photo: theage.com.au

One of my movie favorites is Bridget Jones’s Diary. If you have not seen the film, it chronicles a 30-something’s journey (Bridget, a single woman living in London, played by Renee Zellweger) as she moves through career and personal angst, one day, one crisis and one joyful event at a time. And all the while, each time I watch the movie, it is her position of ‘hope’ and resolve to choose tomorrow that emboldens me, even now, a decade later.

It’s the glimmering–and sometimes bursting–rays of hope that seem to sweetly shoulder her burdens of life.

Amidst her fretting and commiserating, along with her trio of charming, equally angst-ridden and unconditionally supportive friends, she sings through her tears, sets goals in the thick of emotional pain and picks herself up (literally) when she stumbles.

As well, Bridget’s lamenting is reserved for those rowdy, but lighthearted rants with her closest friends or for her time alone, singing karaoke style to songs like “All By Myself,” as she imbibes on cheap wine and falls ungracefully asleep in her apartment.

What I like MOST about Bridget is her ‘keep on going’ attitude, her charming smile and confidently insecure, bold attempts to make a path for herself, personally and in her career. She doesn’t publicly grouse and moan and point fingers at others for her problems. Instead, she focuses on her goals and keeps plowing through obstacle-filled streets, frequently veering off into unknown and uncomfortable roadways.

photo: all-creatures.org

She shrugs off the naysayers and the negativity; in fact, finds the clarity to push back when done wrong and rebuild her career when faced with a critical career and personal juncture. As such, personal and career rewards emerge, like the hearty daffodils that confidently push through the harsh cold ground of winter.

All this begs the question: What is your relationship with hope?

Mine has been a fairly constant one; although, on occasion, I’ve proven fickle, or perhaps a bit jaded, frustrated or even simply frightened, that my hope would not sustain me–through the anxieties of youth, the entanglements of adult worry, the upset of career curves, the bitter sting of divorce, and the wildly uncertainty future of owning my own business.

Hopefully one day I’ll meet the man who loves me ‘just as I am.’ Hopefully I’ll gain financial security (abundance, even!). Hopefully I’ll one day sail to far-flung islands, listen to mamba tunes and drink pina coladas with abandon.

Hope for me, a most powerful word, has been my anchor in times of great storms; in fact, often the only bridge, between despair and emotional comfort, has been hope. Hope has, thus far, in the big-scheme of things, at the end of the day, NEVER let me down.

Do you offer hope a place in your life and your career and then forge ahead, creating the friction necessary to spark the fires that often will lead to that flame of opportunity and forward movement?

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Master Resume Writer

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photo: originalprop.com

across an article recently about the way capital punishment is doled out, morbid curiosity found me reading the story.

It seems in Japan, all those charged with murder are tried by jury, and 99% are found guilty. The only means they employ as punishment is hanging. There is no other way to be put to death by the government in this country. You are not given a choice in the matter once you have been convicted. You are taken away from the court and led to your cell and wait your turn.

The gallows are located in a room that is rectangular in shape. One end of the rectangle is glassed off. This is where the few witnesses in attendance watch the condemned receive their punishment. Halfway between this room and the wall at the back of the death chamber are two blue squares, a larger one surrounding a smaller one. The smaller blue square is the trap door. Directly above the trap door is a recessed area in the ceiling where the noose hangs from a sturdy block.

The witness chamber as well as the ceiling are painted stark white, while the remaining walls are wood paneling. No one outside those who are members of the judicial system know where this room is located, including the country’s press.

The prisoner’s families are not notified of the execution until after it has been carried out.The nation’s press is not informed until the sentence has been carried out either. In fact, and what I found to be the most interesting aspect of this secrecy, the inmate is not told of his impending doom until just moments before he is led to the gallows.

I can only imagine the anxiety one must feel every time keys are jangled outside the cell door.

“Is today the day?” they must ask themselves any time a shadow darkens the space below the cell door.

