Dirk Spencer - Resume Boot Camp with Dirk - Frisco Connect

Resume Boot Camp

with Dirk

Frisco Connect 2011 Top to Bottom Action Plan

No Questions - Answers Only

Get the Job Not the Interview©

The Resume is a Game of:

•Reach ability

•Read ability

•Like ability

•Inch by inch on the resume

Layout and Format

Be Boring Already

Use One Inch Margins

Every page

1 Inch Margins - All Four Sides

•Top

•Bottom

•Left

•Right

The Eyes Have It

What do they want?

Where do your eyes go?

Still the Same?

Who Are You?

What Are You?

How Do We Reach You?

Make it easy to know this…

Name, Job Title, Email, Phone

At least - Please

Names Need to Be Easy to Read

Initials, Commas, Acronyms

can turn your name to electronic dust…

Dirk Spencer

Dirk V. Spencer

Dirk Victor Spencer

Dirk V. Spencer, PMP

Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR

Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR, CIR

Dirk Spencer

Dirk V. Spencer Dirk Victor Spencer Dirk V. Spencer, PMP Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR, CIR

These 4 things can turn a

last-name into nothing

or the wrong-name

Dirk Spencer

Dirk V. Spencer Dirk Victor Spencer Dirk V. Spencer, PMP Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR, CIR

The post-name Alphabet-Soup Dump

does not inform…

And – it can become your New Last-Name

Dirk Spencer

Recruiter / Sourcing Specialist

DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

214-295-8687

Plano, Texas 75024

Dirk V. Spencer

Recruiter / Sourcing Specialist

DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

214-295-8687

Plano, Texas 75024

Dirk V. Spencer, PMP

Recruiter / Sourcing Specialist

DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

214-295-8687

Plano, Texas 75024

Dirk Victor Spencer, PMP, ACIR, CIR

Recruiter / Sourcing Specialist

DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

214-295-8687

Plano, Texas 75024

Job Titles

Make It Obvious

Recruiter

Sourcer

Talent Acquisition (TA) Specialist

Recruiter / Sourcer

Sourcing Specialist

Sourcing / TA Specialist

Project Manager

SW Developer

Electrical Engineer

Project Manager

Project / Product Manager

Project Manager / Product Manager

SW Engineer

Software Engineer

Software Engineer / Developer

SW Engineer / SW Developer

Emails, Phone Numbers, Zip

Verify they work &

Brand Effectively

Email

Do’s & Don’ts

Bad Email – No Doughnut

Tail Chaser

Sexy Kitty

Harley Girl

Email Errors to Avoid

Missing Letters

Transposed Numbers

Wrong Domain (.COM vs. .NET)

Old Work Email

Phone Numbers

Test Them

From the Resume

Phone Number Errors to Avoid

Transposed Numbers

Wrong Exchanges / Extensions

Old Cell / Land Line Number

Location, Location, Location

All About

Zip Codes

Location Minimums

City

State

Zip Code

The Top of the Resume

Pulling It

All Together

Dirk Spencer

Recruiter

DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

214-295-8687

Plano, Texas 75024

Secret Spreadsheets

Be Part of the Pipeline

Which Layout is Easier to Copy?

Paragraphs Hacks

The Magic of 3 Lines

The Failure of 4 or More

Where Does the Eye Go?

They Jump Blank Line to Blank Line

Wraps Around the 3 Line Paragraph

Drops to “Preview” – Spots the 4th Line

Swings Up to Top

Takes in the 3 Lines Here

The Magic of 3 Lines -

The Failure of 4 or More

Less is More – Learn to Chunk Info

Layout Hack

Left Justified

Or

Ragged Right

Where Do The Eyes Go?

Company Name and or Job Title

Then – First Bullet

Then – The White Space

Then – Hopefully – The First Word

How it Works?

This white-space gives the eye a trough, trench, channel to follow downward The correct width of this white-space - Allows the eye to pick-up the first word naturally

Versus Here?

Here the eye travels downward to the left of the bullets…result?

- ZERO word comprehension

Versus Here Still?

