I have been a marketer and promoter for ten years and have loved helping businesses grow.  In my experience, however, it used to be that marketing, communications, and public relations were seen as internal services – nonessential to the core businesses – sort of like purchasing or mailroom!

But not anymore!  So, what changed?

The Dot-Com Boom

The dot-com boom of the 1990s launched a new era for us all, especially for marketing and communications professionals!  Internet use increased, which spurred better technologies, which in turn drove greater use and so on.  Suddenly people expected great content to match the great technology – all tailored to their individual needs – and the marketing and communications professionals become more important. 

Branding

Once companies started to interact online with a much wider audience, branding became much more important.   Before the Internet, traditional stakeholders like customers, prospects, employees, and shareholders would base their perception of the brand on their personal experience with the product or service.  In the new world of the Internet, perceptions of the brand were based on much more fluid and less controlled factors, which made it more important to define the brand carefully.  It also became more important to set “expectations” for the brand in advance of delivering on “experiences” for the brand. 

Companies realized that an organization’s brand is dynamic and involves several facets that cannot be handled passively.  Marketing and communications professional roles started gaining momentum and value in the context of the business strategy.

Integrated Marketing

To deliver on great branding, companies had to deliver consistent messages through all channels of communications.  That elevated the importance of integrated marketing.  Yes, most companies fall short of a truly integrated marketing plan, with many initiatives executed independently of each other, diminishing the full potential of each initiative.  Still, companies realize that branding is most successful with integrated marketing, and efforts to pull everything together continue relentlessly. 

Social Media

Social Media is not just the latest buzzword.  It is the platform that brings together all of a company’s stakeholders plus commentators and observers.  Its significance is driven by the immediate satisfaction and transparency that all stakeholders crave.  It is now necessary for organizations to invest more in marketing, communications and public relations pros to oversee the activity.    So, what was once considered the next online fad has now become a business driver.   Thankfully, this is drawing the marketing and communications professionals into more visible strategic roles within the organization.

In other words, as tempting as it may be to trivialize social media, it is the very importance of social media to our stakeholders that at last elevates us marketing and communications pros to even higher levels of strategic importance within our companies.  As one very thankful marketing professional, I can’t wait to see how social media continues to evolve in ways that further strengthens our profession!

In a competitive job market, it’s your resume that makes the first impression and sets you apart.  On a busy day, I read about 200 resumes.  Some are great, easy to understand, and allow me to quickly determine the fit for a given job.  Others are not so great.  Resume coach Dawn Rasmussen offers this article on resume mistakes to avoid:

Day in and day out, people are struggling to get their résumé perfectly tuned up before sending it out into the universe, all in search of a job… any job.

But you know what? One of the greatest failings of the American education system is that it fails to train any of us (even new graduates) how to effectively write our credentials in a way that is easily digestible by employers. Ask any human resource manager… they will tell you that somewhere between 70 and 80% (and that’s being kind) of all résumés they see are absolutely terrible.

Here are 12 biggie mistakes that you absolutely must avoid to at least have a chance to make it into the “interview” pile – and away from the circular file…

1. Goofy or Inappropriate Email Address

It’s time to grow up. You don’t have to ditch your ‘princess92’ social email handle but please don’t use your ‘dieseltrucklvr@aol.com’ account on your résumé! Names like that can tip off an employer that you aren’t taking your job search seriously – and quite possibly land your application in the “I never received it” round-file.

2. Including an Objective Statement

The 1970’s are calling… and they want your résumé back. I really wish we could put up a giant flashing neon sign on every freeway that tells people to ditch this awful, old-school résumé element. Employers don’t care what YOU want. They care what you are going to do for THEM.

3. Not “Theming” your Document

Now that we have moved into early 21st century, please take notice of how technology is being used to scan your résumé to see if there are enough keywords to warrant a ‘to be looked at closer’ tag. It’s all about critical mass of the right keywords; by theming your document, you’ll get on the right track.

4. Forgetting Skill Sets

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Keywords. Keywords who? Keywords are key to getting your résumé noticed… ok, ok, that joke really sucks but not any worse than a résumé without keyword skill sets included. (Pssst: onetonline.org -= keyword motherlode… pass it on…)

5. Placing Awards and Top Achievements at End of Document

Arguably, most people don’t know what to do with any industry or company awards. They usually stick them under a specific employer or dump the mention at the end of the document. Please… insert a “Notable Achievements” section right after your keyword section in the top 1/3 of the résumé. Remember, the cream rises to the top…

6. Lumping Multiple Jobs at One Employer into One Position

A deal-breaker. Some people have had a wonderful career at one employer, holding multiple positions as they worked their way to the top. However, this does NOT entitle them to lump the entirety of their time at that employer under that one position. Tsk, tsk… a BIG no-no.

