Career Changes and Resumes

Submitted by Ross Roberge, Director of Business Development I was recently speaking with a friend in the staffing industry. The topic of switching career paths came up and how it seems to be a trend. We both have encountered candidates with great resumes; however it was tough selling those individual's resume to our clients. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that both men and women will have an average of 14 jobs by the age of 40. A good majority of those jobs are held while they are in their teens and early twenties. A good portion of the resumes that I see indicate at least one significant career change. When I receive resumes for a job posting, the first thing I look for is direction connection between the job description and the resume. This almost always weeds out the people looking for a career change. This is a result of the applicant not remitting a cover letter stating a career change and adjusting their resume to highlight skills associated to the job for which they are applying. Be reasonable when thinking about a career change. Do you have the skill set to match the job? Can you 'sell' your skills and knowledge to the recruiter and/or hiring manager? That process begins with tailoring your resume and cover letter to suit to specific job. Remember ... one resume does not fit all.

IMPRESSIONS: Continued

Submitted by: Ross Roberge, Director of Business Development In my previous blog, I touched on personal appearance during an interview. This time I’d like to talk about communication. Communication is often thought of as writing or talking, however there are many more ways in which we communicate. While written (resume/cover letter) and verbal communication play a large role in the interviewing process, nonverbal communication also plays an equally important role when you are presenting yourself. First let us touch on the easy one, verbal communication. When speaking during an interview SPEAK UP! By speaking in a clear, confident, volume appropriate voice I am a lot more likely to listen intently. Nothing is more painful in an interview than listening to someone who looks at their feet and speaks just above a whisper. By maintaining eye contact you are not only showing interest and confidence, you are projecting your voice towards the listener. I do not place any candidate that cannot speak confidently and maintain eye contact during our interview. Nonverbal communication is just as important as verbal communication. I already touched on eye contact in the previous paragraph; however it belongs here as well. Eye contact conveys confidence and knowledge but it also allows you to judge the reaction(s) of the interviewer. Another hint, sit up straight! Slouching is often found more frequently in the younger applicants I interview. If it looks like you are lazy during your interview you can bet I won’t take you seriously as a candidate. Sit up straight, cross your legs at the ankles (women it is acceptable to cross your legs). Fold your hands and set them on your lap or on the table in front of you.

Impressions: College and High School Grads - This blog is for you

Submitted by Ross Roberge, Director of Business Development It is not socially acceptable to ‘judge-a-book-by-its-cover’. Oh yes it is! As a recruiter, that’s what I get paid to do. I judge, assess and advise potential candidates to get them their dream job. Here are some basic guidelines that’ll help you score big at an interview. 1. The right attire. At an interview you are trying to convey who you are, what you know and what you can do. Your resume speaks to your capabilities and knowledge. The essence of who you are is told through body language, facial cues, voice inflection, and overall appearance. Dress the part you are interviewing for. For example; interviewing for a receptionist position for a technology company, one would expect you to dress in business-professional. On the other hand; if you are a landscaper, I’d recommend wearing polo and a clean pair of Carhartts. I use this example because it illustrates the difference in dress/position. In my past managerial position at a landscaping company, the candidates who were in clean dress got the position over the candidate who came in looking like a hot mess. The decision was not made solely on their appearance; however it was that first impression of being put together and organized which made them the desired candidate – one that would represent my company well. Dressing in clean pressed clothes, having your hair styled (or under control), as well as being mindful of other attributes of your personal appearance, places you at the top. 2. The best hand shake. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they shake your hand. This is where I personally get the best feel for who you really are. More times than not, I can distinguish a contender from a non-contender through their handshake as well as their appearance. When shaking the potential employer’s hand, make sure you make full hand contact. You want to have a firm handshake (guys/gals please don’t turn into the Incredible Hulk!). This type of contact says you’re interested and engaged in this interview. A half-handshake (ex. finger-tips are the majority of what the employer is shaking) says that you are hesitant and holding back. Always make good eye contact while you are shaking hands. Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be sure to make a great first impression!

2011 NH Forecast - Deep In Thought

I often get caught deep in thought. When I am in deep thought, I squint, and that’s how you know I’m ‘thinkin’. My eyesight is perfectly fine if I wear glasses, but somehow squinting helps me think better. From my perspective, there was a whole lot of squinting going on during January’s 2011 NH Industry Forecast held at SERESC in Bedford, NH. Squinting, squinting and more squinting. I must have looked like I was in a lot of pain!