“Are they here to change my linen or just to check on me? Are they bringing my meal or some message of hope? Or perhaps it’s the doctor come to give me an exam of some sort.”

The point is, they simply do not know what the next visit means.

As I read this article it occurred to me that many employees are in a similar condition, with the possible outcome being every bit as disconcerting as it is with these Japanese convicts. And while the odds are pretty good that their manager is not there to lead them to the gallows, losing one’s position can feel like death’s beckoning call. Not a mortal death per se, but certainly the end of one’s career future.

If you presently shudder every time you hear the clickety-clack of the heels attached to a highly polished pair of dress shoes, it may be time to get your affairs in order. One of the best ways to escape the career hangman’s noose is to make sure you have a resume that will help make your journey into the great unknown a little less frightful.

By Rob Poindexter, CareerTrend Pontificator

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Following is the backstory for that assertion:

When you’re a career resume strategist, the questions of resume format, resume length and other tactical preferences arise daily. Just this week, I shaped responses to the same ole’ questions that regularly stump executive job seekers because of the enthusiastically mixed messages circulating out there by resume professionals, recruiters, hiring managers and others who either write or review resumes (or both).

LESS ...

Truth be told, I don’t think there’s one perfect answer to each of the timeworn questions, but I do offer steadfast opinions based on the belief (and proof of my 13 years’ progressive experience helping mobilize job seekers’ careers) that the message that works is one that entices the reader to need to meet that person.

Two ideals, it seems, permeate social media and other career exchanges on the topic of resume strategy. Choose whichever you find fitting for your writing and communication style, and then toss off the lifelines, hoist those sails and plot your OWN resume course.

Resume Style 1: Robust Word Story comprised of a dozen or more expanded achievements tightly stitched together and highlighted with rich personality hues to create a robust career commentary, often exceeding the subjective 1-2 page length limit, resulting in upward to 3 pages of career story substance.

Resume Style 2: Relentlessly Edited Document that never exceeds 1-2 pages, and pares down language to bare-bone sound bites and lean reading. This type resume, if done well, punctuates career value based on speaking to an attention-deprived audience who are multitasking and perhaps not completely ‘dialed in’ to any one task at hand.

Though I believe that both types of resume strategy can work, I personally prefer the meatier, content-rich version (#1). My resumes cater to the decision-maker equipped with a several-minute window of time to nourish himself with the word protein that will fuel his company-changing decision with far-reaching, ROI impacts.

... or MORE ...

Whichever resume style you choose, keep in mind that you must provide story context — the resume nourishment that moves it from emaciated to muscular. Contextless excerpts of speech, therefore, will erode the results of your resume performance.

In other words, a resume with context is wrapped in the ‘before, during and after’ environment in which the candidate performed.

Though each reader (hiring decision maker, recruiter, human resources professional, manager, executive, etc.) has his own preferences as to what he likes in a resume, I’ve found that what visual and auditory message one person thinks he prefers and that which he actually prefers may differ dramatically once presented with a commandingly convincing career story that intermingles the candidate’s experiences as a warrior in customer retention, process reduction and revenue/profit mounting that resonates with the target reader’s pain.

As well, why I write fleshier vs.  mercilessly edited content is so that my clients’ stories are not deprived of the calibrations that distinguish their unrivaled career narrative from the next action-oriented, achievements-laden resume that lands on the hiring decision-maker’s virtual desk.

Though some believe that the American attention span is shrinking to the size of a walnut and that anything written beyond the scope of a 10-second attention span will be dismissed, I offer perspective. The brevity of Twitter attracts real-time, speedy, brief interaction, while the appetite for unrestricted communication and an expanded story permeates social media. Conversations extend via links to more expansive blog posts and commentary as well as telephone and email conversations that deepen the conversation story.

Moreover, in my conversations with hiring decision makers, C-level and Board members, executive recruiters and others who are presented with candidate dossiers, once the resume has reached the ‘I’m interested stack,’ the reader wants a more robust marketing vitae that deeply sells the candidate’s value and resounds with the audience at which he aims. This more substantive approach to communication feeds the decision-maker’s complex hiring needs.

