The Receptionist Has More Power Than You Think

People tend to undervalue and underappreciate the role a Receptionist plays in an organization. For some reason, some people treat the Receptionist differently than they might a manager or an executive in the company. But when you come in for an interview – the Receptionist has a lot more power than you might think they do. Conventional wisdom tells us how important it is to make a good first impression - and the Receptionist is the first person at the company with which a candidate interacts. As a hiring manager, I ALWAYS ask our Receptionist what she thinks about a candidate she has met. Did they come in demanding coffee, speaking to her in a curt or rude manner that demonstrated an air of superiority? Or did they treat her with respect, asking her how her day is going and making pleasant small talk with her? The way someone interacts with her tells me a lot about the candidate and whether or not they would fit in with our culture.

Connections are the Key to Your Job Search

When it comes to job search, the old adage “it’s all in who you know” can really ring true. According to the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 60 percent of job seekers find jobs with the help of their friends or relatives.

From my perspective as an employer, I highly value employee referrals and recommendations. As long as there is some experience fit for a position, an employee referral is a pretty much guaranteed interview for that candidate.

It’s no doubt then that using your network, the people to whom you are connected, is arguably the most important tool in your job search. The best web site for this, and I one I use on a daily basis, is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is the largest professional social networking site on the net and is perhaps the best way for you to organize all of your personal and professional connections. The website is a perfect match for job search – you can, (and should)

• ASK your closest connections for professional and personal recommendations


• SEARCH jobs on LinkedIn’s job board


• JOIN job search groups organized by geography, industry, or both


• "FOLLOW" companies you are interested in to learn more about them

But the most important component of the site is its ability to show you to whom you are connected at various levels. Call it “three degrees of separation”; if you’re interested in Company XYZ – you can use this tool to find out if anyone you’re connected to is connected to anyone at that company, and can request an introduction to them.

Let’s use my profile as an example. I am connected to 471 people directly (1st level). Between my connections, their connections (2nd level), and their connection’s connections (3rd level), so on and so forth, I have over 4 million people in my LinkedIn network! How about that? Who knew I was so well connected? If you’re trying to get an interview with Triumvirate Environmental, chances are you know somebody, who knows somebody, who may know me!

One tip – don’t go trying to randomly connect to anyone and everyone – just like a traditional employee referral program – the referral is really only valuable if someone actually knows you. Blindly connecting to random people diminishes the real worth of your network.

They Myth of the One-Page Resume (Sort of...)

One of the most common questions I get asked when someone finds out I work in Human Resources is whether or not their resume really needs to be only one-page long. My answer? No, it doesn’t.

Why do people think this? Certain books suggest it. Some career counselors swear it’s the way it should be. The truth is, no self-respecting HR professional is going to look at a resume and say “Oh, this qualified candidate’s resume is two pages…they’re out!”

But there is a benefit to keeping your resume to one-page (or as few pages as possible)…the more concise you can be on your resume, the more likely the items you want to highlight will be read by the person reviewing it. Resume reviewers, in many cases, receive hundreds of resumes from job seekers; and to get through them all requires screening for key words and information that matches the requirements being sought. Only when the screener finds information of interest will they stop and read more. If they find nothing of interest on page one, they most likely won’t turn to page two. If all the good stuff is on page two, it may never be seen!

So, what’s important is not keeping your resume to one-page, but structuring your resume in such a way as to highlight the most relevant and important information about your qualifications and experiences by locating them as close to the top of the first page as possible. That’s why you’ll see many resumes begin with a “summary of qualifications” or a list of achievements. Just like a good book, if the beginning grabs the reader’s attention, they will keep reading further.

Phone Etiquette for Job Seekers

Everyone knows the importance of making a good first impression. It’s why most people work hard to prepare for the first face-to-face meeting with a potential employer. They pull out their suit, iron their clothes, get the hair done, clip their nails, etc…all with the hope of leaving the hiring company with a positive feeling about your candidacy.

But the real first impression a candidate makes is over the phone. Most employers initially reach out to applicants through the phone. This may include a quick call to schedule an interview or an impromptu phone interview. A job seeker must survive this stage of the interview process to succeed in obtaining a position.

