Perspectives from the Kinetix team on HR, Talent Acquisition & Management, life lessons and whatever else we want.
Energizing the Workplace
"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." -Mark Twain
9 Top Online Resume Resources
I keep everything online from my music to my bills and everything in between. I have practically my life online. Including my resume. I recently asked a candidate if they had a link to their online resume…all I got was silence. No stuttering, no excuses –just silence. My guess is they didn’t know there could be such a thing. Well there is! Here’s a list of 9 online resume resources! So if you’re ever asked for a link to your online resume you won’t be stuck with your face looking like this–à:-0
1. iResume provides ease and convenience for you to create, manage, and submit your online resume. You have access to your iResume from anywhere in any format, which can be used for any recruitment transaction.. iResume provides a clean, sleek, standardized resume and professional profile solution with the ability to integrate into all of the common recruitment systems. It is easy to use, provides iResume submittal tracking and statistics, and it is positioned to become the most widely accepted standardized resume available.
2. Gigtide is a website that lets you create, publish, manage and track your resumes, contacts and cover letters online. You can store unlimited resumes, contacts and cover letters and there are professional resume templates to help you. You also have the option of creating a social media resume, which includes images, video, direct links and sharing functionality. Another interesting feature is a direct employer contact form, where employers can contact you directly through your resume.
3. Howtowritearesume gives you an easy way to build a professional resume, without being an expert. You get their phrase builder technology, which helps you build compelling headlines, qualifications, achievement statement and more. Their “one-click formatting,” automatically reformats your resume and makes it easy to choose the best layout. Your resume is stored online and is accessible by potential employers. The templates are all predefined, so filling in the blanks is a breeze!
4. Emurse allows you to create, share and store your resume for free online. Their resume builder is job seeker friendly, allowing you to create and maintain a professional resume which can be downloaded in any format, such as PDF. Just like LinkedIn, your resume can have a unique URL linked to your name and the ability to view employers who have seen your resume in the past. You also get statistics and graphs to aid in resume distribution.
5. Razume is a service that enables you to complete your resumes and polish them up with feedback from reviewers in the community. The resume you create using this service is exactly like traditional resumes, but this service allows you to improve your resume so you better your chances at landing your next job.
6. ResumeBucket provides you with a unique URL for your resume and enables you to promote your resume on your website or blog with embeddable ResumeBucket badges, or you can keep your resume private. In addition, resumes are shareable via popular social bookmarking and social networking sites.
7. ResumeSocial is a social resume community, where you can post your resume online and get feedback, just like Razume. Registered users can build a resume through feedback and comments from other users who have similar job experience. You can also be a resume expert and become a valuable member of the community by providing others with assistance. There is also an area for sharing cover letters and follow-up letters. When someone finds your resume on this site, they can print it, quote it, favorite it and email it to other people.
8. VisualCV is a website that provides users with a virtual resume, as well as a database of job openings and networking opportunities. Whether you’re a job seeker, entrepreneur, consultant, student or manager, VisualCV lets you display all of your credentials in an easy to read format, with multimedia integration.
For example, you can upload or embed a video resume or a podcast of you being interviewed. You can also combine other elements, such as images, charts, awards and recommendations, in addition to traditional resume fields such as “work experience”
Their latest capabilities allow job seekers to integrate their resume with social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, to share their qualifications with friends and colleagues. When you update your resume, it can be shared through websites such as Digg and StumbleUpon.
9. Xing is a social network with over 7 million business professionals globally, and is read in 16 languages. Aside from being able to create a profile, the networking part of this site is what shines. There are over 22,000 groups and networking events from London to Beijing advertised.
Xing offers many of the same services as LinkedIn, and like LinkedIn, Xing can serve as your online resume and cover letter. The standard service lets you create a professional profile page, search for people by name and industry, and join groups and events. When you login, you’ll see jobs that might interest you, new members, visitors to your profile and much more.
Erica Williams, is a 20-something, small town, country girl who still marvels at the city lights. She’s a social media enthusiast with a background in Marketing. Oh, and she’s a Google fanatic! Connect with Erica on twitter @socialerica (See what I mean–even her twitter name has “social” in it!)
Tags: iResume, job hunt, job seekers, online resume
Did I need to tell you….don’t wear flip flops to an interview
The heat of summer is upon us, and with it, the greatest threat to the business dress code. If you’re like me, I try to dress as light as possible
during the summer months. However, I still maintain my professionalism and follow a dress code that’s acceptable for the workplace. Sometimes candidates seem to forget that. We often see notes about what not to do in an interview, think of this as a prep for showing up to it (on time of course).
