Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the public library and the Internet have dedicated mass amounts of space to the how’s, whys and wherefores of developing an effective resume.
Whether you are at the beginning of a budding career or reinventing yourself to determine your next career move, it is inevitable that the word resume has come across your radar screen. But how many professionals are truly prepared to produce an accurate accounting of their worth to a company when the opportunity arises?

I recently read an article by Eli Davidson, a popular executive job coach, who strongly suggested that the resume is an archaic piece of paper. She went as far as to say, “Burn the resume”! Ms. Davidson contends that in the electronic age with Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, and other networking sites on the Internet, the resume is not the essential tool for securing professional employment that it once was. I am not prepared to jump on that bandwagon yet, even though I will admit business is increasingly relying on technology for recruiting and job placement. However, the resume is not dead. It has morphed into a living document that can be a traditional business form or a twenty first century talking point document.

Resume resources usually have abundant ideas about general content, design, and presentation but very few publications give advice about how to prepare a marketing plan to showcase your best business assets. A good marketing plan provides the cornerstone information for an effective mobile resume. In other words, a resume that is reflective of your past and current skill sets and is ready to be updated at a moments notice. The mobile resume is an important piece of job search strategy. The marketing plan takes the stress out of creating an eye- catching resume because all of the pertinent information is readily available. The constantly evolving marketing plan is the life- blood of the mobile resume.

A formidable marketing plan does not begin to take shape when you are looking for a job or changing careers. The optimum time to start building your marketing plan is when you begin thinking about a new career direction. You are not doomed if you get a late start. However, if you do not start at all you may miss a great position because you do not have the right resume. Start preparing your marketing plan today by implementing the following eight steps:

• Set up an employment file in your computer
  Keep track of employment history, education, professional contacts

• Catalog your business accomplishments
  File awards, commendations, mentorship, training

• Develop lifelong learning strategies in various subjects
  Visit free college lectures online. Develop interests outside of your field. Travel for pleasure and networking. Document your experiences.
  www.lecturefox.com www.extension.harvard.edu/2009

• Stay educated in your field
  Professional development, read journals, seminars, webinars
  Take notes and keep them in a file for easy access.

• Volunteer outside your comfort zone
  Learn and/or develop an untapped skill. Diversify your skill sets.
  Document your experiences.

• Stay current in technology
  Visit websites with work world content. www.workforce.com
  Develop a list of your proficiencies in hardware and software.
  Create a list of website “favorites” for quick reference.

• Research companies periodically to size up the fit.
  Learn about companies that interest you. Your general knowledge could be critical during a job search. Create a file for your research.

• Socialize for fun and networking
  Meeting people can translate into social and business contacts.
  Collect and catalog business cards. Join a team or a social group.
  Attend meet and greets to make yourself visible.
  Websites provide opportunities to make connections. (Ex. Linked In)
  Avoid provocative photos/information on social networking sites.

If you follow the eight- step strategy the marketing plan you create will help you build the perfect mobile resume. Remember, the best time to find a great job is when you are not looking for one. The mobile resume will keep you in tip- top employment ready shape.

For more information on this topic please visit our online store. A few popular titles are Networking for Success, Job Search That Works, Strategic Resumes, and Career Skills for the New Economy.

I was talking to a friend the other day who spent years in the travel industry during the glory days and now finds herself underemployed, over 50, and job hunting. Unfortunately she is not alone but I was happy she came to me for advice about how to best prepare herself for a results-oriented interview. As is the case with many “boomers” my friend has been accustomed to asking the questions as the interviewer not answering them as the job seeker.  I thought she should know about two popular business-interviewing styles: the behavioral interview and the case interview.

The behavioral interview is based on the premise that past performance is the best indicator of future performance.  Companies using behavioral interviewing are looking for content skills, transferable skills and self-management skills. This interviewing technique surfaced in the 1970’s when a group of industrial psychologists offered business an alternative to the standard questions about the applicant, his/her strengths and weaknesses and why the applicant wanted to work for the company. The traditional questions did not give the interviewer any indication of what skill sets  (problem solving, decision making, communication, organizational, interpersonal) the applicant possessed. Nor did the questions enable the interviewer to predict the applicant’s future success with the company.

The behavioral interview provides the opportunity for the future employer to evaluate the applicant based on how he/she handles real life situations in both professional and personal life.  The interview is objective instead of subjective. There are basically three types of questions in a behavioral interview: behavioral, leading and theoretical.

Behavioral

• Job related past behavior (open ended, verifying, why questions)

Leading

• Yes or no responses required

Theoretical

• Situation oriented to test your ability to answer questions

The best way to prepare for a behavioral interview is to practice the PAR or STAR method in response to questions. Use recent, applicable, professional or personal scenarios.

