Recruiters Recruit; Writers Write

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Caroline, a resume client, recently asked me, “Why do recruiters have rules that would make a cool resume look just like everyone else’s?” I love the value that recruiters provide for job-seeking candidates, as well as passive candidates open to the idea of...

The Resume: Evolving, Not Dissolving

image: v-land.net By Robert P. Poindexter “Guenther, go down and tell the men to go home. We’re done.” The look in the old man’s eyes told Guenther that some devastating news had just been relayed to him, and he hesitantly asked, “What’s happened, boss?” The old man raised the...

Career Strategies: Being Brilliantly Visible

Resume and social media issues abound: grabbing at cliches (e.g., “I’m a people person”), mirroring your colleagues’  content, shying away from touches of color, graphics, charts or graphs, avoiding the personal exposure you fear will occur if you sign up for social media accounts...

For the Want of a Resume, a Career Was Lost

You may have heard this little ditty as a child, or perhaps some wise college professor referred to it at some time during your blurry-eyed, groggy-headed freshman year. It goes like this: For the want of a nail, a shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of a horse, the...

Equipped to Climb the Ladder

By Rob Poindexter, Writer and Sailor “Wow,”  he thought to himself. The large indoor pool area looked immense as he stood there alone at the foot of the high dive. It soared some 25 feet in the air above the glassy pool’s surface, over 5 times higher then his own 8-year-old frame. Many times he...

Your Resume Is Not a Tweet

I read it, and I get it, and I buy-in to the 20-second ‘resume scan’ rule. Yet, I don’t  FULLY buy in. What I mean is, I don’t accept the implication by some that  your resume only gets a 10-, 20-, 30-second sweeping glance by the hiring manager, recruiter, HR. .. AND...

Sleeping Beauty

By Robert Poindexter, Sailor and Writer For six long months she lay at rest in her slip. Six long months of cold days, and even colder nights, her lines filled with pink fluid, running through her like the medication from an IV filling the veins of a coma patient. But soon she will be awakened from the deep...

Restoring Your Joy in Job Search

Miriam Salpeter (@Keppie_Careers) and I are delighted to co-coordinate the February Career Collective, a community of career advisors and resume writers blogging together on behalf of job seekers. This month’s articles address how to overcome discouragement in job search. Please follow our hashtag,...

Is your resume anemic?

Does the following describe your resume’s plight? 1. Anemic, weakened by lack of attention as it sits idly in your virtual computer drawer, untended and under-fed as your career purrs along. 2. Or perhaps, it was resuscitated by artificial means as a result of the panic you felt when you were suddenly laid...

Due and Proper

Do you wake up every morning on time? Do you head to the shower and prepare your body with a cleansing for the work day ahead? Men, do you step out of the shower and faithfully put your razor to work, ridding your face of offensive stubble that began creeping up on you around 5:00 the previous day? Women,...