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Executive Resume Writer

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Photo by CoolAntarctica.com

bite the bullet and invest in a new crisp sail whose seams wouldn’t burst every time the wind came up above 5 knots.

That new sail was an absolute joy to fly. Problem was, though, it made my old mainsail look even worse than it had before. Too many days in the sun and wind had taken their effect on the battered and sagging piece of cloth. It hadn’t ripped yet, but it was pretty blown out: a term used to describe a sail that has been stretched by the wind to the point that it no longer had any elasticity.

Kind of like an old pair of boxers that have lost the “snap” quality.

Technology had also caught up to this old sail. New designs and materials were giving better shapes and added support in the form of special battens. Also, new ways of attaching the mainsail to the boom were giving sailors more control over sail shape in order to maximize effectiveness.

So the decision was made, and in a few short months the new main was delivered. The merchant met us at the boat one spring morning to try it on, while our dock mates looked on in awe of the bright white canvas. It’s an exciting day when someone gets a new mainsail, and everyone rushes to be a part of its installation.

Unfortunately the sail was not a proper fit, so the merchant took pictures and made measurements in order to pass along the information to the sail loft so they could make the necessary adjustments. A few days later we were all once again excitedly installing the now altered sail. Holding my breath, I raised it to the top of the mast, and after a few minor adjustments, it fit perfectly. All who were present for this second attempt cheered with approval as I beamed with pride at the sight of the crisp new “engine.”

Jac and I could hardly wait to complete our business with the merchant and head out to the lake to try it out.

As we rounded the buoys marking our marina, Jac took the wheel, and I stood at the mast. I could hardly contain myself as I prepared to set, not only the new main, but also the recently acquired Genoa.

Two brand new sails. We would surely be the new rulers of Lake Perry, Kansas. With all that fresh canvas flying, no one would dare challenge our superiority for catching wind.

As Jac headed up into the wind, I began raising the pride of our boat. As soon as the main was set and properly tied off, the Genoa was hoisted.

Settling in behind the wheel, I reached over and killed the engine that had been keeping us moving to that point and prepared to turn just far enough off the wind to fill our new sails. They were a glorious sight to behold. Well, they would have been if there had been any wind to fill them, that is.

As though a mighty hand had switched a great fan to the off position, the wind suddenly died. The waning waves of a passing powerboat gently rocked us back and forth as the sails swung side to side. The only sounds on our boat were the halyards slapping against the side of the aluminum mast. Jac and I sat in silent disappointment, searching the surface of the lake for any indication of a coming puff of wind, no matter how small.

In my best old English accent, I quoted Russell Crowe’s character in Master and Commander, “I can harness the wind, but I ain’t its g**damn creator.”

We sat patiently for awhile, and the wind did eventually pick up, and the sails performed every bit as beautifully as we had hoped they would.

We had put a lot of time and effort into acquiring the new sails. We had spent our boating allotment for the season as a matter of fact. But no matter how much went into this acquisition, without the wind, these canvases were as useless as threadbare rags on a hobo in winter.

A client recently let us know the resume they had commissioned from CareerTrend wasn’t living up to what they had hoped for. But after a few probing questions, it was quite clear this particular client wasn’t doing much to get this resume into the proper hands. I knew when those new sails were hanked on for the first time, it would be up to the wind to finish the work they were designed for. It would also be up to me to set the boat on a course that most exploited that wind that was available to propel me forward.

I could no more blame the sails for not performing properly than this client could blame the resume had I not been willing to do my part in getting the most out of these new tools.

Just something to think about.

Rob Poindexter

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I commented at the WSJ blog, and have cut/pasted my entire comment at the bottom of this post. The essence of my comment is that selecting a resume writer is an intuitive process and a conversation between writer and job seeker versus a tactical investigation. As well, my friends and certified resume writers Julie Walraven and Dawn Bugni also shared their pragmatic and persuasive opinions regarding offering (or ‘not’ offering) guarantees, why the writer specializes in career positioning strategy and the job seeker performs as the industry ’specialist,’ why confidentiality issues may arise if sharing past clients’ names as references … and more.

