Laurence Clark and Associates

You may have seen it coming, or you may not.  Either way it’s a time to take stock and plan your next move.   Many people heave a deep sigh, and decide to take a break before looking for their next job.  It’s a natural reaction, you probably feel stressed, you may even be suffering from grief.  Taking a break is particularly tempting if the redundancy has been accompanied by a substantial payout.

My advice is – don’t do it this way.  Put all your energies into finding the next position.  Secure the position, THEN take a break.  Most employers will be expecting you to have to give 30 days notice, so won’t be expecting you to start immediately.  You can usually negotiate a start date that will allow you to take a 2-3 weeks break.

Why this advice?

• You are used to working every day, and it is easier to apply your energies to the new job of finding the next position rather than to try to take up the reins later.
• It is better not to have a gap in your resume.
• You will have more peace of mind during your break if you already know you have a job to return to.
• Sometimes the employer who made you redundant may offer outplacement services which are usually available for a limited time.  If you start right away you can make best use of these services, which often include individual counselling from experts to help you plan your job search, improve your resume and get your finances organised.

Redundancy can be painful, but it’s suprising how many people I see who tell me that in retrospect it was one of the best things that happened to them.  Stay positive and assume that the next position will be better than the last – it usually is.

Just some thoughts that might help you find that elusive job.

1.  Make the most of whatever experience you do have

A common complaint is “every employer wants a person who already has some experience, but I have only just graduated, so they won’t even consider me”.  When I questioned the last person who said this to me, it turned out that he did have experience, he just wasn’t highlighting it in his resumé.

-  He had 6 years of customer facing experience from supermarket work he had done in his vacations.  This sort of experience  is often highly valued by many employers looking for IT support staff.  They know that people who can handle difficult customers in a supermarket or bar will have no difficulty with the typical helpdesk enquiry!

- during his university course he had done three work experience projects where he had worked in real work places doing meaningful IT tasks, which he explained to me very well, and were typical of what his next employer might ask him to do.  Unfortunately he had left them out of his resumé!

2. Network, Network, Network!

What happened to your classmates from your course?  Did any of them find work in places that might also have an opportunity for you?  Did you keep in touch with your teachers?  They are likely to have industry contacts and to be very interested in helping you.  After all, they have invested work in you and so have a stake in your future.

Use professional and social networking sites.  I have noticed that almost all the experienced IT professionals I have met have LinkedIn profiles, often very detailed ones.  Strangely, many of the younger ones don’t.  LinkedIn is a great free way to announce and promote yourself.  Put up a detailed profile and always consider inviting anybody you meet in your professional life to link to you.

3. Persevere

None of us likes rejection.  If you apply for a job, and get a boilerplate rejection email, or worse, no response at all, don’t be discouraged.  Unfortunately, not all recruitment agents and employers are scrupulous about following up applications.  Just put it behind you and seek out new positions to apply for.

If you do get to interview, but don’t get the position, focus on the positives you have gained from the process.  You have gained real life interview experience, you have found out something about a particular position and company, and what you have learned can help you in future interviews.  Try to find out as much as you can about where you fell short, and whether you will considered for future positions with the same employer.  If you were second on their list, and another similar position arises, it is the path of least resistance for them to hire you.  Give them every chance to do so by making sure they have all your current contact details.  It doesn’t hurt to follow up with them regularly either, as long as you don’t do it to  the point of becoming a nuisance!

My short answer to this is “no”.

Why?  There are several good reasons:

• The appropriate referees for a particular situation will vary according to the position you are applying for and this will evolve over time.  It is best to put “references available on request” in the resumé and then provide them when the agency or prospective employer asks.  In my experience this will never reduce your chance of being short listed.  Rather, employers will appreciate the professional way you treat your referees.
• If the referee information is not current, it can damage your credibility.  Provide the information as late as possible in the process, giving you time to confirm the referee is still willing to take a call, will give a positive reference, and that you have the correct contact details.  This also gives you an opportunity to brief the referee on the position you are applying for so their reference can be as relevant as possible.
• Agencies may use the referee information you provide as a prospect list to generate business.  Reduce this risk by providing the information only after you have been short listed. 

Always remember willing and influential referees are a very valuable asset to you.  Try to protect them from nuisance calls so they will be happy for you to use them again.

As a professional recruiter, I am reading resumés every day, far too many on some days!  Easily the most common failing I see is:

The candidate doesn’t understand that the resumé is a sales proposal for her/him!

Many of us have a natural modesty or reserve, and don’t want to blow our own trumpet.  Often this is a desirable trait, but not when you are writing your resumé.  The sole purpose of the resumé is to get you to the next step, usually a face to face interview, and to do this, it must show you in the best possible light.  This is not to say you should tell lies, but you should highlight your experience and skills as well as you can.  This will mean:

• Tailoring the resumé for the particular position.  A targetted sales proposal always beats a boilerplate one.  Some candidates say “I haven’t got time for that”.  Well, how much do you want the position?
• Showing what you can contribute uniquely to the position or project that another person might not - with plenty of evidence from your past jobs.
• When describing your past jobs, be specific about your contribution, highlight your successes and the positive impact on the organisation.  Don’t give a list of the responsibilities of the position – that is a job description, not a resumé.  The resumé should describe you and your achievements, not the job roles you have held.
• Be prepared to seek advice from others who have worked with you and who know you well.  Some of the most striking material I have seen has been in the form of direct quotes from previous bosses or customers.  Of course, you have to be prepared to have these verified by a prospective employer! 
• Most of the resumés I see have at least one obvious error.  This can sink you, especially when you are applying for a job that requires attention to detail.  Use the spell checker and have a nitpicking person proofread for you.

Most of all, put yourself in the position of the prospective employer.  Yours might be the 30th resumé she has read that day.  The first page should tell her why she should be considering you.  Unless they are critical to achieving this, material such as your academic credentials, the list of all the skills you possess, your hobbies etc. should be relegated to the later pages.  If the first page grabs her attention, she will be happy to read on.

In posts over the next few weeks, I will cover some of the questions I am often asked by candidates about what to put in a resume, what to leave out, how to structure it etc.