7. “Stretching” Your Employment Dates

If you started on 11/2007 and left in 2/2008, my friend, that does not mean you can put “2007-2008” on your résumé. That’s called… lying. Save yourself some grief. Just give the employer the Month/Year – Month/Year. They are going to ask – and verify – anyway.

8. Upgrading Your Job Title

Ask any human resource person; they will tell you a story about someone who decided to ‘upgrade’ their job title to more ‘accurately’ reflect the work that they were doing. True, some companies are stingy in the job title department. However, the title listed on the résumé should MATCH what is on file in the personnel office – or you’re creating a terrible first impression.

9. Including Employer Address, Phone, Supervisor Name and Email.

How anxious are you to “prove” that you’re legit? Employers have this thing called the Internet to research your previous companies. Don’t look insecure by listing EVERYTHING – which actually calls the wrong kind of attention to your employment record, and warrants a cynical second look.

10. Listing Your Job Duties

Here’s a little secret: It isn’t about listing what your job duties were anymore… it’s about what did you DO? Employers will read that laundry list and then say, “So what?” – THAT’S the nugget they are really after. A great résumé tells a story that catches the employer’s attention while showing VALUE.

11. Getting Employers to “Assume” Things About Education

Oh dear … how many times have I seen the following: EDUCATION: ABC College – Bachelor of Science. Me: “What did you get your degree in?” Job seeker: (long pause, cough)… “Um, I didn’t graduate… I took coursework.” Me: “You realize it looks like you’re trying to get the employer to assume that you did complete your degree?” Job seeker: “Um, nooooooooo.” Either you got the degree, are in progress, or took program coursework. Say that. Please.

12. Not Keeping Up-to-Date

If the last class you took to boost your on-the-job knowledge was in 1999, then you need to get cracking. Employers are hiring subject matter experts, and your job, until you retire (I know, tall order) is to always be thinking the professional development (classes, workshops, conferences, etc.) you should be taking to enhance your job knowledge. Since there is no such thing as job security anymore… this is your insurance policy to being employable.

These common mistakes are made by everyone at all levels, in all walks of life, at all economic levels. This is why we need to implement a standardized career training curriculum – to ensure those entering the workforce are equipped with the knowledge to properly build career documents.

Now that you know the mistakes to avoid, you do have a fighting chance to building a more effective document and landing that job you’ve been dreaming about!

I would add Mistake #13 to this list: underestimating the importance of the resume.   It may be the only tool that advances you to the next step in the hiring process – perhaps more important to advancement than cover letters, phone calls and references.  Your resume should communicate your accomplishments and contributions for each company.  In other words, why did each company keep you as an employee?  Answers that demonstrate the benefits you brought to previous employers will give future employers the confidence that YOU may be the one to succeed in their new opportunity!

Original author, Dawn Rasmussen with http://www.pathfindercareers.com

[Dawn's posts]  Dawn Rasmussen, CMP, is the president of Portland, Ore.-based Pathfinder Writing and Career Services. Clients from across the United States and Canada and from all career levels have benefited from Dawn’s highly-focused and results-oriented résumé, cover letter, and job search coaching services. Many professional groups as well as colleges and universities have appreciated the insights and expertise she shares during presentations on career management topics, and she is a frequently requested national speaker as a result. Dawn also shares her knowledge as the official “Get the Job” columnist for One+ Magazine distributed to over 26,000 people worldwide, and writes as a jobs expert for the “Career Oxygen” feature on Talentzoo.com, a job resource site for creative and marketing professionals.  Dawn’s social links:  
                                                                                                               

USA Today columnist Andrea Clay notes that although his books may be vintage, author Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” (1936) and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” (1948) offer timeless advice for job seekers.

Click here for full article.

 Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt for LIFE Magazine (c) 1949

Chances are high and growing that the colleague sitting next to you in the adjacent cubicle or the candidate I am about to send out on an interview are members of the newest generation to enter the workforce — the Millennials. Also referred to as Generation Next or Generation Y, these individuals were born between 1980 and 2000 (think graduating high school classes of 1999-2019 and people ages 11-31), and they constitute the largest generation to enter the workforce since the Baby Boomers.

Like other generations, the Millennials bring to the workforce their own set of skills, experiences and perspectives — as well as new challenges for their managers, many of whom are Baby Boomers. I believe that a company will realize greater productivity once  both generations understand and accept one another.

Traits, skills

While the Millennial clients I work with at Brookwoods Group possess varying traits, I believe generally they share the following characteristics:

1. Highly educated
    
   Millennials are well-educated. They were raised to achieve — from the grade school classroom to the soccer field to summer jobs that provide the material for winning college application essays. College is always on the map for Millennials.
    
