Your resume is your personal advertisement

Resumes are personal advertisements. People need to know how to present themselves. Now that resumes are often entered into an applicant tracking system, it is more important than ever to include keywords that help the system match you to the appropriate position. This is even more essential for loss prevention professionals who have evolved into more technical or analytical roles. If you are an experienced professional, you need room to showcase your accomplishments. Everything you write on your resume has to be true.
Over the past few years, gaps in employment are commonplace and easily explained. Be prepared to explain the gap itself by pointing to an activity that filled it, such as volunteer work, caring for an ill family member, or launching a business. The best strategy when dealing with any potentially negative information is to focus on your accomplishments and the value you can bring to the table.

When it comes to your resume, you have immediate control over three factors: How it looks, what is says and who you send it to.

Please reach out if I can be of assistance

Lance

The Alphabet of Success

Here is an oldie but goodie - a document titled the alphabet of success.

In reviewing it, I found it very thought provoking! That being said, here are a few sample words for the letters in success. What are your thoughts on words which represent success? Please feel free to use any letter of the alphabet. Here goes:

S—standards

U—understanding

C----commitment

C----control

E----ethics

S----safety

S----sustainability

A special thank you to the people who are working to keep us safe!  

What Are You Doing

What are you doing to keep busy and stay positive during your down time?  Have you minimized your time watching the news?  Are you taking time to read for enjoyment or reading professional development material and/or participating in webinars?  Are you adhering to your local rules on social distancing? 

A special thank you to all those who have no down time because they are working and providing a service to all of us.

I would like to hear your thoughts. 

Do not waste your time complaining

I do not know the author of the following short story but I think it fits the situation we are all facing with the covid19 virus. Posted on the internet by Dan Western.

People visited a wise man complaining about the same problems over and over again. One day, he decided to tell them a joke and they all roared with laughter. After a few minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled. Then he told the same joke for a third time, but no one laughed or smiled anymore. The wise man smiled and said: ‘You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem?'”

Let's take time to think about all the good that is coming out of thses trying days and a special thank you to all those working in healthcare, first responders, teachers and parents who are now home school teachers.

Lance

Control the Controllable

If you are like me and are on overload with information about the Covid-19 virus, media reports, quarantines, travel advisories and/or just “stuff” in general then it is time to take a step back. I had an opportunity to listen to a webinar about hope. Simply put hope is about controlling the things you can control. For example, you can control what you say, what you listen to, where you go, what you do, and how you react. However, the most important thing you can control is your attitude. Henry Ford said “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” If you control your attitude you will have hope that you can overcome the overload.

Lance

Pandemic Panic?

 In case you have not noticed there is a pandemic. By definition it is an epidemic disease that has spread across a wide region. Here in the NY metro area “draconian” steps are being taken to stop the spread of the Covid19 virus. We have been told that this problem will be here for a period of time and we must take appropriate steps to protect ourselves. I decided to turn off the news and listen to a webinar on steps businesses should take during this pandemic. While several suggestions were offered the one that made the most sense was “Do not make long term decisions for a short term problem”.

Great advice. Take account of the situation you are in and decide what you can do to handle the short term issues such as employee health and safety. Establish priorities and adjust accordingly.

I am here to listen and will be here when this pandemic is over.

Lance M. Incitti, LPC, CCIP                                                     

Senior Search Consultant
Charter Member Loss Prevention Foundation
 
RPS SEARCH  GROUP OF NJ, LLC  
                                  
 
P.O.  Box 325
Denville, New Jersey  07834
973-627-1888-phone
973-625-0451-fax
lance@rpssearchgroup.com
www.rpssearchgroup.com  
http://rpssearchgroupofnjllc.blogspot.com   click here to view my blog

 

Tangible or Intangible Qualifying

In my previous communication I discussed the 4 “Q’s” of recruiting.  The most important “Q’s” are “Questions” and “Qualify”.  Both of these go together since Qualifying comes from asking Questions.  The main issue to decide is if you will use tangible or intangible questions. 

Most recruiters and hiring managers will start with the tangible questions because they are the easiest and quickest and they generally involve nothing more than a verification of resume information.  It is easy to stop right there because asking the tough questions may not get the answers you want to hear.

The intangible questions would be: willing to travel, willing to relocate, or related questions to specific skill sets. Some skill sets could be management skills, problem solving and energy to achieve long term goals or hobbies.

Before starting a qualifying conversation it is important to identify the intangible questions and ask them first.  As the candidate qualifies through the intangible questions, gently move him or her from an intangible to a tangible qualification.  This will save your time and the candidate’s time.

If you would like to receive a free copy of my candidate qualifier power point presentation simply e-mail me: lance@rpssearchgroup.com

Quality versus Quantity

The recruiting industry has transitioned from newspaper ads to technology. Most recruiters and hiring managers are learning how to effectively use the new technology. However, when using the new technology many recruiters (internal and external) and hiring managers are using “Quantity” as means to attain “Quality”. It has often been said that the recruiting industry is a business of "Q's" and all four of the Q's need to be in play in order to source "A" player candidates.

The first “Q” is “Question”. You ask questions to learn about the opportunity. You then source for “Quantity” and ask “Questions” to “Qualify” the “Quantity” and that will get you to “Quality”. The savvy recruiter will always ask “Questions” in order to put the other three “Q’s” in play.

The two “Q’s” that are the hardest to master are “Questions” and “Qualify”. I will talk in more detail about them next time.

I am available to answer your “Questions!”

Lance Incitti, LPC, CCIP

RPS Search Group of NJ, LLC

973-627-1888

lance@rpssearchgroup.com

Accomplishments OR Duties and Responsibilities

It is a “small world”. After several years in and around the recruiting industry, I have I have been asked all too many times, “Do I have to include all of my jobs on my resume even if I was only there for a few months?” or “How far back should I go with my resume?”  What you include on your resume is up to you as it is your advertisement.

That being said I explain that accomplishments sell while duties and responsibilities tell.  Most hiring managers in any field will generally know what a person does by title.  However, knowing what has been accomplished will give the hiring manager an idea about your successes. Success in one position generally breeds success in another.

In addition I feel that a candidate must set the example and everything that is on a resume should be true and factual.  Establishing a relationship on fiction can certainly be grounds for dismissal.

I can be reached through LinkedIn to discuss your resume and /or career path.