What Matters Most With a Resume? Learn From a 30-Year Recruiting Expert

Shelly Gourlay is known for her 30+ year talent acquisition track record with global brands including Nike and Columbia Sportswear. She currently runs the Sports Product Management Master’s Program at the University of Oregon where she identifies and develops future sports product industry leaders. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shelly for several years as an instructor for the program.

I asked Shelly, “What matters most with a resume?” Her advice is direct and incredibly helpful. Here’s what she had to say:

“Recruiters are typically the first people who look at your resume within a company. So, the question is, how do you avoid being overlooked?

What matters most is making your resume easy to follow. It must be coherent and tell a clear story so the recruiter can ‘get you.’ Elaborate, graphic formats are a problem if they make it difficult to understand your work experience chronologically. You don’t want the recruiter saying, ‘I don’t get it,’ because if that happens, they’ll move on to the next applicant.

The bottom line is keep it simple: use an easily recognizable format, put your education at the top or at the bottom, and go in reverse chronology with the information you’re sharing.”

I love Shelly’s advice! Check out my book, “Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want,” for more resume tips and to learn the secrets to getting hired from other legends like Shelly!

Your New Favorite Brand

Amazon, Apple, and Google consistently top the global brand ranking charts. They do pretty much everything right and we buy into it. It’s easy and natural for us to think about companies like those big names as brands. They make things and we buy those things. What we seldom do though is think of ourselves as brands. I want to help you make that shift within yourself because it will be a game-changer for your career. 

As a career coach, I help people with all aspects of landing their dream careers but there’s probably nothing more significant in career success than how you view yourself. If you start seeing yourself as a brand, and even better, as your favorite brand, you will be blown away by what will happen for you career-wise.

I know this is a big shift in thinking for many of us and there are several things to consider in how you create and manage your brand. To keep it simple, and to get you started, I’m going to give you what I think are the three first steps to thinking about yourself as a brand:

1.    Get clear on who you are and what you want. If you don’t know who you are and what you want, how are you ever to going to convince someone to hire you? It’s that simple. An easy way to do this is to write a 2-sentence summary about yourself. This is for you to get clear on what you’re all about but it’s also perfect as an overview statement on your resume.

Here’s an example: ‘Bilingual electronics expert with a strong background in finance, accounting, and customer service. Looking for a challenging finance position at a growing electronics brand.’ 

The first sentence should be about you/your background and the second sentence should be what you’re looking for career-wise. When you write your version of this think about what makes you unique and what strengths/expertise you can highlight. 

2.    Get really good at telling your own story.In a professional setting, when someone asks you about yourself, I suggest you have 3 versions of that answer: 10 seconds, 1 minute, and 3-5 minutes. 

For the 10 second version, a good guideline is to say what your background is and what you’re doing now. For example, “I’ve work in tech for the past 3 years. I’m currently working for a robotics start up on the research side.’ 

For the 1 minute version, I’d add to that other interesting details such as where you’re from, perhaps where you went to school, and where you’ve worked. 

Then the 3-5-minute version is typically reserved for interview situation when you’re asked, ‘So tell me about yourself.” The goal here is to share your story but weave it together in a way that aligns nicely with the position you’re applying for. 

No matter which version you’re sharing, be authentic, memorable, and don’t read off a memorized script – you’ll seem like a robot if you do that.

3.    Manage your online presence. The most important piece of advice when it comes to managing your brand online is to have a great LinkedIn profile. It is your virtual billboard and it’s free so it’s a no-brainer to do it. Make sure you have a professional headshot, a strong background image, a great headline, a compelling ‘About’ section, and your work experience laid out with details about what you did not just job titles. On my blog there are several articles about how to optimize your LinkedIn if you want more advice.

Seeing yourself as a brand is one of the most important steps to achieving your career goals. The sky is the limit if you start to shift your thinking and be more intentional with how you manage your brand. Stop wondering when great things are going to happen for you and start making them happen.

Want more advice to help take your career to the next level? Check out my book or my online course.

You Spend an Insane Amount of Time on Social Media … Why Not Use It to Help You Land Your Next Job?

You are probably on your phone 5+ hours each day. I’m going to guess over half of your phone time is social media use. It’s pretty shocking but if you don’t believe me set a timer for 30 minutes and see if you can avoid checking social media that entire time. I’m not sure what we’re all looking for by endlessly scrolling. It’s as if we think we’re going to miss something critically important so we must check again … and again … or perhaps we think some life-changing news is going to appear and we don’t want to be the last to know. Whatever the reason, it’s the reality for most people.  

I regularly hear people share their struggles with job searching and interviewing. Today I have three easy things you can do while you’re on your phone anyway to help get you closer to your next job. Simply put, if you’ve read this far, you must care about your career so let’s put some of that screen time to good use. 

1. Tell your story and ask for help. Most of us think we need to act like we’ve got it all covered but we don’t – none of us do. Social media, especially LinkedIn, is a great way to share your story and ask for help. There are two ways I suggest doing this. 1) If you’re a student or new grad you can publically broadcast a short post or video on your social media explaining your background, what you bring to the table, and what sort of position you’re looking for – and ask your network to help you spread the word. 2) If you’re currently employed but are looking for a new position (i.e. you don’t want all your friends/connections like your boss to know you’re looking), then use your LinkedIn account to privately message people in companies that interest you to try to network with them. Your short-term goal with this approach is to get someone to give you 5 minutes of their time via phone so you can ask them a few questions about their role and hopefully start to build some rapport with them that could grow over time. This approach is essentially how I landed what was, at the time, my dream job working in adidas world years ago. Make sure that before you do any of this, you have a great LinkedIn profile.

