"Fluff" Words Are Needed in Your Executive Resume - Judiciously Used

An article appeared recently on CNN.com listing "25 words that hurt your resume." Included were such words and phrases as:

Aggressive, Ambitious, Competent, Creative, Detail-oriented, Determined, Efficient, Experienced, Flexible, Goal-oriented, Hard-working, Independent, Innovative, Knowledgeable, Logical, Motivated, Meticulous, People person, Professional, Reliable, Resourceful, Self-motivated, Successful, Team player, Well-organized

I have upon many occasions reviewed ineffective executive resumes replete with such phrases, to the virtual exclusion of any substantial accomplishments or "hard skills." While certainly it is important to avoid over-use of such phrases (especially in lieu of accomplishments), it is important to bear in mind that most employers and many job listings actually include such phrases, so they are obviously of importance to potential employers.

The key is to match the employers' terminology and demonstrate concretely how you have shown these qualities. And remember that key word searches may well be conducted based on some of these "fluff" terms as well. Thrown into a resume on their own without supporting evidence, these are indeed "empty" words. Matched with actual accomplishments showing that the candidate truly does have these qualities, they can become very powerful indeed.

Honeymoon Over with Outsourcing?

eWeek recently published a study proclaiming that the outsourcing boom is over, as companies grow more savvy about working with outsourcing providers and look beyond the cost savings to the quality and timeliness of service they are receiving. This applies to both offshore and onshore outsourcing, as there is a growing wave of disappointment in performance and a flood of premature contract terminations.

There also seems to be a definite shift in outsourcing in favor of offshore versus onshore, as offshore providers increasingly pair high level certifications such as CMMI with their lower cost structures. Favorite offshore destinations seem to be Canada, China, and Eastern Europe.

At the same time, outsourcing seems to be morphing from a contracting strategy for distinct IT tasks to a corporate-wide strategy. U.S.-based outsourcing companies would do well to take heed of these facts and adjust strategy to ensure a strong focus on "underpromising and overdelivering."

Are Plain Text Resumes Still Necessary?

My clients sometimes ask if it is any longer necessary to have a text, ASCII, or "e-resume" version, considering the continued advancements in Internet and computer technology.

While the sites to which we submit resumes sport fancy input forms, the underlying technology has as a rule remained unchanged when it comes to submitting information via those forms. In other words, if you were to copy and paste your nicely formatted Word resume into the form, it is highly unlikely that your format would be reasonably preserved, and characters such as bullets, graphics, and other special characters would not be converted correctly. Without embedding a very complex application into the blank or box, anything put into it will automatically be simplified to plain text.

So my answer for now is: Yes, you still need a text version of your executive resume for use when you visit executive job boards and recruiting firm sites.

How Many Employers Acknowledge Resumes They Receive?

Workforce Week Newsletter recently published the results of a survey of employers regarding their practices in responding to resumes they receive. Regarding the question, "What is your company's practice for acknowledging resumes?" these were the responses:

35%: We acknowledge all the resumes that we receive

13%: We acknowledge resumes that we believe come from serious applicants

39%: We can't possibly acknowledge all the resumes we receive--we are inundated with resumes

14%: None of the above

Total respondents: 672

So now you know that all other things being equal, a candidate's chances are far less than 50/50 that they will receive any kind of response at all when they submit a resume to a potential employer. Of course, "all other things being equal" is the operative phrase here. What if you have researched and determined that this opening is a great match for your capabilities and/or that you have expertise and insights that the company badly needs? What if you have developed a powerful executive resume and cover letter that so strongly make your case that they virtually compel your recipient to contact you? Odds are high that you will be one of the lucky few who DO receive that acknowledgment as well as an interview.

Forbes Cites Top Executive Job and Recruiter Sites

My senior executive resume clients and blog visitors will want to review Forbes' annual review of the top executive job and recruiter sites. In a competitive job market, knowledge of the most effective online resources and recruiter contacts is essential to speed your search. Some of the better job sites not only include a plethora of listings but also feature salary trackers, networking bulletin boards, and other valuable tools.

Highlighted sites include Netshare, which they describe as a "great place to search national listings for the $100,000-plus executive, and Spencer Stuart, extolled for using "its uncommonly thorough Web site to recruit execs making $100,000-plus a year. At last glance, nearly 90 top-dog jobs were listed. But that's not all: intelligent content abounds."

While leveraging your personal network remains the top essential tool in executive-level job search, you are surely missing out on potential opportunities if you do not get your executive resume in the hands of top recruiting firms via the better online job and recruiter sites.

Angel Investing Dollars on the Rise

If you have a great business idea or are looking for additional funds for an existing business, you will be glad to hear that the Puget Sound Business Examiner Daily reported on March 29 that the angel investor market grew moderately in 2005. Investments totaled $23.1 billion, an increase of 2.7 percent over 2004, according to a report released by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

A total of 49,500 entrepreneurial ventures received angel funding in 2005, a 3.1 percent increase from 2004. The number of active investors in 2005 was 227,000 individuals.
Healthcare and medical devices garnered 20 percent of total angel investments in 2005, followed by software at 18 percent and biotech at 12 percent.

Angel investments created an average of four jobs per investment in the United States in 2005.