Here the eye travels along the far left white-space and

The bullets are too close for subsequent reads

Comparing Eye Travel

Avoid Justified Text

The Risk of Justified Text

Where Does the Eye Go First?

Left Edge to Right Edge…& Back

Why is Justified Text Bad?

The human “thinks” they read the text when they have not…

Justified text draws attention to job dates and gaps if they exist…

Find a Font

Arial or Times Roman

Arial is Your Friend…

…On Screen

What is Arial

Sans-Serif Font

Internet Standard

Universal to the WWW

(Check the major news & retail sites)

Why Arial – Why On Screen

Computer monitors & smart phones

Pixel ratios drive this condition

Resumes are viewed mostly online

Times Roman is Your Friend…

…In Print

What is Times Roman

A Serif Font

The serif is the implied line at

the bottom and top of the

character stem

Why Times Roman – Why Print

The serif gives the eye direction

The eye follows the implied

Line created by the horizontal

Stems in each letter or number

ARIAL – TIMES ROMAN

Which of these is

easier to read on screen?

Pick a Point

Because… Size Matters

Use the Same Size Font/Size

Throughout the Resume…

Arial 11

Is easier to read than…

Times Roman 12 on screen

Be Boring on Purpose

Be the Same

Everywhere on the Resume

Resume Must Have a Context

Cheap Hacks

Leveraging Labels for Context

AKA - Resume Outline

Generic Labels Everyone Can Use

The “Preview”

The “Summary”

The “Overview”

The “Professional Experience”

Other Labels to Leverage

The “Software” The “Methods” The “Tools” The “Associations” The “Awards” The “Conferences” The “Best Practices” The “Processes” The “Body of Knowledge”

Using Labels Plus Job Title

=

Hack for Cheap Context

Recruiter Gives “Context” to Section Labels

Recruiter Preview

Recruiter Summary

Recruiter Overview

Recruiter Professional Experience

Where Does Your Eye Go?

Beat a “Job-Title” Hack to Death

Recruiter Software

Recruiter Methods

Recruiter Tools

Recruiter Associations

Recruiter Awards

Recruiter Conferences

Recruiter Best Practices

Recruiter Processes

Recruiter Body of Knowledge

Real Life Example

Labels Alone

Can Make a Difference

What Job Boards Highlight

Keyword: RECRUITER

Who Would You Call?

Resume Review The Science of the Eye

The Science of Human Behavior

The Science of Layout and Styling

LEFT ALIGNED

Ragged Right

Style Options to Stop Using Mostly Because of The LCD

STOP DOING THESE THINGS:

Random Bolding

All Capitalization

Underlines

“Symbols” as “Bullets”

The Sin of Random Bolding

Distracts the Reader

Appears Disorganized

The Sin of All Capitalization

Grammatically Incorrect

Comes Across as SHOUTING

Misgiving of Underlines

Creates White-Space Escape

Draws the Eye to the End

Avoid Using Symbols as Bullets

Use Standard Bullet List

Examples to Avoid:

Word Processing Tricks to Avoid

Stuff you can do

– But should stop already

Technical Things to Stop Using

Graphic Lines

Text Boxes

Headers

Footers

Avoid Graphic Lines

ATS products may translate,

convert or delete text from the

the resume

Text Boxes

The content in text boxes is usually NOT cataloged in the ATS or resume database This is why they do not email or call – they do not have the information electronically

Headers & Footers Are Not Your Friend

The content of the Header & Footer is not always captured by the ATS or resume database electronically

If your name & contact data is here they

may not be able to “find” it in follow-up searches…. Even when the header & footer displays the content to the reader when online

The Kiss of Death (The K.O.D.)

