I was so captivated by Tagxedo today, that I spent a few hours spinning words, colors and shapes into mentally stimulating confections — when I really should have been writing my annual self performance review. Leung’s presentation, 101 Ways to Use Tagxedo promised that using a tool like this would allow me to view my resume from a different perspective, gain instant feedback on the use of keywords, tone and focus of how I have presented my accomplishments. When he said that a simple “scanbot” test would be a good approximation of what recruiters will see, I had to check it out.

Leung is right of course when he says, “If you are not impressed by the top words, neither will be recruiters”. Today that would probably be after the ATS chews them up and spits them out. It’s important to have a look at the weight of your keywords and how they are distributed. Tagxedo shows you the top 150 (or whatever parameter you set) keywords you use and how many times they appear in the document. One thing I learned about myself was that I overused the word “include” in my résumé and that gave me the opportunity to replace it with some synonyms.. The last thing I want is to sound like a broken record!

I chose a hand from the 100 shapes available (though you can customize by uploading your own shapes) to visualize my resume as a tag cloud. I thought a hand print was the perfect fit for a unique career that hasn’t possibly been identical to anyone else’s.

If a candidate submitted an image of what I’m calling a “tag résumé” to me in the body of an email — if the competencies matched what I was looking for, I would call her for the details…

If this were turned into a QR code, printed on my business card and attached as an image to my Vcard, anyone who scanned it would have a very simple — yet comprehensive snapshot of my professional world.

Is this the future?

Tagxedo Break the Ice was my second favorite use for this application. Make a gorgeous word cloud for new hires, party guests, new students, etc., as a brief introduction about you, your company, class, etc. Print it on invitations or announcements! — I better stop, I could go crazy here.

If nothing else this makes an awesome poster… but feel free to send the my tag résumé image to anyone you like as an ecard — maybe I’ll be “discovered”.

Such individuals are known to hang around in graveyards, exhibiting attitudes of low affect.

Bare with me on the morbid sounding comparison but zombies sound a lot like some job seekers I have come across, practically paralyzed in their desk chair pumping out hire me messages into cyberspace.. I assert that these job seeker zombies are in a suspended state of animation, due to false hope that posting the link to their online resume will get them a job, introduced through the wound caused by protracted periods of unemployment. Their bokors are misguided social media advocates — who may or may not be highly skilled and practiced employment professionals — who con them into this social media servitude under the guise of being helpful and the philosophy that it feels better to do something than nothing.

Mamma mia… let’s grow up kids… these are real lives we’re playing doctor with here.

Social media use as a compliment to a well founded strategic job search work plan is icing on the cake, a bonus, and in 2010 a still highly improbable way to get an interview. It is still more probable for a job seeker to find an opportunity than to be found.

I’m not good enough to tell you when that dynamic will turn around and reverse itself. But… here’s my Vulcan guess from last year.

How does a job seeker zombie shake a bokor? An octopomine like cure can be achieved by following these prescribed virtual steps no more than 20 hours a week:

• Use the Internet, to include social media, to search for jobs and do research on companies you are targeting –> network with current & past employees.
• Do not buy into “build it and they will come” –> if you want to be found on the Internet be social and don’t put faith in one medium.
  • Participate in LinkedIn groups and answers.
  • Post good content on Facebook company Fan Pages.
  • Comment on Recruiter and company blogs.
  • Tag your tweets strategically with keywords you’ll be hunted for.
  • Have your own blog as a portal for your job search with links to your online portfolios — search engine optimized.
• Send your résumé as an attachment in a nice email to your entire contact list with an update of your situation and ask friends and family to send it to anyone they think could be a good lead. Do not be negative and don’t whine.
• Be sure your cover letter and résumé are as good as you think they are — you’re biased, get feedback before you send out something that isn’t in your favor or won’t get into the A pile.
• Send thank you notes to contacts and stay in touch but don’t act needy — it’s a turn off.

