A quick scan of a resume sets expectations instantly.
Here’s what you need to know to make that fact work for you in your executive job search.
Let’s set the stage. The person reading your resume is a hiring authority or refers candidates to hiring authorities. They want to spend time with only the best candidates and a triage based on a resume is their perceived best first step. Here’s how it works. Continue reading 'Resume roulette – Get your resume to the top of the stack'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, Executive topics, Job Security, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized, Warnings
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executive jobs, name brand company, networking, personal brand, personal branding, resume, Rita Ashley
THE ELEVATOR PITCH–Is Yours Working?
Your brand [Elevator Pitch] is the promise you make to a prospective employer. Shivonne Byrne, Microsoft Branding Executive.
Do people respond to it with questions about your work, your success or processes? Do they want to learn more? Do they invite you to talk about your credentials? Do they offer to introduce you to others? Do they show interest so you can invite them to meet at a future date? Do they ask for your Continue reading 'Simple steps to make your elevator pitch memorable'»
Open letter to resume writers: Stop stealing from your clients.
After reading the seventh professionally crafted resume that sucked it is time for me to hollar-back. When I see candidates being victimized by job search parasites I am enraged. Stop selling your services as a resume writer if you have never hired anyone. Don’t put up your shingle if you haven’t been in a professional role supporting those who do. Just because you can write or use a layout template doesn’t qualify you for the arcane art of resume writing.
Continue reading 'Bad resumes from professional resume writers maim your job search'»
Ageism, Ask a question, career advice, Executive topics, resume, Uncategorized, Warnings
| ageism, career advice, resume, resume service, resume writer, Rita Ashley
Don’t spit the dummy.
None of that is important for your job search.
It’s easy to get angry. The media feeds us fodder for frustration. The statistics are horrible. Over 10% unemployment with no end in sight. We hear of bankruptcies, foreclosures and all manner of frightening financial predictions.
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, resume, Uncategorized
| agism, career advice, executive jobs, interview, over 50, overqualified, resume, Rita Ashley, unemployed
Scale the ‘Overqualified’ hurdle
Few comments by employers are as demoralizing to executive candidates than, “We like you but you are overqualified for this job.” This post addresses what employers actually believe and gives you the career advice you need to overcome their objections. Continue reading 'Overqualified doesn’t mean unemployable'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| ageism, agism, career advice, executive careers, over 50, overqualified, Rita Ashley
Combat Agism, unemployment, and career stagnation.
Jobs are like busses, if you get on the right one, you arrive at your destination
Abstract: Executive career planning for job security – Visibility, choosing the right employer, your professional brand and importance of a Personal Board of Directors. Continue reading 'Job Security – Advanced techniques'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| ageism, career advice, executive jobs, personal board of directors, personal branding, Rita Ashley
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR JOB SEARCH FOR 2011.
The new year looms and seems only moments away. 2011 can be your best year ever. All it takes is good planning and assessing what works and getting rid of what doesn’t. Ok, and some luck and the stars aligning. But do your part. Recognize that what you have been doing is not working or you’d have a new job or promotion. Time to revise your process and control what you can. Continue reading 'Get control over your job search'»
Ageism, Ask a question, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, resume, Uncategorized
| career advice, executive careers, executive jobs, Rita Ashley
Layoff blues got you down?
You didn’t do anything wrong and there was nothing you could do to prevent it, but you are unemployed. In fact, you know if you had been running the show, layoffs would not have been an option. But, you weren’t and the decisions were out of your control.
Of course you are angry, maybe even a little depressed. For sure your self confidence has taken a hit. You did a terrific job and you still find yourself out of a job. That just doesn’t seem fair.
Continue reading 'Laid off and demoralized?'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| $100+, career advice, executive careers, executive jobs, job search advice, laid off, Rita Ashley, unemployed
Career advice is everywhere. Blogs abound from folks who set themselves up as career and job search experts. Seems like everywhere you look, there’s a new job search slant with a new voice. Some folks charge for it, some folks offer it for free. Price is rarely an indicator of quality. What matters is the adviser’s track record. Have they been an executive? Been involved in hiring executives? How long have they coached? Have they success to point to? Do they work with people with your specific skill set? How do their references check out?
And most important, who is the target audience for all those blogs and newsletters? Executives visit a very different landscape from individual contributors which means most of the online advice is not appropriate.
Hiring a career coach is like boarding a bus; if you chose the right one, you reach your destination. Do you know your objectives? As a career coach I find the difference between success and failure is knowing the objective before you get started. That’s why I start most coaching clients with a go/no-go list to map their real and intangible decision points. Continue reading 'Hire a career coach to soar past the competition'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, resume, Uncategorized
| career advice, career coaching, executive careers, executive coaching, find a recruiter, get the best from recruiters, interview questions, job coach, networking, personal branding, resume, Rita Ashley
Are you angry because you feel your age prevents you from landing an executive job? Is it your age or is it something else? Many people over 50 have jobs. Even those over 60 are gainfully employed. Why not you?
