Your Image Is Important

Today I spent hours shaking hands and talking to strangers, it’s just another thing that I love about my job. It is called recruiting. Today I went to one of the better advertised job fairs in the OKC metro area, the Workforce Oklahoma Spring Career Fair, held at the Coca-Cola Event Center in downtown OKC.

If you are someone who is just fascinated by people and enjoy "people watching", then a job fair to you what a candy store is to a 5 year old. It is fascinating!

I never cease to be amazed at the wide array of candidates that rush through the door in search of a job at 10am when the flood gates are opened.

Let me describe for you from a recruiter’s perspective what we see. There are a few categories of people that frequent job fairs. First, there are the very high class professional (suit and tie) candidates that come in well polished and ready for the job hunt. Then, there are those that appear to have stumbled upon the event while meandering through the streets with nothing better to do, so they came inside. Then there are many who are somewhere in between.

Remember, this is not a shopping center either. I realize recruiters bring lots of free goodies, which of course being free means you can have one. Notice, I said, ONE! Any person who walks up to my table with a bag or purse who litterally scoops a handful of pens or other give-aways into the bag WHILE asking me about a job, is immediately going into my NO pile. That is NOT the impression you want to make! In the back of my mind I'm thinking, so if I hire you will you do that in the supply room too?

Who do you want to be in the eyes of someone who holds the job you covet during that first impression? Well, a lot of that depends on the position you are seeking. If you are in the medical profession, it might benefit you to show up in scrubs (nice clean, pressed and properly fitted). This is something that immediately catches the eye of the healthcare recruiters. However, if you are applying for an accounting position and show up in scrubs, you won’t give the impression of the most qualified candidate for that position. You should dress the part.


More importantly, think about the impressions you DON’T want to make! Do NOT even walk in the door if you are in PJs (yes, I said pajamas, and YES there have been people who have done this at a job fair, crazy right?) You do NOT want to come in where something that you would wear out to a night club. Again, yes, people do this (and unless the night club is there and hiring… they leave the way they came in… still looking for a job).

Also, don’t bring your kids. They are adorable, yes, and I love kids. However, I leave mine with a sitter to come to work, and if you can’t find a sitter long enough to find a job, recruiters will assume you won’t be able to find one long enough to work when they need you. NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER bring your children to job interviews! This will NOT help your chances of getting the job. If you don’t have a sitter, daycare, family or friend to help, then find a church that offers a Mommy’s Day Out program and plan your interviews during that time.

Finally, bring more resumes with you than there are companies there to accept it. If you say to a recruiter, “Oh, I am very interested but I just handed out my last resume…” The conversation is over. Immediately, the recruiter thinks, well either this candidate handed a resume out to everyone that would take it or they came unprepared, either is not a good first impression. Remember, we will see several hundred people during the event and are not likely to remember you from the crowd without an impressive and up-to-date resume.

The only thing worse than not having a resume at a career fair is having one that is out-dated or irrelevant. You should have several resumes that focus on different career aspirations. If you want a job as an accountant, but would also accept an office manager position, then focus the accounting resume on your accounting experience and education. Have another resume prepared that focuses on the office management experience for when you apply for those positions. If you tell me that you want the job I have as an office manager, but your experience on the resume only speaks of your time waitressing for the past 6 months while searching for the right job… you’ll still be searching. However, if you showcase the last 7 years of administrative and office management experience and then explain in a brief statement that the employment gap has been filled with temporary work, that keeps you on my YES pile (which is where you want to be!)

Also, for students out there that come to career fairs expecting to go from recent college graduate to Corporate VP, be realistic. That won’t happen overnight. You need to make strategic moves to get there, and that will require building your resume with work experience to compliment your degree.

Happy Job Hunting!

HR Champions

It is great to be able to champion a cause that you believe in whether that be saving a rainforest (a noble and global cause) or mentoring and developing others to assist them in transitioning to the right career path (a worthy cause on a smaller and more local scale).

I know that HR is not the most glamorous career choice, and if it gets you famous it may be for the wrong reasons (like a class action lawsuit from poor HR management practices... Wal-Mart comes to mind right now as they are in current headlines.)

