Resume PsychologyGet the Offer

By Dirk SpencerAccount Management and Recruiting

PMP, AIRS CIR, AIRS ACIR

LIONs

Resume Psychology

Get the Offer Not the Interview

By

Dirk Spencer

The Science of Resumes

Source of the Data

• Real Life Examples & Outcomes

• Behavioral Science

• Linguistics

• Eye-Access Cues

• 2 Years of Interviews with HR Professionals

• 2 Years of Lunches with Recruiters

• Database Technology / Internet Technology

• Boolean Logic

• Artificial Intelligence

• Fuzzy Logic

• Government Compliance

• Test Results

Resume Types

RHETORIC

• PURPOSE: Excite the Reader

• TOOL: Impassioned Language

• GOAL: Land an Interview

• ORIGINS: Socratic / Jeffersonian Ideals of Persuasion

Resume Types

ARTIFACT

• PURPOSE: Convince the Reader

• TOOL: Fact & Data

• GOAL: Land the Psychic Offer

• ORIGINS: Franklin / Changes to Technology / How Recruiting Works

Format Recommendation

• Chronological is King– Generally Accepted– Technology Mandated– Client Expected

• Functional is…– Limit Usage to Personal Hand-offs– Generally Less Accepted– Difficult to Load into Software– Creates Questions

• Hybrid – Combines the Best of Each Format

Layout Recommendations

• Limit Paragraphs to 3 Lines

• Use Conventional Bullets

• 1 Inch Margins All Sides

• Left Justify All Text

• Use Summaries to Chunk Text

Style Recommendations• Times Roman 12 ~ Arial 11

THROUGHOUT THE RESUME

• Bold Major Section Headers

• Upper and Lower Case Headers

• Bold Job Titles– Focus on your skill

• Avoid Underlining & Italics– Distracts and Distorts Content

Resume Secrets

• Expertise Must Be – Overt & Obvious– Align to the Client’s Needs

• Skills Beyond Their Need– Will Have THEM Calculating

How / Why You Are Not a Fit

– Confuses the Client – It is Technically TMI – It is about them – not you

Resume Secrets

• This is Not a Showcase of Your Word Processing Prowess:– Efficient Resume

Communication Works Against Candidates

– Inefficient Resume Writing Makes for Super-Efficient Reading (and Convincing)

Inefficient Writing

• Ignore Grammar Rules• Write Complete Thoughts

– Not Complete Sentences– Pull Out Periods

• Repeat – Repeat – Repeat• Repeat Again• Why?

– Super Efficient Reading!– New Level of Competition

Exceptions to Inefficient Writing

• Technical Writers• English Literature Candidates

– Professors– Teachers– Novelist

• Novelist• Copywriters• Authors

– Training Material

Resume Keyword Review

Rules of the Game• They are Repeated

– Often– In Context– Relevant to the Industry

–Recent Experience• Size Matters

– Candidate Pools Rise & Fall

–What worked yesterday –May not work today–Let alone tomorrow!

LINKEDIN.COMYou MUST BE ON THIS SITE

• It is free• The Number One Recruiter Tool• Did I Mention It is Free?• When Connecting or

Recommending others ALWAYS include:– NAME– Job Title– Email– Phone Number

Counter Measure to Job Descriptions

Know How Your Industry Works• Know How the Profession Sounds• Read & Listen to the Current

~ Guru

~ Celebrity

~ Author

~ Web Sites

~ Conferences

~ Guilds

~ Associations

Context / Scale Experience

• Context – Where the Experience Happened– How Work was Accomplished

• Scale– How Many Involved– How Big the Experience

• Context + Scale = …Self-Aware Candidate

• Self-Awareness leads to …Confidence

Recruiters are Actors

Your Resume is Their Script• Your Script is Shopped Daily

• Read by Actors – Who Lack Personal Knowledge– Are Not Allowed to Improve– There is Lots of Competition– Most Cannot Learn Your Trade

• Fail Your Actor – Fail the Screen– Never Get Called– Or Get Called and Never Hear Back

Finding Instant Content

• Government Standards– All Job Titles– All Job Functions– By Experience (or Grade Level) – Using KSA’s

• Knowledge ~ Skills ~Abilities

• Any Dot Gov Web Site– Find Your Job Title– Find The Associated KSAs– Download KSAs– Edit to Fit Your Experience

Unpacking Resume Content Master the Assumptions

• Words Have Generally Accepted: – Definition / Synonym

• Job Functions Have Generally Accepted: – Best Practices / Process Models /

Methodologies / Tools /Techniques / Technology

• Every Job Behavior has a Set of: – Standard of Performance – Regulatory Requirements

• Every Industry Has: – Vendors Selling Products &

Services Discussing the Industry

Master the AssumptionsContinued

• Every Industry Has:– “Big 5” (or “Big 4”) / Competitors – Authors / Bloggers / Celebrities– Peer Reviewed Published Experts

• Every Industry Has:– Cadres Called Guilds, Unions,

Societies, Leagues, or Clubs

• Every Industry Has:– Awarding Mechanism to Recognize

Achievement and Skills

ASSUMPTIONS MEMORY JOGGER

Thought TemplateA – T – E – Q

Start Every Sentence with an Action Word

Follow it with At Least 2 of the RemainingThree in Any Order:

Thing + Environment + QuantityThing + Quantity + EnvironmentEnvironment + Thing + QuantityEnvironment + Quantity + ThingQuantity + Thing + EnvironmentQuantity + Environment + Thing

RESUME K.O.D. (The Kiss of Death)

JOB TITLES TO AVOID• Entrepreneur, Owner, Consultant or Variations• Operator • Franchisee • Head Bottle Washer and CEO • Principal

Phrases We Never Search On• Results-Oriented • Proven Leader • Strong Interpersonal Skills • Hands-on Technician • Seasoned Professional

KOD - Continued

Phrases That Scream Amateur • 10, 20, 25, 30, 35 Years of Experience • Responsible • I (EYE did this EYE did that) • Thinkers – Strategic Thinker / Tactical Thinker• Utilize – Utilized – Utilizing• Dynamic• Power – Powerful – • High Energy

HONEST IS GOOD – (Being stupid and vulnerable bad)

• Self-Taught • Recent Death in the Family Forced Me to Start My

Own Company • Married, Three Kids• Wife’s name is Mary, Agnes, Joan… • Hobbies

Trust Me Enough to Test What We Have Talked About

NEW WORDS ALERT

Thank You

Raw Notes

So Who Gets HIRED?

• Not the Most – Qualified– Connected – Networked– Advertised– Educated– Experienced

• Not The – Tallest– Prettiest– Nicest

The Candidate

Who Inspires

Confidence

Is the One

Who Gets Hired!

People Must Have Confidence in You Before They Will….

• Network Your Resume to Others

• Call People You Don’t Know

• Email People on Your Behalf

• Present Your Expertise to Others

• Tell People About Your Fit

How I Know This?

• I was never the most qualified• I was never the best educated• I never had the right connections• I did not have the experience

Recruiting Is Like Dating

Emailing Recruiters

“Please forward my resume to the person or department responsible for “Job-Title””

Thanks so much,

Name

Job Title

Email

Phone Number

City, State, Zip

Resume – Small enough not to look crazy

Attach a Word Version

I am Not a MathematicianRecruiter Variables

Recruiter

Technology

Client Demands

ManagementExperience

AKP

Skill SophisticationStability

X

XX

Plus InterpretationTranslationTransliteration

of Compliance Regulations