On January 25, 2012, someone on the College Confidential discussion group posted this thread:

Did you ever dump a college from your list because of the type (or number) of essays?

Responses flooded in, mostly from parents of students who had indeed given up on an application because they were intimidated by the essay questions, and many from the students themselves.  One woman’s daughter dropped three applications and added one that had easier essay requirements. One aunt reported that her nephews applied to one school only – Iowa State – because the school did not require essays. And another self-proclaimed lazy procrastinator chose her colleges based on the ease of their essay requirements.

Colleges dropped by students ran the gambit and were headed up by Wake Forest and U Chicago:  Barnard, Brown (2x), BU, Bryn Mawr, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago (8x), Claremont McKenna (3x), Columbia University (3x), CMC (2x), Cornell, University of Delaware, Duke, Elon, Georgetown, Grinnell (2x), Marquette Honors Program, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, MIT (2x), UNC (3x), Northwestern, Notre Dame (2x), NYU (2x), U Penn (3x), Princeton, Puget Sound, Rice (3x), Rutgers, Tufts (2x), Stanford (2x), Syracuse, UVA, Wake Forest (8x), and Yale (2x).

Why the aversion to unique essay topics?

I could rant about how students are lazy or haven’t received sufficient training in thinking for themselves or thinking creatively.  I could suggest that if our educational system did a better job on these fronts, and with teaching writing in general, students would not avoid writing essays that challenged them to invest time and thought.  I could also suggest that students don’t start their application process far enough ahead of time to ensure they have the time and attention for some uncommon essay questions.

All of those things might be true, but I am more interested in the schools’ logic behind asking unusual question such as “What does Play-Doh have to do with Plato?” (U Chicago), “What is your favorite ride at the amusement park?  How does this reflect your approach to life?” (Emory University), “Imagine you have to wear a costume for a year of your life.  What would you pick and why?” (Brandeis University), and “What would you do with a free afternoon tomorrow?” (Yale).

Why the inclination toward unique essay topics?

Colleges may be showing themselves to be current with the times, as suggested in The new college-admission essay: Short and tweet(ish).  Some applications ask for short essay answers of 25 words, such as “My favorite thing about last Tuesday” (University of Maryland), perhaps catering to the Twitter generation.  Tufts, George Mason and the University of Dayton allow prospective students to submit a video essay instead of a written one.  Students might jump at the chance to communicate in ways that are spreading like wildfire in the world of social media.

The right fit

In the College Confidential discussion, most students reported that they dropped schools not simply because of the essay requirements but because there was an additional reason the school was not a good fit.  Some were not excited about their on-campus visit.  Some realized when they were asked why they wanted to attend a particular school that they had no good reason.  Conversely, some students reported taking on writing difficult essays because a school was their clear first choice.  Some loved writing the very same essays that sent other students away (Wake Forest and Chicago essays included).  And one student actually rejected a school (Wash U in St. Louis) because they did not ask a supplemental essay question!  He thought the school was trying to increase its U.S. News rankings by encouraging applications.  Not surprisingly, two other students applied to Wash U (as well as to many other schools – Dartmouth, Harvard, and William & Mary to name a few) because of the simplicity of their essay requirements.

Perhaps colleges like Wake Forest and U Chicago are shooting themselves in the foot.  Several anecdotes appeared in the College Confidential discussion about students who got accepted into one school with a simple application (Harvard, for instance) while they were still working on essays for another school.  Schools with longer or more complex essay requirements might be losing some qualified and motivated students in addition to the ones who just don’t care enough to jump through the hoops.

Yet for most schools, it appears that they are doing a good job of weeding out applicants.  If an Honors application intimidates you, that’s a very good sign that you are not meant to be in that program.  If an essay challenge makes you realize that you’re not up for that challenge, regardless of the reason, then that school has done you and itself a favor.  What a great strategy for winnowing down the number of applications to a pool of students who will face an extra challenge or two because they want so much to go to a particular school.

As one member of College Confidential, stated, “Frankly, there are too many well-rounded, excellent students applying to the best universities to distinguish a select few without asking stranger, creative questions. It’s there that you begin to see a student’s personality and that’s what gets you in.”

Are essay questions scaring you away from a school?  Maybe it’s time to get some help.  If you want to brainstorm with a professional about what you could write in response to some of these wacky questions, contact The Essay Expert.  We’ll be happy to help.