However, it is a career that can be rewarding not just financially but with a great intrinsic value. For someone in a leadership role in HR, there is a serious power to influence people management philosophies in the organization. If done right, then HR can truly add value to an organization through realizing the value in its most fundamental resource, PEOPLE! Retaining workers can have a huge impact on the bottom line which speaks to the CEOs of the world. What is even more valuable than that, is the ability to develop people within the organization to BECOME the CEOs of the world! This CAN happen, but often is not the focus of employers.

I love the story recently highlighted on ABC’s ‘World News with Diane Sawyer’ where Diane interviewed McDonald’s President Jan Fields who worked her way up from an entry level crew leader position to where she is today at the executive table. This is a beautiful example of utilizing people’s talent within the organization. Unlike many executives, this “MickyDs” President has a true understanding of what it takes to run the business from the front line perspective all the way up through the management hierarchy. This allows her to understand the needs of the customers as well as the employees so that she can make better strategic improvements in the organization and its processes. I think Jan hit the nail on the head when she said, “Our restaurant employees are the foundation of our business. They are the men and women who interact with our customers every day, enhance the McDonald’s experience, and continue to help make our business strong… a McJob is one with career growth and endless possibilities.” – Jan Fields, President, McDonald’s USA.

For anyone who is as passionate about people development as I am, I hope to see you at the 2011 Oklahoma State HR Conference coming up in May where keynote speakers will talk in depth about people management skills and best practices. If you haven’t yet registered, there is still time to do so. Read more about the event at www.okhrconference.com. If you can’t make it, check back here after the event has started for my favorite highlights. As a member of this year’s blog squad, I will be providing real-time updates from keynotes and sessions using social media outlets including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and my blog.

Growing Pains

Yesterday an amazing opportunity presented itself to me. I was asked by a college student, who is studying human resources, if I would be this student's mentor. For someone to ask this of me is quite an honor, and it made me think about who my mentors have been. Although I never asked for a mentor, I was truly blessed to be put in a situation to have one (actually several).

When I began my journey into HR, it was by chance. I was working at America Online (AOL/ Time Warner), and I had started out in an entry level position which really left me feeling that I was not challenged enough and that I was not meeting my potential. However, I was still very happy in that position because AOL took good care of their employees with awesome benefits and employee appreciation. However, an internal job posting went out and my supervisor brought it to my attention. Although in reading through the job description I didn't meet all of their preferred requirements, I did feel that it was a good fit for me based on my past employment experiences and skills; so I applied.

In the interview I experienced my first behavioral interview, which seemed completely foreign to me at the time. I remember when they were asking me for an example of a time that I walked into a situation, saw a problem and resolved it, and I tried with all my might to think of a shining bright example with which to dazzle and impress them from my prior work experience... but I drew a blank. No doubt seeing my glazed over expression, one of the interviewers said, "It doesn't have to be a work related example. You can just tell us about a personal example that would answer the question." So, I did. I told them about a PARTY that I had gone to at a friend's house! (After the interview I really thought I had blown it here.) I explained that I had walked in and there was an area cleared for a dance floor, but that I noticed the positioning of the snack table looked like an accident waiting to happen. I moved the table to a better position because I didn't want anyone to trip and fall.

Thinking back on it, I had just shown a "natural talent" for looking at safety, which is an important function that typically falls under the HR umbrella. However, at the time I thought to myself, "Well I just blew it. Who brings up a PARTY at an interview? They will never take me seriously after that." Of course, they asked many other questions which I had better answers for, and as it turned out I was selected for the position.

When I moved into the HR Specialist role I quickly learned that the person who had the job before me was basically a glorified receptionist (nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't what I wanted). As I began to better understand the needs of the HR department I quickly found areas where I could make improvements and where I could do more. I did so without really sitting down and having a conversation about what I thought my role should be, but then one opportunity came up that I didn't even think to tackle... this is where I gained my mentor...

