Self Resume Check: 4 Point System

While there are people and companies who offer resume writing and editing services (like myself!) I still believe in self-help and the ability to do it yourself. As you take on the task of writing and editing your resume yourself – I wanted to give you 4 key points while reviewing your resume prior to sending it off with your job application. 

Stare at your gorgeous resume once complete and ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I sync the skills from the job announcement to my job experiences?

Read over the job announcement and pull out their top skills they are seeking. Now look at your job history and make sure to align your history with the skills within the job announcement. You should strive for 5-10 examples (bullets) of how you mirror exactly what they are seeking throughout your resume.

• Do those skills noted in the job announcement stick out in my resume?

Now that you’ve made sure you pulled out the top skills the job announcement is asking for and you know for a fact that these skills are illustrated throughout your resume – is it clear? You want to ensure it is blatantly clear to the human resource department and hiring manager that the points they put in the job announcement are highlighted and proven throughout your resume. A good tip? Use the exact wording from the job announcement and make sure you can back up these skills with actual on-job examples.

• Is my resume free of grammar and spelling error?

Don’t just trust that handy dandy button in Word – but actually READ it! One of the common errors we see is the correct spelling of a word just in the wrong context. Your Word’s Spelling and Grammar Check Button is not going to find that you wrote “Excellent writing and verbal communications skills” when you really meant “Excellent written and verbal communication skills.” Repeat after me – READ IT! Because what your Word doesn’t catch, the hiring manager will. And in the position of a hiring manager – yes, we laugh at poorly written resumes.

• Will a 16-year-old female in the middle of getting the latest scoop from her best friends on her crush be able to glance at your resume and reach a decision?  

This is the most important tip. When going through my consultations I use the analogy of a 16-year-old teenager for a reason. The last thing hiring managers want to do? Go through the interview process. It takes away from the daily job, you have to prep for it, the actual interview is just as nerve wrecking to the interviewer as it is to the interviewee and more importantly – submitting review notes to HR after the interview is a process. Each company handles that differently, but HR requires interview notes to support the decision to hire or not to hire. And don’t let a company use a weight system – you have to take a half day from work just to fill those things out.

I say this to say – when the hiring manager gets your resume for the first time they do what I like to call a “60-second glance over” to determine if an interview is needed or not. They are looking for those specific skills requested within the job announcement – skills, education and certification requirements. If you have the skills, education and/or certification requirement matched 9/10 you’ll get called for the interview. But it has to be blatant in 60-seconds.

So can a 16-year old take a minute from her juicy story on her crush and be able to assess if you get an interview or not? In translation – can the hiring manager take 60 seconds out of their busy day and pull out everything they are seeking in your resume?

If you still have any questions or would like a free consultation on your resume, please feel free to contact me at Monique@RedInkd.com and visit our site for a list of complete services – www.RedInkd.com.

-M. Kendrick

Framework for a Business Conversation

Earlier this year, the company I work for had its employees enroll in a class which they considered “Client Delight Training”. In this training, we learned how to appropriately frame a conversation with clients we may come in contact with as well as with other coworkers within the company. We may not realize it, but in today’s society, there are so many of us that have never really been taught the “proper” way to hold a conversation, especially in a professional manner. While some may not consider this a proper way to converse, in the business world, these steps will leave a lasting impression with the person (or people) that you are having a conversation with.

Before even officially beginning the conversation, be it in person, over the phone or via email, an important step is to first prepare for it. What does that mean? Plan out the message you want to convey, without it being too confusing for the person you will be communicating with. A good idea may actually be writing down some bullet points that are easy to understand and are vital to the point you want to get across.

Once you’ve gotten the preparation completed and you’re ready to start the conversation (again, this is face to face, email or over the phone) the second step would be the opening. During this step, you want to make sure you first greet the person(s) you are speaking to and also introduce yourself. Next, you want to make sure you inform WHY you are reaching out. This should include some sort of affirmation as to why the conversation should be held and then follow up with a time check, making sure they are currently available to have the conversation (the time check would mostly be used if you are face to face or making a phone call). Also during the opening phase, you want to make sure you build rapport with that person. Building rapport can sometimes be difficult. One suggestion I would make would be instead of asking a question like “How are you doing today?” say something like “I hope your day is going well.” If you do decide to ask a question, be prepared for anything. The person may be having a bad day and just may decide to take the time to inform you exactly how their day is going, since you asked.