2. Ethnically and racially diverse
    
   This generation is the most ethnically and racially diverse group of youth in U.S. history. Of those ages 13-29, 18.5% are Hispanic, 14.2% are black, 4.3% are Asian, 3.2% are mixed race or other, and 59.8%  are white, according to the Pew Research Center. http://people-press.org/.  Whereas former generations embraced people’s similarities, Millennials embrace and accept people’s differences. And this generation perceives these differences as learning opportunities.
    
3. Tech-savvy, peer-oriented
    
   Millennials are the most tech-savvy generation to date, having been exposed to communications, media and digital technologies from a very early age onward.Due to their heavy use of instant communication technologies such as email, texting and IM , YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, they are highly peer-oriented and value tight friendships and bonds. To many, a job is an opportunity to make more friends and be included in after-hour social events. They also value maintaining a healthy balance between work and “having a life.” For more on this, view the 2007 National Public Radio broadcast Generation Next at www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6718024.
    
   Millennials also value expression.  “We’ve grown up surrounded by technology and are comfortable expressing ourselves in a multitude of ways,” said Janis Gorton, 30, a staff attorney with Berg & Androphy law firm in Houston. “Technology makes it easier than ever to express ourselves, and we embrace that.”
    
4. In the know, socially conscious
    
   Millennials closely follow what is going on in the world through the Internet and TV, and care deeply about current events. (Remember, they have grown up with instantaneous news coverage of major events such as 9/11, the Iraq war and Mideast tensions, the Enron debacle, the dot-come bubble and the resulting financial crisis.)They also have been described as “living search engines” who want to know what, why and how as soon as possible or even sooner.  “We are armed with more facts than previous generations,” Gorton said. 
    
   Perhaps because they are so aware, Millennials have a genuine desire and strong will to give back and change things for the better. They tend to seek work that is meaningful and will improve people’s lives. Many are attracted to jobs in the arts, social services and green industries, or to companies with strong social consciences.  “We don’t follow the money,” said Travis Fowler, 28, a training specialist with Austin-based Alliance Work Partners http://www.alliancewp.com/. “A job is not an identity, but something we can get excited about.”
    
   In addition, they are more politically engaged, trending more democratic.
    
5. Idealistic, motivated team players
    
   Fowler said Millennials desire challenges, solutions and growth opportunities. He added that they are idealistic and highly motivated, and easily commit to a team vision or collective action. “They seek fun, diversity and challenges — and a more efficient way to do things, which is why they also are referred to as “Generation Why?” I believe they are more laid back and less formal than prior generations, and are eager to accomplish tasks, receive promotions and move up the career ladder — as fast as they can. To this end, they are eager to build their skills and thus their employability.  Millennials are also considered fast and great multi-taskers who can easily manage several projects at once. They desire open communication and a mentoring relationship with their superiors.

Not without some negatives

On the downside, I have noticed that some members of the Millennial generation generally believe they deserve a job, promotions and advancement.

Furthermore, I believe their level of humility is less than those of my parents’ and grandparents’ generations, for example, who lived through the Great Depression and World War I and II. The Millennials’ drive to achieve can fuel this sense of entitlement, I believe.

Fowler added that many Millennials may perceive dead-end tasks as something to outsource or employ robots to accomplish. When faced with administrative or bureaucratic red tape, they are likely to ask,  “Is this really necessary?” and then devise and present to management a “quicker and dirtier way to solve problems.”

While some managers might be offended by this, some productivity specialists believe that the Millennials’ solution orientation will lead many business out of the recession. To read more on this, visit Rebecca Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting, at http://www.studyofwork.com/tag/rebecca-ryan/.

While considered super multi-taskers, when Millennials are confronted with a task that they believe is not part of their job description, they are more likely to think, “Hey, that’s not my responsibility.”
 
Unlike Baby Boomers who have stayed in jobs for long periods of time, Millennials generally desire to broaden their skills set to improve their employability and keep their options open to pursue the next perceived growth opportunity. According to Fowler, his generation values skills over length of experience, which may be perceived by some managers as a lack of loyalty and by potential employers as a short-term career perspective.

Because Millennials access information 24 hours a day from any location, they are more inclined to work away from a desk using laptops and smartphones. A 40-hour work week and punching a time clock are harsh realities for Millennials.

From the research I have done and the experiences I have gained in the workplace, I’m going to be so bold as to offer the following tips for both Millennials and their managers. My hope is that I will push both groups to give this phenomenon more of their time and attention and thus accelerate what I perceive to be a natural evolution.

Tips for Millennials

• Adjust your attitude and be thankful for the job you have.
   
• Don’t feel you deserve what is coming to you.
   
• Dress accordingly for your workplace, taking your cues as to what is appropriate from colleagues who have been employed there longer than you have.

