KQED called me up to be the San Francisco Bay Area career hero on the California Report with Scott Shafer. Scott let me use his own career as an example for how to find a strength in seemingly irrelevant work experience. We also discussed taking a different approach to networking, and some things that employers look for in job candidates.

Check out the podcast; they even included the original take which has plenty more advice for people looking to beat this tough job market.

Comments welcome. Also, let me know what you’re looking to hear more about. In other words, what should Scott and I have been talking about?

This is a great way to see what kind of keywords show up most in resumes, and therefore, what keywords you should think about having in your resume and what skills you should have in your repertoire!

Enjoy! And remember to take your search for a career counselor seriously!

More than half the people I know who got degrees right after high school (now, ages 35-45) started their successful careers as a temp, admin, assistant, or some other kind of lackey making peanuts and drowning in loan debt.

Graduating these days is a dismal event when you consider what’s out there waiting for you after putting in so much time and money to blow up your mind. I’m still trying to figure out how to get college students to stay in school, accrue debt, be okay with not knowing their career path, AND embrace the low-level job that’s waiting for them.

Having gone through this right of passage myself, I can say It’s worth it….DEFINITELY worth it….but I can only say that *with confidence* now, a whole 15 years later, long after throwing off my mortar board hat in the air with sweaty palms and a feigned smile.

One client, upon receipt of her resume, wanted to forgo the revision process, wanted a partial refund, and asked to “end this relationship” with no further explanation. Wow.

Another resume client refused to do career counseling despite her being completely at a loss for where to go next.

One job-seeker sent us a list of demands and concerns a mile long, and hadn’t even placed an order yet!

A valued former client threatened to stop making referrals if we didn’t get her in our already tight project queue.

Sheesh.

It’s enough to make a business owner want to throw in the towel and go pick Pink Lady apples for a living. What’s going on? Let me make sure we’re doing our job right, here.

Is it our product?

We’ve put together the most talented resume team out there; Seriously, our writers are word wizards; they’ve won awards; they’re nationally certified, even multi-credentialed with certifications, degrees, and relevant career paths. More than that, they take the whole client into account to design a personalized document that addresses every single stated challenge and concern. People would be amazed at how much thought we put into a 1-3 page document.

Is it our process?

We have the most comprehensive information gathering process I’ve seen, comprised of an hour of coaching/consulting and a very well crafted questionnaire to both help clients generate resume content and prepare them for their interview process.

What about customer service?

We’re responsive as all get-out. When I can’t answer the phone personally, our administrative manager certainly does, if only to get back to customers with a real live voice to say “we’re super busy, how can I help”.

Maybe we’re slacking on followup?

Our infrastructure is technologically rich, making it possible to track projects through every step and get back to existing clients immediately to address their needs. At any given time, 3 people are paying attention to a single client.

Am I ranting?

That’s not the goal here (well, not the primary goal). The point is we’re doing all we can to keep customers happy. We’re staying relatively small, offering a high-touch service, and bringing clients into the process all along the way. Put another way, we’ve set up a system to control our extensive resume development process so that nothing and nobody gets overlooked or under-serviced.

But I guess there is one thing that we can’t control:

The economy.

In following up with all of the aforementioned aggrieved clients, this what they had to say

“Things are tight right now.”
“I was really counting on this resume to change everything.”
“I just don’t have the money.”
“It’s hard to justify paying for anything.”
“I need help now, not in a month.”
“No one will hire me no matter what I do.”

The pain is real and it flows amongst anyone involved in the job search process, directly or indirectly. I suppose I need to buck up with my self-absorbed complaints of “difficult months” and instead relish the fact that I’m employed and in a position to help. And although my intentions with BrightSide are honest, simply offering or even successfully delivering, such help may not be enough to make the pain disappear.

Only getting a job can do that.

If I’m truly open to criticism (which I try to be), it hurts a little. And I suppose we’re all hurting at least a little in this economy. If it’s not us, someone we know is out of work and not getting the recognition they deserve–sometimes for no other reason than there are just too many applicants for each job available.

After several months of non-response, anyone–even the most seasoned, well-established career professional–will get discouraged. It’s a lonely, frustrating feeling and it seems to be inextricably linked to looking for work.

At the base of the issue, it just hurts.

And I guess one way to offer support to anyone in this position is to hurt a little bit with them.

Recessions tend to push hardworking people into two groups. On the one hand is the layoff survivor handling the load of multiple former employees. On the other is the hyperqualified job seeker who nevertheless remains overlooked. Both types of people often need to write a new résumé, and neither can afford to do it the same way they might have in the previous millennium. Here are some tips:

Laid off? Tell the truth. Otherwise you risk the job-hopper label. And in fact, there’s no shame in being laid off. During downturns in the economy, organizations shrink, morph, or disappear. So include a one-liner that details the company’s cutbacks. That will keep the “blame” for your departure on your employer, not you. Give the percentage of people that were let go along with you; mention that your boss was laid off, too; brag about surviving previous rounds of downsizing. If appropriate, divulge that the company may have made a poor strategic decision.