2. Foster goodwill by sharing other people’s posts. I’m a big fan of career expert, Hannah Morgan’s advice. She’s a job search strategist who runs CareerSherpa.net. I love how she explains the magic that happens when you foster goodwill with others. Morgan says, “Smart job seekers focus on the needs, wants and desires of others and obsess less over the need to find a job. Successful networkers know that when they show generosity toward others, it can and usually does come back to help them in the future.” Not only does you sharing someone else’s post put you on their radar but it also makes them more likely to be open to networking with you and/or potentially helping you in the future. Plus, people just love to feel supported and see their posts shared. Engaging with a post by liking it or commenting is one thing but sharing it is another level of endorsement. Think about who you could show some love that might ultimately benefit you.

3. Be seen as an expert. News happens every day in any given industry. When something significant happens in the industry you’re passionate about, consider sharing the news and adding your opinion/expertise to it. This, when done consistently and carefully, can truly help build your reputation in an industry. Just make sure opinions you share can’t come back to hurt you later. i.e. If your dream job is with Apple I wouldn’t share news and excitement about a new release from Microsoft. Instead I’d focus on Apple or perhaps on consumer trends or something broad about the tech/consumer electronics/software industries.

The three things above are very easy to do; you just need to rejig your screen time a little every so often. Social media can absolutely be used to the advantage of your career. For more frequent career advice, follow me on Instagram @madetohire.

How I Actually Got Into Nike

I’ll start by saying it had nothing to do with applying online and then waiting to be called. Getting into Nike is like getting into any sought-after company - there’s a formula. So, if you have career goals that are bigger than what you’re doing now, read on.

 My journey into Nike has keys you can use to help you land your dream job. I’ll warn you the path into a global brand or any top company is not easy, not a straight line, and not for the impatient. I’ve broken the formula down into 5 steps you can use with any company. 

Step 1: Network

While I was in grad school, I was part of the organizing committee for a Women in Business event. I knew there was going to be a speaker at the event from Nike. Her name was Jodi Sittig and at the time she held one of the senior positions in Nike’s Women’s business. Her job and her career path were pretty much a dream to me. I spoke to the head of my department and asked if I could be her ‘host’ for the day. ‘Host’ sounds fancy but really it was about meeting her at the parking lot, making sure she had everything she needed for the event, escorting her to the room, etc. Nothing major but the perfect way to get a little alone time with her so I could meet her and start to build a relationship with her. Although I was super nervous, fortunately, I kept it together and she was amazing. This intentional networking was the beginning of me getting into Nike. By the end of the day, Jodi and I were discussing the possibility of me doing some work for her. 

Step 2: Be Real

Successful people are used to being sold to all the time. They don’t like it. Yes, it’s important for you to have goals and be convicted in what you’re going after but when you network it should be more about forming real, authentic connections than about using someone for who they are or who they know. When you talk about yourself, share the unique parts of your story – the things that set you apart in a good way. Those things are memorable and give people a reason to want to advocate for you. And be sure to ask thoughtful questions when networking. Don’t just ask about someone’s day-to-day job responsibilities. That’s boring. Give them a chance to share something meaningful by asking things like, ‘Looking at your career, what do you think are the biggest reasons why you’ve had the success you’ve had?’ or ‘With such a demanding job, what tricks have you found to try to help you balance work and the rest of your life?’ 

My conversations that day with Jodi were as much about her family on the east coast and her adorable dog as they were about her work experience with incredible career with Nike.

Step 3: Make it Difficult for Them to Say No

When Jodi and I chatted, I definitely brought up my interest in working for Nike. I knew Jodi didn’t need my help but I believed if she liked me and trusted I was competent she might give me a chance. The key with this was making it easy for her. I made it clear to her that I still had one more year of school left but that I’d love to do any free project work for her remotely. Removing the requirement of being paid, of needing a desk, or really of needing any of her time, made it much more difficult for her to say no. Lucky for me, she said yes to me doing free project work for her. 

I know many of you aren’t students or can’t spend your week doing work for free but I bet there’s a portion of your time you could allocate to a short, unpaid project if you had the chance and if it could be a key way to help you ultimately get into your dream company.

Step 4: Go Out of Your Way 

Go WAY out of your way if you need to. When you’re trying to get into a sought-after company, you need to be crazy determined, highly motivated, and very accommodating. 

While doing the project work for Jodi, she worked in Beaverton, Oregon (Nike’s World Headquarters) and I was going to school 2 hours away in Eugene, Oregon at the University of Oregon. When Jodi wanted to meet with me, I was there. No part of me thought about or mentioned the 2-hr drive each way. It didn’t matter. If she was going to give me face time, I would have driven for 12 hours. 

And it isn’t enough to just go out of your way. Whatever you are meeting about, whether it’s an informational coffee or you delivering a project, you have to over-deliver. You might ask, for example, how do I over-deliver at a coffee meeting? Three easy ways: 1) you come with your research done on the person and the company so you can ask great questions, 2) you bring an updated copy of your resume, and 3) you insist on paying for the coffee as a small thanks for their time (and you definitely send a follow up thank you email too). 

Step 5: Be Top of Mind 

Job openings happen all the time at big companies. The challenge is if you’re coming from the outside, you’re competing with people who already have relationships within the company and know the job opening is coming. You need to stay relevant to any connections you have within the company and continue to build more connections. Doing free project work is one great way to stay top of mind and prove yourself. Another really good way to stay on someone’s radar is to email your contact the occasional article you find that is relevant to their work that you think they may benefit from reading. That’s an easy way to deliver value, let them know what you’ve been up to, and reiterate your keen interest in getting into the company eventually if they hear of any openings. 

I did project work for Nike for 9 months doing that 4-hr round trip drive as often as 2 days per week while doing full-time school and a paid part-time job at the school. After 9 months, Jodi told me about an opening coming up that she thought I would be a great fit for. It happened to be in a department she used to run. She helped me make sure my resume was seen by the right people. Ultimately, I had to earn the job myself through the interview process, which I did. #bestdayever. 

Think though about the two possible paths to that job: 

Path A:  Just applying online out of the blue 

Path B:  Applying online after following the 5 steps above 

Who would you hire? 