Tips for management

• Do your research to understand Millennials — how they think; what they want and need — and how they differ from older employees and managers. Consider role-playing exercises and engaging outside consultants.
   
• Consider updating your reward strategies. Unlike their Baby Boomer parents who sought retirements and pensions from a job — and who later experienced massive layoffs and high unemployment —- Millennials value increased flex time and vacation hours.
   
• Consider upgrading your management style to one that is more mentoring-based and goal-oriented. Avoid “boss relationships.”
   
• Consider adopting a Results-Only Work Environment. This management philosophy is based on the premise that giving employees complete control over their time is the best way to increase productivity in the workplace. (Read BNET CBS Business Network’s What is a Results Only Work Environment? http://www.bnet.com/article/what-is-a-results-only-work-environment/237128).
   
• Continue to invest in personal development, continuing education, peer group and training initiatives. Consider expanding mentoring programs. Tailor existing training programs to be more interactive. Consider using downloadable cell-phone applications for more mobile employees.
   
• Clearly define your social responsibility efforts, including volunteerism, community involvement, charitable giving and environmental best practices, and clearly communicate them to employees. Millennials are attracted to companies that are committed to improving communities and society at large.
   
• Use technology such as avatars and internal networking sites to engage employees.
   
• Endeavor to provide ongoing challenges and variety in the workplace.
   
• Maintain a strategy for diversity and consider collaborative efforts with other cultures.

Does any of this align with your experience?  Would you make different suggestions?  Post your comments below!

Kyle Fake contributed to this article.

IS THIS E-MAIL EVEN NEEDED?

• Is e-mail the best channel for this message?  Even if e-mail is one good way to communicate your message, it may not be the best way.  If your voice will do, make a phone call, especially if a personal dialog will lead to a better outcome or assure that the message is understood.  If you have a question for a person sitting six feet away, get up and ask them the question.  
   
• Do your recipients need or want your message?  Just because you have the need or desire to communicate does not mean your recipients have the need or desire to receive your message.  If you send an e-mail that is ignored and unread, you have wasted your time AND increased the chance that your next e-mail will not be read either!
   
• Can you accomplish your goal a better way?  If you are trying to get information, perhaps you can look it up online instead?  If you are trying to reach a consensus of opinion, can it wait until the next meeting?
   
• You should probably NOT email…  if you are angry, if you are providing negative feedback to a colleague, if you are offering an apology, or if you are resigning a job.  As uncomfortable as these communications may be, they are best done in person or at least by phone.

SEND IT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE!

• To:  Your list of primary recipients should include ONLY those individuals who must take action on your e-mail, even if the action is to acknowledge they have received and understood the message.
   
• Cc:  Your list of copied recipients should include ONLY those individuals who have a real need to know that the message went out and that primary recipients have been asked to take action.  Otherwise, who are you trying to impress?   The cc should not be used as a passive way to rope someone into an issue. 
   
• Bcc:  Use with caution.  Using Bcc is like trying to keep a secret in the office; it rarely works successfully.  It is very easy for a bcc recipient to inadvertently “reply all”, at which point all the recipients and copied recipients know that there was at least one blind recipient and they will rightfully wonder why.  Anyone you think to bcc, you should probably be transparent and cc them instead.

YOUR SUBJECT LINE SAYS IT ALL!

The subject line may be the most important part of any e-mail, because it determines which e-mails get opened and which get ignored.

• It is accurate.  The subject should state what one item is actually in the e-mail.  An e-mail with the subject “Sales Results” should not really be about “Sales Training”.  If an e-mail is really about two different subjects, it should be broken into two different e-mails.
   
• It reveals the content.  The subject line is like the headline of an article.  It should provide enough information to drive the reader to open and read the rest of the message.  For example, “Required Sales Training Starts Apr 1”.
   
• It indicates the action needed and from whom.  “Required Sales Training for Cleveland Reps Starts Apr 1; Sign Up Online by Mar 15”.
   
• It does all this in a handful of words!  In the example above, 15 words is about right!

WRITE CLEAR CONTENT

• Make the conclusion and action request first, then explain.  This may seem a little counter-intuitive.  In many areas of life, we tend to outline the history, then state the situation, then present our case, and finally ask for action.  For example, “Dad, I have been really good and kept my grades up all semester.  There is a long weekend coming up and my group does not have anything fun planned.  I think it is my turn to host a party for my friends where we wouldn’t have any alcohol or music that would bother the neighbors.  Can I invite my friends and can you help me set it up?”  In a great e-mail, the communication starts with, “Dad, I want your permission and help to put on a party for my friends.”  Then make the case.
   
• Give choices.  If you want action, give people real choices.  It is better to ask, “For our event venue, do you favor the zoo, the museum, or the planetarium?”  This is more effective, than, ”Where do you think we should hold our event?”
   