The highly ‘niched’ resume writing profession (after all, how much more niched can you be than writing ONLY career-focused documents selling to a very targeted hiring audience of decision makers, recruiters, human resource leaders, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, board members, venture capitalists … and more?) is akin to a personal marketing agent that helps job seekers break down barriers to job interview entry.

As well, a resume writer’s role is to build career messaging content that supports, lifts and helps carry the job hunter ‘through’ the interview process, leading to a job landing. No, the resume does not ‘get’ the job, but it is a KEY vehicle to transport critical career story points.

Following is the comment I made, in hopes to focus the careerist considering hiring a professional resume writer on the strategic aspect of resume writers’ acumen versus the tactical and defensive mode of garnering multiple references, layers of resume samples and proof of specific industry experience. This hoop-jumping aspect of how to hire a resume writer is interesting, but not necessarily one I advocate. Adding to the interesting aspect is that one of the examples in the WSJ article showcases a $100 resume purchase that resulted in a disappointing outcome. To this I simply respond, “You get what you pay for.”

All that said, my comment follows, hereto:

As with ANY service and/or product investment, performing due diligence before hiring a professional resume writer is critical to ensuring you are ‘driving your OWN career initiatives.’

I also agree that the number of resume writing companies has mushroomed, particularly with lower barriers to start-up entry for ANY new business based on the easy access to the Internet to market one’s wares (whether resume writing or widget selling). That said, a quality, focused and time-tested resume writing pro will offer just that, a verifiable record of client performance results and samples.

However, my concern about such articles as the “Five Questions to Ask” is a focus on intimacy with job seekers’ industry knowledge, requesting resume sample (after sample after sample) and calling upon a writers’ client base (often too early in the decision-making process).

Instead, in my 13 years’ resume chronicling, I’ve found the ability to cull meaningful, detailed and textured stories about a candidate’s unique value offerings that map to a target audience, and facilitating a two-way conversation is most critical. The job hunter is the industry expert; the resume writer is the resume writing and career strategy expert — a storyteller with a twist.

In other words, the resume pro is a talented journalist who effectively probes for the underlying gradations of one’s career journey: how s/he surmounted hurdles and impacted folks through influence, problem solving, cost containment, revenue shoring and profit boosting talents.

Beyond the tactical ‘asking the resume writer for online and offline resume samples, querying past customers and asserting that the writer knows your industry,’ therefore, I encourage job seekers to consider the writers’ strategic writing history and their ability to engage on that higher level — to show (not tell) in word conversations that they ‘get’ your strategic career movement and transition needs.

One resume client recently told me, shortly after he hired me to write his senior level sales management resume, that he hired me primarily because of my ability to sell HIM on ME. As well, my website, samples and client statements reinforced his belief in me.

Find a writer whose website presence and whose telephone acumen influence YOU to invest, and I believe, you are at least part way THERE– on the way, if not ALL the way, to a RIGHT hiring decision.

Instincts matter in these situations. Follow yours.

Best,
Jacqui Barrett Poindexter, Master Resume Writer
www.careertrend.net

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Eyeing the fancy new exercise bike in which we recently invested, I adjusted the seat height from Rob’s 6′ 2″ frame to accommodate my 5′ 3″. Popping a DVD in the player, wrapping my bundle of hair into a ponytail, and placing my Droid in the holder, I began pedaling.

“Hmmm,” I thought, as I reached for my Droid, “I wonder what tweets I may be missing? Oh, what about my email … let’s see, click, read, refresh, read, refresh.” Pedaling some more, my pace ebbed and flowed as I focused in and out of the task at hand and the ever-constant chatter of my friendly Twitter stream, or dipped back into email to ensure I was up-to-the-minute with client, colleague or partnership initiatives.

