It’s one thing to be the person asking questions in a job interviews – but it’s completely another thing when you are being asked the questions.
Most successful executives have rarely had to sit in an interview. Often, they are promoted into positions or retained purely on the on the name they have made for themselves. So, you can imagine that they may be more than uncomfortable when they are put on the other side of the interview table.
When you’re interviewed, do you exude confidence because you know the stories you want to tell? Are you the type of person who practices responses ahead of time? Or, are you one of that rare breed that already knows what you are going to say?
Whatever your style, you will find it worthwhile to review the notes you made while creating your resume. Interviewers are likely to ask you to give them more information about the bullets in your resume. So, practice articulating longer versions of your resume bullets using a situation (introduction), action (body of the story), and result (conclusion) that you hope will keep your listeners interested.
Chances are that interviewers will also want to hear some fresh examples. So, it’s always a good idea to have more stories than you believe you will need.
As you think about that interview, it may help to reflect on the following ideas for using stories to best advantage:
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You’ve been a superstar, but the company has been increasingly suffering problems and another downsizing is on the horizon. For some reason, you are feeling like you are no longer in the “in crowd.” Your manager seems to be avoiding you. On top of this, you’re no longer invited to important business meetings. You’re not privy to discussions when you think you should be. Your intuition is telling you that you need to do something right away or trouble is around the corner. ... Read more 
enough?” They finish by falling in love with the potential that an extensive career portfolio can provide – whether they are actively job searching or simply wish to strengthen their existing position and credibility.
Entry-level job seekers upload their resume on internet job boards and come to interviews saying, “Here’s my resume. Can I have a job?” As a six-figure professional, don’t you think that you can do better than that?
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Based on two North American studies, it is clear that many executives are still opting to follow templates rather than creating a distinctive, strategic resume. Historically, professionals have been told to list their career history in a chronological format, presenting their career progression in reverse sequential order. Functional resumes, on the other hand, have been used to disguise career issues by categorizing the career history under competency headings. There are other strategic options. Executives rarely choose to implement those.
As a leader and innovator in the Canadian resume writing industry, Graham Management Group (GMG) actively keeps a finger on the pulse of the market. In the largest research study of its kind, we evaluated 1000 randomly selected resumes that we received in 2009. These resumes were sent to us from senior executives, managers, and other six-figure professionals across Canada. The survey found that 25% of resumes were structured in a format that did not position the candidate most effectively. Practitioners often debate which format to use: chronological or functional. However, typically, many completely ignore a third option – a strategic combination resume format that may be a hybrid of the two.
There is a strong argument for applying a reverse chronological strategy whenever possible. A survey recently conducted by an independent research firm on behalf of Accountemps suggests that hiring managers veer away from functional resumes. 150 senior executives from 1000 of the largest North American companies were asked if they prefer a chronological resume versus one organized by job functions and skills. 75% of the respondents interviewed said they prefer the chronological format. Only 17% indicated that they prefer functional and 8% had no preference.
Hiring managers dislike functional resumes because the skills and relevant accomplishments are separated from the employment history. This makes the resume difficult to follow, as the reader cannot connect the candidate’s accomplishments with the position they held at the time.
Career Professionals of Canada, the national Canadian association administering the Certified Resume Strategist Credential, suggests that “while it is true that recruiters prefer the reverse chronological resume, there are occasions that call for other formats. Whenever possible, give preference to the reverse chronological format to keep the individual‘s responsibilities and accomplishments under the respective job titles. If you must, use a hybrid combination of functional and reverse chronological that will strategically minimize your client’s obstacles while meeting the employer’s needs.”
Based on the research, it may be best to avoid the functional or skill-based format. Since most recruiters prefer resumes to be formatted in a reverse chronological format, unless there is a major career barrier to address, there is no reason to veer from this strategy.
In many circumstances, a hybrid combination of functional and reverse chronological will strategically minimize obstacles and meet the prospective employer’s needs. If the candidate is attempting to transition into a new industry or role, or is addressing a major career lapse such as a lengthy sabbatical or career gap, then such a strategic option should be considered. Whichever format you choose, ensure that you mitigate all career barriers and present a compelling and readable story to draw in the hiring manager.
Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. You can download the groundbreaking research report from Graham Management Group here >> Research Study: How Does Your Resume Compare?
Canadian Resume Research Study: 96% of resumes from six-figure candidates appeared to come from templates commonly found on the Internet.
These days, with the economy just starting to rebound, the Canadian labour market is flooded with executive resumes for senior-level professionals looking for work. The current market has created an unfortunate situation for thousands of job seekers. Many of them are highly experienced and successful – and yet they find themselves in need of a new position.
In the largest Canadian research study of its kind, Graham Management Group evaluated 1000 randomly selected resumes received in 2009. These resumes were from senior executives, managers, and other six-figure professionals across Canada. The study found that 96% of all resumes assessed appeared to come from templates commonly found on the Internet.
The competition for executive positions is fierce. These days, everyone seems to be applying for the same positions because there aren’t many available. If you are in an executive search, you’ll need to design a resume that is unique and cannot be missed. You need to stand out from the rest and be seen in the pile of hundreds of executive resumes submitted for the position.
It may have been years since you have written an executive resume and you aren’t sure where to start. Chances are good you have pulled out your old resume updated it. Or, worse, you are using a resume template provided from your word processing application to design an executive resume! The problem you’ll encounter is that the job you are applying for most likely has hundreds of other applicants too. When the recruiter reviews all of the executive resumes, they will all look the same.
Executive resume writing can be very difficult, and most successful people transitioning in Canada are submitting a perfect document. You must design a resume that is not from a template. Your document must stand out from the rest. An executive resume that is not from a template shows the organization you are not afraid to step outside of the box.