• Use bold to outline your points.  Your recipient should be able to get the gist of your message if they read nothing but the bold points.  This article is an example.  If you did nothing more than scan the bold statements, you would have a decent idea of what it takes to make a great e-mail!  Still, there can be too much of a good thing; unrestrained boldface type or all-caps is the e-mail equivalent of shouting.  Your message gets lost.
   
• Use bullet points or numbered lists.  Information packed too tightly does not get processed well in our minds.  Use bullet points and headlines in an e-mail to separate the key points or arguments.
   
• Provide LINKS for more information.  Remember that most people read e-mails while they are connected online.  It makes sense, then, to use links whenever possible to both free your e-mail of unnecessary content and to provide the opportunity for much deeper information if needed.  Photos and videos, for example, should not be attached to e-mails; instead provide a link to a photo sharing site or YouTube.
• Assume nothing.  It sometimes helps to imagine your e-mail being read by someone who has missed out on all prior communication on the subject.  For example, if an email exchange talks about the time and date for a meeting, it is important to repeat any prior information about the location and agenda.     
   
• Summarize, repeating the conclusion and action.  It never hurts to repeat your conclusion and call to action at the very end of your message.  “Dad, I really appreciate your trust in me to have a party and your willingness to help!  Can I do anything to make your decision easy?”

THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Tone is important.  The best human communication is done face-to-face in person.  Nothing beats looking someone in the eye, seeing their body language, hearing their tone of voice, sensing their touch, even smelling their fear!  Close-up video conference may be the next-best thing, followed by phone calls.  E-mails come in next-to-last, just ahead of text messaging!  That is why it is important to maintain a proper tone in your e-mails.  None of the sensory clues are in play for e-mail, but people want to perceive those clues anyway.  Even neutral tone is counter-productive.  Very short responses can be easily misinterpreted.  For example, note the difference in tone between, “I am happy report a ten percent increase in sales this quarter…” compared to “Sales increased ten percent this quarter.”
   
• All e-mails can be public.  Compose any e-mail as though you could see it on the front page of the newspaper, or in any blog on the Internet, or on your mother’s desk.  Once you press send, you cannot un-send it.  Your e-mail can very easily travel around the world and be read by millions, even if you think it is a private person-to-person or group communication.  Just ask Bill Gates, whose business e-mails were subpoenaed, dissected and published as part of an anti-trust case. 
   
• Check your grammar.  Is this a business e-mail?  It could be published! (See above.) Check your grammar.  Have someone proofread it for you before you send.  Your recipients may never notice your good grammar, but they will certainly notice your bad grammar and typos!
   
• Simple courtesy counts.  Start off your e-mail with a simple salutation such as “John,”  “Hi John,”  “Andes Project Team,” “Ms. Jones,” etc.  Finish off your e-mail with a simple acknowledgement such as “Thanks,” “Kind regards,” “Please call with questions,” etc.  Finally, a signature, which can be as simple as your name or as long as your name, address, contact information and philosophical statement.  In the end, business e-mail signatures should have ONLY business information, and only what you really need your recipients to know.

If your company is using LinkedIn’s job posting board then you should know that LinkedIn has filed for an IPO!  This means current free features MAY wind up on the paid-only feature section!  Why?  This translates to more revenue from companies posting jobs, profiles, groups and more… In other words, as a public compnay, shareholders will demand that LinkedIn generate maximum revenue…  and users will pay!

See the original Recruiter.com article at http://bit.ly/LIFreeRide (scroll up to the top of the article).

Clearly, the technology of recruiting is constantly evolving and changing – LinkedIn is a good example.  Still, great corporate recruiters with companies like Brookwoods Group supporting them can add real value regardless of what LinkedIn is doing.  Recruiting, for example, encompasses sourcing, assessing, matching, screening, coaching, and negotiating – all within a context of trusted relationships and experienced judgment.  LinkedIn at any price cannot replace that.  Yes, LinkedIn is a good sourcing tool for all of us, in that it mimics a relatively shallow trusted relationship.  But with the competition to grow ones first level contacts to high numbers, there cannot be many relationships that have enough depth and meaning to replace the value of a great recruiter with a great company standing behind them.

With all due respect to Mr. Miller, I think his advice misses a fundamental point:  An interview is not a competition with others for a job, it is an opportunity for both parties to see each other as they really are and to assess the FIT of the person to the role. 

Here are Miller’s eight points, and my comments:

1. Miller suggests you make small talk about sports or news so interviewers can get a sense of your personality.  I suggest this only works half the time, for those interviewers who are natural small-talkers themselves.  The other half of the time, your interviewer will be a “get to the point” person and will not appreciate your small talk.  The best approach is to know in advance who you are going to interview, do your research on them as much as possible (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, etc.), prepare to speak on topics of interest to them, and look for clues they give you about their desire for small talk vs. job discussion.
    
