Best Fit Forward

A Most Unfortunate Resume Mistake No One Will Tell You

I participate in the Career Collective, a community of bloggers who talk about careers and write different posts in response to a common question each month. Up today: scary resume mistakes in honor of Halloween.

My mistake is one that can't be seen on the resume--it lies underneath and only shows up in electronic searches to the discerning eye.

I'm talking about Document Properties. The information you see when you view a doc in GoogleDocs or in the information line on a file. Most specifically: the author field. It's very easy to overlook this minor detail.

When you save your resume, make sure you are listed as the author of your resume. Not anyone else who gave you tips or provided you with writing assistance. Not your friends. And especially not your former employer.

When a prospective employer sees a different name on your resume, they won't tell you. They may just not consider you.

Here's how to fix this in Microsoft Word. Use "Save As" to save your document. Enter your name as author and title in the Properties section.

You can make this adjustment in other documents by modifying information in the Properties section of your document--or in searching for how to modify properties using help.

That's it. A quick fix for a potentially scary mistake.

Here are suggestions from my fellow colleagues on Career Collective. (And Happy Halloween!)

• Where Are the Wild Things, Anyway?, @WorkWithIllness
• Is Your Job Search Making You Feel Like a Smashed Pumpkin?, @DebraWheatman
• Hiding in Plain Sight, @WalterAkana
• Don't make these frightful resume mistakes, @LaurieBerenson
• How Not to Be a Spooky Job Seeker, @heathermundell
• A Tombstone Resume:Eulogizing Your Experience, @GayleHoward
• The Top Ten Scary Things Job Seekers Do, @barbarasafani
• Oh, Job Search Isn't Like Trick or Treating?, @careersherpa
• A Most Unfortunate Resume Mistake No One Will Tell You, @chandlee
• Oh no. Not the phone!, @DawnBugni
• Halloween Caution: Job Seeker Horror, @resumeservice
• Boo! Are you scaring away opportunities or the competition? @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• Your Career Brand: A Scary Trick or an Appealing Treat?, @KCCareerCoach
• How to avoid mistakes on your resume, @Keppie_Careers
• Sc-sc-scary Resume Mistakes, @erinkennedycprw
• A Flawed Resume is a Scary Prospect, @KatCareerGal
• Job Search Angst: Like Clouds Mounting Before a Storm, @ValueIntoWords
• Does Your Career Costume Fit You?, @expatcoachmegan

On Change, Water, and Blog Action Day

Generally, I write about careers and job search. But today’s post is part of blog action day and I’m writing about water—as are others all over the world.

Like many Americans, I have spent my life surrounded by water. (Did you know a majority of the population lives within 50 miles of a body of water?)  I was born on an island—Galveston Island in Texas; and I live on an island today—that of Manhattan. I’ve spent many vacations in Maine, and I’ve frequently dreamed of living on an island in New England. But for now, it’s two blocks from the majestic Hudson River for me. I am not complaining.

In my work, I help people connect with jobs and employment opportunities. I scan the market, keep in touch with recruiters and colleagues, and help my clients research the market for what’s hot in terms of industry sectors, job trends, and sought after skills. Green jobs almost always makes the “in demand list” published by media, industry analysts, and career management experts. “We need people who can do more environmental work,” echoes the chorus. “The future is all about clean energy and sustainability.”

And yet, in my experience, while there’s always a strong interest in “working green,” I’ve yet to see signs of a Federal and private sector push to make green as mainstream as traditional technologies. I understand that there are so many technologies that have not yet evolved to the point where they are cost efficient. Take fuel cell processes for example: my understanding of current technology is that it requires far more energy and resources to produce “green energy” than it does to maintain the status quo. So, many production companies carry on as they have before.

When environmental accidents or health hazards come into the public eye, there’s a cycle: We resolve to do better, we say that things must change. We’ve done it this year as Congress has investigated the Gulf Coast oil spill, as the coal miners come to surface after 69 days, and as water became undrinkable in Boston due to a water pipe break.

