Guest column on PRNewser: 5 tips to help ease those recession nerves

For those of you who haven't seen my new guest column on Media Bistro's PRNewser, the first post is up! From the Recruiter's Desk will post twice a month and I'll be covering industry job search news, job hunting advice, market conditions or any topics you would like to see covered. I'd love to hear what you want to read about, so please let me know!

The first post went up on Tuesday. I give 5 tips to help ease those recession nerves by investing in yourself and building your network before you need it for job search. Please check it out here and leave comments!

Thanks for all of your support!

Links:

PRNewser
From the Recruiter's Desk | 5 tips to help ease those recession nerves

7 random and weird things about me

Photo: Carlos Gardel in Plaza San Martin - Buenos Aires taken by Jorge Dobbi

Yesterday, author and workplace columnist, Anita Bruzzese, tagged me for this blog meme.

So here it goes... 7 random and weird things about me.

1. Between the ages of 5-11, I couldn't wear clothes that had seams in them. Since finding seamless clothing was impossible, my mother had to buy only the softest sweatshirts and pants. I loved to chew holes in them too, especially in the sleeves and around the neck. My poor sister got the hand-me-downs. She's still bitter.
2. I didn't go to college straight from high school. I moved around a lot - Richmond, VA to New Orleans, LA to San Luis Obispo, CA to New York to Buenos Aires. Between moving, working, and starting a business, I finished my college education 10 years later. I paid my own way and left school with no debt. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
3. I moved to Buenos Aires after a two week trip. A month later, I sold everything I owned and have been here ever since. My family thought I was crazy, but we have managed to see each other frequently. I even convinced my sister to move here for six months. And I see clients and candidates just as much as I did while living in the U.S. because these days Argentina seems to be the new vacationing hot spot.
4. I was in the military once. I joined in tandem with my friend because we made a deal we'd do it together. He never showed up to Basic Training. I was an Army Reservist with a Human Resources specialty. When I got the offer to become a medium wheel vehicle mechanic, I didn't re-enlist.
5. I always wanted to be an FBI agent (like Jodi Foster in Silence of the Lambs). I never tried to get in, but it probably has something to do with why I like recruiting and research so much.
6. I was a competitive gymnast and practiced for over 10 years.  I've managed to maintain most of my flexibility and can still slide myself across the room in pretzel form.
7. When I was traveling through Spain, I coincidentally shared a room with a fellow traveler who I soon realized was a candidate I had cold-called and almost placed with a San Francisco software company. Random encounters like this always seem to happen to me in the strangest of places.

So I'm tagging:

Paul Copcut

Sarah Evans

Kel Kelly

Margie Newman

Shannon Paul

Laurie Ruettimann

Jeremy Pepper

Here are the rules for my fellow bloggers:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they′ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Make sure your career progression is not mistaken for job hopping

Photo credit: Elvire.R

If you have been with the same company for most of your career, make sure your promotions don't look like job hops on your resume.

This sounds nit picky, I know, but I see it all the time and it's worth an explanation. Let's say you have worked for the same PR agency for the past eight years. You started as a Senior Account Executive and you're now a Vice President. Naturally, you want to show your career progression. You have probably worked with a variety of clients in different capacities throughout the years and have assumed increasing responsibility. So, you want to list it but it ends up looking something like this:

11/2007-present          XYZ Communications            Boston, MA
Vice President
(Add experience here)

10/2006-11/2007        XYZ Communications            Boston, MA
Account Director
(Add experience here)

1/2005-10/2006          XYZ Communications            Boston, MA
Account Manager
(Add experience here )

and so on....

The problem with listing promotions like this is that at first glance it looks jumpy, and if your resume is being scanned by a lazy eye in less than five seconds, the warning sirens scream "job hopper" and so it goes to the "out" pile. The reviewer didn't even notice each of the listed positions were with the same company.

The quick, simple fix to this: Start your experience with the date you start to present, add the company and the city. Underneath list each position with the dates, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Don't list the same company more than once. Unless, of course, you left and came back at a later period of time.

It should look something like this:

2/2000 - present          XYZ Communications            Boston, MA

Vice President
November 2007 - present
(Add experience here)

Account Director
October 2006-November 2007
(Add experience here)

Account Manager
January 2005-October 2006
(add experience here )

and so on....

This is part three of a series about what not to put on your resume.

Part 1: 5 things you should never put on your resume

Part 2: Top things you should never put on your resume by readers

Candidate question: Balancing multiple offers

Photo Credit: Matias Dutto

District 13 film Q:

When I'm balancing more than one offer at a time, how upfront should I be with the companies?  An ultimatum seems too pushy in certain circumstances. I have one offer in hand, but a better one that may take another week or two to finalize. Some people accept jobs only to later decline if they get another, more desirable offer which seems like an integrity compromise to me.

A:

If you are an active job seeker, it's appropriate to be up front with both companies about where you are in the interview processes. An active job seeker usually evaluates more than one company. By letting the hiring managers or the recruiters know where you stand with other offers will help with timing. Being upfront doesn't necessarily mean the timing will work out in your favor, but it will at least give the other company an opportunity to make a move and you won't be stuck at the last minute appearing to give ultimatums.

By delaying giving an answer to Company A in hopes of evaluating a potentially better offer by Company B is risky. Company A may not be willing to wait it out and will probably feel its offer is being shopped around for something better. Company B may or may not come through with an offer and by waiting you run the risk of losing the offer from Company A.

Your best bet is to evaluate Company A's offer based on what you are looking for in an opportunity and make a decision based on that. If you can't decide if Company A is the right move, then it probably isn't and you should kindly decline the offer or tell the company you need a bit more time and you understand if they are continuing in their search. Be ready to lose it.

The best case scenario is if you don't have an offer in hand by Company A. If the company is ready to present an offer, you could let the hiring manager know you are extremely interested in the opportunity, but you are far along in some other interview processes that will wrap up within two weeks. You would like to see out the rest of the process so you can evaluate your options equally before you receive a written offer. The hiring manager should be much more understanding and will appreciate your honesty and integrity.

It is best to not ask for an offer from a company unless you are ready to make a decision. Companies usually expect an answer within 48 hours of the offer extension. Letting a company sit for two weeks for a decision with an offer in hand usually puts doubts in the hiring managers mind about the candidate's interest and enthusiasm in the position being offered.

Once you accept an offer with one company, you should be prepared to let the other companies move on. Accepting a job to only later decline for Company B is just plain wrong (in most situations). Candidates who choose this compromise their integrity and burn bridges with everyone involved in the process and cost the hiring company a lot of money. The chances are you will run into the people involved in the hiring process in your career at some point. That hiring manager could be the head of communications at your agency's biggest pitch of the decade a few years down the road. People don't forget these situations, so it's important to handle it with care.

This is part of a new column I will be featuring here on my blog. If you have a question and think the rest of the community would benefit from the answer, please ask me here and I'll do my best to feature it (or at least respond individually). Your name will be kept in strict confidence.