Answers – You can keep yourself in the know about what is going on in your industry. LinkedIn is a place for you to gather valuable information, trends, etc.

Get Recommended – This is your chance to “shine” and let potential employers get a glimpse of what you can do for their organization. Ask former bosses, colleagues, vendors, etc. for their endorsement of your work. It can be a one line statement or longer. Remember, you have to be willing to ask for what you need.

According to Anne, networking was the significant key that helped her get back into the game. Anne solicited Amy’s help and guidance throughout the process. Amy helped Anne realize that her former colleagues would remember her and her skills.

“I would advise re-entry job seekers not to sell themselves short. This can be difficult unless you have a cheerleader/coach like Amy. Her encouragement got me through all the ups and downs of my job search. It really helped me to be able to talk through my job search strategy, and consult with a professional at each step. It ultimately paid off with the offer for the position I now hold.”

Top 10 Things You Should Be Doing This Summer To Grow Yourself

1. Invest in yourself. Take online classes at a local community college to sharpen your skills.
2. Revamp your resume and cover letter and organize your portfolio.
3. Set up informational meetings with companies or ask to intern there over the summer months.
4. Volunteer at various organizations both nonprofit and for profit.
5. Get a part-time job doing something that you love so you are not idol.
6. Clean up your online presence. Take time to sift through inappropriate Facebook content, delete Twitter posts that aren’t appropriate, and beef up your LinkedIn profile.
7. Give yourself a professional makeover. This includes taking care of your appearance by updating your wardrobe and generally being in better health. It will boost your confidence. Also, a lot of professional apparel, like business suits, is often on sale during the summer months. Take advantage of the savings.
8. Do some consulting work. If you have a hobby on the side like baking, take your merchandise to the local Farmer’s Market. It’s a great place to network and meet a variety of people. Or, if you are a PR professional or an accountant, start telling friends and family that you are available for consulting jobs.
9. Take an hour or two each day to look through online job sites, call companies, and proactively look for a job. You should make at least one to two contacts a day.
10. Host a backyard networking BBQ.