2. Miller suggests you take notes during the interview to indicate to the interviewer that what they are saying is important to you.  I suggest this is more distracting than anything else.  An interview is not a debate or a college lecture on which you will be tested later; it is a conversation.  You show your interest not by taking notes, but by engaging with the interviewer.  Still, it is a good idea to have a notepad and pen handy, but only if something the interviewer says triggers a question that you want to clarify later.
    
3. Miller suggests you sit up straight and lean in when excited to convey a higher energy level in your body language.  I suggest you sit as you normally would in a workplace office meeting — whatever is natural for you.  If your natural body language is revealing about you, then great.  If you are putting on a false body language for the interview, you will not be able to keep it up should you get the job. 
    
4. Miller suggests you tell your story with enthusiasm and excitement so the interviewer will believe you can be excited about their company.  I suggest you do your advance research on the company and on the people you would work for ahead of time.  If you cannot be naturally enthusiastic about the company before you walk in the door for the interview, then why on earth would you want to work there?  Don’t force it.  If you are not naturally enthusiastic and excited, then a job interview is not the place to practice self-improvement.
    
5. Miller suggests you arrive early to signal that you are not a “just in time” employee.  I suggest you arrive early as a simple professional courtesy.  I have found no correlation between promptness in the job interview and timeliness in the workplace.  I have had punctual employees with low productivity and have had tardy employees that get more done than any three of us.  Keep in mind, though, that tardiness or timeliness is almost always a choice you make.  And the choices you make tell an interviewer a lot about how you will set your priorities in the workplace.
    
6. Miller suggests you edit yourself and avoid providing too much detail.  I suggest that you be yourself.  If you are naturally chatty and you hold back in your interview, think how surprised your employer will be when “Chatty Kathy” emerges in the second week of your employment?  More importantly, think how miserable you will be trying to hold it all in.
    
7. Miller suggests you ask relevant questions about the company and avoid asking questions about what the company can do for you.  I mostly agree with him here.  You should do your research on the company and ask valuable questions about things you are wondering about:  Where is the company going?  How do they see the value in this role?  What would you be expected to handle on a daily basis?  Asking fake questions for the sake of sounding interested does you no good.  I do think it is good form to allow the interviewer to raise the topic of compensation and benefits, but once that door is open you should ask your questions.  (Most companies have some summary of benefits online.  You did find that in your research didn’t you?)
    
8. Miller suggests you be nice to everyone since the interviewer is likely to ask the receptionist what first impression you made on her.  I agree that if you are naturally a nice person, don’t hold back.  But if you are naturally shy or withdrawn, why show your employer someone else? 

Overall, I think, it is better to reveal in an interview who you REALLY are; not to portray some other person.  You wouldn’t want your boss to act one way in the interview and then be a completely different person after they hire you, would you?   They want YOU to be YOURSELF in the interview, too.  Besides, if you get the job, it just takes too much energy to try to be someone else all day long.   Think of it… if you are a perpetually late detail-oriented introvert with bad posture, incredible talent, and fierce loyalty, wouldn’t you want to work for a company that values your strengths and doesn’t care about your shortcomings?  They only way they can judge you is if they meet the REAL you!  If they hire the FAKE you and then get to know the REAL you over time, the job will not last.

Most of us participate in at least one volunteer organization — a club, association, committee, or affinity group.  With all these types of groups, I have found a common strategy for success which I call the “Four G’s”: Gather, Grow, Give and Get. 

If you are a leader or an active contributor to any volunteer organization, use your influence to make sure that all four of these elements are considered when setting goals, allocating resources, and developing programs for your members.

I am a member of five car clubs, five professional associations and a civic club.  I have volunteered for leadership roles in alumni groups, foundations, and business groups.  Here are some examples of the Four G’s in practice:

GATHER

Clubs, associations and groups are comprised of members with something in common — an interest, a cause, an experience.  A first priority of the organization is to create ways for the members to gather together to share and reinforce the common bond.  Great vehicles for gathering include:

• Outings or excursions, where you go someplace as a group and create a new shared experience.  For example, my college alumni club is taking a boat tour of the Port of Houston.
   
• Seminars or workshops, where you learn something, but also have time set aside for socializing and networking.  For example, one of my car clubs is conducting a technical seminar at a garage in Austin, inviting members to bring their cars for expert evaluation.
   
• Meets or shows, where members can display the results of their efforts and be recognized by their peers for their accomplishments.  For example, another car club is holding a show-off and judging of cars in a regional meet.  Awards are given for cars, and volunteers are honored for their service. 
   