What about the other 20 hours of the work week? Take it off line. Back away from the computer using every ounce of mental strength you still possess during this difficult time of unemployment. Reduce your dependence on bokors and you’ll find you start to come back to life:

• Volunteer with a nonprofit to keep your skills sharp and avoid having a gap on your résumé.
• Stay high profile, as a volunteer of a nonprofit you can attend networking events at the Chamber of Commerce it is a member of.
• If you have an entrepreneurial bent, it’s a great time to launch as a consultant.
• Take a certificate program — there may be workforce investment act funding to pay for it, check your state one stop shop.
• Get those projects around the house done, when you go back to work you’re not likely to have time off right away.
• Exercise, do crafts, write, swap girlfriend manicures, whatever is stress relieving for you. Unemployment and debt are both in the top 10 of stressful life events.

You can shake the bokors who try to manipulate you into thinking their social media voodoo will get you a job.

I decided to put a spin on the event to provide added value.

You see, we have local chapters of some great professional associations that many of us belong to, but the truth is that HR, Recruiters (corporate and 3rd party), Workforce Development Pros, Employment Specialists and College Career Services, we never get together across disciplines to meet one another and network. It seems it’s always for a meeting, seminar or conference and it’s difficult in those environments to find time to establish rapport, build relationships and learn how we can help one another.

And, we can improve how we work together and share best practices and resources… we can have fun doing it too.

So, won’t you join me and the other enthusiastic employment professionals who have already jumped on this incredible opportunity for networking and a cash bar? You are welcome and encouraged to forward this invitation to your network – to your co-workers, peers, colleagues, bosses, reports, wherever they may be – if they can crawl, walk, drive, fly or row in they will be most welcome!

Join us Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at River Grille in Plains on the deck overlooking the river.

Please RSVP and if there is something you would like to add to the event, don’t hesitate to let me know!

“I left a message and no one called me back.”

“They said I would hear feedback on my interview in 2 weeks and it’s been 4.”

These are the comments frequently heard from job applicants and candidates. Sure, it’s an employer’s market and a gazillion people apply for every position out there. Many of those who apply have no applicable experience and you feel they have wasted not only their own time but yours as well.

Sign of the times, people are desperate. They think if your company is hiring for that position maybe one is coming up they would qualify for and they’re doing the smart thing by getting their resume to you now. You know, being proactive, beating the crowd, showing initiative. Most people who aren’t recruiters don’t know how it really works and that secretly (or not so secretly) you are cursing them, calling them idiots for applying to jobs they’re not qualified for.

It’s often brutal on the job seeker’s end; the hunt, the wait, the rejection… and I have observed on many occasions, a holier than thou, I’m in charge here and your future depends on me attitude - from recruiters, that is far from professional. We could be on the other end of an ATS in a heartbeat.

We should always remember that…

Yes, it is highly irritating when someone overkills with follow-up to the point of being within 1/10 of an inch of being an official stalker. It’s horrid when someone files an unfounded EEOC claim of discrimination because they were not selected. It’s worthy of hazardous duty pay when a candidate didn’t deal well with being turned down and becomes verbally abusive or goes off the deep end of desperation and confronts you loudly in public, keys your car, or any number of illegal acts of vengeance (which always provide ample validation of your decision making skills).

But, none of that should desensitize us to the point of dehumanizing a process which should be just the opposite; engaging.

Here are 5 simple customer service tips to help ensure you’re not hurting people or the employer brand you’re representing:

Screening calls is fine, if you don’t want to speak with the person, send an email — but send the email.

In your communication use time lines so applicants know when they’ll hear by and that if they don’t it’s because they weren’t selected.

Be organized enough to use calendar reminders, post-it notes — whatever — to remind you it’s time to make those updates you promised.

Tone — Don’t ever show or express frustration or irritability with applicants.

Remember to thank candidates for thinking of the company as a prospective employer.

