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In today’s highly competitive employment market, a lot of displaced workers are finding that the only jobs they can get are short term contracts through consulting or temporary agencies. Having been on all sides of this particularly complex industry, and being asked to answer questions about these forms all the time, I have decided to help the general public understand some of the common terminology. I’m going to preface this with a caveat that this information is mostly applicable to the technology industry, because that is where most people I deal with are getting confused. However, the terms are applicable across the board.

NDA, or Non-Disclosure Agreement

This is a document full of what seems to be a bunch of legalese jargon about Proprietary Information, Intellectual Property, etc. Basically, an NDA is an agreement that covers both the agency and their client from having information about business practices, products, services (etc.) leaked to competitors or the press. The gist of this sort of form says that you agree not to share any information you learn about either the employer (agency) or it’s client/s with anyone outside the process established to learn about the job. I do not know why anyone would have a problem signing an NDA, unless they are confusing it with a Non-compete. I have had candidates refuse to sign an NDA, and I cannot work with them.

Right To Represent

It’s not uncommon for several agencies or consulting firms to have access to submitting candidates for the same position. A few companies will have "exclusive" contracts with an agency for one or more positions, but it is much more likely that they will be competing against other agencies. A Right To Represent (RTR) is permission you give an agency to represent *you* exclusively for any job. What this means is that you need to keep track of which agency is submitting you for what job/s.

Non-Compete (clause or document)

The Non-Compete clause or document in any offer letter is a point of contention for a lot candidates. Basically, this states that you will not go to a competitor (or sometimes the client) in specific circumstances. This sort of terminology is especially stringent in sales jobs, where a company is trying to make sure that you don’t take clients with you when you go. But in markets such as Seattle, where competing organizations are trying to place candidates in the same types of jobs, it’s an effort to keep them from just switching agencies for contracts.

(The Non-Compete issue is hotly contested, has so much complexity and wild variance to it and since I am not an attorney, I am not going to answer any questions about specific examples; if you have an issue or question, consult an employment attorney.)

A lot of candidates get upset when they sign a Right To Represent for one or two specific positions, then they find out a recruiter has submitted them to many without ever contacting the candidate with a job description or to ask permission to be submitted. This is a bad business practice, but unfortunately in this tough market, agencies are trying to get candidates in front of hiring managers to close business.

What can you do to avoid this? Make sure you get *in writing* an agreement from a particular recruiter/agency that they will not submit you to a job without your explicit permission. It is also is perfectly acceptable and advisable to tell them what other jobs you are currently being considered for. To be the most efficient in this process, you will need the name of the client company; the job title; the job number if you have it. You don’t need to give them more information than that, but it will help you to keep confusion down to a minimum. If you have applied to a job yourself, also provide that information. The agencies aren’t being intrusive, they just don’t want to make the effort to represent you to a client when it’s already been done.

Finally, if you have questions about terminology on a specific form you are asked to sign, make sure to discuss them with the recruiter. They should be intimately familiar with any forms you are asked to sign, and if they don’t they will know who to ask.

As a recruiter, I think it probably goes without saying that I’m asked to look at a lot of resumes by people before they submit them for jobs. But since I am a technical recruiter, I get a lot of requests to look at websites and online profiles as well.

I recently had someone ask me for my opinions on his consulting site. My suggestion was to condense things and not try to make himself an expert in everything related to his industry (and to lose the personal interest section). If you add too much detail to your site, you dilute your brand and potential clients come away with an impression of "jack of all trades, master of none". Pick no more than three related skills to highlight on your website.

So earlier, one of my friends sent me a link to this site, which in turn points to *another* portfolio site as a "perfect" example of what your online resume (his word) should look like.

Site one:

<A href=http://theworkinggeek.com/2010/06/how-to-do-a-web-resume-right.html target=_blank>http://theworkinggeek.com/2010/06/how-to-do-a-web-resume-right.html</A>

The "perfect" resume site:

<A href=http://hirethisgeek.com/ target=_blank>http://hirethisgeek.com/</A>

So, here are my comments to my friend:

"Never ever ever put pictures on your resume. It is considered a way to induce discrimination in HR/Recruiting types and they tend to ignore resumes with photos, even if they are online.