Acquired? Clarify the gobbling order. It’s common nowadays for a company to have changed hands (and names) several times. For a single acquisition, state the current name of the organization with the name of the acquired firm in parentheses. This way, a potential employer can research your company without hitting dead-ends. For multiple acquisitions, lead in with a short paragraph that describes the evolution of the organization and how your position has fluctuated as a result. Remember, being retained through a series of restructurings implies that you’re deeply valued.

Overextended? Categorize your achievements. Hanging on after layoffs usually means that your workload has doubled or tripled—great for your career but often difficult to present on a résumé, because too many bullet points is the kiss of death. So include only the information that’s relevant to your career objective. Then, if necessary, use bold subheads under your official position title to delineate the different genres of your accomplishments. Consider alluding to increases in responsibility, noting when and why you were selected to handle mission-critical projects.

Stay on the BrightSide.

Here’s a great article with 5 tips to calm your nerves and make sure your first day sets the right tone.

San Francisco, CA — Cliff Flamer, résumé expert and career counselor, was just deemed The World’s Best Résumé Writer” after winning the public vote for the first-ever worldwide résumé-writing contest sponsored by Career Director’s International (CDI).

So what makes his résumés the world’s best?

“The story,” says Flamer, who’s been writing résumés since 2001 via BrightSide Résumés (www.brightsideresumes.com). “Every person has a unique story to tell—the twists and turns in their work history, the timing and pattern of their achievements, the emergence of new credentials, even the time off with their kids—it all comes through on the résumé. And when presented right, you create a compelling, real, and always flattering story.”

The contest was open to 14 countries but the majority of entrants came from the US as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland.

“We wanted to find out who the best résumé writer was,” says CDI President Laura DeCarlo, the mastermind behind the competition. “Not just among our members, not just among certified résumé writers, but across the entire English-speaking world. Who really is the best?”

Contestants were given a standardized candidate profile and matching fictional job listing from which to draft a targeted résumé. Their work was then judged by a cross-functional panel of human resources directors, organizational development consultants, senior recruiters, career association directors, job board founders, and a couple of senior résumé writers.

“There’s never been a contest like this before,” says DeCarlo. “This time the judges are actual résumé evaluators—the same discerning executives who’ve screened thousands of résumés to fill real-world jobs.”

Following a 2-month submission period, the panel selected the 3 most outstanding résumés in appearance, content, and strategy. These top 3 résumés were then posted anonymously online, inviting the general public to have the final say in the public-vote portion of the competition—much like the hit reality show, “American Idol”.

Over the next 2 weeks, votes poured in via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other online community forums and professional organizations. Flamer took a sizeable lead halfway through the competition and finished the race with a 60-point buffer. His artfully crafted résumé inspired blog comments that were unanimously in his favor:

“The only writer I’d consider hiring to write my résumé… the best to quickly skim and get the idea of what the person has accomplished…. by far the best…easy to read, succinct, and most notably [putting] the individual’s best foot forward…It had flow and easily allowed you to see accomplishments while giving you the option of reviewing them in more depth… hands-down the best!”

In addition to his trophy, certificate, and coveted logo (now posted proudly at his website), world-leading résumé writer, Cliff Flamer, treasures this unsolicited commentary, which seemed almost tailor-made to his victory.

“I’m honored to have been selected by such an elite panel of judges, but what better landmark for success than reading the unbiased praise from the very people who make up my client base. When it comes to résumés, I write for three people,” muses Flamer. “My client, the employer, and myself. Winning this competition means I’ve satisfied the needs of all three audiences.”

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Here’s a snippet from the article, and my subsequent retort as to why we should redefine the criteria for a job gap:

“Let’s say you left one job, and then had 3-6 months of down time before securing your next job. In this situation, your primary concern is that the employer will have a suspicion that you were fired from the previous position. The conventional logic is that good people get recruited to their next position; therefore they don’t have gaps in their work history.”

Before you’re scared into thinking you’re a “bad candidate”, let’s challenge the definition of a job gap by this author’s standards.

In my world as both a job seeker and career counselor, a time period of 3-6 months of unemployment should not be considered a job gap. Perhaps 10-15 years ago this was true when we could rely on our company to stick around for a while, give us a pension, promote us consistently, and send a turkey at Thanksgiving. But nowadays, so-called job gaps of 3-6 months are on everyone’s resume. And, quite frankly, they should be.

Job searches, even conducted by “good candidates” with the help of a seasoned career coach take 6 months or more. Especially when we’re waiting to find a job that actually fits us. Just because we’re not working for 3-6 months doesn’t mean we didn’t get any offers for work or that we didn’t get approached by enthusiastic recruiters.

