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Resumes for the Unemployed and Overqualified
By Martin Yate

When you started your career the problem was that no one wanted entry-level candidates. Now, when you have a wealth of experience, the problem has reversed itself.

The challenge now becomes what to do in a job search when you are rejected, not for lack of experience but for too much experience. Almost every problem with a troubled job search can be traced back to a resume, and this problem is no exception.

Me vs. You
You know that the customer is always right, and that whatever your job, finding out what the customer wants and giving it to them is the surest path to success. You have known this your entire adult life, yet when it comes to writing a resume, these two critical lessons fly right out of the window.

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You sit down to create the most financially important document you will ever own,

You write a document that tries to capture everything you think is important and of which you are proud.

You strive to give it as much breadth as possible to widen the range of opportunities for which you might be suited.

The result is a one-size-fits-all document, and as you know from bitter personal experience, one-size-fits-all-never-fits-anyone.

Writing an old-fashioned general resume does not work. It will disappear into the resume databases and never be found because it lacks focus. Even if you do manage to get it in front of a headhunter, recruiter, or hiring manager, no one likes reading resumes because they turn a brain to mush in short order.

Writing a resume without the needs of the customer firmly in mind is a recipe for disaster and a waste of everyone's time. If your matching skills don’t jump off the page in the first 30 seconds, you are history.
The Customer-Focused Resume
The resume that works is one that focuses on what employers state in job postings as important. It delivers the information that qualifies you for this job.

In short, you don’t write a resume about all the wonderful things you can and have done.

You write a resume that addresses your ability to do just the things that the employer is asking for.
Give your resume a headline, right after the contact information at the top of the first page. That headline is the Target Job Title you are pursuing.

Everything that follows the Target Job Title is focused on your skills, experiences, and ability to deliver on the requirements of that job title.

This is the story you tell, nothing more and nothing less. Do this and your resume’s performance in database searches will dramatically increase, and your matching skills will jump off the page in the first few seconds of reading.

Right-Sizing Job Titles

We seem to spend much of our lives striving for bigger and better job titles, because society attaches so much prestige to job titles. That is until age and wage discrimination sets in and the problems begin.

For example, you might face the problem of going after an individual contributor job after years of holding a management title. Just as that would give you, as a hiring manager, pause for concern, it will give potential employers the same concern.

There is a solution that builds on the idea of focusing on required skills rather than presenting yourself as a superhero.

For instance, I have owned my company for thirty years, so I am a president, CEO or whatever over-blown title comes to mind. But with a small company of less than a dozen people, I’m also the chief cook and bottle washer. We write resumes and coach people, so I spend a lot of time doing one-on-one coaching with people all over the world, and doing webinars.

Consequently, were I to pursue a job in training, which is my professional background, I could honestly give my company name and dates of employment followed by my job title as Training Specialist or Training Manager – whatever would be closest to the target job:

KnockEmDead.com 1997-Present
Global performance training company
Training Manager
I wouldn’t be lying, this would be true and defensible. It would also be infinitely more productive in a job search than:

KnockEmDead.com 1997-Present
Global performance training company
CEO
I have had one or two people over the years express a concern here about references and potential problems of downgrading a job title.

Mostly references are concerned with dates of employment and leaving salary, and I have honestly never heard of a job offer being retracted because someone minimized their achievements rather than exaggerating them.

Dates & Technology

Dates of employment are also part of the “overqualified” quagmire, but there is help here too. A resume that goes back more than 20 years can begin to speak of age, big money, old dogs, and (no) new tricks. This can also make you look like a know-it-all who might be tough to manage, and no one wants to hire someone who might be a management problem.

Opinions vary on this with some career people saying not to go back more than 10 years, but that can under qualify you for many jobs. My personal persuasion is to go back no more than 20-25 years. If the resume shows 25 years of work history, the Performance Summary that follows your Target Job Title will read "20+ years’ experience."

Not going back throughout what might be a long work history is defensible because of changes in technology. Every job in existence has changed beyond recognition in the last 20 years. Therefore, not listing experience prior to 20 years ago is defensible as being irrelevant to the skills necessary for the job. This is especially true if you are trying to keep the resume tight, succinct, and as short as the story you need to tell will allow.

Job opportunities exist for Marketing/Sales personnel with a good marketing background. experience in selling technical or Chemical products an advantage. Ideal candidates must have a min of BSc or HND in marketing or related discipline, have at least 1year experience in industrial selling. Interested people should send CVs to [email protected]

How to write a killer CV - 10 golden rules
Jun 22, 201514,606 views316 Likes59 CommentsShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on Twitter
Creating the perfect IT Sales CV doesn’t have to be hard. In fact it can be a piece of cake. We see hundreds and hundreds of them on a daily basis, so we know a killer CV when we see one. Here are ten top tips we’re all agreed upon to help you really sell yourself.

1. Target achievements are your best asset – show them off! This information is the most important thing on any IT Sales CV. If there’s one thing that will impress employers it’s proof of smashing your targets, and every single one of our clients will always ask us for these details. Some people like to put a summary table on the first page but we think it works equally well at the bottom of each role snapshot, in bold font of course.

2. You are allowed to boast – go for it. Take it from us, you’ve got full bragging rights on your CV. Exceeding your target, making President’s Club, bringing a new client on board, striking a killer deal, achieving Top Sales Person…this is all gold dust when it comes to your CV. You’re a sales person, right? So sell yourself! Sometimes we see an “Achievements” section on the first page of CVs, which can be useful for drawing attention to the best bits.