In my experience, the public accepts and makes changes in policy the way that most of us respond to new developments—slowly and over time. As Gordon Livingston, one of my favorite authors says, “Only bad things happen quickly.”

Finding a job in environmentally-related work is a process. Take the state of New Jersey for example, there are great programs available for former Wall Street Workers to "go green" and gain techical skills. Participants can receive tuition reimbursement for their coursework. And yet, unemployed members of my NYC-based Job Seekers Meetup tell me their is a wait list of several months to apply and get into these programs.

One of my clients is having a similar experience finding a "green job." She has been passionate about water conservation since the age of nine. She’s earned a Master’s degree in the field, she’s written community conservation guides, She has taught classes to diverse audiences. And she’s been looking for a job in her field for over a year and a half. While everyone agrees water is important, there are very few positions in water management where she lives in the Southeast: In general, water is too plentiful, and too accessible. There’s an agreement that it is important, but non-profit and advocacy organizations don’t have enough money to fund a large number of positions. She’s gained widespread visibility and praise for her efforts, hired as a volunteer and invited to contribute to an expert publication in her field. But finding an open position in her field has been as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack—even after the Gulf Oil Spill happened in her backyard. As soon as her lease is up, she will move to the Southwest—where there are more water problems and opportunities. She’s working in another field, and laying the groundwork to make good things happen—even if job options present themselves gradually.

My hope for blog action day is that it will raise awareness of this important issue—and increase funding for positions in water conservation and management. All of us need clean water to survive and thrive. And as soon as you don’t have access to it, you’ll realize how critical the need is. (You can read about my family’s experience with a drought here. It is nothing in comparison with the challenges that millions of people and thousands of communities experience on a daily basis, but it was a wake-up call for us)

I'm hoping that the availablility of pro-water management and conservation positions grows from a trickle to a flood...you? Read more about why this is important on the Blog Action Day site.

Cross-posted on Career Hub.

City Island: A Family Fit

 City Island is a movie that came and went--fast. I probably would have missed it altogether if it hadn't been one of the few "On Demand" films available at a friend's house. I'm glad my friends and I discovered it.

This story of a family and the secrets that they each keep from one another is part drama, part comedy, and a semi-Greek tragedy. I recommend it.

One of the most painful aspects of this movie to me centered around career choice--and the lengths that individuals will go to in order to hide their interests or vocations. A father lies about an acting class and tells his wife he's going to play poker. A daughter turns to exotic dancing in order to earn tuition money after losing her college scholarship. Pride and fear of family feedback leads to extreme measures, misunderstandings and damaged relationships. Check out the preview

   

While most people I know don't actively hide their professions or interests as dramatically as the characters in City Island do, I talk to a lot of people who have career dreams hidden beneath the surface--and who are in a state of what my friend and colleague Phyllis Mufson calls exhausted possibility. In a market with high unemployment rates, it's easy to settle for a job search to achieve what you had before--even if you didn't like it. 

But, if you have the opportunity to explore other interests, industries, and organizations--why not take the time to identify your optimal situation? At Best Fit Forward, we reverse engineer the job search process by starting with an assessment of the work environment that aligns best with your own personal communication style. We do this because how and who you work with can be just as important as what you do.

Curious to learn more? Contact me for a free 15 minute chat.

 

The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job (Learn 'Em All 10/14)

My friend and former colleague Elisabeth Harney Sanders-Park has just co-written her second book, the 6 Reasons Why You'll Get the Job (Penguin). I am pleased to announce that the NYC Job Seekers Group, the grassroots job search group that I host in Manhattan, will be offering a special four hour workshop with Elisabeth and her co-author, Debra Angel MacDougall, the morning of October 14, 2010.

There is no cost to sign up. For additional details--including hours and location of the event--please sign up for the MeetUp group and RSVP.

Hope to see you there!