My friend Phil is over 65 yet he is constantly courted for his expertise and recently accepted a spot as a CEO in an early stage company. He has had no gaps in his career for over 20 years. Why? Because he is well networked and people know of his accomplishments. In a nutshell, those are the keys to continuous employment.
FREE EXECUTIVE COACHING FOUND HERE. What can you do to improve your chances of getting back to work as an executive? Here’s career advice that is field tested and proven to work. The comments made below are not meant to blame the victim, they are honest reflections of what employers see and how they react. I didn’t script them, I only interview hiring authorities and report. Continue reading 'Why Boomers don’t get hired'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| ageism, agism, career advice, career coaching, executive careers, executive coaching, executive jobs, Rita Ashley, unemployed executives
Other’s over 50 are gainfully employed, why not you?
What did they do that you didn’t? Create your own job security for a lucrative career. Take these steps now.
Over 50 and looking for work can be traumatic. You are told you are overqualified, won’t fit the culture or just overlooked.
Don’t let age discrimination get you down. Look around. Many people with a bit of grey in their hair and long tenure in the workforce are employed in terrific jobs and valued as members of the business community. Continue reading 'Over 50 and no job?'»
Ageism, Branding, career advice, Job Security, networking, resume
| $100+, advice, ageism, career advice, career branding, job security, Rita Ashley
TACTICS TO AVOID DEALING WITH THE FACT YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED AND THERE IS A ZERO BALANCE IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT Continue reading 'JOB SEARCH DENIAL CHECK LIST'»
Branding, career advice, coaching, Interview, Job Security, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| $100+, advice, career branding, executive careers, executive jobs, Rita Ashley
Mistakes your competition makes on their resume.
Your resume is the open-sesame of job search. The more closely an executive resume reflects the needs of the employer, the higher the probability an interview will be offered.
That is the very reason resume writing services hawk their wares with unreasonable promises to an unsure audience. They prey on and exacerbate your uncertainty about your ability to write your own resume. It is tempting to delegate this important task but no one can create a better resume than you once you learn the secret sauce. Continue reading 'Is your resume a deal-killer?'»
career advice, resume, Uncategorized
| $100+, career advice, executive jobs, lying, resume, resume checking, resume lies, resume mistakes, resume services, resume writers, Rita Ashley
The scariest question recruiters ask is, “How long have you been with your current (or previous) employer?”
Many people believe the job search myth that it is acceptable, even expected, to change jobs every two years. Or that the current downturn in the economy somehow forgives the resume that indicates short stints at recent jobs.
The fact of the matter is, most recruiters (and hiring authorities) won’t even consider a candidate with a pattern of very short tenure. Their clients don’t want to hire them and recruiters do what they are asked. And lately, according to the Wall Street Journal, some employers insist recruiters only interview those currently employed. They won’t waste time interviewing you because they know they can’t place you. No amount of cajolery or conniving can change this outcome. Continue reading 'The damning question recruiters ask'»
Branding, career advice, networking, recruiters, resume, Uncategorized
| career advice, executive jobs, job hopping, job tenure, networking, recruiters, resume, Rita Ashley, work with recruiters
Do you know why you are still unemployed?
The statistics are horrible. Over 10% unemployment. Consultants and executives who have ‘aged out’ of the unemployment roles are not included. Entrepreneurs who don’t qualify and interns who don’t find paid work are not included. So the number is a lot higher than the statistic reports.
And it is those very executives and consultants who feed the economy. Laborers and hourly people don’t feed the beast. We must get middle managers and executives back to work and spending money. Short sales and bankruptcies are still occurring with wretched frequency. It is those in six figure jobs who fuel the economy.
My solution? Revitalize the job search. Learn how to do it right. Stop doing what isn’t working. I see executives uncovering great leads but shooting themselves in the foot with poor process or blind belief in job search myths.
One sad fellow called me because he had been on five interviews with five different companies and never made it to the second round. After talking to him for just a few minutes, I knew why. He couldn’t stop talking.
His desperation was palpable. He wanted to make sure I knew every possible thing about him in case some one thing would trigger my response to hire him. I couldn’t even get in a word to tell him I don’t hire people.
He sent me a resume and asked if my clients were hiring. Bad. Very bad. He didn’t even know what I do. He just sent out blind and random emails with his resume with no regard for the recipient. His was not the first inquiry that assumed I am a recruiter or hiring manager. Continue reading 'Interview but no offer?'»
career advice, Interview, networking, resume, Uncategorized
| $100+, career advice, cover letter, interview tips, resume, Rita Ashley, six figure job
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