Check out what Microsoft does to make candidates feel special when they come in for an interview in their candidate experience lobby. Just imagine how relaxed and psyched for an interview one must be after a hands on experience playing with all the toys. Granted, not every company has that to offer. But, even a warm greeting and scrapbook of good times in the lobby to provide a glimpse of the culture is better than staring at 4 walls.

What candidate experience tips do you have to share?

Traditionally, the job fair has been of the standard variety with employer booths and newspaper advertising. My contributions to the event in my first year as a planning partner were the upgraded website & blog, social media and seminar.

There was nothing wrong with the job fair as it had always been for the past 19 years except that in my opinion it lacked modernity of the times, the use of technology and an educational component. Actually, it wasn’t just my opinion. As a vendor in past years I often heard the word on the street that every year it was

The same old thing

I vowed not to allow that happen another year since now I was empowered to have influence and make change. Here are some reflections on what went down and what I learned.

Contrary to what you might think, the most popular seminar session was not using social media for job search (it was 3rd place). The most attended was how to get government employment. It requires no networking at all… The attraction is all too understandable why all the seats were taken and the overflow of people stood in the back of the seminar area.

The second most popular session was how to do well in an interview. There were a lot of questions on what to say, how to say it, how to cope with nerves, how to know if it went well.. Attendees appreciated hearing the “real deal” because the process is confusing to a candidate who doesn’t understand it. We could do a much better job on our websites and in our candidate selection process of letting job seekers know expectations, time lines, process..

Social media for job seekers was interesting, a lot of questions on Myspace (I attribute this to a cosmic vortex) and what to do once one creates an account. In other words, what does one do to “social network”? This is making me think a lot. There were a lot curious people there that either haven’t created accounts because they don’t know what to do, or started accounts and didn’t do anything with them — because they didn’t know what to do…  It seemed the crowd was comfortable visiting websites and job boards but they didn’t “get” the networking angle. So, we covered the basic principles, and because an hour is not nearly enough time to really delve into technique — I promised to hold workshops.

These are people who have been out of work a really long time — some go to the library for internet because it isn’t within their monthly budget. Perhaps a sponsor will offer to help. If not, I’ll do a series for free because I can’t fathom charging the unemployed for this.

The résumé tips session was fraught with questions on what and what not to include, what style to use, how many pages it should be, if references are required, the normal stuff… What was clearly obvious to me was that the average job seeker doesn’t understand the document is a marketing piece for Me Inc. I referred them to the free résumé writing classes offered at the local branch of the State one stop shop. It’s not the gourmet service offered by some of my certified résumé writing friends.. but none of these individuals was in the situation to be able to afford paid services.

What do you people want from me??? That was the question answered in the session on employer expectations. You would think this is work 101 stuff — but not.. Some people think they should be able to bring excuses to work and not be charged PTO, others don’t agree sick dependents should affect their attendance or be cause for separation when it does. How to “move up in the company” is interesting to many and “I shouldn’t have to so someone else’s job” is common. We need to do a better job with employer branding and marketing to educate prospective employees on what our expectations really are so that they are empowered to be decision makers in the process too on whether employment with XYZ would be a good “fit”.

How to work with a recruiter had an executive gathering of note takers. So many people think the title recruiter has one definition and clearing up that misnomer is important. When and how to follow up, what to do with the feedback, everyone was curious and confused about these things. I’m thinking we don’t put out enough information on what a recruiter does… like it’s some secret order or something. OK, maybe it is =)

Imagine if everyone understood the importance of psychology in the job search and workplace. The session on emotional intelligence was incredibly interesting, if not too short and poorly attended. The presenter understood why. People in general aren’t really in touch with their emotions, don’t understand how they sabotage quality of life, and many push them away and are horrible at managing them. When it came time for interactive exercises it was men in the session that volunteered. There were some women sitting there with their eyes glazed over. <— Look, this is just my observation. I’m trying not to be judgmental.