Hmmm, exercising like this is not only physically cathartic, but amazingly contributory to my business goals … or so I justify. And wow, it really isn’t so hard … fun, actually.

Humming along in my happy place, I continued to absorb tweets and emails, filter audio moments from the television, and pedal, when, suddenly, a large, confident hand reached into my sanctuary and plucked away my Smartphone, accompanied by my husband’s incredulous remark.

Instantly, red-faced, I nodded agreement, refocusing my attention to my exercise goal and releasing my Droid from its grip.

Similarly, in job search, I often hear career-minded folks expressing a strong desire to land that next great gig propelling them to a more gratifying environment with better hours, less travel, more kudos, reduced stress and perhaps even, a salary raise.

All they need is that shiny new career bike to trim and tone their resume and construct a job-search roadway with smoothly paved highways and bridges that will lead them to their new destination. Oh, what a fun adventure!

Unfortunately, this formulaic and unpainful approach to career management rarely works. While custom career equipment including resumes, cover letters, biographies, leadership addenda and LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook profiles are critical to providing the word story essence, the job seeker must be the fuel, moving the career communications along the highway.

And providing this fuel often means a bit of heart-pumping, energy jolting, emotional sparring that sparks both fear and pain, while ultimately creating a sense of exhilaration.

This organic, integrated marketing communication exercise includes arduous maneuvers, where, in the moment, all you can concentrate on is moving through it. Examples of these career fueling exercises include:

1. Placing an uncomfortable cold call asking a warm contact for help.

2. Joining an industry association where the movers and shakers YOU want to meet attend, then actually attending meetings and joining committees to begin building that career relationship bridge.

3. Getting active on LinkedIn and Twitter, offering meaningful content that delivers value and positions you as an industry or position-specific expert.

4. Researching and connecting with hiring decision-makers and company insiders via LinkedIn, JigSaw, Manta.com, ZoomInfo, Twitter and other online goldmines.

5. Reading the local business news, such as Bizjournals.com, in the geographic area where you want to land, noting movers and shakers, business expansions and changes, new shoots of growth to which you can offer yourself as a business developing, profit-generating, customer relationship building expert who can add value and solve challenges linked to their growth. Then, contacting the decision-makers at these companies, introducing yourself.

5. Reaching out to recruiters via email, and then placing a carefully orchestrated phone follow-up that adds value to the written conversation.

6. Asking for informational interviews to build relationships with pros in the target profession you desire, and then preparing in advance to show them you value their time.

7. Practicing interviewing with a trusted, objective third-party interview coach, garnering and responding to their constructive feedback.

8. Telling your friends, neighbors, librarian, former co-workers and bosses of your career transition goals; you never know whom they might know and at some point in the process, introduce you to.

9. Sending a brief, high-impact email or snail mail follow-up thank-you to all contacts with whom you connect, showing you value their time and input. Following up periodically with value-add news or other business sharings that prove you listened to their needs and appreciate an ongoing relationship.

By kindling activity and momentum with specific, inertia-inducing career plan action steps, your voice will be heard. Despite having intellectually sweated over a perfectly strategized resume chronicle, if all you do with that newly minted career equipment is submit it through online applications, your resume likely will get lost amidst a sea of others.

By pushing your career muscles to do more each and every day, you will gain career strength and momentum and be able to lift yourself to new levels of progress. Though the day-to-day rigor should be expected to stretch your muscles and stir up a bit of pain, by getting into a rhythm of career exercise, you will find moments where the career endorphins place you into autopilot, making the day’s experiences both productive and joyful.

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Master Resume Writer

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I’m not quite sure which category this thought fits in, but I wondered aloud as I watched the floating corpse float by if fish realize when they are dying. I mean, do they equate not feeling well with the impending loss of their mortality, or do they simply continue to swim around looking for food until the gills simply stop producing oxygen?