Read more about my story and how to land YOUR dream job in my book, Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want or check out my top-rated on-demand online course, How to Get the Job You Want.

Podcast: How to Get Really Good at Telling Your Story

Learn how to get really good at telling your own story. This week Merryn joins Tammy Gooler Loeb on the podcast ‘Work From The Inside Out’. Merryn shares with Tammy the highs and lows of her own career journey and how there are 10 seconds that really matter in how you tell your story. Merryn talks about the major transitions she undertook in her career including how she made a huge change to balance her professional goals with her desire to one day be a mom. Check out the episode and be sure to listen to other episodes of Work From the Inside Out. Tammy regularly hosts guests like Merryn who have undertaken brave career transitions to achieve a great level of happiness in their work.

Interview Pitfalls You Can Easily Avoid

We’ve all had that feeling the night before an interview – the anxiety of not knowing how it will go and the nervousness about screwing up your big chance. The good news is the success formula for interviews isn’t rocket science. I’ve studied it and taught it for years and want to share it with you. Through my work and through numerous interviews with HR people and hiring managers, I’ve compiled 6 interview pitfalls you can easily avoid. 

Follow this simple advice to give yourself the best shot at acing your next interview.  Check out my short video below.

Want more interview advice, check out my online course ‘Ace the Interview.’ It’s my best interview advice in short video clips covering topics including resumes, interview prep, top interview questions, my favorite interview tools, and more!

5 Interview Questions You Need to Ace

If you’ve read my book or taken my online course, you know I see interviewing as a game. Interviewing is a game of strategically placing the best stories you have as the answers to the interviewer’s questions. You need to know ahead of time the 5-7 reasons why you’ll get hired and make sure those reasons are crafted as stories or examples in how you answer the interview questions. I tell people I personally prep for interviews to have their resume in front of them and have 5-7 key words written on the corner of their resume to cue them to their best stories so they remember to use them during the interview.

With that approach in mind, there are several questions you need to know how to ace during your next interview. I give you 5 of them below as well as some tips to think about with your answer for each. 

1.    What interests you about this company and this position? 

·       Share how your professional goals align with what the company does or strives to do.

·       Explain how you see yourself as a cultural fit.

·       Be specific on how your skills and experience align with the responsibilities for the position. 

2.    What is your greatest professional weakness?

·       Name an actual weakness, but one you’ve worked to improve. Make sure it isn’t a competency that is important to the position.

·       Share what you’ve done to work on it.

3.    Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

·       Keep your answer relevant to how this position could play a part in your future goals but don’t talk about goals you have outside the company. 

·       Talk about seeing yourself at the company for the long-term in a more senior position.

4.    What are your salary expectations?

·       Respond by asking what the hiring range is for the position.

·       If the interviewer insists on an answer, make sure you have done your research on what the position should pay (payscale.com is a great site to use), and provide as high of a number in the range you researched as possible. For example, if your research shows the position should pay $50,000-$60,000 instead of giving that range, give a number that’s as high as you feel you can justify, such as $58,000. If you say $50,000-$60,000, you are telling them to offer you $50,000 max. 

5.    What questions do you have for me?

·       Use this opportunity to learn more about the company and/or the position.

·       Ask each person in the interview what’s the number one thing they’re looking for in who they hire for this position. 

I guarantee you there will be at least one person you’re interviewing against who will bring their A game. Spend the time properly preparing to set yourself up for success. There are several other questions you should be ready to answer. To learn more, check out my book or my online course. 

5 Minutes to Change Your Public Speaking Approach

Public speaking is one of the most common fears people have. It was something I was terrified of for years until I decided to tackle the fear. To help you start to conquer your own fear of public speaking, I’m excited to share wisdom from a veteran public speaking expert, Gary Lo. Gary’s background is incredible, boasting experience as a TedX speaker and High Impact Presentation Winner. He has given over 500 presentations in 30 different cities and has worked for numerous impressive global brands and universities. 

I asked Gary a few questions about how he has mastered public speaking and what people can do to follow in his footsteps. 

Made To Hire: Years ago, what were the most important things you did to help you conquer public speaking fear?

Gary: When I was in school, I was a pretty shy kid with low self-esteem. I recall myself feeling extremely nervous whenever I had to speak in front of others, with my heart thumping like a drum. I think the turning point came when I became a student ambassador of the MBA program I was studying in. I had to face an audience of 200 to 300 people, and it changed me into a completely different state. I believe the most important thing was the shift in my intention. When I was younger, my intention was all about trying to impress others. That was a “focus-in” angle, where I would be extremely conscious of how I was speaking and what others thought of me. And because of that, I appeared very stiff and “mechanical” when I was on stage, being overly self and image conscious. As a student ambassador, my objective was very different - my sole intention was to inspire my audience by sharing a life transformational experience of mine. Everything that I said was something I truly believed in, and I was not in a state of trying to prove anything. At some point, I learned to enjoy the stage and interaction with my audience. It was pure sharing from the bottom of my heart, and I felt more humble and solid. I believe the key here is about “focus-out”, where my focus is on how my sharing can benefit those on the receiving end of my presentation versus me trying to present the best image of myself. 

Made To Hire: What three things do you think Ted speakers tend to do exceptionally well?

Gary: It was a remarkable experience to get to speak on the TEDx stage, and I would say there are a few things that TED speakers have in common:

1.   They make their messages “essential”– Out of all the public speeches that I have made, the TEDx stage was the toughest due to its time limit of 18 minutes. In that setting, you really need to clear out your thoughts and be very focused on the “one idea”. When you go through that process, you will realize giving a lengthy presentation is actually an easy thing, while being able to make it short and precise is much more difficult. It’s not about making a message “simple”, but making it “essential”. The challenge I posed myself would be: “What would my story sound like if I only had 15-20 seconds?”. A message that is simple, direct and that resonates with the audience has power, and this is important for any kind of presentation we want to make. 