3. Give a clear but concise snapshot of each role you’ve had. Stick to bullet points and explain, concisely, exactly what kind of technology you were selling and which market or vertical you were selling into. No employer likes to sift through a load of irrelevant info so keep it nice and simple. Aside from what you were selling it’s also a good idea to include deal sizes and samples of clients. Anything else can be expanded upon in an interview.

4. Don’t ramble on about each company you’ve worked for. But equally, don’t forget to give a BRIEF overview of what the company does, as your prospective employer may not have heard of every organisation you’ve worked for. It’s also worth putting a link to the company’s website next to the company name. Sometimes we see CVs splattered with company logos, which you should avoid as it looks untidy and clutters your CV.

5. Make sure you include months as well as years in your career history. Simply putting “2002-2007” can be misleading if you worked from November 2002 until January 2007. It’s all about giving an employer every necessary detail they need to make a judgement. Your CV should help them not hinder them.

6. Try to stick to three pages and don’t over do it. Bit of a generic tip but crucial all the same. We appreciate that you may need three or four pages depending on your experience and seniority, but you don’t want to bore an employer (or us!) with pointless info about your passionate interest in Tai Chi or memories of travelling around Asia. And is your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award really going to secure you an interview with a leading Software Vendor? We don’t think so. Unless it relates to sales or technology, question whether it should stay on your CV. For sales roles the “human touch” isn’t necessary on paper; save the sentimentality to build rapport with an employer at interview. If you have an extensive career history, you might want to put “Earlier career history available on request”, especially if it includes more menial roles from your youth like Shop Assistant.

7. Avoid formatting sins. We touched upon this recently, but still think it’s important to any IT Sales CV. We recommend a nice clear font like Arial or Century Gothic and a font size between 10 and 12. Ensure headings are in bold as well as job title, company name and dates when it comes to your career history. Never put random “Key Words” in bold – this is a pet hate of ours and it looks like an ink pot sneezed all over your CV.

8. Keep your CV in Word format, never PDF. This is something that gets us pulling our hair out on a daily basis, and we know it’s not just us! Word documents are compatible with everything, PDFs less so. It might look slicker and be a precedent in European countries but we waste so much time faffing around with file converters that we’d rather just bin a PDF.

9. If your Career History looks a bit jumpy make sure you have a “reason for leaving”.Otherwise employers (and us) will be suspicious and will think the worst.

10. Be wary of a misleading job title. It can cost you an interview. In the past we have seen top candidates qualified out on the basis that a Sales Director was far too senior for a Business Development role, when in fact the candidate had not been in a management role, contrary to what the job title suggested, and had focused entirely on New Business sales. Don’t let this be you – think about the role you’re applying for and make sure your job title, or at least role snapshot, matches up.

How To Answer The Ten Dumbest Job Interview Questions
By Liz Ryan, Forbes | September 6, 2015
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How To Answer The Ten Dumbest Job Interview Questions

I hope you don’t run into these ten half-witted job interview questions, but it’s likely that you will. Here are answers to these ten idiotic interview questions that won’t make you hate yourself the next day for answering in the standard, scripted Sheepie Job-Seeker Way!

Why Should We Hire You?

“That’s a great question! That is the central issue, I think — who is going to be the right person for this job? You’ve got the advantage over me since you’ve met or will meet the other candidates. I can tell you that if you and I are meant to work together, we’ll know it! What’s your take?”

What’s Your Greatest Weakness?

“I used to think I had a lot of weaknesses. I read books and took classes. Gradually it dawned on me that of the millions of things I don’t do well and don’t care about, it would be impossible for me or anyone to pick a few to improve on – and what would be the point?

“If I did that, I’d get a little bit better at a few things I’m not cut for and shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Now I spend my energy getting better at the things I love and do well, like graphic design and illustration. What about you?”

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

“In five years I’ll be working hard at something I care about, perhaps here or in another company or for myself. Five years is a long time in this tumultuous world. If I’m lucky enough to be alive in five years I’ll be doing something important among smart people who care about their mission. What about you?”

What Would Your Last Boss Say About You?

“I can tell you what my last boss said to me about me! He said ‘I like the way you take a problem apart and put it back together so that no angle is neglected.’ What sorts of answers to that question do you typically hear?”

What Was Your Most Recent Salary?

“I’m shooting for jobs in the $55K range for this job search. Is that in your hiring range?”

Tell Me About Yourself!

“Sure! I was born here in town and went East for college, but say – I don’t want to keep you here all day listening to my life story. Can I ask you a quick question or two about the role?”

What Makes You the Ideal Candidate?

“That’s a great question! I’d be quite arrogant as well as clueless if I told you that I’m the ideal candidate, since you work here and know the organization and its needs, and I don’t. I’m the perfect candidate for the exact type of manager who’s looking for someone like me. What does the Ideal Candidate look like in your mind?”

If You Were an Animal, What Kind Would You Be?

“I’d be some kind of predator — maybe a wolf. Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone the park has had an incredible resurgence of diversity in its fauna. What about you?”

Which Other Firms Are You Interviewing With?

“That’s a great question and a great topic for us to dig into if you folks get ready to make me an offer. If you’re at that stage, let’s talk about it!”

How Badly Do You Want the Job?

“There are huge pluses in this job and minuses as well, like any job. You ask a good question — how ready am I to jump at an offer? I’ve answered that one so I’ll ask the same question back: how ready are you to make me a job offer?”