Do NOT put company specific job titles on your resume!

 I look at a lot of resumes. I find it interesting when I've looked at a resume and it does not scream "perfect match" to me. However, after talking with the person they are obviously a great match for the position.

Why did I not think it was a better match initially?

The job titles did not match up. Maybe they were applying for a project manager position and put their past job titles as IT Manager or Managing Engineer or IT Operations Consultant or... you get the idea. 

None of those ostensibly indicate that you were a project manager even if that's all you did in those positions. Company specific job titles can CONFUSE recruiters (whether in house or 3rd party recruiters) and WEAKEN your resume, which in turn decreases the number of responses you'll get on your resume.

RULE: It doesn't matter what the specific company calls the position, call it what it is.

RULE: Don't lie! If your duties in that position have no relevancy to what you're applying for don't indicate that it does. Leave the lying to the politicians.


EXAMPLE: I am a recruiter. I've been called Career Advisor, Job Specialist, etc. I did not recruit 100% of the time in those positions. News flash: even "Recruiters" don't recruit 100% of the time. Yet, the one was straight recruiting and the other was preparing the candidates to be recruited. Both are recruiting efforts. So, I replace those titles with Recruiter.


RESULT: I received numerous interview requests.

Last example: A gentleman applies for a Network Administrator position. His resume has Engineer as his last job title. It turns out more than 50% of what he did was Network Administration. In politics more than 50% means you win. Yet this resume will be overlooked by many recruiters which means no interview - you do NOT win.

Hard Work Pays Off

As I interview job seekers everyday I've come to see that even in IT hard work makes a difference. Having played several sports my entire life up to the semi-pro level I always noticed the difference between the guys who were extremely talented and those who were not. More intriguing is the difference between the guys who are extremely talented and work hard and those guys who are extremely talented but lazy. All the guys that I played with that went pro I spotted in the gym during off hours working hard.

One quote on the subject that I particularly enjoy is by Ivan Misner. He is the founder of BNI, one of the largest networking organizations in the world. He says:

"The secret to success without hard work is still a secret."

There are a few here and there that acheive success in laziness and complacency riding the coat tails of deceit, nepotism, etc. But the respectable, decent people of the world have to rely on coupling talent with hard work.

The top candidates I submit to my clients for a job opening aren't always the insanely bright, higher IQ than anyone you've ever met types. Most are bright, but what sets them apart is that they spend time off the clock working for their company. I'm not saying you need to work off the clock because I believe in getting paid for what you do. But the fact that they do spend time off the clock working says something about their self pride.

Some guys are creating a similar setup with their home computer system as they have at work, so they can increase their proficiency. Others are spending time updating their skill set by learning new languages, frameworks, systems, etc.

Most companies appreciate and increase the pay of the person who works hard for them. No matter what your talent level is... work hard.

Should you drink a Monster before your job interview?

It's interesting, coming from a sales background in recruiting I found that the most charismatic and energetic guys got the job, as long as it was coupled with some legitimate success. Call it confidence or self belief, but it seemed to be a real key factor in sales guys landing the job.

I never thought I would come across that in recruiting IT professionals. However, I have had interviewers tell me that they want their IT guys to be excited about the technologies they're working with.

Makes sense right?

One hiring manager said he has sent good candidates away because of their lack of energy in the interview. Not too long ago he interviewed a candidate and turned him away for that very reason. In that same week, he gave a guy the nod because he had the energy.

So the answer to the question is "yes." Drink a Monster before the interview so you are high energy. Unless of course it makes you bounce off the walls. There's a difference between energy and loss of control.

In the end, I don't think it really matters what field you're in; you need to have a passion for what you do. That sells you in the interview regardless of the profession.

Guy Loses Job because of Social Media Post

Have you ever wondered if social media posts can cost you the job or get you fired?

I just witnessed it. I sent a candidate to my client, a prestigious organization, and they really liked him. They wanted to move forward to the next step with this candidate. It was exciting.

Suddenly, the client called me out of the blue and said they were no longer interested. I was of course caught off guard and a little shocked. I was thinking why the sudden change in interest. When I asked why, they said one of the hiring managers did a little research on the guy and found a social media site where he had a semi belligerent post. They said given the content and his attitude in the post, they had no desire to hire him.

Good guy, good company, costly post!

Great Discussion on IT Job Search Frustrations

I came across this discussion on LinkedIn. I've come across many situations where myself and my candidates are frustrated because clients are always asking for the perfect candidate. Here is a good discussion on things to consider in your job hunt How do get out of the ugly circle called the "Catch 22"

Also, within the discussion is a reference to a great book to purchase and I wanted to point it out http://www.amazon.com/Debugging-Your-Information-Technology-Career/dp/0979333709

I added my two cents to the discussion as well, so check it out.

Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot!

My friend told me a pretty funny interview story the other day. He and his associate were interviewing a young kid for a hardware tech. position. They exchanged pleasantries and began the interview. My friend asked the kid what kind of experience he had and the kid answered...

"Well, I spent some time in school putting together different PC hardware. I was a little discouraged about it though."

"Why's that?" Asked my friend.

"Well, some of the other kids were a little mad at me because my portion of the project didn't end up working."

My friend said he didn't end the interview because he wanted to give the kid a chance in case that was a fluke. So he asked another question about experience and the kid answered...

"Well, I put together a PC for my dad."

"Oh really, how'd that go?" Asked my friend.

"Well, good. But my dad was a little mad because it didn't work right, after I put it back together."

Immediately, my friend's associate who was with him in the interview said, "BOOM."

After the interview ended my friend asked his associate what the "boom" comment was about. He answered, "That was the sound of the kid shooting his other foot."

Lesson to learn on this one. Don't shoot yourself in the foot! Share experiences that were successful. Everyone has failures. Be confident in knowing the guy across the table interviewing you has messed up or failed something before. Winners don't worry about the failures of the past, they focus on their success and the future. Employers like winners.