If you go to his actual "resume" link it is just a list of skills, and nowhere is his actual employment history listed in reverse chronologic format."

So here is the thing: as a portfolio site to demonstrate his skills for prospective clients, I have no issue with it. But if he is using this site as his "resume" for employers vs. clients, it has issues. Photos on a resume are bad because HR has a duty to protect the employer from legal action, and it is not unusual for someone who doesn’t get a job to use tactics to try and file a discrimination lawsuit. So the answer for HR/Recruiting is to not consider resumes or CV’s with pictures on them, in North America.

It’s very important to remember that when you are job seeking that you try and put yourself in the mindset the recruiter and hiring manager are in. In this very tight competitive environment, you are trying to capture the attention of the decision makers. While it may seem creative to go outside the "established" box, I’d say that more often than not it can backfire on you. The time to prove your individuality and creativity is in the interview, when you have already proven yourself good "on paper". />

A friend of mine recently was discussing the fact that an HR certification she got several years ago has been eclipsed by a different, more "well-known" set of letters. She had to study hard and sit to take a pretty demanding test to get the certification, and now she questions whether she should get the more "well known" designation.

It’s a common question: will getting specific training to get a set of letters after your name make a difference in the job market? In Seattle, this question is especially relevant in the tech market. With Microsoft being one of the largest area employers, having MCxx (Microsoft Certified…take your pick) after your name is de rigueur and somewhat expected. A lot of out of work professionals have taken advantage of UI-funded programs such as getting their PMP (Project Management) as well, and want to know: is the time, money, and effort worth it?

As with most questions, this isn’t a simple "one answer fits all". It really depends on the industry, job title, and quite honestly the organization. I’m seeing more and more job descriptions wanting professional certifications on them. My professional opinion is that this is a way for hiring managers and recruiters to help narrow the pool down. For a lot of professionals, getting those letters after their name is just a validation of the experience they’ve already accrued over their careers. This subject falls under the question of education for me: how will it impact your chances in the workplace? Will it get you more money?

But maybe more importantly in this tough economy, getting a certification while you are unemployed shows that you, as a professional, have been taking time to do *something* during your downtime to improve your employability and professional profile. For this reason alone, if you can afford it, getting industry certifications are definitely worth considering.

But before you run out to get your Six Sigma green belt, make sure you thoroughly investigate what your industry is looking for. Read job postings, blogs from professionals in your industry, articles etc. to determine if it will make a difference. Going out and getting letters after your name *could* backfire on you if nobody in your industry wants them. It could give the impression that you are getting ready to change industries or even that you aren’t current with your profession. As much as I hate to say it, professional impressions count even more now than they did two years ago. Make sure the impression you are giving is concurrent with what is happening in your profession.

I am pleased to announce that I will be conducting monthly resume workshops in the Seattle area commencing in June.

Your resume is your marketing and sales tool as a candidate. Conquent HR is pleased to announce that we are now accepting reservations for our resume workshops. In this 90 minute training you will learn how to write a resume that will get noticed by hiring managers and recruiters.

Covered Topics include:

* How to effectively use keywords so that your resume will always come up in keyword searches

* The way to tailor your resume and cover letter based on a job description

* Formats that work best for email, databases, and in

* person interviews

* What should

* and shouldn’t

* be on a resume

* How recruiters evaluate resumes and what hiring managers are looking for

* The difference between a competency and soft skill

* How long your resume should be

* What to do with references

* The most important pieces of information that should be part of your resume

* What, when, and how to use the proper format for your industry

Classes are limited to 35 participants to allow for interactive interchange between the instructor and students. Our next class is June 23rd at 7 PM. The cost is $65.

Please visit our web page to register.

http://hr.conquent.com/jobseekers.cqs

I learned that phrase many years ago when I took a (luckily) short foray into multi-level marketing just after college.

