Tuesday Tips: Q & A

Here are a three commonly asked questions from my clients and the related recommended resources:

1. Is there a good site with resume samples? A. I have sample resumes, cover letters, and templates that are shared with my clients. For additional examples, Susan Ireland has an excellent resource site: http://susanireland.com/. One thing to remember - steer clear of any functional resume samples and templates. Functional resumes are "red flags" to recruiters and hiring managers who wonder right away why you aren't using the standard chronological format.
2. What sites should I use for job search? A. There are many sites out there. I start with two. Indeed.com is a spider site that will bring jobs to you from all the web sites - jobs that fit the criteria that you enter including title, key words, location/distance, etc. You should also post your resume on this site. Then, I tell people to use craigslist. When I was a recruiter that was the first site we all used. Why? Because you knew right away if a good candidate had posted her or his resume as only a small percentage of people post their resume on craigslist. That gives you a competitive advantage. It's easy to do. Use the anonymous email presented to you by the site when you are posting. Take off all your contact information from your resume. Look at October 1st blog for more ideas on how to approach a craigslist resume post. 
3. How do I research salary ranges? A. First of all, it is important to understand the theory behind compensation and the setting of salary ranges and market trends. I use part of my time with any client to educate about compensation theory so that each person knows how to determine industry and company targets for their profession. To find general salary information for professions, the following sites are recommended: 
• www.glassdoor.com
• www.salary.com
• http://www.onetonline.org/find/ - This is an interesting government site with trends and more. Salary information is general not geographically driven.
•  www.salaryexpert.com
  

When researching salaries, always consider the geographic source. You must build in differentials for your specific location. The Cost of Living Wizard on salary.com will give you salary and cost of living comparisons of two geographic areas.

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I will send you off with a quote:

• “I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'.”~ Maya Angelou
  

Have a great week! 

Marianne   408-295-6656