This is your career and you don’t want any mistakes. If you are a Canadian professional who is looking of a senior-level job, the best thing you can do for yourself today is to hire a resume service based in Canada to design an outstanding executive resume for you. A strong executive resume writer will know exactly how to design a high-impact resume that will prominently focus on your accomplishments and successes.
Venturing into the Canadian job market during this economic turmoil does not need to be a scary prospect. In Canada, you have the advantage of foresight and a strong support base. Ensure that you have the best chance of success; consider a Canadian professional executive resume writer to help you achieve your goals.
Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. You can download the groundbreaking research report from Graham Management Group here >> Research Study: How Does Your Resume Compare?
Although the Canadian market seems to be starting to take a turn, there is still much talk about a struggling economy. Many companies have had difficulties and are working hard to emerge from the recession. The job market is primed for leaders who are ready to position these companies for the next phase in their development.
These days, most companies are in a state of flux. Many organizations are undergoing major transformations in the form of mergers, acquisitions, centralization, decentralization, downsizing, upsizing, restructuring, and so forth. If you are a senior-level job seeker, you can leverage this to your benefit.
Prospective employers are looking for leaders that will build on and improve their organization. In order to address this need effectively, you will need to deliver some stories that outline your ability to plan and lead organizational change initiatives.
In your resume and during the interview, you must highlight how you can institute stability during a state of change, while strengthening financial performance.
Start, by uncovering some examples from your career that directly show how you enabled the company to survive and thrive during change. Then, develop dynamic stories that show how you can do the same kinds of results for your prospective employer.
Practice delivering your organizational change stories with passion and optimism. By effectively articulating your ability to transform a organization and lead it into a strong and healthy future, you will attract and impress employers who are in dire need of these competencies.
Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. For additional information on this topic, read Leaders: Create your Career Brand and Present your Value Proposition.
According to “Social Networking: 2009,” an online survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, only 26% of Canadians who are actively online are aware of Twitter. A more interesting fact is that just 1.45% of these Canadians actually used the 140-character microblogging site.
The original survey was done just before the all the media hype caused by news outlets like CNN, celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, daytime talk show hosts like Oprah, and others, so it could be that the Ipsos numbers are a little on the low side now. In any case, we can be sure that only a very minute number of Canadian professionals are using Twitter. I suspect this is because of confusion and fear that usually arises when a new form of technology proliferates our world. People are afraid of many things:
All these are valid concerns, but after trying out Twitter, what I have learned is that it is a veritable GOLDMINE for 6-figure job seekers. These hidden benefits don’t seem to get much exposure, but I will tell you today that Twitter can help you in many ways:
TAKE A CHANCE TODAY – TWITTER MAY OPEN UP DOORS YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED!
Twitter can give your six-figure career a HUGE boost. I took the long route to get there, but you can start now. How about investigating Twitter in five easy steps?
Step 1 – Click on this link: http://twitter.com
Step 2 – Click on Join Today.
Step 3 – Create your Account (Tip: Just complete the basic form and skip the rest for now)
Step 4 – Search for some people and start to follow (read) their tweets.
Step 5 – Visit your page daily to stay connected with your tweeps (twitter people).
Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist her twitter account is http://twitter.com/sharongraham or @sharongraham. When you feel more comfortable and you are ready for the next steps, feel free to send Sharon a question or let her know how you are doing through the “Direct Message” link on your Twitter home page. She’ll answer with a new tweet in no time.
Age is relative and the definition of an “older worker” is expanding. The labour market is dramatically shifting into a new phase, with the percentage of Canadians in the workplace who are over 50 doubling every decade. If you are an older worker, you are quickly becoming a valuable commodity in a market that needs your expertise.
Older workers have much to offer the current Canadian marketplace. This is very meaningful for you, as it indicates that qualified workers are already highly in demand, and the need for experience is only becoming more prevalent.
Consider yourself as a product and your next employer as the purchaser. In the past, older job seekers often reported that employers sometimes seemed discriminatory, in that they appeared to favour younger candidates over more mature ones. But this is all changing.
There are two key forces in action that are shifting employers’ perception of older candidates:
As the pool of knowledgeable workers is dwindling, if you are skilled and qualified through actual work experience, you are quickly becoming indispensable. According to a labour force projection study published this year in Statistics Canada’s Canadian Economic Observer, although many baby boomers will retire from the workforce by the year 2021, we can expect the proportion of people in the labour force who are 55 and older to double what it was during the mid-1990’s, to up to 20% of the workforce. This dramatic increase will predicate your future potential within the Canadian job market.
The laws of supply and demand tell us that if there is a shortage of highly experienced employees, then you, as a mature candidate, are worth more to employers than less experienced workers. You are now heading from a buyer’s market into a seller’s market where you maintain quite a bit of power. The excess of demand over supply in the coming years will work to your favour.
Employers want to hire older workers because older workers often have many qualities that younger workers cannot offer. There is great value that comes from maturity. You bring:
The laws of supply and demand naturally put you in a better position to negotiate your employment terms, compensation, and benefits. You offer an excellent return on your employers’ investment. By hiring you, employers will decrease the costs associated with recruitment, training, and turnaround. Plus, you will be able to create almost immediate results in increased productivity and profitability because you know the job so well. You have a powerful voice. Start taking advantage of this great opportunity right away – you won’t be sorry.
Outlook 2010, a national survey conducted by Graham Management Group determined that agism is considered a primary barrier for six-figure Canadians. Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. For a summary report and analysis of the Outlook 2010: Competitive Career Intelligence Survey email info@grahammanagement.com