Many people are flummoxed when it comes to choosing a LinkedIn profile headline.  What keywords should they include?  How do you get that up and down symbol ( | )?  (Hit shift and the backslash key.) Is it more important to have keywords or a Tagline / Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

This article will mainly address the last question:  Keywords or USP?  The answer to the question depends on your main goal with your LinkedIn profile.

Below you will find several situations you might be in.  Find yourself as closely as possible and handle your headline in the most appropriate way for your situation.  If you don’t find yourself exactly, find the nearest match and adjust from there.

1.  You are a job seeker and you want to be found in searches.*

If you are a job seeker, your main goal is probably to be found and contacted by recruiters and hiring managers.  If so, you need to focus on keywords in your headline.  Keywords are the terms a recruiter would be searching for if looking for someone like you.

The prevailing wisdom is to choose 4-5 words as keywords and leave it at that.  Adding extra words or extra characters like your email address may serve to dilute the effectiveness of your headline.

Examples of good headlines are:

Manufacturing & Supply Chain Executive | Asia

Procurement & Contract Specialist | Treasury Manager

Account Executive | OEM Sales | Field Sales | Territory Manager

Director Communications | Branding | Online Marketing | Social Media

Note these headlines zero in on the most essential keywords and do not add any fluff to dilute their impact.

Some job seekers write “Open to New Opportunities” in their headline.  Some recruiters actually search on the term “opportunities” and might find you that way.  Other recruiters will skip over you if you put that phrase in your headline.  My advice is to try it one way, and if you’re not getting the attention you want, try it another way.  That’s the beauty of social media …  nothing is ever engraved in stone.

2.  You are a job seeker and your main goal is to look good when people find you.

Perhaps you are currently employed and doing a very selective and confidential job search.  Or perhaps you want people to look for you primarily after you have contacted them.  If so, you may not particularly be looking to be found in searches.  In this situation, you have more flexibility when crafting your headline.  I recommend that you write your job title and a catchy phrase, tagline, or Unique Selling Proposition.

Examples:

High-Powered Financial and Analytical Trainer | Propelling International Business Teams to the Top

Program, Process and Project Manager | Creating and Implementing Innovative Technological Solutions

Managed Care Professional | Building relationships with attention and integrity

For more ideas on catchy headlines, see my article, Your LinkedIn Profile *HEADLINE* – What Would Draw You In?

3.  You are a business owner or professional and you want people to find you.*

If you are a business owner or professional wanting to attract clients, stack your headline with the keywords your clients would be searching on.  My headline says:

Essay & Resume Writer | Executive Resumes | Personal Statements | LinkedIn Profiles | Web Copy

The result of having these keywords in my headline (and also in my summary, specialties and job titles) is that many people find me when they are seeking the services I provide.

During admission season I change my keywords to emphasize college essays and MBA Admissions consulting.

Change your keywords as much as you want until you get the number of visitors to your site each day that you’re looking for.

4.  You are a business owner or professional and you just want to build a close network of solid business connections.

If you are laying low on LinkedIn and selectively building a network, really all you need is your job title and organization.  LinkedIn will take care of that for you.

*NOTE TO THOSE IN CATEGORIES 1 & 3:  Remember that the number of hits you get on your LinkedIn profile will always increase when you increase your number of connections.  For more on that topic please view my signature webinar, How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile.

BEWARE of the LinkedIn Default! 

If you update your current job position, LinkedIn automatically changes your headline unless you catch the box that lets you opt out.  If this happens, take control and change your headline if you want it to say something different!

Like so many things, there is no “one size fits all” answer to the LinkedIn Headline question.  If you’re not sure what the best way is to approach yours, comment below or contact The Essay Expert for assistance in crafting a KILLER LinkedIn Profile!

Last year at about this time, I wrote a list of six New Year’s Ressaylutions for 2011.

Do you ever go back to your list from last year and check on whether you followed through on your resolutions, or whether you forgot about them the moment you put your pen down?

I realized that with all my talk about New Year’s resolutions, I hadn’t gone back to check last year’s list.  I got brave and dug it up this week; the following is a report on how I did at keeping my promises!  I also make new resolutions for 2012.

2011 Ressaylutions                      

1.  Convert my website to WordPress.

DONE!  Not only is my site fully converted to WordPress, but I also have a funky cool new slider on my home page. I also created many new forms and downloadable documents that make it easier for clients to submit information and get the materials they need.