One of my friends has been hard hit by the economy. She had her car repossessed yesterday. But she is not letting anyone outside of her very close intimate circle know how far down the well she has fallen; I’m one of three people who know how bad her financial straits are. She is talking to recruiters, pursuing as many job avenues as possible, and networking as much as she can to get her head above water. From the outside looking in, she’s surviving.

On the flip side I received a desperate plea for help from someone who really needs a job. His contact with me reflected it and I was surprised by how much actual work experience he had when I saw his resume because I expected him to be a fairly junior candidate, but he wasn’t.

By "Fake it" I don’t mean lie on your resume or misrepresent your skills. I’m talking about your professional image. With all the despair and desperation out in the world, it’s vital to remain as polished and professional in your interactions in the job market; whether you are sending an email, going to a networking function, or having a phone screen or interview, you want to give your audience, whomever they may be, a first-rate impression.

So, absolutely reach out to your network for help and support. That is what they are there for. But don’t make the mistake of trying to ask your casually professional contacts to be your anchor and your life jacket. Because I guarantee they have their *own* personal network to help keep afloat.

There is a lot of discussion on one of my listservs about contacting recruiters after a phone screen, or even interviews. Candidates don’t want to jeopardize their chances for a particular job by "bothering" a recruiter too much. (Which I, personally, thank my own candidates for!) When is it OK to call/email? How often? What is too "much"?

I love forging relationships with my candidates. It’s usually the best part of my job. I’m a big candidate advocate. But what candidates need to remember is that my *primary* client in the recruiting relationship is the hiring manager. That could be someone in my company, it could be a manager at a client. My paycheck depends on keeping *them* happy. Just as most employees seem to misunderstand the role of the HR Generalist, which is to make sure the *company* is safe legally (and representing the best interests of the company, not the employee), candidates need to understand my priorities as a recruiter.

When you, as a candidate, don’t hear from me for a long time, don’t assume that I am ignoring you. I have done as much as I can to get you noticed. Please be aware that often it is the *hiring manager* that is the bottleneck. It isn’t unusual for Hiring Managers to take weeks to get back to a recruiter (either internal or agency/external) on the outcome of a resume or even interviews.

There can be any number of reasons for this; keep in mind that the reason a position is *open* is because they are understaffed, which means that everyone is picking up the extra load until it can be filled. It’s a catch-22 situation. But it’s hellacious sometimes to get interviews scheduled when everyone is already overextended.

Also consider that with the market as flooded as it is, managers are looking at many many MANY more resumes for each position than in pre-recession years. That means they are considering, screening, and interviewing more candidates than ever for *one* position. Recruiters narrow down the field for them by significant amounts, but where maybe before they had 3 or 4 qualified candidates, now maybe it’s 8 or 10.

You are a second tier candidate. They like you, but you don’t hit *all* their quals, so that means they are keeping you in reserve until their first-string choices are contacted and interviewed.

Competition in general. If you are going through an agency, depending on how many other agencies have submitted you, they have no idea what is going on if the HM doesn’t communicate with them.

The position is in jeopardy of going away. It is on hold. If an agency is representing you, they probably won’t even know about it until the position disappears from their recruiting dashboard.

Recruiting is very much a Project Management role, with each open position being a set deliverable. If I have twelve open requisitions to work on, and I have already submitted four qualified candidates on number 5, then my priority shifts to number 8 because the HM has pulled the trigger and asked me to start scheduling the interviews for her top four candidates. So that week, I put 5 on a back-burner to concentrate on 8. Recruiters multi-task weekly, daily and even hourly. It is rare for us to have "down time" for any significant amount. And also it might help candidates to know that Recruiters have been *hard hit* in this economy in terms of layoffs and downsizing. Most recruiters have been doing double or triple duty in their organizations after losing team members. The ramifications of this are not just more jobs to fill, but also forming new relationships with our hiring managers which takes time.