As part of our talent acquisition work, we’ve seen and heard of candidates making some horrible, yet perfectly avoidable mistakes in the summertime because they let the heat fry their judgment. Here are our top 7 dress code malfunctions interviewees bestow upon us eachsummer.
- Skimpy spaghetti strap tops are not ok, unless covered by a jacket..
- Cut off shorts—in fact ANY clothing altered using scissors— are better left for the beach.
- Finish your popsicle or 64 oz. slushie before you come in. Especially if you didn’t bring one to share.
- Don’t chew gum during the interview. It’s OK to pop a breath mint before an interview, but it’s no place for snap, crackle or pop.
- Don’t wear flip flops to an interview. . Just don’t.
- Anything spandex should pretty much be off limits or for the gentlemen, no undergarments should be showing.
- Guys, any hat is not a good impression, no matter how cool you think you are, unless you are interviewing for a part in godfather 6, leave it home.
What’s the silliest faux pas you’ve experienced during an interview? We have a special surprise for the best/craziest in the comments.
Tags: interview, interviewing, job seekers, professional
The big get bigger, and the small kick their a**
If I wasn’t already excited about the potential for 2010 to be a better year, the start of February cemented it. Three mega-deals were announced the first week of February by Monster, Manpower and Spherion, respectively.
Details on each here:
Why should I be happy you ask? I guess I’ll respond with, in a sense I know better. While each of these deals promises something on the order of enhanced earnings, scale and service line extension, etc. for the acquirers (any of which may become true); the actual result in the short to medium term will be confusion, disruption and internal/cultural unrest. Sounding cynical, no? I fundamentally believe this will be the outcome as in 99% of large organizations, the focus is on getting the deal done (& I should know since I did M&A for a career) instead of the critical and hard tasks of real integration. And I am not speaking of functional, technical and legal integration – I mean the true cultural focus, communication of a real combined vision and concrete plans to assimilate the best of each player.
At best there is a “company line” on both sides for the deal, unfortunately with no true examples actually put into action, at worst, the “company line” is a complete sham vs the strategic imperative for the deal (like maybe Monster can get the top volume spot back from indeed.com for a short time, assuming that really matters). Either way, the people in the trenches all know some version of the truth, and perhaps worse in some cases, do not care. [hmm, like...how are you really feeling if you work at hotjobs right now]
So, what does that mean for the rest of us? Well, as bad and frustrating it can be to be inside of these organizations, the disruptions will create a number of opportunities for those in the same or adjunct spaces.
- Their focus will become internal, allowing for others to pick off client relationships while they are not staying customer minded
- Key members of these organizations will be uncomfortable or unhappy in the resulting combinations or with the uncertainty created – a chance to poach top performers
- Their messaging will likely be muddled – internal as well as external, providing an opportunity to provide clarity of solution to prospects in stark contrast
- The deals will force the management teams at times to take their eye off the ball – and miss changes in the market as they strive to justify the purchases & accretion irrespective of actual business performance.
So, if you are in any of the many related industries, take heart and go get some business this year! There is great chance that you will be able to leverage these mega-attention sucks and succeed in your chosen markets. Additionally, you can look to pull top talent during the unrest to enhance your team. If you are at one of these firms…..sorry for the dig – take this as a warning: my suggestion is do your best to not let all of this get in the way of your own personal success and focus.
Here’s to 2010 and Beyond!
Thanks to Bill Boorman for sponsoring the HRCarnival video blog asking for quick comments on ourthoughts for the coming year. Bill is a great guy with a 
passion for the HR/recruiting world and seems to never sleep even with the time zone differences (he is in the UK). I also wanted to thank Bill because this forced me to do my first ever video blog post….from my home office mess in my weekend attire complete with baseball hat. Well – here’s to embracing all that is and moving forward even with things that terrify you….i am sharing my first with you.
Thanks for indulging me – and let me know if you think this is a decent way to deliver messages (snickering aside) and for which kinds of stories.
Shannon
Tags: career, career search, changing industry, HR, HR consulting, human resources, job search, LinkedIn, LinkedIn network, Social Media, Twitter
Talent Acquisition Triple Play
Congratulations to Sodexo on winning the 2009 Workforce Optimas Award for Vision
The company was able to improve hiring speed and quality even as it cut its annual recruiting advertising budget in North America by $300,000. The effort also has corresponded with better business outcomes. Customer satisfaction ratings have risen 0.3 points to 4.5 on a five-point scale since the strategy’s inception. The firm’s global revenue rose 7.9 percent for the year ended in August, and its net income increased 4.5 percent.
