A professional resume is worth every penny!

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A good many years ago, if you’d asked me to pay someone to do my resume, I’d have looked at you with some bemusement and scoffed at the idea. I mean, I am reasonably educated, have a university degree, a good command of the English language and forking out $….. for something I could do myself. Ah, no!

Now in full disclosure I admit that I am in the HR business but I assure you this is not self-promotion. Just an honest discussion of a topic that came up when I met a friend for coffee recently and which really set me on a thinking spree.

Now my friend has been working in the IT field for a long time and has decided that he wants to move to project management. As we were parting ways, he casually mentioned that he had an appointment with a resume professional who agreed to do up his resume for $…..

I said my goodbyes and walked away in amazement. No, the money didn’t faze me, rather it was the fact that he wasn’t doing it himself. Why not? He was perfectly capable of doing his resume, but he still wanted to avail the services of a professional. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense, seeing it from his perspective. I knew this already 🙂

For one, it would be done a lot faster. No more procrastination.
It definitely would be professional and would take into account current resume trends and formats.
You have one chance to get noticed. Typically, a recruiter spends an average time of 5-7 seconds per resume. A well put-together resume makes all the difference and can be immediately noticed.
A resume writer has the experience and know-how to craft words together. They know what recruiters are looking for. Buzz words, key words – are important and specific to different occupations.

I didn’t check back with my friend, but the next time I came across him in Linked-in, I saw that he did get the position he wanted. So the new professionally done resume worked.

If you can do it, go for it – but don’t let a shoddy resume be the stumbling block in getting that next great position you are aiming for!

Should I stay or should I go?

Posted on September 23, 2016 by The People Shoppe

I couldn’t resist using the title of the song by the English punk rock band, The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It has a nice catchy ring to it and the song was the band’s only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart.

But I digress, to come back to the article, there comes a point in people’s careers when they ponder the question, should I stay or should I go? There are several scenarios but today we’ll focus on the ‘You want to stay in the same field, but are just looking for another company’.

This thinking doesn’t come overnight, it’s the little things that bug you, and you finally reach a point where you are seriously contemplating your next move. Little things like;

Feeling underappreciated. The pay doesn’t cut it anymore.
Benefits and perks are being cut.
You’re overworked. Too many multi-tasking events where prioritization just doesn’t work.
Your manager is a ……… and you can’t work with them anymore.
The job is too stressful.
Management just doesn’t understand! They are too restrictive.
Your colleagues aren’t helpful.

And the list goes go on and on. Suffice to say, when you reach this point, something has to give. Feeling this way is not conducive to your well-being.

Consider this before you head off in this direction.

Make a list of the pros and cons of staying in your current job. This could include:
- Timing – does the morning time still suit you. Do you stay too late?
- Current compensation, benefits, vacation and perks. Will another job pay you more? Research the market for trends.
- You might have to start all over again. Presently you may be the senior most employee. Does this matter to you?
- You know everyone, you are comfortable. You’ve built up a reputation. In the new place you probably have to prove yourself. Are you okay with this?
The cliché, the grass is not always green on the other side of the fence, still holds true. Ask yourself what would be different in the next job – refer to your pros and cons list.
Are you just wanting to move because you’re bored? Or because truly, you don’t see any opportunity to grow? Is emotion getting in the way? Is the job impacting your health and well-being? Stack your reasons in the pros or cons columns.
Do you need a new challenge? Is this not possible in the same job?
Have you looked at the current company you are in? Can you move laterally or be promoted?
Check the positions in the job market. Go on job sites, look at the ads. Talk to people in the field, do your homework.
Write out ‘what if’ scenarios if you were to stay or go. Which alternative is acceptable to you, in keeping with your goals and objectives?
At the end of the exercise, compare your reasons for moving or staying. If you have considered all options, you should be able to see a clear contrast that should assist you in your decision.
Chalk out a clear plan of action including next steps. Map it all out. The more detail you put on paper, the better.

At the end of the day, you have to do the best thing for YOU. Make your choice and follow your plan.

Remember, as life happens, things may change, outcomes are never guaranteed. But if your choice is based on good reasoning you should be able to move forward, confident in the knowledge that you made the best decision given all the information available to you at the time.

Image courtesy David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

360 Degrees Profile of an HR Professional

Posted on September 20, 2016 by The People Shoppe

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At the outset, let me say this is meant to be a lighthearted expose` of the consummate HR professional. Take it with a grain of salt! Any resemblance to the real thing may or may not be true :-). Sometimes it’s nice to step back from our ‘oh so serious selves’ and have some fun in the HR world. There are just too many things happening with people, people and more people…..

So here’s a 360 degrees profile of an HR professional.

The Good

It’s a terrific career. If you are a people person, the satisfaction you get from seeing a happy employee is tremendous, especially when you’ve just called someone with a job offer. Yay….
You can be an agent of real change through policies and programs you help to implement, within limitations of course.
You have power! You make decisions that impact people. You can influence people for the greater good.
Management likes you!
HR is a positive place to be.
Your day is never the same. Unexpected, unpredictable are adjectives that describe your job.

The Bad

People are unpredictable and you have to deal with some unpleasantness, especially when you are involved in disciplinary meetings, conflict resolution or terminations.
You can be underappreciated. Work and more work awaits you and some employees are just not appreciative of your efforts. People are never satisfied!
All that power can go to your head. You can become arrogant or smug. And the human resources department can be perceived as the ‘in-human department’.
Burn-out happens. You get tired of dealing with cranky employees.
You have to listen to everyone even if you are having a bad day!
HR people can be quite sceptical. You’ve seen it all and heard it all.

And the Ugly….

Employees tend to associate HR with unpleasant or unpopular decisions.
HR people are sometimes scapegoats for management decisions and can become the ‘hated’ department.

But…in spite of it all, I wouldn’t change my career for the world!

The People Shoppe

A place where people matter!

Monthly Archives: September 2016