Many areas of industry presented their projections for 2011. Though it wasn’t a whole lot different than 2010, they were little more hopeful. My notes – for sharing purposes only:

HEALTH: New Hampshire is fortunate to have one of the highest rates of health insurance in t the nation. . This is due in part because we are highly educated. Education= Creates Healthy/Active= Consumers who make demands to retain their good health, therefore we ask for/demand those additional tests to maintain our excellent health. This, in turn, drives up our rates. The presenter was unable to give any concrete numbers for increased percentages, because National Health Care Reform (HCR) is about to ‘transform everything’. She was very sure that HCR will be modified but it will not go away and every employer will be mandated to supply affordable health insurance. Squint.

TECHNOLOGY: Stay with me: Blah, blah, blah, 4G, newer, faster, mobile, wireless. IPAD tablets will drive the 4G movement. Blah, blah, blah, 1Mbps to 100 Mbps. One would think I wasn’t present during this presentation, but I WAS and I still couldn’t make heads or tails out of this speaker’s presentation. My conclusion was that Apple is just going to drive this whole industry – so I stopped listening. I wished he would have ‘dummied-down’ for us, well maybe just for me. SQUINT!

ENERGY & UTILITIES: There is such a state of uncertainty with utilities and energy. My understanding is that we need ‘alternatives’ to oil, however, in order to proceed with alternative energy sources, there must be investors – and they’re not investing, due to the economy. Regulatory issues w/alternatives are not there yet and can’t be because there is not enough information. Last words from this man’s lips were, “we will not see a recovery in this sector until 2015”. No squinting - my eyes were WIDE open! (I do that when in shock.)

REAL ESTATE: NH is stabilizing in regards to office and industry leasing. There is actually a slight up-tick in leasing. Though purchases remain flat, leasing is on its way up. Rates per square foot are a steal! If you are small manufacturer and want to expand a bit, do it now and lock into rates that are, well … stolen! Concord’s unoccupied buildings are 90% leased. Cisco, Salem had been vacant for 10 years, just sold! Exit 1 – Tech Park has the lowest vacancy rate ever! Builders in NH do not build unless they have a committed 80-90% pre-occupancy rate. No squinting, just a wink of happiness.

HIGHER EDUCATION: NH is one of the most educated states in the union. We are a community of life-long-learners. Over the past four years rates for public colleges have surged 10% and private colleges 13%. Community colleges are swamped. As you would expect, the trend driving community college’s enrollment is cost, state support and increased competition regarding curriculum. No squinting here, I just put on my glasses – because they makes me look ‘smarter’.

BANKING: The Consumer Protection Act has made an impact on the banking community. New regulatory measures mean that banks have more work to do in order to meet the criteria, therefore, rates are lower, but fees are higher. Monies for small business loans are there, but not much as what’s needed. The bank has always been a lagging indicator to the economy. Squint, squint and more squint. That’s why they won’t approve my small business loan?!

Again, these are just my notes. I am sure if you asked the respective speakers their thoughts on what I’ve shared with you - they’d probably squint, too!

Do You Really Think You're Invisible?

I recently attended an association meeting where we discussed the impact of social media, in respect to using these venues for background checks, in our industry (staffing). YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, and the list continued. We discussed, shared stories and were educated by legal counsel as to our limitations when doing our ‘research’. Disclosure needs to be addressed and signed off by both parties.

The most benign venue is LinkedIn. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this application, it is generally used for business purposes. The page is about your work history, your resume and your interests. It leaves little room for personal detail. It’s a tool in which you can ‘see’ and ‘be seen’ by business professionals. (That’s the quick explanation). What makes it benign is that there is little room for fabrication and is limited to business.


Secret: Recruiters shared that some candidate’s resumes did not match up with their LinkedIn profile information. Jobs had been omitted on the resume but had been listed on their profile page. Not good – that’s a disqualifier right there!


This meeting went down a rat-hole when we started discussing Facebook and YouTube. If you haven’t heard about these applications, you’ve probably been living under a rock. These are very popular social networking sites. The emphasis being on social. Individuals post thoughts and there are plenty of outrageous drinking, bathing suit pictures and don’t make me tell you about the videos on YouTube! Most of these pictures and videos are not illegal, so you think you shouldn’t have to worry about them... but you do and you should.

You are not invisible with social media when it comes to background checks. It doesn’t matter how many ‘privacy settings’ you choose, there is ALWAYS the back door and employers do find them. Recruiting firms are hiring employees whose only purpose is to research candidates on all social media venues, this is their sole function. They have plenty of time to knock on those invisible 'back doors'. You may interview well, but your ‘virtual’ life may speak differently about you and even possibly make it so they choose someone else.

Suggestion: Start deleting and cleaning up your virtual world! Can you look at your profile on any of these sites and feel absolutely comfortable about what you’ve written or pictures posted? What will incriminate you?

