CAREERS NOW 06-25-08

Little Tips For Big Job Search Success

DEAR JOYCE: I'd be a great employee. How can I get prospective employers to call me back? - D.F.S.

Try leaving this message: "My name is --. My number is --. Someone suggested we talk. When you call me back on my office line, please tell whoever answers the phone to interrupt me no matter what I'm doing because I don't want to miss your call. Again, my name is - and my number is --. I'm looking forward to our conversation. Thanks!"

And thanks to ace recruiter Barbara Bruno, who shared this tip in a recent issue of The Fordyce Letter (fordyceletter.com), a popular recruitment industry publication.

P.S. If your target hiring authority is under age 30, recruiters suggest that you might do better using the Millennial generation's preferences for texting, e-mailing, and IM'ing (instant messaging). Some in this demographic suggest they consider land-line voicemails a relic.

DEAR JOYCE: Although I've been out of work for several months, I was advised to put down the dates of my last job as 2003 to Present. Should I do that? -- S.P.

That's an old tactic. Writing that you are employed from "2003 to Present" suggests that you are still working and people who are still working tend to get hired before people who are not working. Discovery of your white lie invites the employer to think "She's trying to put one over on me."

Sure, you can explain that you merely forgot to change your resume but that won't make you sound like a mental giant. Even if the employer isn't a grammar snoot, the wrong tense of verbs is a dead giveaway. When people are currently employed, they use the present tense to describe ongoing work - not the past tense. Refer to skills you're using now in your job in the present tense and to past jobs in the past tense.

DEAR JOYCE: Can you suggest the right answer to a question I was asked at a job interview this week: "Who was your best boss and who was the worst?" - O.A.

Oklahoma career coach Kay Stout, who has a blog at anotherpointofview.typepad.com, suggests two good answers:

"I've learned from each boss I've had. From the good ones: what to do; from the challenging ones: what not to do."

"Early in my career, I had a mentor who helped me a great deal and we still stay in touch. I've honestly learned something from each boss I've had."

Be prepared to tick off specific lessons.

DEAR JOYCE: What is the most important message to get across in your resume? A workshop I'm attending says to convey the message that you're a good "fit" for the job. Yes? No? - C.E.

Fit certainly is a factor in positioning yourself for hiring, but I like what Montgomery, Ala.,career coach Don Orlando (yourcareercoach@charterinternet.com) says:

"Your document spells out precisely how you plan to put more money in the company's bank account than they will spend to employ you. No room for traits or generalities here. In their place are the observable behaviors associated with the very best in your field. The result is an ROI (return on investment) approach that drives every hiring decision."

Obviously that means every resume must be customized to the job.

DEAR JOYCE: I posted my resume on a famous job board and I've had two calls, not from recruiters or legitimate employers, but from outfits that want to help me find my next job - at a price of thousands of dollars. Should I sign up with one of them? - V.B.

Don't bite. A number of these outfits have been prosecuted for years for running scams. You need your money more than they do. You'll be out big bucks and still won't have a job.

If you're stymied, rummage around on my Web site, sunfeatures.com, and scout several years' worth of previous columns. It's free.

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