I thought adding a Job Seeker Strategy seminar to the job fair was a good idea. Now I think this seminar needs to go on a road tour to high schools and colleges, one stop shops and job fairs in every community and town across the country.

If you work in HR or recruiting, please implement it in your community. Or if you would like to sponsor my roadshow, let me know. I could really dig a national tour…

Blake Cannon on some of the most pressing issues workforce facing military veterans from his most recent blog post:

No Skin in the Game — Why?

Here are a few of the immediate problems that need to be addressed right away

• There are an enormous amount of recently separated Veterans that have entered the workforce and there will be more on the way with the upcoming withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
• Most companies do not currently have a defined Veteran Hiring Program
• Companies hire differently today than they did after any other major military conflict
• Most organizations are utilizing Internal recruiters who typically have zero military experience (and that’s OK)
• External Recruiters – Companies typically will not pay a fee for Military Personnel with mixed backgrounds and experience – they do not consider Veterans fee eligible
• Hiring from websites does not work for Veterans
• Companies and the Public have a good outward message for supporting Veterans but they are not as a whole, willing to put any real skin in the game…
• A veterans true experience & knowledge is not always conveyed to employers correctly.
• Assessment Tools not available that relate to Military Personnel

Blake Cannon
Disabled Veteran, US Army and a Proud Recruiter!
blake.cannon@recruitveterans.com
@BlakeCannon

When facing a stack of job applications, it can be tempting to craft one résumé and cover letter and send them to out to multiple recruiters/hiring managers to save time. They won’t know the difference, right? Wrong.

Recruiters and hiring managers can spot a letter sent to multiple recipients from a mile away. Generalized sentences or lack of a personalized greeting are dead giveaways that can instantly turn a recruiter/hiring manager away from your application, no matter how qualified you are for the job. Why should a s/he take interest in you when you haven’t even taken the time to show true interest in their company?

If you don’t personalize each and every résumé and cover letter you submit, you run the risk of seeming:

• Disrespectful: Mass messaging shows a lack of consideration for the recipient. Not showing care and attention now can suggest that you might be that way on the job, as well.
• Unknowledgeable: By not even taking the time to research the company you are applying for, it appears you may not be aware of everything your desired position may demand of you.
• Lazy: This is probably one of the worst traits to you can exhibit as a potential new hire. Customizing your résumé and cover letter may be time consuming, but doing so shows you have a true dedication to the job.
• Unoriginal: Recruiters and hiring managers receive countless résumés and cover letters each day. If you don’t use your application tools to present how unique you are for each position you apply for, you are missing a huge opportunity to show your worth.

Remember, cover letters and résumés are your first impression with a recruiter/hiring manager. They can make-or-break your chances of advancing in the hiring process. Getting the job you want takes time, diligence and definitely doesn’t start with the phrase, “To Whom it May Concern.”

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

#9   Do you restrict Internet access?

#8   What time would I have to work until?

#7   Do you do background checks?

#6   Do you drug test?

#5   How many sick days do I get?

#4   Can I work from home?

#3   When can I apply for a promotion?

#2   When will I get a raise?

#1   How long will this interview take?

Job seekers, have you ever regretted something you asked in an interview? Recruiters, Hiring Managers and other interviewers, what are some of the most damaging (or funny) things candidates have asked you in interviews?

Dorothy Beach, MBA CIR PHR got me thinking. She posted a question on the discussion board of the LinkedIn Social Media Recruiting Group asking for opinions on the effect of social media on recruiting in the far future, 5–20 years down the virtual highway. My mind immediately took a journey to Wish List Lane and Technology Square. If you repeat something enough times and really believe it that makes it reality, right?

In my vulcanesque way of thinking, most everyone on Earth will be digitally literate and have their own domain which will seamlessly be linked to the various networks they choose to participate in. Job seekers and passive candidates  open to opportunities will be able to open their networks to candidate searches so they can be found. Job seekers will no longer need to proactively apply to openings.