Another person in our department unexpectedly left and her work obviously still needed to get done in the interim as a replacement was found. I honestly didn't know much about what she did, and I never thought to jump in, raise my hand, and volunteer to learn it and do it. This is when the HR department head said to me, "That train drove right past you and you never jumped on board." I had one of those "ah ha" moments after that and realized, that if you want to grow, you have to jump in and do it at every opportunity because your boss may never think to ask you if you're interested if you don't speak up.

From that day forward, I went out of my way to communicate more with my department heads and to volunteer at every opportunity. Yes, it was a lot of work and was challenging, but it helped me to grow and learn more about HR which had turned out to be my career passion. Thinking back to past positions, I have really had a few great mentors whose advise I still use today. There are times when there was tough criticism about personal attributes (like my tendency to be stubborn and hard-headed) where I felt knocked down and had to brush myself off and keep moving. However, as I progressed I learned to take those criticisms constructively understanding the motives behind them were as they should be, just to help me improve. I only hope that I can be as good a mentor to others in the future as what I have been fortunate enough to receive.

More Resume Insights

I recently talked about resumes and the fact that they are still very necessary in today's professional job market. (Although for more entry level jobs, they may not be required since applicants will probably be using an online application system, it never hurts for even an entry level candidate to be prepared with a well written resume. It can give the needed competitive advantage to put you ahead of peers in the recruiting process.) After a week of sorting through a few hundred resumes, I feel there is a bit more that I need to say on this topic.

Recently I have been spending a lot of time recruiting for executive level positions, and I have been amazed at how poorly marketed many of these polished professionals are in their resume. In many cases, had I not personally known these candidates from professional associations, I would not have even considered them based on the resume alone.

A resume speaks volumes about a person's computer, communications, and presentation skills without even really reading the content. If a quick glance at a resume shows a lack of organization, no punctuation or use of bold, italics, or *bullets* to make pertinent information stand out... or worse yet, EVERTHING is bolded or bulleted or CAPITALIZED, then the first assumption is that this person is not going to be able to present ideas, proposals, or research data to me in a user friendly format when I need it nor are they likely to be someone who can put together a good training presentation, etc. If you are applying for a position that will require these skills, which includes most management positions, then you are selling yourself short with a poorly written resume.

Another resume pet peeve (that most hiring managers have) which you should be aware of... overly lengthy resumes with little content to justify the length. If you are a recent graduate with no experience, then you certainly should have only a one page resume, but you will need to make it stand out with academic accomplishments and volunteer experiences that are relevant to the job you are applying for. If you have 30 years of professional experience, it is expected that you probably won't fit all of that on one page. However, if you can't fit it on two pages, don't expect anyone to read what you've put on the 3rd page. When 100 or more resumes stream in for a highly sought after executive level position, hiring managers do not have time to read every word of every resume. Hiring managers will scan for highlights, achievements, tenure, job titles, and company names to make a quick determination of fit for the position to narrow down the pile from 100 to approximately 10 for initial interviews. If none of those 10 are a good fit, they may go back to the stack, but the trick is to be in that first group they select.

Some of the resumes I’ve seen lately are like the equivalent of dressing up in your finest suit and then throwing a trash bag full of garbage on top of yourself right before you try to make a good first impression. It makes no sense to be a polished professional with a resume that makes you look like a slob!

If you can’t afford to have a professional bring a facelift to your resume, that’s ok. Here are some very simply steps to follow that can make a big impact. First, DO NOT BULLET EVERYTHING!!! Don’t use all capitals either. Make company names and job titles stand out by bolding them which helps separate one job from the next (but don’t start changing fonts). If the job you had is very self-explanatory, like accountant or secretary, don’t waste a lot of space regurgitating a job description on your resume. Instead, focus on the times in your job that you went above and beyond the call of duty, such as spearheading a project, or changing a process to improve efficiency that saved the company time and money. Use bullets only to highlight major accomplishments. Say what you need to say succinctly with short concise wording that gets your point across without wasting space. Condense your resume to one or two pages (no more than two.) If this means you have to drop off 10 years of experience off your resume, use a carefully worded letter of interest to discuss other RELEVANT experience that they may wish to know about that didn’t make the final cut on your resume.

Are Resumes Obsolete?