Next, the dialogue typically takes place. During this time, you’re going to make sure you understand clearly what the other person may need or want as well as any concerns they may have, if any. If it is an urgent request from or for a co-worker, you want to make sure to include the request you may have or explain the reason why their request may have to be slightly pushed off. If it is one that you may have, also include how the request at hand, once completed with assistance, will be beneficial for not only yourself but also the person helping. Once all of that has been put on the table, you’ll want to make sure the other person/people understand and all are in agreement with what has been discussed during the dialogue.

Finally, when all of the prior steps have been completed, it’s time to wrap up the conversation. This is known as the closing. During this part, you should summarize what agreements were made and discussed. This should include making sure it’s clear who will be doing what and discuss what steps will be next to get the task at hand completed within the timeframe you all are working with. If need be, reinforce the commitment that has been made by the other person/people that are involved; doing this will let them know that you are holding them accountable for withholding their end of the task at hand. The most important piece of the closing is simply thanking the people that are going to be assisting you. This could honestly make or break the entire conversation and plans that have been discussed. Think about it, when you do something for someone that is out of your way and they show no type of gratitude, how does it make you feel?

If time permits, there should be a follow up within 24-48 hours to deliver the commitments that had been discussed. If the task is one that is lengthy, you should make sure to be proactive and reach out as needed and during this time, continue to build a positive work relationship with your co-worker.

So as a recap, the framework for a business conversation should be as follows:

• Prepare
• Open
• Engage in Dialogue
• Close
• Follow-up (if necessary)

I hope you will be able to use these bullet points for having not only business conversations but they may also be applied to personal conversations as well.

-LM

Black History Month Spotlight: Desiree Rogers

In celebration for Black History Month, Red Ink’d bloggers are highlighting 4 African American entrepreneurs and/or authors on Inkin What We Thinkin. Our second highlight is Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnsons Publishing Company.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 16, 1959, Desiree Rogers never dreamed she would become the Chief Executive Officer of the largest African-American owned publishing firm in the United States, Johnsons Publishing Company. Once she got her high school diploma from the Academy of the Sacred Hearts in NOLA, she went on to receive her Bachelor’s in political science in 1981 from Wellesley College and her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985.

After graduating from Harvard, Rogers moved to Chicago where she met her now ex-husband, John W. Rogers, Jr. They have a daughter, Victoria. In 2003, Rogers was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she did not let that stop her from moving forward and making a name for herself. While in Chicago, she became friends with the Obamas. (John was a teammate of Michelle Obama’s brother) Many believe the friendship and close ties with the now first family allowed her to become the White House Social Secretary from January 20, 2009 – February 26, 2010. While in the political position, Rogers was widely criticized for the way she did her job; many blamed her for the crashing of the 2009 White House dinner, stating security was not doing its job (which was also a sector she handled being the Social Secretary). Democratic National Convention numbers were also low that year and some stated if Rogers would have sent Christmas Cards out to the high paying Obama fundraisers that could have increased the numbers.

After stepping down from the Social Secretary position at the White House, Rogers was soon offered a position as the CEO for Johnsons Publishing Company. Johnsons Publishing is well known for publications of magazines like Fashion Fair, Ebony and Jet in the African-American communities. She has been recognized on numerous occasions with the company for making difficult yet smart changes that will benefit the company in the long run. Some of these changes include cancelling the printing of Jet Magazine and allowing it to become an online only magazine as well as helping rebuild the company as a whole.

Part of Rogers’ bio on the Johnsons Publishing Company website states: “Rogers has known the company for over 20 years through personal relationships with the Johnson family and comes to the position with an extensive track record in brand rebuilding”

Rogers currently lives in Chicago where she continues to help run, rebuild and maintain Johnsons Publishing Company.

Job Search Frustrations

Frustrating.

Yes, there are many things we may consider frustrating but right now, the most frustrating thing to me is searching for a new job.

Why?

Overqualified for some, not enough experience for others. I started my search around October of last year for a job within my field of study: Mass Communication. I went to school, got my degree with the anticipation of doing radio. Little did I know, I graduated at the worst time, during the recession, which has caused my job hunt to remain frustrating.

I have been at my current job almost 2 years, which is the longest job I have held. I’ve quit jobs and been laid off which has played a part in my job hopping expertise. So I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve only been out of college five years and I’ve had close to 10 jobs throughout that time frame that has caused me to have some type of dark curse over my job hunting or what the deal is.

Monster. LinkedIn. Jobs2Careers. JobsReport. StartWire Jobs. The list goes on, but my resume is out there. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and I’m just ready to blossom and spread my wings.

So while my search may be frustrating, I am not giving up hope. When it’s meant for me to have a new job, the golden gates will open up and things will align and fall into place. Until then, I’ll keep on doing what I do and post my resume out there yet again!

Happy Job Hunting to those that are in the same predicament as me!

LM