AKA - Fluff Kills

Fluff Negatively Ranks Resumes

Job board technology changes make any fluff, hyperbolic, hyperbole, hype or other marketing jargon is enemy number 1 to resume ranking…

Job Titles to Avoid

•Entrepreneur

•Owner

•Consultant

•Operator

•Franchisee

•Principal

Phrases We Never Search For

•Results-Oriented

•Proven Leader

•Strong Interpersonal Skills

•Hands-on Technician

•Seasoned Professional

Words That Blunt the Resume

•Other

•Every

•All

•Any

Years of Experience – Stop It

•“X” Years of Experience

Never Use Humor on a Resume

•Head Bottle Washer and CEO

TMI Alert

• Happily married with 3 beautiful kids

• Wife’s name is Mary

• Born Crafter

Words Recruiters Do NOT Search On

• Strong

• Dynamic

• Duties

• Utilize, Utilized, Utilizing

• Responsible

• Successfully

• Effectively

• I (EYE did this - EYE did that)

• Thinker

• Strategic Thinker

• Tactical Thinker

• Duties

• Decisive

• Dynamic

• High Energy

• Power

• Powerful

Honest is Good – Vulnerable is Stupid

• Self-Taught

• Recent Death in the family forced me to start my own company

Trough Sales Vs Team Leader

•Manger

Versus

•Manager

Negativity Sticks to You – Not Them

•Demoralized

•Depressed

•Discouraged

•Disheartened

•Subpar

Q & A

Dirk Spencer – Social Media Recruiter

• DirkPMP@Yahoo.Com

• 214-295-8687

• @DirkInDallas

• http://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkindallas

• Slideshare.Net/Dirk Spencer

• Dirk is a former DOD Computer Specialist turned Recruiter and Social Media Tactician.

• He is the creator of "Resume Psychology – Get the Offer Not the Interview©.

Dirk Spencer – Social Media Recruiter

Beyond resumes, Dirk’s expertise includes talent acquisition, deep-web sourcing, social media recruiting and linguistics.

He has worked agency recruiting, contract recruiting and corporate recruiting.

Dirk is regularly invited to speak to career groups, industry recruiters and professional organizations on resume strategies, network tactics, sourcing and communication strategies and professional branding using social media.

Dirk’s recruiting experience includes:

Information Technology

Telecomm

Semiconductor

Banking

Consumer Goods

Accounting

Finance

Project Management

Engineering

Executive Leadership

Networking

Aviation

Defense

Supply Chain

Software Development

Fast Moving Consumer Goods

International

Dirk has worked for these companies

Previous Recruiter Events

& Speaker Mentions • Dallas Fort Worth Texas Recruiter Network (DFWTRN)

• Executive Search Owners Association (ESOA)

• Inter-City Personnel Associates (IPA) Associates Food & Beverage

• Pikes Peak Recruiter Network (PPRN)

• Texas Regional Infrastructure Security Conference

• The Rick Gillis Radio Show in Houston, Texas ESPN Radio

• CareerRocketeer “The 150+ Experts on Twitter All Job Seekers Must Follow

• The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram

Previous Speaking Events

Professional Organizations: • Colorado Association Healthcare Executives (CAHE) Annual Conference

• Meeting of the Minds Conference

• Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce Breakfast of Champions

• North Texas Small Business Summit

• TalentNet Live Social Recruiting Conference

• Frisco Connect Job Seeker Strategy Summit

• Texas Small Business Summit

• Texas Regional Infrastructure Security Conference

• American Society of Quality (ASQ)

• Texas Workforce Commission Veterans Support Group

• Intuit Women’s Network

• International Institute of Business Analyst (IIBA)

• National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).

Previous Speaking Events

Ecumenical & Volunteer Organizations • St. Jude Career Alliance a Chapter of the Catholic Career Development Community

(CCDC) • Career Counseling Group (CCG) of DFW Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) • Career Counseling Group (CCG) of DFW Islamic Center of Irving (ICI) • Crossroads Bible Church (CBC) Career Transition Workshop (CTW) • Jewish Family Service (JFS) • Career Jump Start - First United Methodist Church Richardson (FUMCR) • Carrollton Career Focus Group (CFG) • Carrollton City Job Hunt 101 • Custer Rd Church Job Net Plano • Fort Worth Career Search Network (FWCSN) • MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church (MBBC) Career Transition Network (CTN) • McKinney Trinity Presbyterian Church Career Transition Network (CTN) • McKinney Workforce Networking • Preston Trail Job Network (PTJN) • Saint Philip's Episcopal of Frisco Job Ministry • Southlake Focus Group (SFG) • St. Andrew UMC Sales Group with Dennis O’Hagan