Needle, Meet Haystack

The other day, I was reading an article discussing the pros and cons of making a video resume.  Although it covered the basics well enough, there are a few things that it did not cover (and some that it did) that you should know about.  A video resume, if used correctly, can be a powerful tool in the job applicant’s arsenal.  But if made without proper awareness or preparation, can lead to disaster.

1. You will be judged on quality.  Unlike a standard online application (or even a paper resume), simply having a video resume is not necessarily a good thing.  You will have to make sure the picture, sound and overall quality are high, as well as finding unique and interesting ways of presenting yourself.  A bad video resume can hurt you more than help you.
2. You probably shouldn’t email it.  Many employers will scan through the bodies of emails, but due to a fear of viruses or other digital nasties, might not open attachments.  And given the size of a video file, it might take too long on both ends to send and receive the file.
3. It can’t go up online.  Most online applications do not have an option for you to upload a large file, such as a video resume (if you are permitted to upload anything at all).  And despite the allure of doing so, it’s not a good idea to put your video resume up on YouTube or other video hosting sites.
4. They might not want to watch it.  Whereas a resume can be scanned into a program to search for key words and phrases, a video resume must be watched.  And since they are usually at least several minutes long, an employer may not have the time or inclination to sit through the video.
5. They might not be able to legally watch it.  Many companies are equal opportunity employers, meaning that they do not employ people with a bias towards race, gender, age and so on.  By showing yourself in your video resume, you will be showing them what you look like, which could open the door to legal problems for the company.
6. It’s not always worth what you put into it.  Unless you’re sending in the video resume because it actually pertains to the job you’re applying for (video production or TV commercial development, for example), having a video resume might not make that much of a difference in employers’ decision-making processes.  And given the time it would take to plan, shoot and edit the video, you might be getting a lot less back from all of your efforts.
7. It might cost more than you care to spend.  The monetary costs for the camera, editing software and storage (like CD-Rs, DVDs and flash drives) might be more than you can afford.
8. You might get the opposite response from what you had hoped.  See exhibit A.

But then again, you could have a masterpiece like this.  So if you plan to make a video resume, plan carefully!

I think we can all finally be honest: multitasking is not only a bullshit term, but it’s pretty inefficient.

While we’d all like to be able to juggle multiple tasks, like talking on the phone while sending an email and working on a spreadsheet while making copies and listening to music on our iPods all multi-armed Hindu diety style, it just doesn’t happen.  At most, you might have a few different windows open on your desktop and are half-heartedly conversing with a co-worker or friend while trying to focus on typing something.  Or vice-versa.

The problem with “multitasking” is that it doesn’t really work.  You’re always more focused at one task than the others, and when you do shift focus, it’s more likely to be a distraction than actually working on another project concurrently with the one you’ve been doing.  Yes, a computer can multitask (running multiple programs) in the same way that a person can multitask by walking and chewing gum at the same time (performing multiple actions), but people are not made to multitask on things that involve a lot of conscious thought.

Think about the last time you multitasked on several projects.  It seemed like each of them was going to take a long time, and your stress seemed compounded, right?  That’s because you should have been unitasking.

If you force yourself to focus on a particular task, you are going to give it more time and care than if you were also “working” on a few other things.  It’s not so much about supposed efficiency (and really, you can do a lot more a lot faster by untiasking than multitasking), but more about effectiveness.  When you think about it, multitasking is a form of procrastination, as you are putting off task completion with other projects that are not as pertinent or needing of focus.  And we’ve discussed how to fix that little problem before.

So the next time you feel like doing a few dozen things at once, slow it down.  A strong solid focus on one task at a time will yield superior results (and take less time) than breaking it up with several other projects.

Last week, I took a few hours out of my schedule to go to a local job fair that I had seen advertised in my newspaper.  I wasn’t sure quite what to expect because:

1. There was no list anywhere on what companies would be at the job fair
2. The only contact information I could find out about the event was for the venue where it would be held, and they didn’t have any details beyond the name of the job fair and the location
3. The newspaper that was sponsoring the job fair had not advertised the job fair for the three days before (!) it was happening, or on the day of the job fair (!!)
4. I have a natural aversion to job fairs (which I will explain some other time)

Regardless, I decided that at the very least, it would make an interesting blog post.  Oh, the things I do for you.

I arrived at the civic center where the job fair was to be held, resume copies, portfolio and business cards at the ready.  After signing in and receiving a complimentary event tote with a small water bottle and pen, I walked on to the convention floor to see hundreds of people wandering through several aisles of booths, while three simultaneous job hunting seminars were fighting for an audience in the corner of the room.