Here are some tips and tricks on how to handle the initial contact from a company:

• Speak with enthusiasm – Don’t speak like you just got out of bed…even if you did! From the moment you answer the call to a cheerful goodbye, showing your enthusiasm about the position and the company will energize the company representative about your candidacy.

• Know who’s calling – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called someone for an interview and they’ve said “Who is this again? I’m sorry I don’t recognize the name of your company…I’ve applied for so many jobs”. This tells me the job seeker has no real interest in my company and is just looking for a job.

• Find a quiet space – It’s completely appropriate to ask the caller if you can call them back from a private area, especially if you are at work. One time, I was speaking to someone who was at work in their cube. They kept getting interrupted and whispered in response to my questions. They left an impression alright. Also, be careful of TVs blaring, dogs barking, and children crying in the background.

• Get rid of ring back tones – While music is better to listen to than a ringing phone line, I would prefer not to listen to “My Humps” as I’m waiting to speak to a candidate for an accounting position.

• Professionalize your voicemail greeting – Sound pleasant and confident in the greeting that awaits your unanswered callers. Don’t sound meek, sluggish or stern. And please please please don’t record music from the radio.

Remember that your first, first impression will likely occur over the phone. While a phone interview alone won’t win you the job, it is absolutely the first step to getting the coveted interview.

Ted Kennedy's Impact on the HR Profession

I was saddened early this morning as I heard the NPR announcement that Senator Edward Kennedy had passed away overnight. Ted Kennedy has been a Senator my whole life; and has been my Senator for most of it. Living in Massachusetts, one frequently senses the impact that he has had on the Commonwealth (that’s what we call our state, ok?).

But even more so, as a Human Resources professional, I deal with Kennedy’s influence on a regular basis. He, probably more than any other U.S. Senator, has impacted labor and healthcare law in this country. He has served as the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in over 11 nonconcurring years until his death. Kennedy was passionate about equal opportunity. He was one of the leading sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 which provided employment protections and accommodation mandates for disabled citizens. Kennedy was also a leading voice on the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, providing job protection to care for oneself or a family member. In regards to healthcare, Kennedy was one of the leading voices for the passage of the Healthcare Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and sponsor of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). In just the last few years, Kennedy has been a leader on worker safety, co-sponsoring the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006; raising the minimum wage via the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007; the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended terms for people to file discrimination claims; extending unemployment insurance for those affected by lay offs; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008, which provided protections against discrimination based on genetic information and predisposition to illnesses or disabilities; and though they have yet to pass, he was a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) which makes it easier for unions to organize by forcing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a union through a simple majority sign up, rather than a secret ballot election.

The changes that Kennedy has championed over his illustrious career have caused some pain in the Human Resources world. We’ve had to re-evaluate job descriptions for reasonable accommodation; we’ve had to struggle with the cumbersome administration of FMLA (big shout to our favorite, intermittent leave!); we’ve had to update our EEO statements to incorporate new protected classes; and we’ve had to order, and reorder, and reorder again those over-priced laminated mandatory labor law posters to just to keep up to date on all this stuff (for every building!!). Yet, the HR industry, as represented by its leading professional association, the Society for Human Resource Management, has supported much of the changes that Kennedy pioneered. The reason? Because like Kennedy, we see the value that diversity brings to the fabric of our country and agree that as employers, all should be given equal opportunity; that people should be compensated based on skill, not race, class, or gender; and that sometimes, those affected by unfortunate, uncontrollable circumstances, like an unexpected illness or the onset of disability, need assistance and deserve protections.

As controversial as Kennedy was, one thing is clear: he made a big impact on his community, his country, and the world and all are a better place for it.

Rest in peace, Senator.

Image respectfully "borrowed" from Kennedy's Senate website, kennedy.senate.gov

Do You Have Management Courage?

At the 2009 Society for Human Resource Management conference in New Orleans, I had the good fortune to attend a session titled “Management Courage: Having the Heart of a Lion” presented by Margaret Morford, author of a book of the same name and president of HR consultancy HR Edge. Looking a bit like a tightly-wound librarian, conservative suit and bun in her hair, Morford’s Southern charm and witty stories proved that one should “never judge a book by its cover”.