2.   They speak from the heart, not the mind– In the corporate world, I have seen many eloquent speakers, who usually speak with high confidence and great logic. You may be impressed by their “presentation skills”, but you rarely feel inspired by them as a person. For TED speakers, they usually share personal stories versus giving the audience a lecture. We are encouraged to expose our true selves, and to share genuine personal experiences. When we go into that space, our heart opens up, and the same happens to our audience. The more we feel at ease in our own skin, the more we can make the audience feel the same way. 

3.   They have the intention to inspire– As a TED speaker, we are not on the stage to prove anything, nor to impose our beliefs on anyone. We are just a group of people who were given an opportunity to share some of our life's inspirations on a brilliant platform. That’s it. This is our mindset, and that’s exactly why the audience feels a different connection with TED speakers. We want to be related as a human being, not a presenter. At the end of the day, influencing how our audience think and feel is our intention, and that is way more powerful than using any skills and techniques to impress them.  

Made To Hire: What’s one piece of advice for how someone can work on becoming a better public speaker?

Gary:

1.    Be Curious– if we want to engage others, the first thing we need to do is learn to engage ourselves. What topics do you love to explore? What inspires you? Go study them – get a book, join a few forums, look for some online videos. Through that process of curiously researching a topic, that’s how we can come up with the ability to come up with interesting ideas and insights. 

2.    Be Courageous– talking about a concept is one thing, and personally experiencing it is something completely different. As a speaker, you really want to inspire someone with your actual experience, as that’s when you can really speak from your heart. 

3.    Be Passionate– once we start to share our ideas on stage using our passion and not our skills, that’s how we start to truly touch the hearts of our audience. 

4.    Be Grateful– when we are grateful, we become humble and genuine. When we speak from that perspective, the energy that we send out will naturally enlighten the crowd.

Made To Hire: Who inspires you as a public speaker?

Gary: Steve Jobs is the most important role model of mine. His philosophies and beliefs inspired me a lot in terms of how I can become a better speaker. Stay focused, be real, believe in yourself, speak with passion – there are so many great qualities that I learned from Steve, and that’s exactly why his speeches were able to influence millions of people around the globe. I watched his Stanford commencement speech at least 20 times, and studied every single one of his presentations and interviews. I would say if there’s someone you admire as a speaker, just try to do the same by learning from him. The more we watch and feel the energy of that person, the more we will be able to create a similar influence. 

Interested in learning more about Gary? You can watch his TedX Talk, “The Little Giant: How to gain your life momentum” (starts at 6:09:00) here http://bit.ly/TEDxHKU2018

Podcast: How to Crush the Interview

Learn 5 key interview questions and how to answer them. This week Merryn joins Chris Villanueva from Let’s Eat Grandma in the Career Warrior Podcast. Merryn puts Chris to the test in a mock-interview. Take notes - there are tons of great interview tips in this episode! And find more of Merryn’s career advice in her new book, Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want!

5 Ways To Get Noticed by a Recruiter

Recruiters have a significant amount of power in the job search game. They sit in a unique position between applicants and hiring managers deciding who goes in the MAYBE pile and who goes straight to the NO pile. If you’re currently looking for a job or plan to be in the near future, this 3-minute read could be a game-changer for you. 

I went straight to the source and asked two of Portland’s top recruiters what catches their attention. Take note of these 5 easy ways you can get noticed by a recruiter and get closer to your dream job:

1.    Reach out to them.

I find people are often intimidated by recruiters. Yes, they are a sort of magical gatekeeper to career bliss but they can help you!  Liz McBride, Senior Product Recruiter at Atlassian, says, “Send us a personalized message via LinkedIn. Don’t just send a generic request to connect.” Recruiters are amazing at connecting people with opportunities so don’t be shy to send recruiters in your area a note to let them know who you are and what you’re looking for.

2.    Engage with them. 

Recruiters regularly post on LinkedIn. McBride says, “You can get noticed by engaging with what we post. Whether you like, comment, or share one of our posts, we’ll notice!” Combining McBride’s first and second tips, I’d suggest using what a recruiter posts on LinkedIn as an intro in the message you send them. For example, “I saw your recent post about xxx. I’d love to introduce myself…”

3.     Write a killer LinkedIn summary.

The LinkedIn summary is the section below your name and city that should be a paragraph or two long but many people leave it blank. Don’t make a recruiter have to do the work to try to figure out your story – make it easy and compelling by writing a great LinkedIn summary. I advise my clients to start their summaries with years of experience, functional expertise (i.e. marketing, office management, etc.), and add a little personality to it. Jeff Barker, Head of Talent Acquisition at AltSource, says, “The big no-no is when people write their LinkedIn summary in the third person.” Barker adds your summary should showcase “a balance that shows you’re a top-notch employee but also a human being.”

4.     Highlight results.

Barker also says, “When describing your work experience on LinkedIn and on your resume, it’s customary to talk about your responsibilities but measurable results matter just as much or arguably more. It’s important people know what you did but it’s crucial they know whether or not you were effective and successful in doing so.” Whenever you can, include numbers that show impact and try as you work on projects to set goals that can be measured – that’ll be great resume-building material later!

5.     Get referred. 

Ask your friends and people in your network if they’ve worked with a recruiter. If they have, and if you have solid experience, both of you can win if they introduce you to a recruiter they worked with. Many recruiting firms pay for referrals that lead to someone being hired so if you have a friend who was placed in a position by a recruiter, don’t be shy to ask them to refer you.

If you found this advice helpful and still want more, check out my recent blog post How to Optimize Your LinkedIn So Recruiters Find You.  If you need more help landing your dream job, check out my online course or my book, Made To Hire: How to Get the Job You Really Want. 

What Makes Someone Stop and Actually Review Your LinkedIn Profile?

