If you are (or work for) a fabulous manager, you have weekly one-on-ones with your staff and discuss their accomplishments, and file those accomplishments in a folder. At the end of a year, you know what people have done, you’ve given them feedback on their work, and writing their review is a piece of cake. […]
Candidates: before you send another resume or cover letter, read Joel Spolsky’s Getting Your Resume Read. Hiring managers, note that Joel uses the same three-pile sorting that I suggest in Tips for Reviewing Resumes. I like the pair review that Joel performs with another manager — if both reviewers add the resume to the “yes”
At last week’s Boston SPIN meeting (the hiring roundtable), a candidate said that he had trouble remembering which resume he’d sent to which company. The good news is that he’s customizing his cover letters and resumes. The bad news is he sounds disorganized when a hiring manager or (internal) recruiter calls for a phone screen.I
Back in March, I posted an entry for hiring managers on how to develop a phone screen for candidates. Here’s a tip for candidates on how to prepare for a phone screen. (Hiring managers, most of this applies to you too 🙂 Make sure you suggest a few alternative times for a phone screen. Not
I’m always amazed at the number of people who take a job because it’s steady employment, or don’t choose to leave a job when they’re no longer learning. Eric Sink’s Career Calculus is an excellent essay on the value and necessity of continuing to learn throughout your career. He lumps all learning together. I think
Via the Boston Job Works blog I found this piece on Hiring in Times of Anger and Fear. The points Jack Thomas makes are great, and can be summarized by making sure you keep your self-esteem, follow through on commitments, and maintain your sense of humor. All easier said than done.If you’re looking for a
If you’re interviewing for a position, you’ve heard the old adage: “Research the company.” Yes, that’s true, and it’s not enough. It’s time to research the hiring manager also. Here’s how you research the company and the hiring manager: Research the company by reading the web site. Read the annual and quarterly reports. Read the
When we have recessions (or whatever this economic slowdown is), people lose their jobs. At first, the marginal people lose their jobs, along with people who made bad job choices. However, since the layoffs started in the high tech industry, more experienced people are losing their jobs and have stopped looking for technical jobs. One
It doesn’t matter what kind of paper your resume is printed on. It does matter how your resume looks to potential employers. Here’s a little checklist to make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best light: Is your experience in reverse chronological order? It’s too hard to quickly read a resume in any other way.
Once you’ve worked for 10 years or more, it’s worthwhile creating a one-paragraph summary of your experience. It’s not easy to create that paragraph, and it’s necessary, so that you can grab and retain the hiring manager’s attention. So what’s a one-paragraph summary? Here are some: A proven track record of improving business processes through