Morford, who has consulted for the likes of HGTV, Wells Fargo, and Sara Lee Foods, introduced the audience of several hundred people to the concept of Management Courage, which she defines as “choosing a more difficult but more effective management strategy when easier options are available.” You see, it’s easier to avoid difficult subjects, treat everyone the same, and settle for status quo, than it is to step out of your comfort zone and confront such situations head on, even though you know it’s the right thing to do.

Morford outlines six principles of Management Courage are:

1. Not only being honest, but being the most honest. Have conversations that would be easier to just skip. Give people honest candid feedback. Tell people who aren’t promotable, that they aren’t and why.
2. Treating people equitably, but not identically. Everyone gets the same opportunity, but only those who perform get the rewards.
3. Not using individual policies as a crutch or excuse. Explain to people why something’s not working, don’t just say “the policy says so”.
4. Asking for real feedback. Have the guts to hear what people think you could improve on. Go see your biggest critic and ask them for feedback.
5. Taking responsibility for any mistakes that you or your team makes. True leaders own their mistakes and never blame others, the also never highlight the errors that their direct reports make.
6. Changing jobs when the culture isn’t right and the powers that be don’t change it. The point here is to try and create change (if possible) and if you can’t, and things don’t change, channel the courage to break free.

Morford’s utilization of the word “courage” is spot-on. Avoiding the six principles is easier, but the results get you nowhere. It takes real guts to be the kind of manager she of which she speaks. For more information on Management Courage, check out Morford’s book, a quick-read with a 5-star user rating on Barnesandnoble.com. You can else check out her company’s website at www.hredge.net.

Jack Welch on HR

Those of you who follow my blogging have seen me blog about Jack Welch before. His matter of fact style, intelligence, and success have been inspirational to me. When I signed up for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference this year, I was elated to see he was going to be the key note speaker. He did not disappoint.

Welch has been a long proponent of the HR function in organizations. He repeatedly states that the HR leader should command the same level of respect and importance in an organization as the CFO. When asked why many other CEOs don’t get it, Welch stated sternly that HR professionals need to deliver: “You gotta have the guts to make sure you’re important in the organization…get out of the picnics, birthdays, and insurance forms business and [focus on] developing people and building confidence”.

Welch started off the conversation, which was moderated by Claire Shipman author and correspondent of ABC News, stating that it is important for HR to establish trust. So how does HR build trust within the organization? According to Welch, it’s pretty simple: “listen to people, keep confidences, and tell it straight, communicate like hell, and get out of your damn cubicle and walk the floor”. Welch stated that “if [employees] think HR people are there to truly get them to grow, they will trust them.”.

I sat in the audience amazed at this man giving tough love to an audience of 10,000 human resources professionals. Welch knows how to run a business and he recognizes that having the right people in the organization is what leads to success. He also understands that it’s HR that brings the right people in, and perhaps we could do a better job of making sure they are building themselves once there. About his candid advice, Welch said “I love ya, and I want ya to win”.

I was fortunate to get the chance to shake his hand and have him sign my copy of Winning after the talk. An awesome experience indeed.

Careful What You Put in Writing!

E-mail is the predominate mode of communication these days. It’s fast, efficient, and easy. The only problem with it is that you leave behind a trail of communications that can come back to bite you.

Case in point. Politico.com’s Shenanigans blog uncovered a heated exchange between an executive assistant at lobbying firm McBee Strategic and the cantankerous office manager of Congressman Jim McDermott’s DC office, Elizabeth Becton. In the exchange, the executive assistant unleashes Becton’s furies by referring to her as “Liz”. In response to an e-mail the exec assistant began with “Hi Liz”, Becton responded with a curt “Who is Liz?”. While the McBee employee apologized profusely, Ms. Becton didn’t let up, getting ruder and meaner in further e-mails. See the full exchange of e-mails here: http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0609/No_namecalling.html?showall.

As can often happen in today’s world, this chain of e-mails made its way to the web, via Politico.com, and they’ve posted the whole exchange. You’ll the find the McBee representative to be apologetic and polite, while Liz responds with increasing anger and contempt.

The lessons to be learned here are:
-Don’t put things in writing that you wouldn’t want to be broadcast on the Web.
-Tone and intent can be really difficult to decipher in e-mail.
-Sometimes it really is just better to pick up the phone.
-Don’t call Elizabeth Becton “Liz”.

