Consider How You Present Yourself To Recruiters

I posted a job description recently looking for a freelance writer for project. I clearly stated what the assignment would be, the experience requirements and asked for writing samples to be sent for consideration.

Among the replies I received:

Are you still looking for a wrtire. if sso I would like to apply and show you clips.

(Those are actual typos sent by a ‘writer.’)

Very interested. Could you tell me more about it.

It’s strange how some professionals don’t edit themselves or follow simple instructions.

I realize that sending your resume and experience into a black hole can be frustrating, especially if you do it routinely. But consider the person on the receiving end. You have just seconds to impress that person before he/she moves on.

Simply put, do what is required or don’t expect to be considered for an opportunity!

Do you have any thoughts or frustrations to share?

Make Great PowerPoint Decks Not PowerPoint Dreck

I write many PowerPoint decks each year. When I start a new one, I shut the office door, light candles, draw a pentagram on the floor then summon the Beast to glide my mouse and guide my fingers across the keyboard.

When the smoke clears, I emerge with a twenty-slide document of digital dreck.

Feeling frustrated, I dug out something I remembered by Seth Godin. (Seth is a marketing subject matter expert that I’ve followed since the 90’s.)

Here are Seth’s five rules you need to remember to create amazing PowerPoint presentations:

• No more than six words on a slide. EVER.
• No cheesy images. Use professional images from corbis.com instead. They cost $3 each, or a little more if they’re for ‘professional use’.
• No dissolves, spins or other transitions. None.
• Sound effects can be used a few times per presentation, but never (ever) use the sound effects that are built in to the program. Instead, rip sounds and music from CDs and leverage the Proustian effect this can have.
• Don’t hand out print-outs of your slides. They’re emotional, and they won’t work without you there. If someone wants your slides to show “the boss,” tell them that the slides go if you go.

I used to have this mentality that as a document, it needed to act like documentation - citing every detail for historical reference. Truth be told, I’ve improved, but I know I can do much better.

In real world practice, I realize that the clients I present to are so overwhelmed that they never open the document again. Sometimes never at all to begin with.

So here are my PowerPoint writing tips:

• Write, re-write and re-write again. Brevity is key. Be ruthless to distill down your thoughts to a simple sound bite. Embellish with spoken word.
• Come up with creative ways to display your ideas graphically instead of as bullets — A chart, graph, funnel, Venn Diagram — whatever it takes. Edward Tufte is an excellent source of inspiration for expressing details in a visually comprehensive way.
• Have a cover sheet with a title, date and name of the person(s) it’s for. It drives me crazy looking at old decks and not having a clue who they were for.
• Include a Next Steps slide with specific action items, dates and responsibilities.
• Include all the contact information for the relevant team on the last slide. That makes it easier for the client to figure out who to talk to.

Please add your suggestions and let me know if you find this useful.
Thanks.
-Roland

Stupidity or Brilliance?

A CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers uncovered these “Top 12 Odd Resume Inclusions.”

1. Candidate included that he spent summers on his family’s yacht in Grand Cayman.
2. Candidate attached a letter from her mother.
3. Candidate used pale blue paper with teddy bears around the border.
4. Candidate explained a gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for three months.
5. Candidate specified that his availability was limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday was “drinkin’ time.”
6. Candidate included a picture of herself in a cheerleading uniform.
7. Candidate drew a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and said it was the hiring manager’s gift.
8. Candidate’s hobbies included sitting on the levee at night watching alligators.
9. Candidate included the fact that her sister once won a strawberry eating contest.
10. Candidate explained that he works well nude.
11. Candidate explained an arrest by stating, “We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig.”
12. Candidate included family medical history.

It is important that a hiring manager not discriminate against a candidate because they included something strange in their resume.

When reading resumes like this, and subsequently interviewing candidates, it is also important to consider your corporate culture. Introducing a personality like candidate eight, who enjoys sitting on the levee at night watching alligators, may bring new life to a monotonous day at the office.

LOL. I am speechless. Were these brilliant tactics to stand out from the crowd or the result of a lack of common sense?

Fortunately (or not) the resumes that fly across my screen tend to be less colorful.
-R

Web site design and style suggestions

WebDesignFromScratch.com has an interesting Web 2.0 do/don’t design guide.

Check it out.

Give free services to non-profit groups for the holidays

DM News reports:

“E-mail marketing services firm Emma is giving away 25 free accounts to charitable groups around the world as part of its annual Emma 25 initiative.

That’s an interesting concept - give away B2B services to non-profit groups for the holidays.

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