2.  Make it easier for my readers to choose the topic they want to read about.

DONE!  I now have six separate e-lists:

a) Job Search (Resumes & Cover Letters)

b) College Admissions

c) LinkedIn & Professional Writing

d) Grammar Tips

e) Newsletter only

e) Everything.

Choose the one that’s “write” for you!

3.  Create autoresponders.

DONE!  And there is still so much more to do.  See Ressaylution #3.

4.  Guest blog.

DONE!  My articles have appeared on CareerCast.com, Careerealism.com, CareerCenterToolbox.com and ilostmyjob.com, and I was quoted in Forbes.  Recently I wrote two articles for an American Bar Association publication about resumes and personal statements for applying to law school which will be published this summer.

5.  Start an Artist’s Way group.

NOT DONE.  This one took a back seat to the business.  But I DID write my morning pages every day for three months like I said I would.  And I told everyone I was leading something, which made me act like a leader.  Perhaps that’s what inspired my article, Top 10 Ways to Be a Leader.  I’m content that this item did not come to fruition.

6.  Continue to write and share about writing issues, job search issues, and sometimes life issues that strike my fancy each week and that my readers care about.

DONE.  I faithfully published either a blog article or a newsletter EVERY week in 2011, without fail.  Now THAT’s something to celebrate!

Here are The Essay Expert’s Ressaylutions for 2012:

1.  Create a new template for my website that brings me more into the technology of 2012.

Despite my successful WordPress conversion, there’s much work still to be done before I have the ability to edit my pages without “breaking” the existing code.  Look out for a new, more user-friendly interface in 2012 too!

2.  Create new e-lists for past clients, and survey past clients.

I want to follow up better with The Essay Expert’s past clients and find out how they are faring with the documents we helped them prepare.  Did they get jobs?  Did they get into school?  Do they need more assistance?  My hope is that better e-lists will allow me to start providing concrete numbers about the results of the work that we do.  In service of this goal (as well as Ressaylution #3), I will be hiring a virtual assistant (VA)!  No more interns – The Essay Expert is getting down to business.

3.  Revise autoresponders from 2011.

Right now most of my autoresponders are set up as summaries of my articles with links to the full article. It turns out that people don’t like to have to click on a link to read a full article!  So I will be putting complete articles into my autoresponders for your reading convenience and pleasure.  Thank you to my future VA for helping with to make this happen!

4.  Publish my e-book on Kindle

This one is in the works.  It will have a cool new cover and a clickable index for easy reference.  Let’s make it a best-seller!

5.  Report on and count success stories in 2012.

My goal is to report 212 success stories in 2012.  My resolution is to keep doing great work and to keep marketing The Essay Expert’s offerings so we can create 212 positive results for job seekers, school applicants and businesses in the next year.  See 212 Success Stories for 2012.

6.  Continue to write and share about writing issues, job search issues, and sometimes life issues that strike my fancy each week and that my readers care about.

No change here.  I’ll see you every week in 2012.

How did you do on your New Year’s resolutions from 2011?  Do you dare to find out?

A good friend of mine recently sent me his New Year’s resolutions:

#1 -  Be here now.

#2 -  Keep it real.

#3 -  Try to answer e-mail promptly.

I was taken aback by #3.  First, it was the only one that required specific action, and I wondered why he would choose returning e-mails above all the other important actions to take in this world, and over a more general commitment to “Keep in close and regular contact with people important to me” or “Take action quickly on items of importance.”

Even more than that, however, I was struck by the insertion of the word “Try.”

Is Trying Lying?

I have spent the last 10 years or so reducing the incidence of the word “try” in my spoken and written communications.  In a women’s empowerment program I was taught, “Trying is lying.” In a completely different seminar, the instructor had someone hold a tissue box in the air and said, “Try to drop the tissue box.” The person dropped the tissue box, and was met with, “No, you just dropped the tissue box. I told you to try to drop the tissue box.”  In another seminar, a different instructor did the same exercise, asking a participant to “Try to pick up that chair.”  Trying to pick it up looked like holding on to the chair and pretending to pick it up but not actually doing it.

“Trying” to do something, as illustrated in these examples, is as good as not doing the thing at all.  You’re not doing it, and you’re not not doing it.  Trying leaves you in an in-between place that, in my understanding, is ultimately powerless and ineffective.

