Why your great resume isn't working.

You have a spectacular resume.

You've spent hours on it. Maybe you've hired a professional to craft it for you.

Hell, maybe you've hired me.

(In which case, you know it's one bloody great document.)

I applaud you.

I applaud you for knowing that it's vital for your marketing documents to speak clearly to what you bring to the table.

To what makes you great.

To what makes you a standout.

Yes, you need a killer resume.

But a great resume is not a guarantee.

It's not a magic fairy nor Santa nor a genie that swooshes out of his little bottle and grants you a kickass new job as reward for having such a riveting resume.

And this frustrates the pants off of people.

Many people launch a job search thinking, 

"I'm just going to fix my old resume and all will be right in the land."

Only to discover, after weeks and weeks of sending dozens (or hundreds) of that fixed resume out into the Black Hole ... that it's still not working.

And that is when I say:

When it's not working, it's usually not a matter of trying harder. It's usually not a matter of asking 14 more people what they think of your resume. It's usually not a matter of making your already great resume EVEN GREATER.

When it's not working, it's time to cook up a better plan.

(Hint: the better plan does not involve sending piles of resumes in through blind mailboxes. Stop it, already).

You need help with this? If you do, you may want to grab a copy of "To Whom It May Concern: Or, How To Stop Sucking at Your Job Search," for just $20 (normally $39) through Friday, 1/27.  The ebook teaches you how to cook up a much more effective plan for job search. If you're interested, just Click here and use discount code MAGICFAIRY at checkout.

photo: Flickr.com Creative Commons (Sarahnaut)

Apple stores, clown cars and learning curves: My January tale.

If I were an Apple store, I'd have this covered.

You'd come into my storefront (which would be sleek, contemporary and always bustling), get caught up in the energy, efficiency and knowledge packed up into my compact, yet welcoming business and leave feeling absolutely great about that thing you've got tucked into your incredibly lush, backpacky Apple bag.

We'd all win.

If I were I clown car, it'd be a different story.

You'd want to come in because my clown car would look like a ridiculously fun, happy and energizing place to hang out. But you'd be admittedly a bit concerned because you'd wonder about such things as, 

"How exactly are they all getting enough oxygen in there?" and

"What happens if one of them needs to get out and go to the bathroom?" and

"Is there REALLY room for one more?"

And then you'd be torn between the fun and the overcrowding.

And this is where the learning curve part of the tale comes in.

I am finding myself somewhere between Apple store and clown car this month. 

Sales are booming, absolutely booming. 

I don't even have one of those hand-held auto-checkout clickers that the magical Apple sales people wave around with ease. And sales are still booming.

And I am so very grateful (to you!)

I also don't yet have a force of shining, happy consultants just about to return from lunch break here at JobJenny.com.  I don't yet have infrastructure in place to manage huge influxes in business.

And that is precisely what has happened with the Ridiculously Awesome Resume Service this month.

In the first two weeks of 2012, I sold more resume packages than I typically sell in 8 weeks.

This is where JobJenny.com starts becoming the clown car instead of the Apple store.

This is also where inventory for the month begins running out.

We're near that point when you'll start wondering what happens if the oxygen runs out in here. 

And, as the business owner, it's my job to make sure such things don't happen.

While it's tough to turn away business during the busiest resume month of the year?

It's only fair. To you.

I have to limit my offerings so that I can be sure and deliver each and every Ridiculously Awesome Resume client a spectacular end product. 

As of today, we're out or "near out" of January inventory, for every available package.

Is this ideal? Of course not, especially if you're ready to make the investment right this minute.

But it's the right thing to do, given that I am the sole resume writer in this operation.

And so...

If you have attempted to order a Ridiculously Awesome Resume and were greeted with the dreaded "Out of Stock" message? Curse me if you must, but be assured that this log jam of orders will be cleared out very soon and all inventory will reset on Feburary 1.

And if you want to order today, and set project launch for early February? Please shoot me an email at Jenny@JobJenny.com.

And finally, if you have constructive ideas on how I could better structure the service? I'd appreciate your input very much.

Thanks for following along on JobJenny.com. And for those who have helped make this the biggest month of sales in the history of the site?

A virtual hug is going out to you.

Ageism: Of course it's real. But are you contributing to it?

I'm going to preface this post with the admission that I am over 40.

Do not shoot the messenger here. Because she's on your side. And she's no spring chicken, either.

(My doctor actually TOLD me this a couple of months ago. The nerve!)

My message for more mature job seekers ...

Ageism is real. Of course it is. Companies aren't supposed to discriminate according to age, and they may even think they're not doing it, but ... hiring managers make inferences and judgements about you based on what you present to them.

And if they think you're old and tired?

You're not moving on in the interview process.

Fact.

So what the hell should you do about it?

Moaning and groaning about it won't get you anywhere. Well, it will get you more frustrated and depressed, but that's not really the goal here, right?

My vote is this: Strategize around it.

A few of my best tips for those who are struggling with a search you feel has age discrimination written all over it:

Your resume

•  Your college graduation date? Yank it.
• "References available upon request"? Old school. Also yank.
• Referring to yourself as one with 30 or 35+ years of experience? Will work against you.
• One pager, written in Times New Roman using a Microsoft resume template? Dead giveaway. It's totally OK to have a 2-3 pager once you've got vast experience and wicked smarts.
• Any marital or health stats? I will assume you're like 80+. Also yank.
• Any non-vital experience (as in non-vital to the role you're pursuing in 2012) that's more than 20 years old? Yank yank yank.

Your appearance

• Super gray or 1990 hair? Consider finding a stylist (or a friend) who knows current trends.
• Outdated clothes, shoes, glasses, perfume? Again, I know it sounds jerky, but you've got to consider the impact it may be having on your job search. And adjust accordingly.
• Do you look tired and worn down? More sleep, new skin care routine, more water, better diet might be in order.

How you go about the search

This is the biggie. Nothing dates a job seeker more than when they refuse to use social media for job search. I get that those of us born pre-1980 are not digital natives. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, blogs...? They aren't a natural second language to over 40 job seekers. But folks? These tools are fast becoming mandatory business tools. In our lifetimes, they won't be any LESS important or influential. Not by a long shot. 

Being current with social media will not only benefit your job search networking efforts ENORMOUSLY, they will position you as a current, capable business person; one who keeps up with technology and, thus, remains competitive. 

So what's it going to be? You want to be the aging person who sits around doing nothing but talk about every wrinkle and creak and malady that comes upon you as you age? Or would you rather marry your deep experience, maturity and bitchin' work ethic with a style and savvy befitting of the year 2012?

Screw my doctor and her commentary. I'm going with the latter.

photo: flickr.com Creative Commons (tcrow43)