Not yet. I hear all the time that resumes are becoming obsolete, and while they are certainly becoming overshadowed from the perspective of recruiters who are actively sourcing candidates through LinkedIn profiles and other social media tools... resumes are still a crucial part of the job search. For those of you not in the human resource profession, you may ask, "What is sourcing?" It is what a recruiter does when they actively seek qualified candidates for a job. If you are not at the point yet of being an established professional in your field, you are going to have to get your foot in the door somehow because no one is knocking down your door to get to you. A resume is an important tool to help do this. If you are someone who is well known in your field and who has a vast network of other professionals in your field, than a resume is a bit less important because your LinkedIn profile will tell the recruiter who is searching for you what they need to know. So for an outsider looking in, wishing to be the person that is sought after by recruiters, how do you get there? That is a good question and not an easy task. You have to put into relevant terms your education and other experiences and bridge the gap between what you've done and what you would like to be doing. A well-written resume can do this, especially if paired with a thoughtful letter of interest for a position. Students and recent graduates often ask me how to do this. The first step is learning all you can about the job that you want. If you understand what is required in that job and what is expected in the day to day functions of that position, then you will be better prepared to make the connections for the recruiter from your past experience and how you could be a valuable asset in the job you are seeking. When I was just out of school, I focused my resume on my skills and education and highlighted the longevity on the job which is important to employers. Turnover costs have HR pros seeing red, and they want to see more green. If you stay on a job less than a year, you automatically lose a few points with the hiring manager. If you stay 2 or 3 years, you are more likely to look favorable to the person hiring for the position. Need an example? First, let's say (taking from my personal experience here) that your first job was as a carhop at Sonic (or some other fast food job). How on earth is that relevant to any management position? If your resume only says that you were a carhop at Sonic and does not have much else listed, good luck scoring any job outside of the fast food industry! However, it can be done, and here's is how you can make it happen. First, think about what your deliverables were in your job. For me, I needed to get orders out in 4 minutes or less and make the customers happy above all else. As you can imagine, getting much of anything done in 4 minutes is a lot of pressure, and it cannot be done alone. In my resume and letter of interest I spoke about the skills I attained from that job and made correlations for the recruiter from my experience to the job responsibilities that I was seeking. In any entry level management position everyone knows that getting employees to work together is a vitally important part of the job. As a carhop I partnered with my coworkers to make our processes more efficient, and I worked as a team player. I learned every position within the organization so that I could help out wherever and whenever needed. Based on one minor change that I made in the food packaging process, we reduced the average time to get an order out to the customer by 1 minute, and this was shared as a best practice with other franchises which still use this system today. This slight efficiency improvement meant more customers could be handled in a shorter amount of time which translates to more profits for the company. I also outlined my ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines which is important for management professionals. Making the customers happy is also important in any position. Here I talked about how my average tips were about 3 times higher than my coworkers because I ran from car to car during rush hours and made a point to proactively prepare to meet customer’s needs such as bringing extra ketchup packets when I knew they ordered fries or bringing a straw and spoon when they ordered a shake and bringing extra napkins when a kids meal was purchased. These small things translate into insightful customer service skills that speak volumes to recruiters in any industry. These are just a few examples from my past to show you that it can be done. Remember that Google is your friend when seeking to learn more about the position you hope to attain. If you are having a difficult time correlating your experience, volunteer work or education into work ready skills for your industry, seek the help of a professional resume writing service. There are many to choose from, and I happen to offer that service as well if you are interested (shameless plug). May you find all you want and need in your next job! Good luck!

Refreshed and Ready to Tackle Another Monday

I'm here to tell you today that there is no better way to start your Monday morning than a good night's sleep. All too often on Mondays I see my coworkers dragging themselves in while yawning all throughout their day because they didn't get enough sleep. The problem is that their lack of energy is also a drain on their productivity. This is evident even to the untrained person, but as I thought about this topic I did what most curious minds do... I googled it. Here is an interest tidbit of information for you from a recent Harvard study discussed at http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health. Quoting directly from this link, I found this information quite interesting…

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

 Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
 Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
 Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
 Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
 Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
 Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.