Volunteering Takes Work, and That Leads to Work Experience

Yesterday, I participated in the 24th Annual AIDS Walk in Boston, to benefit the AIDS Action Committee (AAC). Thinking about my experience today, and having had a few conversations lately with people who didn’t have much in terms of job experience; I came to the realization that while I wasn’t getting paid for my participation in the event, I drew upon certain skills in the days leading up to it. First, I organized a team of people to walk. I recruited people from school and my personal life. Second, I had to fundraise, so I made calls and sent e-mails to my network. I also used social media like Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness for the cause and solicit donations. Thirdly, I had to motivate my team to do the same. Sure, the work involved resulted in a couple of people abandoning the team efforts, but all but a couple of people remained involved and made a nice chunk of change for the AAC.

When I was in high school, I volunteered at the City Library. I typed out cards for the card catalog (yes, there was a card catalog), organized the periodicals section, and helped patrons find reference materials. I was a Red Cross volunteer, where I learned CPR and First AID. I was a volunteer at the local historical association, where I learned historical record keeping, and computer data-entry.

The point here is, if you’re an entry level job seeker, while you may not have much in terms of actual paid work experience, you may have participated in clubs, or volunteered your time to organizations. And while you weren’t compensated, you did in fact have experiences that helped you develop various skills, that you can indeed relate to getting your first “real” job.

Good luck!

You Want to See Resistance to Change?

Never in my life have I seen such mass resistance to change than this week, when I witnessed the citizens of Facebook raising their voices against what is being dubbed "The New Facebook". Yes, people, it has happened. Facebook got a facelift. And now its regular users are "furious" about it: spouting off in their status updates (which is now called "What's on your mind?"); creating and joining groups such as "WE WANT THE OLD FACEBOOK BACK" and "Save the old facebook!"; and developing applications to make your "New Facebook" appear like your old one.

I thought the Facebook generation was supposed to be open to change? In business, and especially in today's economy, both the company and its employees need to be flexible, adaptable, and innovative. We constantly need to consider ways to improve our performance, break bad habits, develop efficiencies and streamline processes.

Work brings challenges. It brings disruptions and roadblocks. Changes are going to happen; they need to happen. Those who adapt will succeed. Those who resist or fight, will get stuck on the sidelines.

What's Your Nitrogen Footprint?

Since Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth popularized the concept of one’s carbon footprint, people all over the world have been using web tools to calculate how much carbon they are emitting in their daily lives and to find ways to reduce their carbon waste. James Galloway, an environmental sciences professor at the University of Virginia recently authored an article in the journal Science about the real threat that reactive nitrogen pollution poses to our planet, particularly its bodies of water. While pure nitrogen alone is harmless, reactive nitrogen, found in chemical fertilizers and generated through the burning of some fossil fuels, and in larger quantities, can be harmful.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation(CBF), based in Annapolis, MD, has developed a Nitrogen Footprint Calculator to help us identify the effects many of our regular day-to-day activities have on our environment. The calculator asks questions about your home sewerage, electricity use, lawn care, and your transportation methods to deduct what impact you are having on reactive nitrogen pollution. It then generates suggestions for how you can reduce your footprint.

So figure out what your nitrogen footprint is and make some changes to protect our waters!

Here’s the link! http://www.cbf.org/yourbayfootprint/index.html

The Importance of Candor

In Jack Welch's latest book Winning, which I finally got around to listening to, a pervasive lack of candor is what Welch calls "the biggest dirty little secret in business". He goes on to say that it "basically blocks smart ideas, fast action, and good people contributing all they've got. It's a killer".

So what is candor? Merriam-Webster Online defines it as "unreserved, honest, or sincere expression: forthrightness". Jack Welch defines it as "giving it to you straight".

Welch attributes much of the success General Electric (GE), the company he led for many years, and his own personal success as a leader, to always being candid, both in transparency about the strategy, direction, and challenges that the company faced and in the delivery of individual and team feedback.

Many managers have a hard time with candor. It's human nature to not want to tell people things that hurt their feelings. It seems impolite. But how do you expect people to develop and grow if they think and you act like everything is a-okay? That's doing them a disservice! At my company, Triumvirate Environmental, we're in the midst of our annual performance appraisal process. We coach managers to be candid in the delivery of feedback to their employees. While giving employees direct, constructive feedback will provide them with opportunities for self-development and professional growth; leniency and avoidance of tough messages will keep them back while others get ahead.