What I found most interesting about the employers is that all of the booths that I spoke with (excluding the military) were referring job seekers to their websites rather than taking applications or resumes at the job fair.  In fact, several representatives did not even know what positions they had open at their companies.  At least half of the booths offered no indication of what industries the companies were in – and these were local companies, not larger corporations.

That is to say nothing of the other attendees.  While a polo with slacks could be passable for such an event, the results for those who showed up with multiple face and body piercings, large visible tattoos and in shorts and t-shirts were probably less than stellar.  Then again, they also had no idea what companies would be there.

Almost every representative who knew what positions were open at their company was looking for either IT or medical people (except for the military).  As a result, few of those looking for a job even had an opportunity to be told to go online to apply.

But hey, at least we all got a free tote bag.

So when I made this post, there were a few things I didn’t mention.

But here’s the thing about being an expert: you have to be careful about sharing your expertise.

What I mean is this: if you are looking to be an expert in a creative field, like entertainment, advertising, architecture or something like that, the problem is that you cannot be an expert without also being a critic.  As these fields are partially based on aesthetics, you can’t be as expertly on them as another field with more concrete procedures and knowledge, like finance, economics, teaching or medicine.  Since creative fields have knowledge based on case studies, it’s a bit harder to assess them.

This is part of the reason why I have a job search blog instead of an advertising blog.

I haven’t worked in the field for long enough, so I don’t have any clout or enough examples to back me up when I say that something is amazing or crap.  Not to mention that since I would like to get a job in that field, I might be accidentally insulting perspective employers.  If I were an old warhorse, with years of experience and accolades and awards under my belt, that would be less of a problem.  But alas, I am not.

So if you’re going to be an expert, make sure that your expertise won’t kill your chances at getting a job.

Waaaaaaayyyyy back in the old days of yore, when I was but a young man still in school, drafting my first resume as part of an English class assignment, I remember my teacher telling us something like, “Make sure that your objective section at the top is clear and concise.  It’s one of the most important parts of the resume.”

Now I can safely say that that piece of knowledge is about as true as George Washington and the cherry tree, most of the Christopher Columbus stuff, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and good Steven Seagal movies besides Under Siege.

When you think about it, the “objectives” section is less useful than Truck Nutz.  What’s your objective?  Oh, yeah: TO GET HIRED FOR THE JOB YOU’RE APPLYING FOR.  The objective(s) section is a pointless space-filler, and it’s almost condescending to whoever will look at your resume if you keep it on there.

So take that crap off your resume and add some more stuff to a past job description or the skills section.  Something that might actually help you get a job.

As we’ve discussed before, sometimes you don’t get the best figures on the unemployment rate.  So even though the economy is showing some signs of recovery, it’s hard to tell how many people are looking for work.  When I started out after college, I didn’t have a job waiting for me, and now it seems that many of those who did have joined the unemployment statistic, especially over the past few months.  So if you’re on the job hunt, or know someone who is (you probably do), here are some tips that can really help.  And trust me, it’s not fun to learn these things through experience.

You have health care options.  Sure, there might be a national program at some point, but that isn’t an option now.  However, there are a few ways that you can still get good treatment without having an employer.

You don’t have to work for a company.  It’s good to know that there are other options than what you think you’re going to get, especially if you don’t get it right away.  Making back-up plans is never a bad idea.

You don’t have to take the first job you’re offered.  I went through some pretty bad interviews, even though I knew that they were not right for me.  I could have saved myself and my interviewers quite a bit of time by being more honest with them earlier on, and might have found the jobs that I eventually took sooner.

It’s important to plan out and develop a routine.  It’s vital to keep yourself from resting on your laurels and thinking that the job will come to you.  Unless you built a job-getting magnet.  In which case, I would like to borrow it.

Even your breaks need to be structured.  I would end up taking hours out of my day by not focusing well enough on the task at hand.  Until I learned how to take a better break.

You have to motivate yourself.  It can be hard to do, but if you break things down into steps that you can manage, it’s amazing how much more you can accomplish.

Make yourself an expert.  It might take some time, but it will make you a much more valuable asset to employers.

It’s okay to sell out.  Or be a job whore.  Really.

Take your time so you don’t go insane.  When your furniture starts talking to you and your name isn’t Pee Wee Herman, you need to relax a bit.

And if what you’re doing isn’t working out, try changing things (like with the job application diet).  If it didn’t work before, it won’t work now.

You know, now that I think about it, pretty much everything on this blog is something that I wish that someone had told me before I had to figure it out for myself…

Follow through.  Yes, it’s that simple.

After you send the email, mail the letter or fill out the form, you should wait an adequate time (a few days, but less than a week) and call.  Yes, that’s right – pick up a phone and call.  If you don’t have a specific person you’ve been contacting, get transferred to wherever applications are processed, and make sure that they got whatever it was that you sent.  You’d be surprised how quickly you can move up the application pile when you just call in a reminder about yours.