One of the things I’m asked most often about is LinkedIn. People realize how important it is for professional networking but there’s still lots of uncertainty about how to make a great first impression with your LinkedIn profile. Often times LinkedIn is the first, and only, chance you have to get in front of a recruiter or potential employer, so it’s key to put your best foot forward. If you get someone to actually go to your profile, you want to keep them there!

When I look at someone’s LinkedIn, I quickly scan for the following things:

• Do they have a professional-looking headshot?

• Do they have a background image behind their headshot that showcases their professional passion?

• Do they have a great headline below their name?

• Is their summary well-written and does it make me want to learn more about them?

It takes about three seconds for me to assess the first three things and about five seconds to skim the last one. If the answer is NO to any of the four questions above, I typically don’t scroll to read further and simply move on. This is what most HR managers and recruiters will do.

Last month I talked about How to Optimize Your LinkedIn So Recruiters Find You and this month I’m featuring a well-known LinkedIn expert to give you her advice on how to maximize use of this incredible tool. Shelly Elsliger could very well be called a “LinkedIn Master.” She is the President of Linked-Express and is a globally recognized LinkedIn Trainer/Coach who has helped many professionals find their "LinkedIn Why" and reach their goals. I’ve been following Shelly on LinkedIn myself and love her perspective so asked her for her advice on three things people commonly miss doing on LinkedIn. Here’s what she had to say:

“A well-crafted LinkedIn Story is amazing to develop your personal/professional brand. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Here are three top tips to effectively enhance your LinkedIn profile so it is working for you:

1. If you are using the blue background for your background marketing photo, it is time to customize it and make it the cover page to your career story. Connect it with industry, your expertise, and/or your brand and give your profile some personality. Canva.com is a great tool to customize it and already comes with a LinkedIn template for you to upload an image.

2. Personalize ALL invitations to connect. It will change the way you build relationships and community on LinkedIn. Mention your "why". The personal touch will go far and keep in mind, you can do it on your mobile as well (just look for three dots, more, or a downward arrow) and it will take you to "personalize request.”

3. Customize your LinkedIn URL. When you first created your LinkedIn profile, you were given a URL made up of letters and numbers. It was always meant to be customized and for you to make it your own. Omit all of the useless jargon and replace it with you full name. Then, market this everywhere: marketing materials, signature, business cards, resume, and website. Encourage people to visit so they can get to know you better.”

Between the advice from Shelly and myself, you have several simple, yet effective ways to update your profile and your approach to invitations. If you need more help, I offer a LinkedIn profile review that will give you honest, direct feedback on how you’re coming across in your profile.

3 Keys That Could Lead to Your Next Job

Sometimes you come in second for the job you really want or the job you want isn’t open right now. If you’ve networked or interviewed your way to a good relationship with someone at a company where you’d like to work, that’s the perfect way to turn a connection into a resume builder. And if you play your cards right, it could lead you to your next job. 

One way you can leverage your connection into your next job is through project work. What’s project work? It’s work you do for someone that is clearly defined and helps them with their job and helps you with your resume. Doing project-based work for someone is a great way to prove your skillset. The easiest type of project work to get is work you can do remotely and independently. Any sort of market research, be it in-person research or online research, is doable and can deliver great value to your connection. Possible ideas include industry trends, competitor activity, or best practices. 

For example, let’s say you want to work in consumer electronics, your target is Sony, and you know someone who works there. My philosophy is you need to make it difficult for people to say no. There’s a way to handle this situation that makes it much more likely for you to get a YES. There are the three keys to getting a YES:

1.    You suggest project ideas. Don’t ask someone if you can do a project for them and make them come up with the idea. That sounds like work for them and that approach will likely put them off. If you want to do project work for someone, you need to go to them with a few ideas. Even if they don’t love any of the ideas, it shows initiative and if they like you and want the help, they can suggest a different idea.

2.    You do the work for free. Yes, for free. You need the relationship and the opportunity more than they need you. Getting the project on your resume and further building the relationship is your payment. In the long run, it’ll pay off. Free project work was my route into ultimately getting a full-time job at Nike back in the day. I’ve also seen it be a successful strategy for many people I’ve mentored over the years to get into their dream companies.

3.    You work remotely and independently. There isn’t a desk for you, and they don’t want to have to worry about you or this project. All you need is to clearly agree on what the project is (be clear on timeline and deliverables) then I suggest a short mid-point check-in via phone or in-person (whatever your contact prefers), and then I’d ask for the chance to present your work to them at the end.

If you do great work, you’ll be on the company’s radar and your odds are much higher of being considered the next time a position opens up. This is an excellent way to become a preferred candidate for a future open position. And if the project goes well and you enjoyed it, you can always suggest an extension to allow you to do another project. If it were me, I’d cap free project work at 6 months before asking if it’s possible to receive any compensation. At that point, they’re clearly seeing value in the work you’re doing so it’s a fair question.

If you want more tips on how to land your dream job faster, check out my online course and follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook. 

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn So Recruiters Find You

If you’re looking for a job or will be soon, your LinkedIn profile needs to be stellar because it’s often the first thing recruiters see about you. Most LinkedIn profiles could be significantly improved with just a few minutes of work. My recent blog post 5 Things You Must Do Online offered advice on how to maximize your LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t read it and done those things yet, they are no-brainers and will significantly impact how you’re coming across online. Taking that blog post a step further, today, I’ll share how you can use keywords in your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by recruiters and ultimately get what you want quicker.                                                                                              

Here are 5 things that’ll take you less than 10 minutes to do to your LinkedIn profile that could drastically effect how you’re showing up in recruiter search results.

1.    Figure out the keywords that matter. Use a sample job description that fits what you’re looking for to get inspiration for the type of words and skills recruiters will be looking for. You’ll want to work these into your profile to ensure you come up in search results.

2.    Craft a strong headline. It appears below your name in your profile. What you write there greatly affects how you show up in search results. Instead of saying, for example, ‘Marketing Coordinator,’ you could say, ‘Marketing Coordinator. Consumer-Focused, Brand-Builder, Digital Marketing Expert.’ You have 120 spaces for your headline so use them to your advantage.

