Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By Rita Ashley, February 13, 2012

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'»

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By Rita Ashley, December 17, 2011

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'»

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By Rita Ashley, December 22, 2010

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.

Continue reading 'Is this why you are still unemployed?'»

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By Rita Ashley, October 25, 2010

Why hire a career coach?

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'»

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By Rita Ashley, June 25, 2010

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?'»

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By Rita Ashley, June 19, 2010

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'»

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By Rita Ashley, May 6, 2010

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?'»

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By Rita Ashley, May 3, 2010

Executives, Would you like to be caught for that big six figure job?

Let’s say you want to catch a sturgeon. Each day, you pay someone dearly to motor a boat to deep waters where there are sharks, deep sea anglers and dragon fish; lots of activity, many fish, but not one sturgeon in the bunch. You are worn out and demoralized from trying. You use your best equipment and you know you know how to fish; but still, no sturgeon.

If you want to catch a sturgeon, you have to fish in cold water lakes and rivers. Submitting your resume to job boards, corporate websites and all those LinkedIn recruiting sites is a bit like fishing for sturgeon in deep ocean water.

This is not another fish tale; you want to land a job? Go where the employers are looking for candidates. You have to know how to be found because they are certainly looking. There are jobs out there in spite of what the media and your unemployed friends tell you. All those products need to be created, marketed, supported and sold regardless of our weakened economy.

Don’t believe for one moment that you chum the waters with resumes to countless job boards, resume sites and corporate websites. All that accomplishes is you bloody the waters to become prey for sharks. Those public resume aggregators receive thousands of resumes from job seekers; you have no opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to be seen. And many are scams, identity thieves, and just plain bogus. That’s why you rarely hear back and if you do, you rarely make it to the first interview. Continue reading 'Land that big six figure job'»