Excuses, Excuses

We as human beings often use trying as an excuse.  Have you gotten that project done?  “No… but I tried!  I just kept getting distracted.”  Have you lost the weight you said you would?  “No…  but I tried.”  Why isn’t your relationship going the way you want it to?  “I don’t know…  I’m trying so hard to make it work.”  We say things like “I’ll try to be there on time” so that if we’re not on time we haven’t broken a promise.  We human beings are so sneaky!

Ultimately, a choice is required.  Either you do it or you don’t.  If you don’t do it, I believe the most powerful stance is to take responsibility that you didn’t do it.  If you’re still committed to a result, then do something else that works to get that result.  As another wise person pointed out, the way to attain any goal in life is to keep taking action until you achieve it.  Sounds so simple doesn’t it?

Compassion is Key

My New Year’s resolution friend disagreed with my take on trying.  He wrote, “I affirm the importance of stating, ‘I will try.’  It’s like saying, ‘I intend….’  It sends a message — to myself and others — about how I am organizing my spiritual energies.”  When I asked why he didn’t write “Try” for his other resolutions, he responded, “… It’s the only one of the three that doesn’t come to me naturally.  So I must try harder.  ”  (He also mentioned that if following #3 were to contradict #1 and/or #2, he would choose not to follow #3.  We have all seen the negative consequences of impulsive or compulsive e-mailing!)

I understand the value of compassion, and I understand that we sometimes go through stages in our level of commitment to a goal.  Perhaps a gentle entry (like a promise to “try”) can be useful for taking on promises we don’t know if we will keep.  Certainly, if we don’t meet one of our promises, it doesn’t help to beat ourselves up about it.  Using the word “try” lets us succeed even when we fail.  But can’t we have compassion even if we frame our promises as absolute?  If I resolve to “answer e-mail promptly” instead of to “try” to do so, and then I don’t answer promptly, I might be empowered by acknowledging that I didn’t do it, looking at why I didn’t do it, and, if appropriate, making a new promise or doing it a different way next time.  To me, that’s “keeping it real.”

Honesty — The Best Policy

New Year’s resolutions are notoriously not kept, and I wonder if the reason is that people put a silent, implied “Try” before every one of them.  If we truly resolve to do something, rather than to try to do it, we live a more powerful life and one where results will show up with more reliability.

At least my friend put “try” where it could be seen, instead of pretending something was true that was not.  A straightforward acknowledgement of one’s tendency toward fallibility might be more powerful than having “trying” live in the unsaid.  At least with an honest promise, there’s room to grow.  In the end, we must each choose the language and intention that work for us, in service of living up to our greatest promises and resolutions.

In December 2010 I posted the Top 10 Grammar and Spelling Errors from 2010 and got a record number of hits on my blog and “likes” on facebook.

In the past year as The Essay Expert, I’ve collected a new batch of errors.  I did repeat a couple of things from 2010 that were so persistent I just had to repeat myself!

I write these lists in the hope that people will implement what they learn and produce better essays, better resumes, and overall better written collateral.  Improved writing gets results when it comes to obtaining jobs, getting into school, landing new clients and keeping the customers you’ve got.  So read up!

10.  Advice vs. Advise

Here’s a note from one of my loyal readers, Christine, who requested that I mention this common mix-up:

“Advice is a noun. An example would be: ‘Brenda provided very useful advice regarding spelling errors.’

Advise is a verb. An example would be: ‘Brenda can you please advise your readers about similarly misused words?’”

Thank you Christine for your contribution to my yearly list!

9.  Your vs. You’re

You’re is a contraction for “you are.”  If you’re using the word to mean “you are” (2 words), write it as a contraction.  E.g., Do you know that you’re about to miss the 5:00 train?

Your is a possessive pronoun.  E.g., Your train is leaving in 2 minutes.

8.  Tenet vs. Tenant

Even our president messed this one up.  A tenet is a belief or ideal of faith.  Tenants rent from landlords.  See The President Makes Grammatical Errors Too.

7.  Sign up vs. sign-up

I see this one on the web all the time and it drives me a bit batty.  Sign up is a verb.  Sign-up is an adjective that modifies a noun like “form” or “sheet.”  Correct:  “Sign up here for news and updates” or “Go to our sign-up page to register.”  Incorrect: “Sign-up here for news and updates” or “Go to our sign up page to register.”  For similar examples of proper (and improper) use of phrasal verbs, read my article, Check out this Phrasal Verb Breakdown.