I read somewhere once that fish do not have the ability to remember. I guess that’s why it’s impossible to teach fish tricks or math. Knowing this, I wondered if they could reason how long they’d actually been sick. You know, like the fish asks himself, “How long have I felt this way? Was I this sick yesterday, this morning, a few minutes ago? I can’t remember. Oh well, guess I’ll find something to eat. What was I just thinking about? I don’t feel well. I wonder how long I’ve felt this way? Was I this sick yesterday? Oh well, guess I’ll find something to eat. I don’t feel well.”

And on, and on the dying fish goes until his lifeless form floats to the surface.

Fish have no hospitals to go to to find out what’s wrong with them. They don’t have friends to tell them they look bad. They don’t have a spouse to suggest they get checked out. They just suddenly cease to exist when the illness can no longer be staved off by their immunity system.

As a human job seeker, you are not without support if your career is getting sick. There are “doctors” who can help diagnose and  fix your ailing career. You have friends and family who realize you haven’t been gainfully employed since Nixon was in the White house.

I truly believe some job seekers are like dying fish who don’t know their career search is dying or dead. They refuse to reach out to professionals who can get them going in the right direction and breath new life into their job search.  I refuse to believe they are completely unaware of the peril. But for some reason they just won’t accept the fact that they are circling the drain.

If, like the poor fish, you can’t remember how long your career has been sick, it’s definitely time to seek professional guidance.

By Rob Poindexter

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Making the point, of course, to remind these young officers not to be too hard on themselves when they make a mistake. Just take a lesson from the mistakes you are going to make.

When any of us begins a new activity, from our first bike ride to getting through our first driving lesson, our judgment is flawed because we truly don’t know what to expect. Riding a tricycle until the age of 12, I was sure I would have no problem exchanging three wheels for two. After all, my younger brother had been riding his bicycle since he was five years old and made it look quite simple. The trick, I soon discovered, was balance.

As I sat astride the little green bike looking down the street, I was most confident that this would be a piece of cake. Of course, it was a very small bike, and I was a very tall kid. And while I felt like Evel Knievel lining up for a long ramp jump, I looked more like a monkey riding a football. So, with my older brother standing behind with his hand on the back of the banana seat, I pushed down on the higher of the two pedals and instantly fell to that side of the bike, bumping knees and elbows on the way down and winding up closer to the front tire than the seat when I landed.

Knowing that I had seven layers of skin altogether, I got back on the bike hoping the other six layers were a little tougher. Once again I lined up the little bike; this time making sure the pedal on the opposite side was now the top one. I pushed off with all my might and hit the ground once more in the other direction. Turns out the next layer of skin was more sensitive then the first layer. By the end of the day I would find out that each progressive layer was even more sensitive. Yes, I had effectively removed all seven layers of skin by the end of that lesson, and figured out that it didn’t really matter which pedal I pushed off on.

Sir Isaac Newton being hit on the head with an apple had nothing on me and that bike concerning the reality of gravity.

Before long though, I was riding that thing all over the neighborhood. I could jump small ramps, do wheelies, power slide in the gravel, do burnouts and many other feats that proved my mastery of this two-wheeled wonder. By making good judgment calls, I was mostly able to avoid serious injury, no matter what trick I was trying to impress my pals with.

And so it goes with the inexperienced job hunter. You fall down over and over because you haven’t developed the judgment required to keep you rolling forward. The resume you wrote at the kitchen table, from memory, and in crayon, will have you crashing and burning before you get to the end of your driveway.

So after a few weeks, you add a few more details, write in black ink this time and try again. CRASH!!! Now you write it on your word processor juicing up the details somewhat. BOOM!!! No luck. Soon enough you realize that only a professional can help your career at this point. See, you have finally decided to use good judgment and the negative experience with bad judgment is a lesson you won’t soon forget.

And just remember, while you can’t keep a good man down, you can keep on tripping him every time he stands up.

by Rob Poindexter

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During this lively, 1-hour chat with 40 ExecuNet members, a plethora of career management related questions percolated.