Companies will conduct searches not job seekers. Recruiters will be consultants to companies hiring and perform more of a job profile / company fit identification role, write the job keywords and parameters and set up the newfangled ATS which will be on a cloud. Software will be coded to meet the requirements of highly specialized queries and it will crawl to find candidates profiles base on the distance you wish to search and import them into your database where you will be able to further refine your search. Boolean strings will be old fashioned and systems will be user intuitive and friendly.

Recruiters will narrow the candidate pool by refining matches and conducting 1st virtual screenings, recommend the top 3 candidates to hiring managers, co-conduct the interviews and assist in the decision making ad placement process. Recruiters, in their expanded consultant role may see new hires through their first 3 months taking an active role in the new onboarding process.

What’s your vision?

She’s got it going on…  Basically, she’s out on Time Square hob nobbing with the likes of the Naked Cowboy on Time Square in NYC. Now, tell me, who wouldn’t want that job? Tory, if you ever get tired, let me know, OK? We don’t have anyone quite like that dude on Wilkes-Barre Public Square.. Maybe we could do a Wife Swap like thing or something.

Like so many things these days, it all started with a tweet. She posted this:

“Smart or sleazy to fake job references?” and a link about an abc.com story, Faking Job References for a price. The title intrigued me and I clicked the link. What ensued was a lesson in how to get exactly what it promised, fake job references — for a price. The price isn’t all that expensive either. Add to that fake resumes, doctor’s notes, landlord references and funeral excuses, you can pretty much live the life you wish to lead… maybe.

And, so I replied, “@toryjohnson Tory, Tory, come on, it’s not ethical but smart? YES.… odds r u won’t get caught & if u do ur simply back 2 where u started.”

Tory had a hard time with my answer, and when I have my HR hat on I do too. Well OK, I had to take my HR hat off to do that. But it was my gut talking and since this occurred yesterday I am now even more convinced I was right.

1. If you don’t get hired it doesn’t matter.
2. If you get hired and they don’t check your references it doesn’t matter & you can pay your rent.
3. If you get an offer and they find out the references are fake you won’t get the job or you’ll get fired, but then you weren’t going to get it with your real references anyway so back to square 1.

I have compassion. If I were out of work for so long that I was heading for eviction I would consider borrowing the money from someone to buy references. If I had gaps in my employment because I was fancy footing around and hadn’t grown up yet , but I had changed and now that was holding me back? Yeah, maybe.

I don’t judge people on why they make the decisions they do. They obviously make them because they believe in the moment they’re the right things to do. The deal is you have to be prepared to pay the consequences. You have to be prepared to be not hired or to be fired if you’re caught. I understand for some people and in some circumstances it’s worth it to take that risk.

On the other hand, I don’t understand why entry level and non-managerial positions require employment references. I think it’s an old-fashioned way to do business. I am in favor of criminal and credit history background checks, the need depending on the nature of the job. I think an employer has a right to know. Anything less than lapses in judgment so severe they cause incarceration or severe patterns of defaulting on credit (though in today’s world it’s hard to find people who haven’t) really isn’t my business to put you to work serving food, stocking shelves or running equipment.

As a Recruiter and/or Hiring Manager I need to be able to determine if you have the aptitude and attitude to do the job via performance and behavioral based interviewing. Frankly, the issues you had 5 years ago really don’t concern me today.  Life can hit anyone at any time and though I have empathy for you not having transportation 5 years ago and poor attendance as a result, I care about your situation today not how you got fired for that.

Never in a million years would I recommend faking references. I was raised right, to be honest, do good and treat others as I would like to be treated. Yet at the same time, I know life isn’t always fair and sometimes you can get left holding a bad hand.

So you do what you have to do. Just be prepared to deal with the possible consequences.

If today’s Recruiters are savvy they’re going to see right through those fake references. If not, well then the joke’s on them.