1. Address the problem (P) or situation/task  (S)(T)
2. Describe the action you took (A)
3. Explain the result (R)

While diverse industries such as airlines, retail and waste management are using the behavioral interview, many college business programs have exposed students to the case interview. This interview technique is also an alternative to traditional interviewing. Much like the behavioral interview, the case interview was developed to gain a sense of the applicant’s skill sets. The case interview concentrates on the candidate’s thinking process, problem- solving skills, analytical skills, creativity, communication skills, business savvy and ability to work under pressure. The interview consists of a discussion between the interviewer and the interviewee about a hypothetical situation.  This method of interviewing is commonly used by consulting firms, management-consulting firms, and investment-banking companies.

Unlike the behavioral interview in the case interview the interviewer is not looking for answers or a solution to the problem. There is no standard method for preparing like PAR or STAR but timed practice and rehearsing are beneficial. Vault.com and Harvard Business School have case studies available for case interview practice.  To be a successful candidate of a case interview be aware of the following:

• Time management  (15-20 minute interview)

• Listening

• Ask questions for clarification and information

• Business sense

• Use of educational knowledge to analyze the situation

• Ability to identify the problem

• Put the problem in perspective to formulate a plan

• Develop potential solutions

Helping my friend acclimate to the changing world of interviewing prompted me to ask how many HR people are taking into consideration that the over 50 applicant may never have heard of the behavioral interview or the case interview? Does this mean those applicants do not have the skill sets you need in your organization? No, but it may be time to re-examine your interview strategies to accommodate a multigenerational workplace.

Don’t forget to visit the online store to add to your human resource issues library. One of the most requested/popular titles is: Preparing for your Interview

Have you ever found yourself in an awkward situation where you finally had enough time to tackle your To Do list but an untimely accident left you incapable of completing any task that required mobility? I found myself in that precarious position when I broke my ankle last December. During my immobile phase I was dependent on the service of others to do even the most mundane task. I was faced with people daily who were not listening to my requests. I had to make numerous phone calls to get minor things done. I heard complaints from company representatives about their co-workers that I thought were inappropriate since I was calling the company for a service I needed. My experience prompted me to think about customer service in business today.

In the book Customer Service for Dummies authors Karen Leland and Keith Bailey talk about three basic ideas that companies need to incorporate into their customer service plan.

• Expanding your definition of service

• Reconsidering who your customers are

• Developing a customer friendly attitude

Without these three elements in your company customer service plan you are missing the mark of excellence. Consider your everyday dealings with any company. Do you want your interaction to be adequate or are you more impressed and inclined to do return business with a company that exceeds your expectation? Have you ever noticed the interaction between employees at a company where you are the customer? Does the atmosphere appear congenial and respectful or adversarial and disconnected? If the later is true then the company management may not stress that their employees are internal customers of one another. The company success depends on positive interactions between all customers both internal and external. Friendliness builds relationships that translate into profits.

Every year business magazines highlight companies that supposedly provide “excellent” customer service. In 2008 Business Week hailed Amazon.com, USAA, Publix Supermarket and Zappos.com among the top 10 best customer service providers in the USA. I couldn’t help but wonder as I read about the factors that made these companies a success why only three companies that appeared on BusinessWeek’s top ten also made it onto Fortune magazine’s best places to work? If according to Jim Collins in the book Good to Great “…Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of choice”, then don’t great companies make a conscious effort to be good to their employees to create a company culture of providing excellent service? Shouldn’t the best places to work also be the places that provide the best customer service? It seems to me that the two business strategies go hand in hand. Have the concepts my professors taught in Business 101 changed?

When you think about premier customer service does your company come to mind? If you can honestly answer yes, can you name five attributes that your company has that would put it in the superior category? Try the following markers on for size:

• The company mission is clear to all employees.

• Company culture, customers and profits are integrally linked.

• Fair treatment of internal and external customers is a priority.

• Management is a combination of top down and bottom up because profitable ideas emanate from all areas.

• Evaluation of customer service is a constant process.

After a few months of limited movement I now have a cast on my ankle. This has been an eye opening experience. I will continue to depend on the “kindness of strangers” as Blanche Dubois said in a Streetcar Named Desire, but with a critical eye for companies that provide great customer service. In a time where we have to tighten our belts I can no longer be cavalier and accept less than superior customer service. I want to spend my dollars with companies that exceed my expectation. And I have made a commitment to my customers that APLS Group will continue to balance the value of relationships with profit to insure excellent customer service.

Find customer service books and other products on our on-line store:  www.aplsgroup.com then click on on-line store