6.  Everyday vs. Every day

I wrote a whole article about this one too: Common Grammatical Errors:  Everyday vs. Every Day.  Everyday is an adjective meaning “common” or “day-to-day.”  As I’m sure you know, people make everyday grammatical errors every day.

5. “This” without a referent

Make sure that if you use the word This to start a sentence, you help your reader understand what you’re referring to!  The best practice is to use a referent after the word This.  Incorrect:  This will ensure your sentences are understood.  Correct:  This practice will ensure your sentences are understood.

4.  Verbage

Verbage does NOT mean “words”!  Although the OED does have an entry for “verbage” as a “rare alternate spelling of verbiage,” Merriam-Webster does not even acknowledge the existence of the word. Verbiage, often misused as well, means excess language. The jury is out as to whether the phrase “excess verbiage” is redundant—but I’m sticking to it.

3.  Apostrophes (that’s not apostrophe’s!) to make plural nouns

With some exceptions which I won’t go into here, plural nouns are formed by adding an s or es to the singular form of the noun–NOT by adding an apostrophe!  The plural of parent is parents; the plural of computer is computers; and the plural of Wednesday is Wednesdays.  No apostrophe needed!  Conversely, possessives ARE formed by adding an apostrophe s.  To speak about an author’s intent, for instance, use the apostrophe s.

2.  Myself

Think for a few seconds before you use the word myself in place of me at the end of a sentence.  A sentence like “George was speaking to my friend Lucy and myself” is grammatically incorrect.  Replacing me with myself has become common, perhaps as an attempt to avoid using the word me.  Think about it.  You would say “George was speaking to me” so just say “George was speaking to my friend Lucy and me” — NOT  “George was speaking to my friend Lucy and myself.”  The parts of speech don’t change just because another person was added to the sentence!

1. Comma splice

I can’t tell you how often my clients string two full, complete sentences together with a comma.  This error is called a comma splice.  (See Writing Tips:  How to Use Commas and Semicolons Part 2.)  Here’s an example:  “Simply observing my surroundings was not enough for me, I needed to know how things worked and why they worked in that specific way.” The correct way to punctuate this sentence is “Simply observing my surroundings was not enough for me; I needed to know how things worked and why they worked in that specific way.” Two full sentences may get separated by a semicolon or a dash—NOT by a comma.

I look forward to your comments and “likes.” Best wishes for a grammatically correct 2012!

-          Brenda

On December 13, 2011, LinkedIn released its “most overused” buzzwords list for 2011.  Here is the list of the top 10, with “creative” reigning at the top.  When a particular country or countries stood out for overuse of a term, the country name(s) are listed in parentheses:

1. Creative (Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States)
2. Organizational
3. Effective (India)
4. Extensive experience
5. Track record (Singapore)
6. Motivated (Ireland)
7. Innovative
8. Problem solving (Italy)
9. Communication skills
10. Dynamic (France)

The good news?  Some people heeded last year’s list and stopped overusing at least some of the following 2010 Overused Buzzwords:

1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial

The four exact matches between 2010 and 2011 years are “motivated,” “dynamic,” “innovative” and “extensive experience.” There are also some near matches with “problem solving” vs. “problem solver” and “proven track record” vs. “track record” (I personally have tired of all of these terms).

I believe job seekers and career professionals have done some good work changing the landscape — four of the terms on the list have changed, and all of them have changed rank.   Let’s face it:  There will be overused words every year.  I’m just glad to see we’re learning lessons along the way.

How Creative are You?

This year’s primary lesson:  Don’t say you are “creative” – demonstrate your creativity!  Design and upload a PowerPoint presentation to SlideShare and post it to your LinkedIn profile.  Give examples of marketing strategies you devised.  Include your artistic portfolio in your profile.  And don’t use the same words everyone else is using!  We now know that asserting you are “creative” is a sure way to prove that you are not.

Met or Exceeded Organizational Goals?

“Organizational” is a bit tougher.  How do you say you met organizational goals without saying you met organizational goals?  One thing to keep in mind is that of course you are going to strive for and meet organizational goals!  What other goals would you possibly want to report?  I admit I will be a little sad to let this term go, but I see the point of finding alternatives.  “Meet targeted goals” would be just as effective (oh did I say “effective”?  Send me to India where I’ll be in good company!)  Or perhaps a chart of goals vs. accomplishments would obviate the need for the term “organizational.”  I predict that next year “goal(s)” and “target(s)” will top this list.

