RESUME FOCUS

More than ever, employers expect resumes to be targeted, precise, concise and grammatically perfect. Some of our clients tell us that if they find a typo on a resume, they pass on the candidate. Their belief: a candidate who isn't rigorous in his/her initial presentation, will not be rigorous in the work they do for the company.

So, don't rely on SpellCheck. SpellCheck highlights words that are misspelled not misused. We see many resumes with the word "Manger" instead of "Manager" in the title because SpellCheck recognizes "Manger" as a legitimate word.

Make sure several people read your resume carefully. It is easy for the person writing the resume not to notice left out words or unclear phrasing because he/she knows what they meant to say.

Remember, your resume is your first impression to a potential employer.

Pulse On the Market 12.23.2009

PULSE ON THE MARKET

The year has been a real roller coaster, but in the fall we began to see a move by companies toward adding back some middle to senior level management. This has been a welcome change from early this year when companies eliminated levels of management and hunkered down with fewer people to maintain the business. The trend seems to be to hire selectively without multiple levels of senior management.

We are hearing the same scenario from senior level folks who have been in the market this year, colleagues in recruiting and corporate clients.

One of our candidates had a good analogy. At the beginning of the year, everyone was walking around with their fists clenched and now, while they are not wide open, they are more relaxed.

Let's hope the trend continues in 2010.