I am a fan of Sodexo’s talent acquisition approach from afar and I am excited to see their social media “investments” paying off so quickly. I also love the better business outcome proof. By thinking more broadly they are spending less on recruitment advertising, but gaining a broader reach while hiring apparently better candidates. Talk about a triple play! And I am impressed because they really seem to walk the talk (from what I can see). I truly believe that they are improving their company brand by the clearly improved employer brand they are building. To me they are proof of the shift happening away from traditional job boards and advertising as how the majority of companies find talent…..–toward social media as how smart companies will find their preferred talent pools. Now, you should know - I am biased as the hair on my neck is always raised when I hear the “post & wait” mantra of some of our clients – it makes me crazy!
Companies are missing the boat by not using their website to attract the best and brightest for their needs now and in the future. Sodexo is ahead of the curve regarding a focus on driving traffic to their website vs paying to improve the latest job board’s site . What doesn’t anyone get about the fact that at its best talent acquisition is a sales function? Meaning you want to pull in those that are a fit for your company: while (in the perfect world) helping those that are not a fit, see that early.
Just wondering if I am alone in being so passionate about focusing social media efforts on capturing passive job seekers - the future of our talent pipelines. Some cool : MLB triple plays
Tags: career, career search, FaceBook, HR, human resources, LinkedIn, LinkedIn network, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Social Media, Twitter
Be Thankful for your Problems
In my “book” the holidays (and not simply the one we most recently 
celebrated) are a time for reflection and giving thanks in more ways than one. I try every year to take time alone and with my family (especially with my children) to reflect on how blessed we are. This can be challenging during the rush of the season and the many “priorities” imposed as a result of expectations we generally put on ourselves. Add to that my children, who essentially live in a lake wobegon world, and invariably we have conversations about why they cannot have everything they want, and why we are giving things to other children (‘why don’t their parents just get it for them….?”) etc.
As well its is time for my favorite Kinetix holiday tradition of sharing a special book that inspires us as a team of people to feel better and do better. The cornerstone of this tradition is the participation of our clients and friends in making suggestions for each year’s book. Today, I wanted to share it with you as well. After carefully considering a large number of special and intriguing books, we selected “Embrace the Struggle” as one most fitting in relationship to the challenging year that has been 2009 for so many. The Author and I are convinced that in the last year the overwhelming majority of people have struggled with some kind of concern – personal, family, business, health, job, relationships – you name it.
In “Embrace the Struggle, Living Life on Life’s Terms”by Zig Ziglar and Julie Ziglar Norman, Zig posits that “it seems that struggles just happen over the course of time…the [key] question is how do you handle them?” In it, Zig is moving in his willingness to be transparent and open about how he is embracing his struggles with a brain injury and positional vertigo, the results of a fall down the stairs in his home. The remainder is a collection of inspiring stories of others who faced struggles and not only survived, but amazingly live lives more 
fulfilling than they experienced before their struggles began. The book will challenge those who might be tempted to hide behind the frailties of their health or challenges of their circumstances to take positive steps toward living life fully and gracefully.
There are many good stories and messages, but my favorite was Fred Smith, for his attitude on life and this life view: “A problem is something you can do something about. If you can’t do anything about it, it’s a fact of life, and so we accept facts: we solve problems.” For me, this encapsulates the challenges and opportunities with living life on life’s terms: understanding what you cannot change and endeavouring to take something good out of every bad experience. If you are currently struggling, I hope you can take some solace and direction by accepting the “facts” of your circumstance, and focus instead on solving the problems. As hard as this may be, it will help you to move forward positively.
As hard as 2009 has been, I know that I have much to be thankful for: family and friends, including many new ones thanks to social media; the growth of our firm in such a difficult time, our clients and partners; my wonderful team and their daily contributions to name a few. I am grateful for the ability to help others and for the many people who help and support me. As we go into the holidays, this is a gentle reminder to accept the facts, solve the problems and live life with an expecation of what is to come. As Zig says: “where there is a struggle, there is life. For that we can be grateful!”
Tags: career, career search, Embrace the Struggle, HR, Inspiration, life lessons, Live life to the fullest, truth, Zig Ziglar
To Tweet or Not to Tweet?