Welch is right when he says, in his metro Boston accent, lack of candor is a "killah", it's difficult to grow your company, if you're not growing the people within.

Media Review: Living on Earth

Looking for a way to keep up-to-date on news, trends, and trivia about the environment? Living on Earth (LOE), an award-winning weekly news and information radio program is the way to go! Distributed by Public Radio International, Living on Earth (LOE) is broadcast on over 300 public radio stations throughout the country. Each week, at the Jennifer and Ted Stanley Studios in Davis Square in Somerville, MA, host Steve Curwood and his team present stories on any green topic you could conjure up. Each episode consists of a diverse mix of environmental themes, including recycling, environmental technology, regulatory changes, best practices, innovations, water resources, and wildlife. The November 28th episode, for example, consists of stories discussing the upcoming CO2 Emissions conference in Poznan, Poland; the effects of deforestation on the environment; tips for green giving for the holidays; solar panels heating water in Hawaii; Chinese innovations in industrial cleanup; a new sign in Times Square running on 100% renewable energy; and a profile of a woman that raises rare and endangered barnyard animals.

You can catch Living on Earth on many public radio stations, consult their website to find a station near you. Listen to LOE anytime by downloading and subscribing to the podcast. Just search "Living on Earth" in iTunes. You can listen to current and archived shows, get environmental resources, and subscribe to their RSS feed on their website, www.loe.org.

What I'm Thankful For...

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

With most of us getting caught up in turkey and football on Thanksgiving day, it's easy for us to forget the original purpose of the holiday...to express thanks for what we're grateful for! For the Pilgrims...it was that they actually were able to produce food to eat!

For me....I'm grateful for a lot of things....my family, my friends, my good health...but when I think about work what I'm most appreciative of us my team members. I'm surrounded by passionate, hardworking people who do what it takes to get the job done both in and outside of my department.

In my own department, I work with 7 other people that impress me on a daily basis.

So thank you for all you do: Adina, Adrian, Angela, AnnMarie, Elde, Melissa, and Sylvia! You all make coming to work an enjoyable and fun experience every day.

Moving Into Management

On November 6th, I was a member of a panel discussion hosted by the Environmental Business Council's Young Professionals committee. The topic, "Moving from Analyst, Scientist, and Engineer to Project Manager" proved a lively discussion between the panel and the more than 75 young environmental professionals and college students.

The audience was most interested in what it takes to get into management. Consensus among the panel was that while technical skills are important, it is soft skills, like motivation, drive, and emotional intelligence that matter most.

They key to moving into management is to stand out from the crowd! And how do you that? Incorporate the following in to the way you approach your work...

• Work hard...show up early, stay late, meet deadlines and crank out the work!
• Show interest...in responsibilities and projects outside the scope of your job, in the growth of your team, and in the company's values, mission, and strategy.
• Network internally...build relationships with people outisde your department, particularly company leadership.
• Get involved...join committees, attend events.
• Find a mentor...latch on to a company manager, seek their wisdom and coaching.
• Own something...find a project or task to take the lead on.
• Admit mistakes & weaknesses...own up to your mix-ups, nobody's perfect and mistakes happen. Recognize that you have things to work on...and start working on them!

So many things factor into management decisions, but making these considerations a part of the way you work will go a long way in helping you stand out to the company's leadership.

You Have Transferrable Skills!

October 18th was Massachusetts Career Day. Career Day is a statewide program drawing attention to issues surrounding jobs and careers in the state. The initiative is hosted through the Commonwealth's 32 One-Stop Career Centers. While many of the One-Stops chose to focus on careers in administrative, retail, or hospitality work, The Work Place (www.theworkplace.org), one of Boston's public career centers, chose to focuse on Green Collar Jobs and the Green Economy.

I was asked to participate in a panel discussion that addressed the state of the job market today in the environmental industry. Many questions came up from the eager audience of job seekers, but one question came out repeatedly...."if I have so much experience in _________, how the heck do I break into the environmental industry?"