Devise an Effective Strategy Lately?

Thankfully there are a multitude of ways to convey the concept of “effective.”  “Successful” is the clearest alternative, followed by “winning,” “profitable,” “lucrative,” “productive,” “fruitful,” “targeted” and even “efficacious” (I don’t love that last one as a resume/profile adjective).  Take your pick or find another way to say what you mean!  (Sometimes you can just leave out the adjective completely, as I did by avoiding “find another effective way” in that last sentence.)

As for “extensive experience” and “track record,” these terms are like nails on a blackboard to me.  I see them a lot and make short work of them on my resumes.

How many of these top 10 overused words show up in your profile?  Please share below.

And  if you want expert assistance to craft a LinkedIn profile that stands out in a sea of 135 million LinkedIn users, contact The Essay Expert through our Web Form or at 608-467-0067.

Like this article?  You might also enjoy Ten Buzzwords to Take Off Your LinkedIn Profile Now published by Time Newsfeed.

In July I wrote an article about phrasal verbs in response to a card in my hotel room that referred to an option to “workout” (one word – improper) instead of “work out” (2 words – proper) in the comfort of your own room.

Since then I have discovered that the Hilton Garden Inn is not the only hotel to make this error.  While considering a possible stay at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, I found this sentence:

“For those who choose to workout in the privacy of their spacious guestroom, we offer YogaAway^TM.”

The Hyatt’s advertising team made the exact same error as the Hilton’s.  Coincidence?

Hotel Helter Skelter

Here’s a strange thing:  Just for fun, I Googled “Hyatt workout” and discovered that the Hyatt is not consistent across its websites.  The Sarasota Hyatt Regency offers:

“If you choose to work out in the privacy of your own hotel room or suite at Hyatt Regency Sarasota, we offer YogaAway™.”

Sarasota got it right!

I wonder who is responsible for this mismatched spelling?  Why is Hyatt messaging not consistent between Baltimore and Sarasota?  I’ve always thought the draw of a hotel chain is the reassurance that you will get the same consistent service no matter where in the world you go.  The discrepancies on the Hyatt’s websites make me think perhaps their other amenities are not consistent either.

More then [sic] words…

In the meantime, I have ventured on to yet another institution of hospitality:  a Marriott resort in Palm Desert, California.  Marriott evidently cares about energy conservation and therefore put out the following request:

“In an effort to conserve water and energy, would you please consider using your towel more then once.”

I don’t know about you, but my grammar checker even caught this one!  The correct statement would have been:

“In an effort to conserve water and energy, would you please consider using your towel more than once.”

There are some other grammatical issues with this sentence, but I’ll let them be for now.  Do you see the other issue here?  If you do, please share in the comments.

I recall seeing a similar message in another hotel … I’m not sure which one, but I believe the word “than” was properly used or I probably would have blogged about it.

Wouldn’t it be nice if hotels could all get their grammar as straight and smooth as their bed sheets?

Judging a book by its blunders?

And by the way, even though this Marriott is a resort-level establishment, a level “6” which is pretty high in the Marriott pecking order, the round piece on the top of my bathroom sink drain was detached when I got to the room, and there was a stray peanut hiding under my very expensive flat screen TV.  Maybe grammar blunders really are an indication of deeper quality and performance issues?

What do you think?  Have you found a hotel grammar blunder of late?  What would you suggest to these institutions that would keep them consistent and grammatically correct?  And how much do you judge a service provider based on the consistency and correctness of its message?

Turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie AND whipped cream. The essential elements to the perfect Thanksgiving meal. We all know that one of the best things about Thanksgiving dinner is the sheer variety of the spread.

This Thanksgiving I found myself thankful for the variety that is present in my life—and for a richness that extends beyond the Thanksgiving table.

Variety is identified by Anthony Robbins as one of the Six Human Needs. I have been aware for a long time that variety is important to me—and have even found that I crave monotony from time to time to break up the variety! The need for participating in diverse activities has been at the source of my business model: I have created a job for myself where a mix of projects shows up daily.