3.    Make sure you actually write a summary statement. This is the first section below your name/position and many people neglect to write anything there. That’s a big missed opportunity to tell your story and plug in keywords. The summary statement should give a strong overview of your expertise and experience (years, industries, functional areas) as well as what you’re looking for. Here are a few examples:

For a college student:

Bilingual, Chinese-American pre-med student. 3-years part-time experience in community health clinics responsible for physician support, administration, and inventory management. Committed to community impact through volunteerism in developing countries. Seeking a summer internship in a remote, Mandarin-speaking community health clinic or hospital.

For a 20-something working professional:

Former Division 1 collegiate athlete with 4 years of experience in basketball marketing and ticket sales. Expertise in project management, marketing planning, and social media buying in the sports and entertainment industries. Seeking a challenging marketing position in a major league headquarters location or team office.

4.    Consider adding keywords to your job titles. For example, ‘Sales Manager,’ could become, ‘Sales Manager – Pharmaceuticals, Respiratory Health,’ which will be much more effective at landing you in recruiters’ targeted search results. 

5.    Actually describe your past positions. Too often I only see the job title, company, and years worked on people’s profiles. Take the time to describe your responsibilities. Where possible, be sure to emphasize results and double check for ways you can incorporate keywords that matter.

And if you want more tips on how to up your game and land your dream job faster, check out my online course and follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook. 

The 5 Things People Consistently Screw Up in Interviews

There’s an art to interviewing.  It’s the perfect balance of being authentic to who you are while saying and doing the right things to come across as the undisputed top candidate for the job.  

My two recent blog posts on interviewing (10 Tough Questions You Need to Know How to Answer and The Biggest Secret You Need to Know About Interviewing) focused on how to win by doing things right.  While that’s great and important, there’s another angle to consider, which is not doing anything drastically wrong during an interview.  That’s what I’m going to focus on today by sharing with you the 5 things people most commonly screw up in interviews that lead them to not get hired. 

1.    Being unprepared.  A job interview is your chance to change the course of your future for the better. Whatever else you were planning on doing the night before has been cancelled.  Your plans should center around interview prep as much as possible for the week leading up to the interview.  At a minimum, you need to know the company, its products/services, and background info on who will be interviewing you.  You also need to make sure you’re on time (a little early is best), you’re dressed appropriately, and you come prepared to answer tough questions, and also have a list of good questions to ask prepared.  

2.    Being uninterested.  Make sure you come across as highly engaged in the conversation and in the interviewers at all times.  Be sure to have your phone on silent and out of site.  Also remember to take notes. Even if you only take a few you should have a notebook and pen out to show you’re prepared and keen.

3.    Oversharing. Don’t bring any personal problems into the interview.  It’s okay to share a story or two about your personal life if it is related to the interview.  For example, if you’re interviewing with a coffee company, talking about your coffee preferences and coffee drinking habits is fine, but going on about something such as how much your sister loves a particular brand of coffee is going to make the interviewers think you’ll be too chatty and potentially distracting to other workers with silly personal stories. Answer the question you’ve been asked but don’t go on and on about it. You don’t want to come across as long-winded; that’ll drive people nuts.

4.    Devaluing yourself.  I see this a ton in interviews and in life in general.  Don’t put yourself down.  Don’t devalue your experience, your decision making, your career, your past position, etc.  Realize that you’re painting a picture in the interview for how you feel about yourself. You certainly don’t want to come across as arrogant but never say things like, ‘I didn’t know what I wanted to do,’ or ‘I had no idea how to handle it.’

5.     Failing to connect your skills and experiences to the position.  It needs to be obvious why you.  Every question you’re asked should check another box in the interviewers’ minds.  That means the stories and examples you choose need to be strategically selected to holistically paint the picture of you as the ideal candidate.  It’s worth a read of my post, The Biggest Secret You Need to Know About Interviewing, to learn how to do this well.

And if you want more tips on how to ace your next interview, check out my online course or if you want me to prep you for your next interview, it’s possible! I offer a few interview prep spots each month.  Learn more here.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook. 

Why You Haven’t Mastered Public Speaking Yet

Do you wonder why public speaking feels so difficult?  And why you haven’t been able to master it yet?  It’s simple really.  You’re too focused on memorizing specific statements, sometimes even exact words and then reciting them.  That’s a sure-fire way to deliver a weak presentation, and you are capable of much better than that.  

Here are two things I’d like to encourage you to do differently moving forward to up your presentation game:

#1. Your presentation should never be a memorized talk that you write down to the exact word.  

Build your presentation based on concepts you plan to generally talk about for each slide.  Have ideas and examples in mind but realize you don’t need to deliver them word for word. In addition, be sure you don’t jam your slides full of text.  Keep your slides simple with an image and a few key words that will lead you to storytell around the concept showcased in the image.  For instance, the two slides below are actually about the same topic – mobile technology.  The one on the left will make any presenter and audience stressed.  The one on the right allows the presenter to take the audience on a journey and reduces the stress of having to say exact words or phrases.

#2. What you say only counts for 50%. 

It’s true, it’s 50% what you say and 50% how you deliver it.  The second you start speaking people are paying as much attention to the confidence in your voice, the outfit you’re wearing, whether or not you’re making eye contact, your body language, and several other little nuances that have a big impact on how well they receive the content you are actually presenting.  I encourage you to pay as much attention to how you present yourself and your non-verbals as you do to building the actual presentation.  My online course on how to master your first impression is a quick and easy way to work on this.  Another thing you can do is film yourself on your smartphone while presenting – whether it’s a practice run or your next real presentation.  By watching yourself on camera, you’ll learn so much about your delivery that’ll help you jumpstart taking your presentation skills to the next level.  

Until next time, follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook. 