Harry Potter had an Invisibility Cloak, you don’t!

Microsoft, Governor Lynch and YOU ...

Microsoft Elevate America (J. Reidy, Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green PA)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Governor John Lynch announced today that New Hampshire will join forces with Microsoft in an innovative public-private partnership to provide free technology training to unemployed residents across the state. Through Elevate America, Microsoft will work with the Office of Workforce Opportunity, Department of Resources and Economic Development, New Hampshire Employment Security and NH Works Career Centers to distribute 5,625 vouchers for free, online technology training and certification.

"Providing training for our workers is one of the best investments we can make in our economy. Through my New Hampshire Working initiative and the Job Training Fund, we have made helping workers get the skills they need to get good jobs a priority," Gov. Lynch said. "The Elevate America initiative is helping our continuing efforts to get workers the skills and certifications they need so we can help them get back to work."

The first vouchers were distributed today at the NH Works Center in Concord by George Bald, Commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development, and Commissioner Tara Reardon of NH Employment Security.

The free vouchers are available to unemployed residents for the first month of the program and will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis until all vouchers are gone. Vouchers must be activated by users by August 19, 2010.

Vouchers include 2,500 for Microsoft Business Certification Training; 2,500 vouchers for Microsoft Business Certification examinations, and 625 vouchers for advanced Microsoft IT Professional online learning.

"Elevate America helps people to get the critical technology skills they need to get a job in today's competitive workplace," said John Bunn. "We believe that this type of public-private partnership will play an important role in rebuilding New Hampshire's and the nation's economy by offering immediate access to basic technology literacy and skills training to ultimately improve recipients' employment prospects."

"Job seekers can use these online courses from their computers at home, and access the training for up to a year once activated," said Employment Security Commissioner Tara Reardon. "Offering access to computer skills training will greatly improve recipients' employment prospects."

"Employers at our recent Governors Job Cabinet Roundtable discussions expressed the hope that today's job applicants be trained in new technology skills, and this opportunity comes at an appropriate time, as employers begin to hire again," said DRED Commissioner George Bald. "The Elevate America program will help New Hampshire companies remain competitive in today's marketplace."

Microsoft Elevate America vouchers can be obtained at the NH Works Career Centers. Locations are listed at www.nhworks.org.

Vouchers can be used for the following training and certifications:

Computer Basics for Beginners - Access basic computer concepts and skills. Perfect for those new to computers. No voucher is required for the beginner courses.

(What the press release might have neglected to include is from now until 7/1 vouchers will be released only to those collecting UI benefits.

After 7/1, anyone unemployed will be given vouchers through 8/19.)

Another HR Rep Weighs In: Resumes

March 2010’s employment hiring outlook is up from last year this time. The numbers are minimal in comparison, it is still a ‘forward movement’. I’d much prefer to see a slow increase than a ‘sugar high’ because you know a crash will be sure to follow.
NHWorks Bill #501, which has passed and been adopted by the Senate and is now in the House Committee will help the unemployed individual receive skills assessment and receive free training (in that field) towards achieving their goals. This applies to ALL employees, direct laborer to high-end management.

At a recent meeting, I was able to speak with a Human Resource Representative from a smaller company. As is with most small companies, the HR Rep. is a jack-of-all-trades and is very busy juggling many duties. I asked her a few questions that were directed to the application process and what makes one applicant better than another – from an HR perspective.


Cheri Martin, Small Thermal Co., NH

-Resumes: Resumes should be no longer than 1-2 pages. If you’ve worked multiple places doing the same type of work, it’s ok to just associate dates with those companies and forgo the job description in subsequent jobs for brevity.
Resumes that do not have dates associated with past positions do not go any further than her desk. Another resume “don’t” is submitting a resume without all of your contact information, home phone, street address, cell phone and city/state. Contacting a potential employee whose resume is lacking direct contact information, makes for a much longer process in the HR department.

-Cover Letters: Cover letters accompanying resumes should be no longer than 3-4 paragraphs and should give the reader a sense of who that person ‘is’ regarding self, ethics, and how you would be a fit for this position.

-Notification of Resume Receipt: It is her policy to acknowledge every resume she receives, either via email or USPS. An email/letter stating that they are in receipt of your resume and are ‘holding on to it’ would indicate that you were not considered for the job. “The hiring manager is reviewing your resume” indicates that you are being considered.

-After the Final Interview: It is customary for the hiring manager to give you a date in which a decision will be made. This information is passed on to the HR Rep. and she usually contacts the employee by that date. However, there are times that this date may come and go due to work/scheduling conflicts. She would welcome a phone call or email from the candidate requesting information – two calls would be the limit.