Back to my own original thoughts on this issue. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a sleep scientist for that matter) to figure out that you perform better when you are well rested and refreshed from a good night's sleep. I recently invested in a new mattress, and now it feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud every night! I can honestly say that I feel better every morning since having the new mattress. Who would have thought a new bed could lead to a new and improved me? I wake up easier in the morning and feel more alive and awake and ready to tackle the day when I get in the office. So the moral of this story is... INVEST IN YOURSELF! Whether it be allowing yourself more time for that needed cat nap or a new bed to make your slumber more tranquil, take the time to ensure your body and mind have the much needed reward of a good night's sleep.

Does PTO stand for Please Take Off?

I just read an interesting article at http://theenergyproject.com/blog/case-vacations which made me think back to a recent conversation I had with a healthcare manager about paid time off requests. From many managers you will hear statements like, "It's your time, take it if you need it" when asking about company vacation or PTO (Paid Time Off) days. However, all too often despite what a manager says, the reality is that their actions do not mirror their words.

Over the years I have talked with employees who said PTO meant “Please Take Off [Permanently]” because they felt like their jobs would be in jeopardy and they would be fired if they took time away from work. Although excessive time off over and above the time your employer (or applicable leave policies) allows for you can lead to disciplinary action or termination, the employer does actually want you to utilize your PTO (Paid Time Off) or vacation to reinvest in yourself so that you can be more productive when you are at work. They just want you to pre-plan that time so they can plan on keeping the business running smoothly while you are away.

Some of you may say that is true in theory but not in application. Have you ever been sold on a job because of the generous vacation package that went with it only to find that they never actually allowed you to use that time? I'll be honest here and tell you that I have been there. I have been in a position where I had as many as 30 days of vacation available to me each year, but I always ended up losing at least 2 weeks of that time by not using it before it expired. It was not because I did not want or need a break.
It was because the workload never allowed for a break. I think some of you know what I'm talking about here. If you take a vacation and know that NOTHING will be done while you are gone and all of the work you miss will just be piled up on top of what you have to do the week you're back... it is hard to take a vacation and really forget about work and relax!

Worse yet, some managers will go a step farther in hindering your ability to utilize vacation with guilt tactics! This is when although your vacation request may have been approved, you spend the days leading up to your vacation hearing about how much harder the rest of the team will be working to pick up your slack. Some managers do this unintentionally or even do it to make you feel needed and appreciated, but the reality is that it makes it hard for any employee with a conscience to leave work with the feeling that they are putting their coworkers in a bind.

Juggling family and/ or personal responsibilities with daily work responsibilities can be difficult without needed time for relaxation and recuperation. Everyone’s needs are unique of course, and there is no one size fits all solution to solve this problem. However, I have some helpful suggestions that may help you achieve a better work/life balance. First, realize that although it may not always be possible to take a week or two away from work to head to the beach if you have a job with a lot of responsibility, there are destinations closer to home that can give you the same benefits. If you are in need of some fun in the sun, find a local lake or even pond where you can have a picnic lunch or camp out for a weekend (a place away from busy multi-line phones and internet connections!) If you really need an umbrella drink to make the day complete, pack a little toothpick umbrella (which you can buy from the grocery or liquor store) and put in your wine glass (use your imagination for something other than strategic planning at work.)

If relaxation is what you crave, try a spa day at your local spa. If a whole day is too much time away from your schedule this week, a half day off in the afternoon to unwind can still provide a much needed break. Worried about the expense? Check these links to find discounts available near you for spa services or other great ideas for fun or relaxation away from work, http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1629474 or www.livingsocial.com.




Lastly, I might also suggest a day at home all to yourself. Sometimes, the best way to unwind is to just sleep in until noon and have no where that you have to be, with no one expecting anything from you. If you have a family that counts on you, this may take a bit more planning, but it can be done.

When time and workload is an issue, 3 or 4 day weekends are a great compromise to allow for family fun or personal relaxation. Time away from work can actually help make you MORE PRODUCTIVE when you are at work! Remind your manager of this the next time your approved day off is met with a guilt trip.