The Biggest Secret You Need to Know About Interviewing

Most people suck at being interviewed because they don’t approach it strategically.  When you read a job description and think about your background, what you NEED to do is boil it down to the 5-10 reasons why you should get the job.  Think of these as key selling points.  Your challenge is to make sure those reasons come across in the interview.  Most people don’t do this and that’s why most people don’t get hired.

Over the course of the interview, your goal should be to fit in as many of your 5-10 key selling points / stories as possible. However, don’t just haphazardly answer the interview questions with your key selling points.  You will only have so many opportunities to talk and share your stories, so you need to use those chances wisely and demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the job.  For example, if you’re asked about a situation in which you worked on a project with a tight deadline, there are probably several examples you COULD choose but you SHOULD choose the one that most closely relates to the job you want. This will help the interviewer see you succeeding in the job you’re interviewing for.

In past interviews, what I would do is write my 5-10 reasons why I should get the job using key words (just 1 word for each) in very small writing on the top right corner of the copy of my resume that would be in front of me during the interview.  Every so often I’d glance at the list to see how I was doing at sharing those stories and ultimately leveraging them to help me get the job.

Try this approach in your next interview and you’ll be surprised at how great you feel leaving the interview.  You’ll never have that, “I wish I had said….” feeling again.  I guarantee this strategic approach to interviewing will help you win and get the offer!

If you want more tips on how to ace an interview, check out my online course.  If you want me to prep you for your next interview, it’s possible!  Learn more here.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook.

Getting into the Advertising World

This month we sat down with Jim Wood, Partner and Executive Creative Director with AnalogFolk.  Jim works in NYC, which is one of the ad agency's six global locations.  He's a veteran in the advertising world with almost 20 years of experience and a roster of past and current clients including Nike, CLIF Bar, jetBlue and BMW. We talked to him about working in advertising and he shared some incredible advice.  Check out what he had to say ...

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Made To Hire:  Advertising sits under the broader umbrella of marketing. Why does advertising specifically interest you over any other type of marketing?

JW:  If marketing is the house, advertising is the game room. It offers all the toys and tools anyone would need to create unique, emotional and persuasive reasons to engage with a brand.

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Made To Hire:  How did you get your break into the advertising world?

JW:  I left school with a degree in Mass Communications / PR and a portfolio of print ads, hand-drawn on tissue paper with marker. I quickly learned that school had prepped me for the business-side of advertising but, as an art director, the craft-side was something I was woefully unprepared for. After a few months of rejections, I was able to talk a small agency into hiring me as a proof reader. During the day, I would read everything from print ads, to collateral to annual reports and during the night, I would work on real projects others in the creative department were too busy to manage. Within three months, I had learned Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark (a predecessor to InDesign) and built enough of a portfolio to graduate away from proofreading.

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Made To Hire:  Being a partner at a big global advertising agency must be exciting. What’s the best thing and the most challenging thing about working for a big ad agency?

JW: I’d like to think AnalogFolk is a global start-up. We share resources across our network, but each office is relatively small and functions more like one, scrappy team rather than a collection of departments. We’re also independent. And that, I feel, is an extremely powerful position to be in. It allows us to make decisions around how we invest our time, talent, and thinking that best suits the business, not a holding company. The challenge for us, and really any agency these days, is finding the type of work that helps define who you are to brands. Lots of agencies say they’re great at everything. They’re not. You just can’t be. You have to focus on what you want to be and balance that with what consumers and brands need. And for an industry that changes quickly, it’s a fun, tricky puzzle to put together.

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Made To Hire:  People often debate working on the brand side vs. on the advertising side. Why do you think the advertising side is better? 

JW: Brands don’t always know the best way to reach consumers. That’s why they hire agencies; for strategic and creative ways to get people’s attention. When brands create their own work, too many times they end up talking to themselves. At the end of the day, agencies offer an objective point of view, creating work on behalf of the brand, not as the brand. Consumers are too savvy these days. They quickly tune out brands trying too hard to relate or work that functions more as propaganda than a truly, meaningful interaction.

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Made To Hire:  What are the main things you look for when hiring someone into an advertising role? 

JW: Two things: Unique details and a point of view. In digital, there are so many templates and tools for creatives to use, everything is becoming homogenous. I value small, bespoke elements in people’s work that make the work different. It gives me a sense of their commitment to craft. I also value a good argument. The best work comes from uncommon thinking and passion to push it through. I prefer those who believe in their work and aren’t afraid to stand up for it.

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Made To Hire:  Any advice for people trying to get into advertising? 

JW: Work for a mission you believe in. Once I had a decent portfolio, I focused on working for the best agency I could. One with lots of awards and lots of great creative people. Later in my career, I sought out the best Creative Directors. The ones who were able to stand up and own a meeting room, making their audience laugh or cry while they sold in great work. Over the years, however, I’ve come to realize that standing for something is more powerful than anything else. Find an agency or brand that has a purpose or mission you truly believe in. Something that aligns with your own. For me, I happen to think agencies have forgotten who they work for. Sure brands pay their bills but, our jobs are to create things for people. The consumer. Because, when you solve problems for consumers, you automatically solve problems for brands. Our mission at AnalogFolk is to use digital to make the analog world better. Simply put, we use technology to help people. I believe in that. It’s why I work there.

10 Tough Interview Questions You Need to Know How to Answer

Are you prepping for an interview?  Or thinking about going after a new positon soon?  Here are 10 tough interview questions you should be ready to answer. Questions like these challenge you to be quick on your feet and put your best self forward.  After each question, I’ve included some advice on things to consider with your answer.

1.     What motivates you?

a.    Think big and be inspirational if you can be.  For example, ‘Helping people’ or ‘The opportunity to impact change,’ are great motivators to share.

b.    Ideally share an example related to professional success

2.     What is the professional accomplishment you are most proud of? 

a.    Try to share an achievement that shows transferrable skills to the position you’re interviewing for so the interviewer can imagine you having a similar success if hired

3.     What’s your biggest failure?

a.    Be sincere, brief, and likeable 

b.    Try not to talk about a professional failure.  Possible idea: failing to finish a marathon you trained hard for.