Our overall goal, help ease the members’ job search process through clarifying best practices as well as helping alleviate the fear, frustration and feeling of being stuck, overwhelmed, confused and alone by the unfamiliar process of executive job search.

My role, primarily, was helping field resume strategy-related questions or concerns. Though page length was touched upon, happily, the resume discussions did not get bogged down in the tactical concerns of page length, font style, listing years versus months/years and so forth.

Mostly, the ‘Hotline’ conversation centered on the more relevant and strategic aspects of a high-performing resume: how to best target and present one’s unique value benefits to a specific audience and type of company and how to resonate with their needs. As Dave so aptly said (paraphrasing here), job seekers need to be “the aspirin for a company’s headache.”

This type of solutions- and forward-focused resume is critical cutting edge career positioning. Unfortunately, careerists often get distracted by the end result of their search goals, treating the resume process as a career transition band-aid instead of an introspective process that must painstakingly involve research, research and then more research. Akin to consumer marketing initiatives such as pitching a perfume or the latest computer or Smartphone technology, career resume strategy involves deep customer research to understand THEIR needs before shaping your message.

It also requires a very large investment in career brain dump, followed by selecting those needle in the haystack career stories that map to your target audience’s needs (how you, similarly, will create such outstanding solutions stories for their company). A resume, therefore, is not about your past, but about your FUTURE.

After ferreting out which stories to apply in your career positioning documents, the foundation of which is your resume, you must shine these stories to a brilliant sheen, and enhance them with gem-like sub-plots that describe the ‘story behind the story.’ These nuances differentiate you from the pack. Instead of a set of lean, metric-only-focused bulleted achievements, you now have  meaty, story-rich sales messages that influence emotion and buy-in.

Though I agree, in part, with a recent Wall Street Journal article that asserts that in the era of social media, “A Resume Is Not Enough,” I would enhance this message by asserting that a resume is the foundation, and the online marketing initiatives comprise the fortress that houses all or components of the career resume. In other words, social media is an extension of your thoughtful, highly targeted and meaty story-board resume. This story-board, then, fuels the LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, ZoomInfo, Google, Fast Company or other profiles.

So, before you go splashing your career profile all over these social networking venues, before you start plugging into the 24/7 Internet highway and engaging in career conversations via LinkedIn professional groups or Twitter streams, shine your resume “in the rough” into a brilliant illumination of your future.

By Jacqui Barrett Poindexter, Master Resume Writer

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A week later, she prays the same prayer, explaining that she just lost her job and could really use the help. Another week goes by, and she tells the Lord that her car is about to be repossessed and how she could really use the money now. Several more weeks go by and her prayers become more and more desperate as her financial life spirals out of control.

Facing foreclosure now, face down on her bedroom floor, she wails, “Lord, please let me win the lottery. I’ve got nothing left, my children are hungry, and by this time tomorrow we will be homeless and living in the streets if you don’t intercede in some way!! Please, PLEASE, help me!”

As she lay writhing on the floor in utter anguish and despair, a loud voice boomed, “Mary, buy a ticket.”

It never ceases to amaze me how many people are like Mary. They will go around talking about what they need or want to anybody who will listen. They wring their hands and become upset and anxious over the fact that things aren’t going their way. Yet they refuse to do something as simple as “buying a ticket.”

If you are in job search mode, going to interview after interview, pleading your case to countless hiring executives, you may as well be saying the same hollow prayer that our example above is saying, if you haven’t engaged the services a professional career strategist.

There are an unlimited amount of services available to the job seeker willing to buy a ticket.

From interview coaching to professional resume writing and online biographies, the career strategist will be instrumental in helping you win the job hunt lottery.

If you are still handing out the same resume that you’ve had for several years and several career changes, you may as well be playing the lottery with last week’s losing ticket.

Even if those numbers do come up, the ticket is no good at that point.

Just like the lottery, your resume needs to be renewed and refreshed once the old one is no longer valid.

So don’t be like Mary. Buy a ticket.

~~~~~~~~~~

By Robert Poindexter

Photo by Lisa Brewster

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