If you’re like many, you’re standing by observing this social networking frenzy – nothing short of a blitz – and wondering, what IS this stuff?? And why would I want to “follow” my local TV station anyway? It’s a big waste of time, right? Not so fast…
The simple fact is, there may soon come a time when having a Twitter account will be as critical to a business person as having a Blackberry. No longer an option, but a necessity. So get past your disdain for that which you’re not informed about and just dig in! After all, there’s reason so many people are using it. Here’s the real bottom line: if you have anything to sell and you resist having a presence on Twitter, you’re missing a valuable opportunity to generate interest in your product or service. And if that “product” is YOU?….hello? Well, let’s just say if you’re looking for work today you need all the help you can get. This is about building your personal brand so others know who you are and what you do.
So just what is it, anyway? Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, “What are you doing?” by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called “tweets”, to your friends, or “followers.”
Think of twitter as a river of commentary that you can dip into as needed to either get or share information or thoughts. The unbounded nature of Twitter offers a myriad of opportunities and resources that can be effective if leveraged properly.
How do I get started? Answer: in 3 easy steps – plus a bonus
ONE: Begin by watching 2 videos here by Michael Long (also known as @theredrecruiter) these videos do an awesome job of patiently walking you thru getting your account and settings – in the first video, together with tips on how to use it and what the main aspects of getting around on twitter and tweeting in the second video.
TWO: Sign up. It’s free. Go to http://twitter.com. Choose a username. USE YOUR REAL NAME. It will lead to better connections with people and will keep you from any temptation you may have to use something “cute” or otherwise not appropriate for your job search. And this is part of your overall personal branding, so who do you want them to see?
THREE: Next, start following relevant people. Use search.twitter.com either to find people, recruiters and other career professionals, people who work in and around your industry or people who work at the companies you’re targeting. You can use this site to search by “hashtag” (you’ll learn more about that after you sign up!), any kind of terminology, or user name if you know it. If you are looking for a job opportunity, follow and connect with these people to learn what it’s like to work at your target companies and whether they may be hiring.
FOUR: Download Tweetdeck as well – to receive your tweets – it’s an invaluable tool to help you organize them and also to search for relevant people. Most important, it allows you to see when you are mentioned or someone is talking to you (easy to miss in the stream of Twitter). In addition it allows you to also filter the people you follow into “groups” – important if you follow those in divergent areas or for different needs. For example, you could have a group for your work/job interests, one for your hobby (scuba perhaps?) and one for your kids’ schools and extracurricular interests.
Twitter is just like anything else; you get back what you put into it…and maybe a little more! If you’re looking for a quick fix, Twitter isn’t it. If you truly embrace it, your Twitter community can introduce you to a whole new world of connections and opportunities. Build relationships. Add value. Be open to the possibilities…You just might be amazed by what happens.
PS – you can start by following @kinetixhr 
Tags: career search, job hunt, job search, Job Seeker, Twitter, unemployed
Reflect, rethink, and then revitalize your job search!
Wondering why you haven’t gotten a single call back after scouring the job boards and applying to all those positions? It’s likely due to several 
reasons. First, understand that when a company posts a position Monster, CareerBuilder, or any other big job board, they do so expecting an onslaught of applicants – and today that’s what they inevitably get. There often is just one recruiter pouring through the responses, and that person’s objective is to make it as easy as possible to identify the people best-qualified for the job, and therefore, is looking for reasons to disqualify candidates quickly. At best, he or she is scanning each resume for key competencies which, if not immediately apparent, lands it in the ‘disqualified’ pile. It should go without saying that if your resume contains grammatical errors or typos, it will be discarded immediately. But most important, if you’re sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring, you’re operating in a reactive mode to begin with.
Applying on-line may be one strategy to employ in your job search, but today it can’t be the only one. If current statistics are correct, since you have a less than 10% chance of getting your job from applying to a posting, you should spend a commensurate amount of time using this avenue. If you’re counting on getting the interview using this approach, you’re expecting a recruiter to find that proverbial needle in the haystack. Studies show networking is still the best route to a job; uncovering the “hidden” job market occurs most often by talking to people…and talking…and talking! Step back and reflect on what you’re proactively doing to advance your search. Ask yourself:
- Am I networking effectively, letting everyone I know what I’m looking to do next?
- Have I contacted former colleagues who may be in a position to provide me with job leads in my area of expertise?
- Have I asked an expert to critique my resume or for other help? Do I customize it for each opening that I am going for?