• Parties or socials, where eating and drinking is the backdrop for building relationships and getting to know each other better.  For example, a local professional association has a regular happy hour every month. 

GROW

All of us strive to become better people, better members of our communities, better in our relationships, better in our occupations, and better in our skills, knowledge and experience.  Organizations can help their members advance themselves by creating opportunities to grow and learn. 

• Seminars or workshops are not just for networking!  A local professional group conducts regular seminars on topics of interest, usually tapping the knowledge of members as presenters.  I have presented or moderated several such panels, and the key to a great panel is to make sure that each presenter a) adds real value for the participants and b) avoids over promoting themselves or their companies.  At one national car club meet, I am sitting in a seminar on wood refinishing for automobiles and I learn enough to know that I should leave this art to the professionals!
   
• Resource libraries made available online or through a central office — often leveraging the presentations given in seminars or workshops — can help spread the collected knowledge of the group.  SlideShare is one way to distribute PowerPoint presentations to your members.  Some organizations also maintain helpful “how to” videos on specific topics and distribute them on YouTube.  In fact, YouTube now has a billion subscribers and hundreds of thousands of new videos every day on any topic imaginable.  (Forty years ago, I learned to make an omlette by watching Julia Child!) Your group can benefit from these resources, and — more interestingly — contribute to the universe of information as well!

GIVE

Every successful volunteer organization creates opportunities for members to give something of value to the group.  For charitable organizations, contributions of money are obvious, but being able to give of oneself is equally important. 

• Volunteering for the board of directors and various leadership roles is a common way for the members to give to the group; that makes it important for the organization to rotate those roles among the members to avoid burnout and give more members the opportunity to lead. 
   
• Coaching other members is another way to give back.  Most colleges have some sort of alumni career interchange that allows people to give career advice to students and other alums.
   
• Coordinating or taking responsibility for one important thing in the group is a great way to give back.  For example, in one organization I am a member of, I do not serve on the board or in a leadership position, but instead I coordinate one specific event each year.   

GET

Finally, members of any organization should be able to get something of value beyond the opportunities to gather, grow and give.  The participation rates may be low in many cases, but the availability of added-value services helps to cement the relationships that the members have to the organization

• College groups often provide career tools and discounts on credit, insurance or travel. 
   
• Professional associations provide job postings. 
   
• One car clubs loan out rare, special or seldom-needed tools to their members. 
   
• Most organizations have some sort of magazine or newsletter that ties the group together and provides a platform for broad communications.  They are often award-winning, well-written and beautifully designed! 

FINALLY

For any volunteer group or organization to be successful for the long run, it is vital to incorporate Gather, Grow, Give and Get into the plan.  In addition, I recommend following Uncle John’s Rules for Organizational Participation Excellence (ROPE).

1. Communicate constantly to all members.
2. Keep membership open to as broad a range of people as possible.
3. If someone volunteers to lead something, they get to decide how to do it (in compliance with any written by laws or guidelines, of course), and you get to volunteer to help them if you like.  You do not get to tell them how to do it, unless they ask you.
4. If you feel strongly that something should be done a certain way, you have just volunteered to lead it!
5. Everything is done transparently, but few things actually require a committee decision.

Have a great volunteer experience!

Have we missed anything?  What has been your experience with volunteer organizations, clubs, and associations?  Provide comments and feedback here.

Car club photo by Sneed Adams.

John notes that the AMA provides all the opportunities of the “Four G’s of Associations”:

• Grow… Grow and learn through AMA seminars and workshops to expand your professional horizons.
• Gather… Gather together with other AMA members and marketing folks who share a common bond and experience as marketing professionals.
• Give… Give back to the professional community by volunteering  for AMA leadership roles or mentoring others.
• Get… Get valuable resources through the AMA website and build worthwhile relationships with other AMA members.

For example, Arm & Hammer baking soda is a great fire extinguisher / refrigerator odor controller / tooth paste / baking enhancer / stomach relief / deodorant / water softener / stain remover / disinfectant / antiseptic / fungicide / and sand blast medium!  Baking soda can do all those things, but the marketers wisely narrow their marketing focus to just one thing: odor controller.  It is the one positioning that Arm & Hammer owns with credibility that generates continued sales!

Jack B Nimble

Imagine you have been hired by Nimble Corp to support the launch of a new product called “Jack B Nimble”.  Jack B Nimble is a humanoid professional product which happens to have the exact same capability, talent, skills, knowledge, experience, reputation, personality, style and temperament as YOU.  It has the same needs, wants, and desires and has the same requirements for upkeep and maintenance.  In all respects, this Jack B Nimble product is exactly, precisely like YOU.  Your job is to market it.

