Hire Power

I have a very good technical writer available, and they actually know how to write!  A quote from my recent interview:

"A lot of customer service money can be saved when you start with good instructions… Technical things can be made really quite simple, if you say it right."

Interested?  Let me know!

Their rate is very reasonable, and though Provo is their residence, they can travel anywhere in Utah County (Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo, Orem, Lindon, American Fork, Lehi, Apline, etc…) or even to Salt Lake City

Jim Durbin at Recruiting.com throws an interesting idea into the mix.  When is the best time to interview potential candidates?  Even though it may not be the easiest model to implement, the idea is interesting.  Here’s a snippet:

I have a radical idea that I dare hiring managers to implement. No more 8-5 interviews. 8-5 interviews are a sure sign that you aren’t interviewing the best people out there. Why? Because the best people are already working!...

Yes, the right candidate might be available and out of work, but if you only interview people from 8-5, you’re cutting off candidates who simply can’t take off to meet you. Employees might lie to their bosses about doctor’s appointments… [or] even skip out on important meetings or phone conferences to meet with you. Is that really the type of conduct you want to encourage in an employee?

My largest concern with this lies in that staffing and recruiting aren’t always about who is the very best, but who is the best available person.

In my company, we do not dig into companies seeking to harvest their best people in order to satisfy our other clients (while driving away existing or future ones).  We work with consultants who first contact us (either by replying to a posted position or by keeping their resume public on one of the job boards).

What’s your take on this?  When is the best time to interview potential clients, especially technical ones?

If you read it right, Brian Carroll’s Seven lead generation tips can be used in your job search, too.  Your "customer" is the prospective employer and their company.  Also, look into the "style" of company you want to work with.  Does it fit you?  What are they like, what do they do?  What is the corporate culture?  What about companies like them… what is their culture?  Maybe you’ll end up liking the competition better!

My favorite one of these is number three, paraphrased here by me:

Know the needs you can solve: Once you under stand why [companies hire you] you can tailor your message around the needs you solve.  Why are you relevant?

Incidentally, my current position with SOS Technical came because I was seeking employment with their competitor.  My research into that competitor helped me discover SOS Technical, and eventually, this great opportunity I am engaged in right now.

Reno, NV is ranked #1 and Boise, ID is ranked #2 in this years ranking of the top cities in which to do business, based primarily on economic growth. The survey was published today by Inc. Magazine. Salt Lake City ranks #31 but jumped an impressive 73 places. A total of 274 economic regions were studied. Read the full article here.

Link: Paul Allen: Internet Entrepreneur.

On the subject of what not to write in your resume, let me note a phrase my Newswriting professor jammed into my conciousness:

"Show, Don’t Tell"

Simple as that, but it’s a powerful tool.  It means, use the facts to paint the picture.  Don’t say, "I am the best employee they ever had", just be sure you note that you were "awarded employee of the year 4 times." and that you "broke all previous sales records".

In your resume and cover-letter writing, "Show, Don’t Tell" will allow you to convey what you really want to say without sounding snobbish or conceited.

I know you want to be successful…  SHOW ME.

Just scanning through some resumes and I find the following bullet-points under a person’s job heading… Read the last one:

• Ran a crew of up to 30.
• Organized all outbound freight for my location.
• Set up ties between several companies.
• Worked my ass off.

My hard-working friend, I don’t know if I am going to call you about this position, but I will always remember your resume.  File this under "what not to say, even when you really want to…"

You will notice local job postings here on the site.  Right now, they are listed as blurbs along the sidebar.  I am working on integrating them into this blog so you can subscribe as just an RSS feed.

These jobs are coming from all the major boards (monster, Career Builder, and HotJobs, as well as from other local sources, such as Paul Allen’s Utah Jobs board.

I’ve just got to say this.  If you’re sending your resume around, please do just one thing, even if it’s just for me: Write an objective that means… something.

The generic objectives I see daily are useless, bland, and (in my opinion)
put you right back against the wall with the other job-searching flowers.  They read something like this:

Objective: To obtain solid employment with a potential for advancement at a good company where I can use my skills.

Well, great.  Isn’t that the definition of a good job, anyway? 

Action Item: Write a passionate, vehicular resume objective.  Something that moves me from mediocrity to activity.  A well-written resume headline and objective makes you stick out from the crowd like the hot, red Ferrari you’ve been staring at every day during your bumper-to-bumper commute to the current “solid job at a good company” you’re trying to upgrade from.

Additional Help:
It may be worth your time (and money) to have someone else look at your resume and even write it for you.  Career Builder, for example has a Professional Resume Writing service you may take advantage of.