Rethink your goals and how best to achieve them. Be clear about what you want and then make good use of technology available to help you get it!
- Now’s the time to take stock of what you’re really good at. Make sure the job you’re going after is a good fit for your skills and interests. Take advantage of free online career assessments at www.livecareer.com or www.rocketcareer.com
- Is there a gap between your abilities and the type of work you’re seeking that may be holding you back? Is your best next step to enroll in an on-line class to strengthen your marketability?
- Utilize social media to the fullest to market yourself. Create profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and any others relevant to your field. If you have an affinity for writing, consider blogging about important information you know in a certain field. The key is to enhance your visibility.
Now that you’ve reflected on what’s not working, thought through your goals and what tools are available to help you to reach them, outline a new marketing plan to revitalize your job search. Remember to lean on your family and friends for support, seek advice from a professional if needed, and network, network, network!
Tags: career search, FaceBook, job hunt, job search, Job Seeker, LinkedIn network, Social Media, Twitter
Unemployment’s No Fun, but You Will Get Through It
Being laid off is a blow to the ego, no doubt. The good news for today’s victims is that they’re in good company. Economic declines are always accompanied by job loss, but in this unprecedented downturn, it’s rare to find someone unscathed. Still, like losing a loved one or going through a divorce, job loss brings with it a grieving process. It’s important to recognize everyone must move through the stages of grief and that they’re not linear; that is, you’ll move between the various stages throughout the grieving process.
Here’s what you can expect if you find yourself in this situation.
Denial- It’s not uncommon to be shell-shocked when you get the news of your release. Like a spouse who won’t sign divorce papers, you may be inclined to protect yourself from the pain by resisting it. The sooner you can come to terms with the situation the sooner you’ll begin the recovery process. For job seekers we often see that they will not change their LinkedIn profile or send out updates to say they are looking.
Anger – Playing the blame game is typical, and while it’s not productive, it’s important to let yourself move through this stage rather than pretend all is well. It’s okay to feel angry and perhaps betrayed; just don’t let it control you.
Bargaining- In an effort to retain your position, you may be tempted to offer to reduce your compensation, go part-time, or become a contractor for your current employer. While these may be viable options, it’s likely your employer considered them before moving to a layoff. It doesn’t hurt to ask, but don’t be surprised if the response is no. And ultimately, would you really be happy under these new terms? If you’re honest with yourself, probably not.
Depression- Feeling blue is to be expected in this situation. The important thing is that it not become debilitating. If you find depression persists, seek professional help. A key to this aspect for job seekers is to get out often and surround yourself with positive people – not get together with those that sit around to cry the blues.
Acceptance- Eventually, you’ll make peace with the change and embrace the future. It’s in the Acceptance stage that you’re confidence will return and you’re most likely to land your next opportunity. Remember that when one door closes, often it is another, perhaps better one that opens – albeit not always apparent at first.
Remember, being laid off isn’t the end of the world. In fact, people typically report being in a better place as a direct result of their job loss down the road. You could be offered a much better job or follow your passion and start the business you’ve always dreamed of that you’d never have had the nerve to pursue had you not lost your job! Finally, understand that being released from a job isn’t about you, it’s about your employer’s financial condition. It can happen to anyone, and like hundreds of thousands before you who’ve experienced it, you too will get through it. Good luck!
Tags: career, career search, changing industry, job search, Job Seeker, unemployed
Archives
@kinetixhr
Tags
Blogroll
Recent Comments
- Tweets that mention 9 Top Online Resume Resources » Kinetix -- Topsy.com on 9 Top Online Resume Resources
- Tweets that mention Kinetix CEO to Present at 2010 Georgia CPA Conference » Kinetix -- Topsy.com on Kinetix CEO to Present at 2010 Georgia CPA Conference
- Tweets that mention Four More Reasons the Right RPO KO’s In-House Recruitment for Mid-Size Businesses » Kinetix -- Topsy.com on Four More Reasons the Right RPO KO’s In-House Recruitment for Mid-Size Businesses
- Tweets that mention Prevention and Wellness Lead Benefit Designs » Kinetix -- Topsy.com on Prevention and Wellness Lead Benefit Designs
- Tweets that mention An Eight-Round Knockout: The Right RPO Beats In-House Recruitment for Mid-Size Businesses » Kinetix -- Topsy.com on An Eight-Round Knockout: The Right RPO Beats In-House Recruitment for Mid-Size Businesses