It's a fair question! Many jobs out there are seeking individuals with varying amounts of experience...and understandably so. If I'm seeking to higher an environmental consultant to provide regulatory advice to a client, that person will need a certain amount of expertise to be taken seriously by the client. Other jobs are entry level, but entry level sometimes means starting over for people with several years of professional experience.

But if working in the 'green economy' is what's most important to you, you can rely on abilities you already bring to the table: TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS! Yes, those skills that are not limited to specific tasks in specific types of companies, but are sought after in all types of companies, including the Environmental industry. Qualities like technology proficiency, expertise in functions such as HR, Finance, Marketing, or Administrative Support, sales and relationship building experience, emotional intelligence, and soft skills are all in high demand by all employers!

Take a look at our online Career Center, www.triumvirate.com/careers.html, and you'll find positions available in many function areas, sales, administration, and general labor and transportation....all with no requirement for environmental experience. You don't have to be advising on environmental compliance or managing hazardous waste to be working in the environmental industry! Rely on the skills that you already have to fulfill your dreams of working in an environmentally-focused company!

Triumvirate Named Best Place to Work by Environmental Business Council

On Friday, September 19th, the Environmental Business Council of New England (http://www.ebcne.org/) named Triumvirate Environmental the BEST large environmental company to work for in New England. This is the second year in a row that the EBC has bestowed this award upon Triumvirate.

This was the second annual Best Places to Work program sponsored by the EBC. The organization issues surveys to its member organization's employees. The awards are presented based on survey results and are given to the top scoring company in four size categories: entrepreneurial, small, mid, and large size.

The EBC also recognized Triumvirate as an Outstanding Corporate Partner to the organization, whose mission is to "support and foster the development of the environmental industry" with a major goal "to enhance business and job growth of both established and emerging environmental and energy businesses".

To learn more about the EBC, check out their site http://www.ebcne.org/ or find them on Facebook.

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day is a national holiday, giving American workers a day of respite from their usually busy schedules! It comes every year on the first Monday in September.

The holiday came from the American labor movement, and according to the U.S. Department of Labor it is a "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country".

You can read more about the history of Labor Day at the U.S. Dept. of Labor's website: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm.

Enjoy your day off! You deserve it!

Monster.com Doesn't Go Green!

Most people have heard of Monster.com, it is arguably the most widely used job search engine out there. But if you're an environmental job seeker, looking for jobs on Monster has become a lot more difficult. Earlier this year, Monster fixed something that wasn't broken, and restructured their job search categories. The result? Monster eliminated it's Environmental category altogether! Instead, it dispersed hundreds of environmental jobs, burying them into one or two functional areas that are too specific for your "average" environmental job seeker, leaving said job seekers frustrated while browsing for career opportunities. This has forced companies like Triumvirate to post in less-than-relevant categories that environmental job seekers would not intuitively search in. For example, we were advised by our sales representative to post in the "Engineering" section. While our firm does do some engineering, none of our open positions are in this area...and unless you're an environmental engineer, you would'nt even be looking in that area!

While the world looks for ways to get greener and more job seekers than ever are pursuing careers in these fields, Monster has taken a step in the opposite direction. So what's a job seeker to do? My best advice is to voice your concerns to Monster.com. We're working on joining with other environmental companies to do just that. Hopefully we'll see changes soon, meanwhile use sites like CareerBuilder, which does have an Environmental industry option, and Indeed to find the careers you're seeking.

Job Search Tip: Careful Applying for Positions That Don't Exist!

When you're applying for a position, your are often competing against lots of job seekers applying for the same job. You need to make sure that you put your best foot forward! One of the most frequent slip-ups in this process is applying for a position that doesn't exist at the company!

We get TONS of resumes and cover letters where the job seeker applies for a job title that doesn't even exist at the company! We get many responses for our Environmental Specialist position where the job seeker lists the position as an "Environmental Scientist". Or, if we're hiring a Marketing Specialist, some job seekers will list Marketing Assistant or Marketing Coordinator.

This can show one of two things....you are either a) not taking the time to personalize your response to the company and may be using the same cover letter you used to apply to XYZ Corporation...or b) you're not paying attention!

I'm not saying we won't look at the resumes, but if we have a lot of interest in a particular position, those who show that they've taken the time to get things right in their resume submission will stand out against those who didn't.