In fact, an employer should look at 3-6 months of in-between time as a good thing–a sign that a job candidate has taken the time to reassess their goals and value offering to come up with the next step in their career. This is the type of employee that has staying power, one who will stick around….even if the company doesn’t reciprocate such loyalty.

That said, when your career moratorium exceeds a year, you probably have some explaining to do–explaining you can do on your resume and of course in the interview.

Let’s cut us all a break and admit that work is no longer a linear process where one job leads to the next in a logical and predictable sequence. We’re constantly having to reinvent ourselves, even if we’re staying with the same career. Again, this type of behavior should be applauded, not condemned. Introspective, patient, future-focused job candidates make the best employees but to foster these attributes in ourselves, we need some time between jobs, to do research, redo some self-assessments, network with new and old contacts, and complete formal and informal training.

Put another way, these job gaps that appear on our resumes are most often NOT OUR FAULT as employees, and yet we’re still put on the defensive in the interview to explain them. Perhaps hiring staff need our help in reminding them of this: Time off is not necessarily time squandered.

Stay on the BrightSide.

You read correctly: Career expenses, including fees incurred for career counseling, professional resume writing, and job-search coaching, are tax-deductible for everone with only a few exceptions:

Your are NOT eligible for career-related tax deductions if:

1. You’re looking for your very first job
2. You’re looking for a job in a different line of work
3. You’re looking for a job after a substantial break from your last job

Otherwise, you’re golden.

According to IRS Publication 529–which deals primarily with job-search expenses–a job seeker can deduct certain expenses related to looking for a new job, EVEN IF he/she never actually lands a new job. These expenses should be listed as “miscellaneous itemized deductions” on Schedule A (Form 1040)

Check with Publication 529 from the IRS to see just how much you’re allowed to deduct.

Among the approved expenses are

• Resume Services. Eligible fees include costs to pay a professional to develop your resume as well as paper, ink, and mailing expenses.
• Career Consultants & Outplacement Agencies. Hourly charges and packaged prices for personal assessments, counseling, coaching, consulting, advice-giving, and the like are all tax deductible.
• Travel & Relocation Expenses. Any trips, including international trips, airfare, hotels, and car rentals are tax deductible as long as they’re related to your job search. Relocation expenses for a family move are acceptable as well as long as it’s due to your job situation changing. Even the (overpriced) gas you put in your car and your mileage is fair game–if only to drive across town for an interview. Check IRS Publication 463 for more on these rates.

The government wants you to get back to work doing what you do best to make a contribution at the city, state, and/or national level.

Take them up on their offer. Hire a professional to help sort you out and expedite your journey back to employment.

Stay on the BrightSide.

More and more career professionals and job seekers are making complaints about The Ladder’s resume-critique and job-posting services, often claiming this household name in job boards to be a scam.

As you’ll see, his article evokes equally frank reviews and experiences from resume-writers, career counselors, coaches, recruiters, and regretful clients of TheLadders. The message is clear: TheLadders came up with a concept on which they can’t deliver.

The closest you can come to giving someone a job, is giving them someone that can give them a job. We all have great people in our personal and professional network and, while they’re not for sale, they could certainly serve as an invaluable gift to an unemployed family member or friend.

Instead of taking an afternoon to browse the mall, take a minute to browse your mind for people you know that are in a position to help the people you love and care for. Remember, this goes beyond thinking of hiring managers and HR people. Consider any of the following open-minded people as job-search resources:

• People who hold (or have held) the target job function (e.g. Marketing Manager, Financial Analyst)
• People with knowledge of, or experience in, the target industry (e.g. Healthcare, IT, Alternative Energy)
• People who have serviced organizations in the target industry such as vendors, resellers, business partners, consultants, subcontractors, and clients/customers.
• People in Academia who have taught or done research related to the target job function or industry
• People you trust who would enjoy making a new connection.

If you’ve ever been unemployed for any length of time, you may remember how overwhelmed and isolated you felt, watching the rest of the world go on with their working lives while you ponder existential, emotional, and financial dilemmas. You may also remember how great it was to meet someone who could inform your job search, even for just a few minutes. It’s these serendipitous connections, these accidental yet meaningful encounters that inspire us to keep searching.

So until you can go to a wholesale grocery store like Costco and buy your friend a promotion with full benefits alongside your gallon of milk and lift ticket to Tahoe, consider giving the gift of connection. It’s cheap, easy to ship, and could turn into a treasured keepsake.

Stay on the BrightSide.

But even the most gregarious sales person can grow weary of all the face time a job search requires. A new mantra develops with the onset of a shift towards introversion and comfort: “surf the web, not the streets”.

Fortunately, the experts at Indeed.com, today’s leading job board, have provided us with some advice on how to optimize your online job search. Many thanks to the job board in the sky!

Stay on the BrightSide.