For instance, in one single day this week, here were just a few tasks I tackled:

1. Spent two hours on the phone with the GM (General Manager) of an international manufacturing company in China, perfecting his resume and learning about factories in China.
2. Edited the homepage for The Wisdomkeeper Connection LLC (I pulled out my women’s spiritual training for this one!)
3. Edited a research report on barriers to career advancement for women and people of color and how those barriers can be overcome through effective networking (yes I took women’s studies in college!).
4. Provided material to the author of Social Networking Job Search for Dummies, Joshua Waldman, for use in a coupon book he will be distributing on his book tour.
5. Stuffed 187 holiday letters to past clients (ah…  a repetitive task).
6. Spoke with two new resume writers who will be joining The Essay Expert team.

Yes, I have a LOT of variety in my work. As far as I’m concerned, the more different types of projects I can work on the better.  While this inclination makes it hard to target a niche market, it seems to work for me.

Variety is a close sibling to richness, and I appreciate that my life is rich as well as varied. Spending time with family over the holidays was a wonderful way to learn about where I came from and to enjoy the next generation for who they are (and are becoming). I am thankful that I can take my work with me so that I never have to worry about missing business-related messages as I celebrate the holidays.

With computer and cell phone in tow, I can go almost anywhere any time—and never run out of vacation days! This capability opens up many opportunities for a rich and fulfilling life, whether it’s attending workshops, spending time with family, or just exploring a new locale.

In January I will be traveling to New York for a week to support my mom who is having elective surgery. That trip will add to the variety and richness in my life, as well as meet four more of the 6 Human Needs: Significance, Connection/Love, Growth and Contribution.

Who could ask for anything more?

——–

I’d love to hear how you generate variety and richness in your life. What are you creating as the New Year approaches?  Please share below!

Your Resume:  Humans vs. Computers

When I give webinars on writing resumes, one of the topics I cover is how to make your resume visually appealing.  I often get this question:

Why would I want to spend so much time and money making my resume pretty if it’s just going to confuse the computers?

My answer is that yes, the computers are important, and that you ALSO need to have a resume that’s designed to be read by human beings.  We all know that you are most likely to find your job through networking or the “hidden job market.” When you send materials to someone in your network or to a decision-maker in the hidden job market, you want to include a professional-looking resume.  And when it’s time for an interview, it’s also advisable to have a nicely formatted resume to hand across the table.

For those of you who are hoping to get those interviews by applying online, the question still remains: How can I write a resume that makes it past the computers?  In other words:  How can I raise my odds above 2%?

Keep reading.

There are two issues with submitting online resumes.  One is the format of the resume; the second is the keywords it contains.

Formatting for Robots:

ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software is not the smartest software in the world.  It gets confused by bullets, non-traditional headings, graphs, tables, and text boxes.  So you need to have a version of your resume that is stripped down and organized just for the computers. We call this your “text-based” resume.

Your text-based resume should follow these guidelines:

1. Create it in (or copy it into) a text editor such as Notepad, SimpleText or TextEdit.
2. Use easily understandable headings like “Summary of Qualifications,” “Professional Experience” and “Education.”
3. Don’t get fancy or creative with your headings, and don’t put two categories together in one section.  Do NOT, for instance, use the heading “Education & Certifications” or “Skills & Interests.”
4. Use dashes or asterisks instead of bullets.
5. List your address in standard “tombstone” style, one line on top of the next.
6. Put spaces between sections.

Here’s what your text-based resume might look like (beautiful, isn’t it?):

Robots Beat Robots

Now, you’ve done your best to create a resume the computers will understand.  But how will you know if it really worked?

The best way to find out what a computer understands and what it doesn’t is to use a computer program that tells you.  Thankfully, there is a service where you can put your resume into a box on your computer screen, and the program will tell you what information is recognized and not recognized by the ATS software.

Here’s where you can find out about it:

How will you know what keywords to use in your resume?

Just because the computers can read your resume doesn’t mean you will have the right keywords to make it past their screening systems. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the keywords that truly make a difference with computer scanners are the ones you have on your resume that not everyone else includes.  Preptel’s service (called “Resumeter™”) will tell you what those unique words are so that you can add them to your resume.  All you have to do is paste a job description onto the page, and you will get a list of the keywords you MUST include in your resume for it to be viable.