Feel free to contact us; weekly if you have heard from us and we have indicated that we are setting some sort of schedule up. We generally prefer email as it allows us time to keep focused. And, often times we are on the phone with other candidates many hours of the day, so you may get voicemail anyway. BR />

And finally, this may seem to be humor, but I am quite serious: a call can tell you if the recruiter is even still with the company, and if not you need to get hold of the recruiter that is taking over those requisitions. S/he may have no idea who you are, so introduce yourself and send any email correspondence you have to re-establish your candidacy.

In the consulting world, a company often will create a CV for potential clients based on consultants’ resumes to submit to an RFP (Request for Proposal) in their bid. This CV is customized from their diverse work history to specifically fit the call for the project/s being bid on. In essence, it is a hybrid CV/bio.

Since I am a recruiter at a consulting company, I have seen and formatted such resumes. But I recently saw one on a major job board, and the message it sent me was that the person seeking a new job didn’t know how to write a resume for herself and really didn’t even try.

While I was at the University of Washington, it amazed me how many people would apply for a job writing down a brief professional history and ignoring the request for a proper resume. BR />

This gives the same impression as a functional resume in a non-portfolio based industry: you don’t have the skills we are looking for; you are trying to hide something; you cannot follow basic instructions on filling out an online job application. (And of course you don’t know how to write a resume.)

So here, again, is what happens. By doing any of the above, you are not giving a recruiter the information they have asked for in a format that is *standard* right now, that hiring managers want to see.
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1) Your most recent job including company, location, title, dates of employment, and industry (if not immediately discernible. Use a one-sentence marketing blurb from the employer’s website or marketing materials if you don’t know how to craft this.)

2) A detailed account of what you did for the employer highlighting major accomplishments.

3) The next most recent job, etc. on the resume going back *no more than 7-10 years*.

4) Education: this includes degrees/diplomas and *applicable* training or certification. For example, being First Aid Certified is not applicable outside the medical industry or positions such as child care.
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5) Affiliations such as volunteer organizations, *leaving out things such as religious or political references*.

A bio (short for "biography") is something that you prepare that gives a broad statement reflecting your entire career, with little or no mention of specific projects. Bios are used for content such as corporate "about us" sections or prospectuses, speaking engagements, press releases, articles (written, quoted in, or interviews). A bio doesn’t usually even give enough information to decide if someone is even a fit. It is not an appropriate substitute for a full resume or a CV. Like every industry, recruiting goes through trends; the current "style" is dictated by technology and government standards. Over time, no doubt it will change. But for now, following "fashion" is a better policy and in your own best interests.

One of our candidates at work has a very diverse resume; we hired her because she is someone we can use on a variety of positions, doing different things, fulfilling a broad spectrum of project needs. She has consciously made choices to learn and grow to make herself as attractive as possible to potential employers and her efforts have paid off.

I know another tech professional who lives in the Seattle area and despises Microsoft technologies. He refuses to expand his skill set, on principle. Not surprisingly, he always finds himself looking for work. His skill set is so narrow that he only can find contracts for short amounts of time. It’s a shame he is letting himself be branded as a poor candidate because he refuses to learn the local business tools. Microsoft is the prevalent technology in this area. I mean, c’mon, the company employs over 20K people at any given time so the skill sets have more than partially influenced business decisions in Seattle.

Last night I was over at a friend’s house, who recently was laid off. (As an aside, her husband works at MSFT ;). We were talking about the company, and they sell software to a specific compliance industry. The company has started downsizing to streamline costs. Apparently they offer two very similar software packages aimed at smaller businesses, and the head of the department insists that they will continue to offer these to separate products. I looked at her and we both agreed that it’s just a matter of time before the products are combined or maybe even eliminated. He obviously is in denial that his group, maybe even his position, are in jeopardy.