Your Business Plan

First develop the marketing plan.  Of course the marketing plan should derive from the Nimble Corp business plan so you can assure that your marketing plan supports it. Right?  After all, how can anyone market something if you do not know the bigger picture?  In the case of the company (translate, “your family”) that offers the Jack B Nimble, why is it in business?  What is the purpose of the company?  Its mission?  Its vision?  Its values?  Its overall goals and objectives?

A clear understanding of this fundamental information is vital before you start any marketing effort.   What is your family here to do?  What are you trying to accomplish?  What are your goals, limits and allowances for compensation, travel, stress, power, control, uncertainty, location, security, comfort, schedule, etc.  There must be a consensus among the leadership team.  Put the plan in writing.  Get signoff!  It is unprofessional for a candidate to discuss with the spouse or partner serious issues like relocation or compensation only AFTER a job offer is made.

Your Marketing Plan

OK.  So you have a documented business plan for the company (family)…  Now you have to market this Jack B Nimble product (you).  The manufacturing team reminds you that there is only one of the product to market.  You ask a lot questions, have a lot of discussions and reach clear conclusions on the most important elements of any marketing campaign.  You need to consider position, price, place, and promotion just like any marketing campaign.  For the moment, though, we are focused on the deliverable called “resume”.

Position Your “Product”

Positioning is the most important element to tackle.  Given the entire range of things Jack B Nimble can do, given all its features and benefits, what is the best positioning that supports the business plan?  Some people are positioned as able to do anything — marketing, public relations, events, strategy, tactics, advertising, collateral, budgets, team development, market analysis, social media, websites, direct marketing, etc.  They try to be everything to everybody and end up being nothing to nobody.  Even if a product has many uses and possible market positions, any good marketer knows to choose the best one and run with it.

Remember, it is better to be extremely interesting to a FEW people than moderately interesting to a LOT of people.  I have a friend who “retired” from a big oil company and he was offering himself as a communications consultant.  He was positioning himself as an experienced professional who could do anything, and he was getting no work.  I asked him what was the one thing he did best, and enjoyed the most, and he replied that he had done 18 mergers in his career, he loved the communications challenge and he had the process well defined.  I suggested he throw out all his existing marketing materials and position himself as THE merger communications expert.  His “target market” went from a few hundred companies to a few dozen, but he has been working every day since.  That was 7 years ago!

Focus Your Resume

Walk down the cereal aisle in the supermarket and pick any box off the shelf.  At a glance you can see the target market and what their key message for that market.  Notice that every cereal box is designed to get you to read the BACK of the box.  Whatever the message, the details are on the back.  Why?  To read the back of the box, you have to reach out and take it off the shelf.  Supermarket researchers know that if you take a box off the shelf to read it, you are more likely to actually put it in your cart, take it home and taste it.  Your loyalty to that product will live or die on your taste EXPERIENCE, but at least they got you to taste it!

A resume is like a cereal box.  The purpose of the resume is NOT to get you a job.  The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview!  Once they meet you, their opinion of you will live or die on their experience of you! 

Moreover, the cereal box does not tout what the cereal company wants, it touts what it offers!  Does your resume tout what you are seeking in a career?  Who cares?!  Who cares that you are seeking a “director-level employee relations position in a progressive manufacturing company that leverages people skills and experience in industrial plant environments”?  Have you ever seen a cereal box that says, “Buy these corn flakes because Kellogg’s wants to leverage its history as a maker of  bland food for sanitarium residents and grace the breakfast tables of many more healthy Americans?”  No!

In the same vein, your resume for “Jack B Nimble” should outline what the product offers.  Not everything it offers, but the best, most effective, useful thing it offers.  List all the employment in reverse order (a “chronological” resume), and for each job add a couple bullet points that show objective results that support the key message or positioning.  Many recruiters refer to this as a “targeted” resume because the idea is to “target” a specific job listing.  My point is that your resume should not be “targeted” at a specific job listing; instead your resume (and your marketing effort) should be “targeted” at the specific job that you enjoy most and best leverages your natural talents, skills, knowledge and experience.  (By the way, I do not advocate functional resumes at all; I find them difficult to decipher and come across as intended to hide a shortcoming or career issue.  I’m just sayin’…)

Some “before” and “after” examples of targeted and focused resumes are at http://brookwoods.com/uncategorized/resume-perfection-examples/

Checklist

So, here is the checklist for a perfect resume:

1. Get clear on what your family’s goals and values are and how your career fits in.
2. Of all the things you can do, decide on the best honest positioning for you that meets a very narrow market need.
3. From your inventory of talents, skills, knowledge and experiences, list out everything that supports or proves your positioning. Screen out everything that does not.
4. Create a resume as you would any marketing deliverable, with a clear message tailored to a specific target audience and supported by relevant data.