Example:  One of my clients was applying for a job with INTUIT.  When I put his resume and job description into the Resumeter™, the resume was rated as “Weak.” I discovered that he needed to have certain keywords in his resume, including the phrase “QuickBooks, Quicken.”  We added a line about how eager he was to market QuickBooks, Quicken and other INTUIT software through compelling graphic design.  His Resumeter™ grade changed from “Weak” to “Strong.”

Without using Preptel, this client wouldn’t have stood a chance.  As you know, the online job search market is highly competitive and statistics are not encouraging.  You can change your odds of making it past the ATS systems with just a few clicks and adjustments.

Please do yourself a favor and try out this service, Preptel’s Resumeter™, for 7 days for free.  It is normally $25/month after that but with the link provided here it is only $19.99/month.

I have no doubt that you have great experience that qualifies you for many positions. If the computer can’t understand and rank it properly, it won’t help you a bit. Please check out Preptel and let me know what difference it makes!

Are you a talented professional with amazing accomplishments, but who is getting nowhere applying for jobs through job boards?  If so, you are not alone, and you are fighting an uphill battle.  The fact is, job seekers get only a 1-3% response rate from the major job boards.  That means you might have to send out 100 resumes to get just one response!

There is a trick to getting a higher response from the job boards, which I talk about in detail in How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers.You also need some other strategies. There are plenty of jobs out there that are not posted on job boards, and that even your networking contacts don’t know about. The company itself might not even know they want someone like you until you show up!   Mary Elizabeth Bradford, who won a Career Innovator Award at the 2011 Career Directors International conference, has packaged a Job Search Success System that will help you present yourself powerfully to find those hidden jobs.

The basic premise of Mary Elizabeth’s system if that you need strategies to connect directly with companies.  You cut out the “middle man” (recruiters, HR, job boards, etc.).

Most companies go through at least five steps to fill a position before they will post the position to a major job board. They get on the phone to a few trusted colleagues. They look to see if anyone internal is qualified to be promoted. They alert their staff to refer someone they might know. They launch an intimate campaign to try to fill the position waaaay before the general public is notified. And if after a few weeks, the position is still not filled, perhaps they contact a related association to post the job on their “Members Only job” — or they contract a recruiter.  Job boards are a last resort.

Can you break through to the Hidden Market?

Mary Elizabeth emphasizes, “ANYONE (and I mean even if you are right out of college) can enjoy the benefits of the hidden job market. These jobs are available on all levels and in virtually all industries.  The trick is to hone your focus so you actually achieve the results you want.”

What are the advantages to you of connecting to the hidden job market?  You get more job opportunities, more market leverage, less competition, a shorter interview process and bigger offers.  You still might want to send resumes out via the internet as part of your strategy; but why would you focus there exclusively when you can have so much more control over your next career move?!

You might be wondering precisely how to tap into the unadvertised job market. There are three strategies recommended by the Job Search Success System that help you focus on and find great jobs that will never see a major job board.

Tip #1: Have a plan

Launch a proactive job search. Know precisely what you are looking for, then reach out to get it. Know your primary target market(s), primary positions sought, geographic parameters, and timeline.

Tip #2: Pick three main job search strategies for tapping into your market

Here are two examples of techniques you can utilize:

Offer your skills to growing or changing companies: Companies that are expanding, merging, acquiring other companies, rolling out new products or services, or moving are likely to be seeking new employees to help them with their transition.

Make direct company contact: Contacting a company directly is a great way to take leadership and control over your job search. Are you interested in looking at the higher education market in your state or the top organic food manufacturers in the US? Or maybe the fastest growing healthcare oriented businesses in your city? All of these “lists” are accessible to you and allow you to tap right into your market of focus.

Tip #3: Manage your job search like a marketing campaign

Make a simple plan to move forward. Pick the hours and days each week that you plan to invest in your next career move. Block out those times and stick to them! Honor your commitment to your job search just like you would honor your commitment to your present employer to show up on time each day.

During your job search, keep things simple and focus on your actions, not their immediate results! This way you can celebrate your initial “successes”  – the completions of your daily and weekly goals. The results will unfold elegantly and abundantly and you will enjoy the satisfaction of success whether you are investing in marketing yourself or basking in the warm glow of landing your third or fourth interview!

How are job boards sounding now?  If you are ready to try a new strategy, I highly encourage you to look into Mary Elizabeth’s award-winning Job Search Success System.

And please report your success to both Mary Elizabeth and me.  I love success stories and look forward to hearing yours!