Hey, Send Me Your Resume...

I am still shocked every time I ask someone to send me their resume, and they reply that they need to get it together/update it.   Bottom line of this blog entry---ALWAYS HAVE YOUR RESUME UP TO DATE AND "ON YOU!"   No job is ever totally secure.   I could quit here, but I'm on a roll....

It takes so little time to update your resume regularly.  You probably spend more time completing stupid Facebook surveys than keeping this essential document up to date.   It amazes my that especially in the current economic climate some people are not working on their resume.  

As I ask those who don't want to "work" on updating their resume, "would you at least keep a list of major accomplishments, with details, at home, in the event you find yourself suddenly out of work.  In so many cases today, you may be called to HR, terminated, and told, "don't bother going back to your desk to collect your personal belongings; we'll send them to you.  Security is waiting to escort you out of the building."  Ouch.   Shame on you if you aren't ready with all of your accomplishments listed and ready to put on your resume to begin the sales process that is job hunting!

I have talked to too many people who agree that they should update their resume, that it has been YEARS since they've done so.  In an attempt to teach them the importance of keep their resume up to date, I ask a few simple questions....."so, what kinds of things do you think you'd put on your resume from your current job?"   Usual response:  "Oh, I don't know, I'd really have to think about what I've done here"...as though we can all remember things months or years ago in detail.  I'm glad I have a name tag at work, otherwise I think I'd forget my name.

Once you are unemployed from a job and you are away from it any length of time, you will not remember important details that will be major selling points in your next job hunt.

P.S.  With smart phones, USB drives, etc., why wouldn't you have an electronic copy of your resume on you at all times?  Why wouldn't you have your "job hunting" business card on you with your LinkedIn profile URL listed on it?

Finally Added a Blog Counter

It's nice to know if anyone's out there seeing this blog.....I write for me, but I write for other job seekers as well. There's a lot of hoopla on the news about the terrible state of the economy, and I hope that my common-sense approach to job seeking and the ups and downs of job seeking resonate with others who are on a mission to land their next job. As I've said before---there may be millions of capable people out of work, but you only need ONE job!

On the subject of numbers.....the philosophy of "I'll mass mail my resume to get a job sooner" is a no-win approach. In the sales world, it's a game of numbers, but in the job-seeking world, it's about quality first, and numbers of quality---send resumes only to jobs in which you believe you'd be interested and reasonably close to being qualified.

I've seen the ads for mass mailing of your resume to 50,000 recruiters and HR departments. Of course, that's a numbers game, and the company sending out the resumes for you (for a fee), will keep their end of the bargain---your resume will get sent out to 50,000 employers or contacts. The problem is---are there 50,000 jobs out there at which you'd be willing to work? And in your city or state?

There is no substitute for face-to-face, phone, and Internet networking. Mass mailings do not reach your target audience, nor will it necessarily reach your target companies.