4.     How do you handle pressure or stressful situations?

a.    Try to showcase your ability to stay calm through challenges and highlight any skills you have that enable you to lead, collaborate, and ultimately move the project, business, and/or team forward  

5.     How would you describe your approach to teamwork?

a.    Try to use positive words such as collaborative and team-oriented

b.    Share examples that highlight successes you have had with past teams

6.     If you could change one thing about your last (current) job, what would it be?

a.    Don’t bad mouth your company, boss, or co-workers 

b.    Share something that aligns with the position you’re interviewing for

7.    What do you think this company does well and what could we improve on?

a.    Share positive things the company is publicly known for.  

b.    Show insight into the function/department you’re interviewing with

c.    Consider business opportunities the company might not have pursued yet to show your creativity and understanding of the company’s potential

8.     What can we expect from you in the first three/six/nine months in this role?

a.    Provide specific examples on how you’ll add value to the department and make a difference within the team 

b.    Reference the 30-60-90-day plan that’s in your portfolio!  Not sure what that is?  Check out my online course to learn how to make one.

9.     Why should we hire you?

a.    Share desired traits and skills from the job description 

b.    Use adjectives such as committed, driven, results-oriented, team-oriented, etc.

c.    Convince the interviewer you will over deliver if given the chance

10.  How many tennis balls would fit in this room?

a.    This question has no correct answer.  The interviewer wants to understand how you think and how you solve an impossible problem. Don’t say, ‘I don’t know’.

b.    Great answers: If I have access to my phone, I’ll google it.  Shows you’re resourceful and won’t waste time doing something you don’t need to do.  Or you could say, “A tennis ball is about the size of my fist, so eyeballing it I’d guess X’.  

If you want more tips on how to ace an interview, check out my online course or if you want me to prep you for your next interview, it’s possible!  Learn more here.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook. 

Getting into the Tech World

This month we sat down with Jenna Fallon-Schindler, Senior Account Manager at Adobe.  We talked to her about working in the tech world and what it's like changing industries.  Check out what she had to say ...

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Made To Hire:  I know your background is on the digital side of sport.  What has it been like moving to a purely tech-focused company like Adobe?  

JFS:  I'm thrilled to be on the technology side of ecommerce. I was hired by Magento, a leading commerce platform and we were acquired by Adobe this summer.  My role as Senior Account Manager is an excellent way for me to leverage my knowledge and share with merchants across industries.  If you speak with CMO's today, digital transformation is on their roadmap as a priority.  With the lines getting further blurred between marketing, digital, and the holistic commerce experience, having the right technology is essential to support consumers. 

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Made To Hire:  Generally speaking, what do you think technology companies look for in people they hire? 

JFS:  Working in technology requires a combination of strong communication skills, complex problem solving skills, and determination. The path is not paved and the road continues to evolve.  Consumers are demanding more than brands and companies can keep up.  If you want to work in technology, you need to be internally driven to push forward and lead the way.

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Made To Hire:  More specifically, what advice would you have for someone trying to get into the tech world?  

JFS:   Networking with individuals in the industry is a great way to start.  Also, gain experience at a technology start up or a large technology company.  And come with an attitude willing to learn. 

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Made To Hire:  You’ve been involved in the hiring decisions for plenty of employees at Nike, Yakima, and beyond.  What do you think are the biggest things that make a candidate stand out in an interview? 

JFS:  It's great to have a superb LinkedIn page and a good-looking personal website. What stands out is being able to communicate clearly and articulate thoughts in an individual or group setting.  Being self-aware while being able to clearly communicate, share ideas, and manage projects are life skills.  Strong teams are made up of people who know how to work with others. Collaboration is essential and being able to work well in a group makes you shine.  

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Made To Hire:  What advice do you have for someone looking to make an industry shift like you did? 

JFS:  Follow your passion!  Do what you love.  What makes you excited to research, explore, and learn new content?  Find an industry that doesn't get old and you could talk about it  8+ hours a day.  If you have an attitude where you’re willing to learn daily, then the switch will be reenergizing. 

How to Beat Resume Screening Software

Don’t assume your resume ever makes it to human eyes.  Many companies, especially the big ones, use resume screening software to pull out the most qualified applicants.  Recruiters and hiring managers don’t have the time to go through all the resumes submitted for a position so you need to be smart to beat the software and make it to human eyes.  I have 5 must-do tips to help your resume make it through:

1.    Use a traditional format.  Set your resume up by reverse chronology (dates starting with the most recent info at the top) or by function.  I prefer reverse chronology.

2.    Avoid fancy designs.  Your resume should be easy to read.  Screening software systems have a tougher time reading anything overly fancy so keep it simple.  If you have a slightly fancier version of your resume (with some design elements on it, for example), save that for when you score an in-person interview.

3.    Use a common, popular font.  Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, and Georgia are all good choices that make your resume easy to read.

4.    Use dates on your resume for past positions as some software programs will search for a sum total of years of experience.  If you have gaps in your resume, stick with just years. If not, then use months and years.

5.    Use key words from the job description.  Try to match the job requirements as best as possible on your resume.  Using exact words is great.  Check out tagcrowd.com.  This site allows you to uncover what’s most important for any position.  All you need to do is copy the requirements from the job positing and paste them into the box on the site.  Be sure to select ‘yes’ for ‘show frequencies’.  It’s fascinating to see how many times specific words come up in a job description. That becomes your roadmap for some of the words you need on your resume to help pass the screening process. 

You've got one shot to make the right impression with your resume. Check out our resume review service for an evaluation and recommendations on how to get noticed.

And if you want more tips on how to actually get called for an interview, check out our online course to learn how.  

Until next time, follow me on Twitter at @MadeToHire, Instagram, and on Facebook.