And if they did reply?  Well, you’d best start up a dialogue and get yourself an interview!

It’s really that easy.  Here’s some more advice:

This week, take an hour out of your day to listen to Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage discuss failure.  It’s an interesting speech about making horrible, soul-crushing mistakes, and how they can help you be a better person and excel in the business world.  And if you’re a fan of the show, the rest of the video is some good Q&A about things they do behind the scenes.

Check it out here.

So a few days ago, David Letterman did a Top 10 list based on former VP hopeful Sarah Palin’s trip to New York.  Like many of his lists, I found it okay, but not particularly hilarious.  The Alaskan governor had other ideas.  She replied on a radio interview:

While I am not particularly one way or  another on the  whole argument, here’s the point: the Late Show is enjoying a ratings boost, Palin’s in the news, we’re talking about it – everyone wins! (sort of)

Letterman got called out on something that he said.  He could have completely retracted it, been public about the whole thing to a ridiculous degree, and the whole thing could escalate beyond belief.  Instead, he’s stuck to his guns, acted within his character and personal beliefs, and seems to be getting positive reactions for it (and some that are not so positive).  Also, he’s talking to people on the same level: through his show.  Palin, meanwhile, is going through (as far as I know) email press releases and radio – two areas where she probably has to give a lot of exposition to listeners/readers – she is not approaching the same people that WATCHED the TELEVISION show in the first place.

So how can you apply this to your job search?

Regardless of how the whole thing ends up, Letterman is showing consistency in message, tone, and character.  He understands his limits, his audience, the ramifications of what he did, and how to best respond.  When you’ve finally gotten that interview after months of nothing, there might be the temptation to lie, overstep your bounds, embellish, or do whatever you have to do to get the position.  But doing so, and removing your consistency and showing a lack of character, won’t win you anything in the long term.

Palin, meanwhile, is all over the place.  She’s moving in different media, away from the people who would have the most interest in her message, giving a sense of exaggeration, and will not come out of this whole mess looking that good.  By diluting her message from a simple and direct “I didn’t appreciate that” to broad strokes about how the talk show host is encouraging domestic violence, she is digging a deeper and deeper hole.  Learn from this mistake: keep your messages clear and concise, from your phone calls to your portfolios to your other job application tools.  Anything else can end up backfiring on you.

Whether you’re deciding how to change your cover letter, what to say in a resume, or how to deal with the “where do you see yourself in five years” interview question, you will have a much easier and more satisfying experience if you speak your message directly, eliminate possible misunderstanding, and are true to your own character.

[SIDENOTE: A quick web search shows that there have been a number of other top 10 lists that Letterman made about Palin.  Publicity move or real outrage?  YOU DECIDE!]

Well everybody, we’re finally here!  The last step of the Job Application Diet!  If you’ve noticed the name trend thing by now (and you should, because I’ve been telling you D.I.E.T. is an acronym since day 2 or so), then you should know that today is the “T” – Take your time.

In this case, I’m advocating a change from the mass-output, get-to-as-many-people-as-possible school of thought.  Tae your time and make sure that your application is good!  I mean, if you don’t spend much time on it, why will any hiring managers want to?  Spend a little time looking over the companies you’re applying to – what is their mission statement?  Who are their consumers, clients, and competitors?  Why do you want to work there?

Make sure to spend time to check for typos, bad grammar, and other stuff that could make your application go right to the top of the trash heap.  I have a friend who was applying for finance jobs, and in his rush to send out applications, he started with the following:

“Dear Sir or Madam:

I am interested in pursuing a financial analyst with Goldman Sachs…”

What’s wrong here?

He was sending the letter to J.P. Morgan!*

Sometimes, you just need to spend a little time on revision to double-check things that most of us don’t give a second thought to, like addresses (Google maps!), spelling (why bother when there’s spell check?), or names.

For the record, Cameron, Casey, Kelly, Lou, Sam, Alex, and many other names are pretty much unisex.  Do your research on these people if you can, so you don’t end up calling a man “Ms.” or vice-versa.

The job hunt is just that – a hunt.  Just like in hunting, you have to wait and plan carefully if you want to catch the big game, or else you’ll wind up having sat around upwind since 3 AM covered in deer urine (metaphorically speaking).

Diet Homework: Spend a little extra time going over your applications.  You might not send off as many as usual, but try to go for quality, not quantity.

I hope you have a great weekend!  There will be a brief wrap-up on the Diet tomorrow.

*Those aren’t the companies, but I don’t remember what they were.  Nonetheless, my point stands, and I hope you get what I’m saying here.