LinkedIn profile writing is a challenge. And there are ways in which the LinkedIn profile summary section is still the Wild West. The LI summary is a blank page only restricted by the 2000 character limit. There are no requirements for anything in particular, such as listing your jobs and dates. So why is it important to worry about this? And what should you do?People know that LI is the premier business networking site. It...

Read through your current resume with an objective eye - what story does it tell? Here are some of the stories I've seen in people's resumes: - I had a lot of authority in my jobs before 2005 but since then not so much- I stuck with one job for 10 years back in the '90s but have had really short 1-2 year stints since 2005- I have a ton of technical skills and am a real hands-on techie (Problem is that resume is meant to app...

This may seem like a blog post title that seriously overreaches. But, there is a sense in which there is one simple, essential ingredient to job search success. This is it:Visualize your goal.It's not enough just to have a goal, although that appears to be critical for success in job search as in just about everything else. It's also important to paint a picture in your mind of what your goal would look like, feel like, sou...

Here's where I see resumes and job search going:ONLINEO: Over 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and vet candidates | Over 80% use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to rule applicants OUTN: Neglect building your online footprint at your peril | Unless you have a robust online footprint, you will be disadvantaged in the job search over candidates who doL: Love your job and want to keep it? Stay abreast of the...

It's been a long time since anything's been simple about executive resumes. People ask questions such as: should my resume be two pages or one, can you have three or more pages, how should it look, can I have a functional resume? And, about the response to their resumes people ask: why I am not getting called back, why aren't recruiters contacting me, why have I been looking for months with no luck?Well, the simple answer t...

Is this you? Do you find that the pressures of day-to-day work and home responsibilities keep you from doing what you need to do to get a good job fast in the future?I think that would describe the vast majority of us. It's human nature to pay attention to what is front of us rather than what's down the road. It's also human to choose pleasures in the present (completing current projects) over pleasures down the road (getti...

At a recent ACPI-NE event, executive recruiters spoke on what they are looking for in job seekers. Attendees had a chance to ask questions afterwards. The opinions below are those of the particular recruiters at the roundtable and should not necessarily be viewed as cast in stone. But, overall, this snapshot of the mindset of these particular recruiters can be generalized to how most recruiters think. 1. Recruiters spend a...

Everybody is always telling you that networking is how most people get jobs. But I can't think of anyone who hears that who doesn't feel a sinking sensation in their stomach and a sense of... I don't have a big enough network My network is out of date My network is in another industry I've moved and I don't know anyone in the area I hate to call people and ask them for a job I hate to call people ou...

Everyone's head is spinning with the rapid pace of change in the employment market. Many more workers are contract workers or consultants, whether by necessity or choice. Many have a business on the side. Many have 2-4+ jobs they are juggling at any one time. Those who have more than one employment gig at a time have "portfolio careers." Why do they do it? 1. They can't find or don't want a full-time job that uses only thei...

Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace Report came out a few days ago and finds that between 1010 and 2012 only 30% of workers report being actively engaged at work, 50% are unengaged, and 20% are actively disengaged (working against the company's interest). The report estimates that this high number of unengaged workers costs the US up to $550B annually. These losses result from absenteeism, health and safety issues...