It’s crucial in this economic climate to make sure you are as employable as possible. This means diversification of your skills, being honest with yourself about your capabilities and your situation if you are employed. This doesn’t mean turning around and going off to try a new industry/career you are unprepared for. It means leveraging and increasing the skills you *have*. The biggest complaint from hiring managers and HR professionals in response to older employees is their unwillingness to learn and grow. They get to a point in their career where they think it’s time to just coast through, or rest on their laurels, so to speak. One of our candidates at work has a very diverse resume; we hired her because she is someone we can use on a variety of positions, doing different things, fulfilling a broad spectrum of project needs. She has consciously made choices to learn and grow to make herself as attractive as possible to potential employers and her efforts have paid off.

Last night I was reading an article in Reader’s Digest about the new "migrant" generation; those professionals that have had to take jobs in cities far from their homes and families and commute vast distances/times just so they can pay the bills.

I’ve mentioned before how it may be necessary to consider relocation to find a job in another city due to the economic depression. And, as a recruiter, I’m totally aware of how often it is not an option to move a family or impossible to sell a house in these tough economic times. It is also a sad fact that many companies don’t have any sort of relocation budget for assistance.

So what does this mean to you, the job seeker, that is A) willing to relocate or commute B) able to cover the cost of said move?
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It means that you have a couple of options. The most important thing is that a recruiter considers you a viable candidate that is available for interviews and to start work in a reasonable (2 weeks usually) amount of time. If you live in, say, Detroit and are looking in Chicago, it’s not a big stretch to drive there. But what if you live in Florida and are looking at jobs in Chicago or Seattle or Boston? You are willing to pay for your own ticket to interview and your own relocation expenses, but how do you indicate that to a potential employer?

First of all, do you know anyone in those cities you are targeting that you can "borrow" their local address? (Especially if you can stay with them short-term if you get a job before you have a place to live). If so, just put their address on your resume. Another similar option is to rent a PMB (Personal Mail Box). This is not a PO box, but is similar in that it is a box at someplace like a Mailboxes, Etc. where you have a street address and a box number.

Alternatively, when you are sending/posting your resume, indicate at the top that you are able and willing to relocate yourself at your own expense. Example:

John Doe

123 Main Street
B />Anytown US 00011

111-222-3456

*I am available to relocate at my own expense with two week’s notice upon offer.*

It can be tough to leave your family and home to take a job several hundred or thousands of miles away. But it is even more difficult to be unable to pay your bills and feed your children. We do what we must in these tough times.

I just changed my account settings and turned the personalization network off on Facebook. It’s been a major hullabaloo that Facebook keeps making these privacy rules and that instead of opting IN to these applications you have to go to an extraordinary effort to opt OUT.

I was listening to my favorite morning radio show, and the DJ and company were talking about it. Now, the Bob Rivers Show has about 5-6 people every morning. Bob, Spike, Joe and Maura are probably all between 40-50. I’m guessing Pedro is in his mid-late 30’s and Aric is the youngest on the team. They asked Aric, "do you care about the privacy settings?" His response was "not really."

So this is why I believe privacy is going to become less and less of an opt IN feature in the next few years. I’ve been studying the Millenials (GenY) from a recruiting/HR viewpoint. We, GenX; the Jones Generation and the Baby Boomers have watched as technology has entered the daily life of the general population over the last twenty years. But let us consider: GenY grew up with computers and video games and cell phones. They don’t remember a time before all these wired devices kept them connected to their social peers. The point is, *they don’t see a need for privacy.*

As a generation they have built their world electronically. They *like* having things turned on and "fed" to them. They don’t *care* about predictive modeling algorithms like Pandora and Amazon recommendations. It means they don’t have to put through effort to get things. Read an email? No thanks, send me a text. Short, sweet, and then onto the next thing. They are uber-multitaskers. Is that a good thing? The jury is still out on that, but for now it doesn’t really matter. Companies are gearing everything from their marketing and sales campaigns to their job postings to *this* generation, not those of us that already have our spending and activity patterns pretty well set. They are trying to capture market share with a generation that has a very short attention span and wants their information in short bursts, and pushed *to* them rather than then needing to go out and *look* for it.

So those of us that are older and concerned about privacy and the electronic veil thinning more every day had better get ready for it to become even thinner. And make our peace with it or pull over on the information highway.