Seattle! SEM Resumes, please!

I'd be interested in what it takes to be Seattle's finest! Send me your SEM focused resume and I'll send you an I Heart Bacon pin. That's right. It's hard to pass up, I know. Just give in to it. Do eet.

This seems to be a popular topic to search for on my site so I figured I'd give the people what they ask for. I'll be posting the best examples here for other job seekers to learn from. Don't you want to help the jobless people? DON'T YOU?

What do you need to do?

1. Send me your resume (mailto:maureen@iheartiheart.com
2. Use the subject line "I heart bacon"
3. Tell me if you're employed.
   
4. Tell me where to send the "I heart bacon" pin.

I fully expect there is not going to be ONE resume that comes my way, but I figured I'd throw it out there. What do you have to lose?

Attention Awesome Unemployed Folks!

I'm an A-player employee lost in the noise.

I have fantastic references, am active in my industry and using my down time to better my skills, create pro-bono projects that keep my mind active and learn new things.

I edit my resume to reflect the core values of the company I'm applying to. My cover letters are witty and intelligent while highlighting my shiniest skills.

How is possible that I could be unemployed after 2.5 months of active searching, impassioned networking and 4 interviews?

After clicking on a link in Seth Godin's blog that lead me to the article "Why Hiring is Paradoxically Harder in a Downturn Market", I started to feel better. Maybe if you're having trouble, it might help you too?

So now you've read this article... What now? How do we stand out without making a spectacle of ourselves? Do we need to start sending sheet cakes to the companies we're interested in with our resumes on them? Do we need to send pinatas with our resume and the hiring manager's favorite candy to stand out?

And at what point do we start to looking like a parody of ourselves? Where is the fine line between standing out and looking like a jig-dancing fool wearing a rainbow ball cap with a propeller on top and wearing our resumes as a sandwich board?

Employers, I'd love a perspective on this one.

The Simpsons, Moms, Quilts, and Lemons

Warning: This post may read like an episode of the Simpsons.

This weekend we celebrated a milestone birthday for my mother. I made her a king size quilt called "tides" and although she loved it and I was proud to give it to her, I vowed never to make another king size quilt again. But as I came to think about the time I got to spend with my mother-in-law, father-in-law and husband to finish this herculean project it dawned on me that I wouldn't have been able to even attempt this had I been working full-time. In fact, I wouldn't be able to do a lot of things that I've been able to do since I've been unemployed.

Hubby and I have been attentive to our finances and we've come up with various solutions that will allow us to live the life we've become accustomed to. Which then lead me to start thinking about my long-term goals and our long term goals as a couple. I've started considering that I can make a living, and pursue my dreams, I just need to switch it up a bit. I need to rearrange my expectations. It started to dawn on me that maybe I could make lemonade out of this great big pile of lemons I feel like I've been handed.

Maybe this is the right path for me and maybe it isn't, maybe I'll get a phone call tomorrow offering me my dream position. If that happens great, if not, that's okay too. All I really know is that I was trying to see through the lemons life has handed to me. I learned that lemons aren't translucent. Maybe I'll start making lemonade, pour a big glass and see if I can see the world that way.

Why use Twitter?

Okay, so maybe I'm alone here, but I don't quite understand the point of Twitter. Actually, I understand it from a business point of view. Of course you're going to want to more about the day to day activities of your customers to analyze it from a business point of view. If you're lucky enough to have some one actually mention your company name, even in complaint, you've hit the jackpot! You've been invited into their secret world of living and consuming. You've got an opportunity to engage with them and offer a fantastic experience.

But I guess there's a fundamental part of Twitter I don't understand. I feel like an old fuddy duddy even talking about this. But why, as a user, do I care to share 140 characters about how I'm mad at some company? Why shouldn't I use my blog to write a more scathing concise version of my complaint? Why wouldn't I share it on Facebook? Why do I feel compelled to SQUEEZE my day, feeling, habits, or otherwise into 140 characters?

Don't get me wrong, I use Twitter. In fact, it's a great networking tool. I was just asking my Twitter network if anyone knew someone from Redfin.com because I had submitted a resume there on Friday and literally an hour later, a person from Redfin pinged me to see what I needed. I was impressed. My mom was impressed. My husband was impressed. Heck, even the pug was impressed. But is this what Twitter was built for? Companies reaching out to consumers? Networking?

So, I guess if you use this service, WHY? Help me out here.

4 Job Hunting Tips that will Reduce Rejection

When I got laid off in January I was bummed out. That's easy enough to understand. And I started my job search in the way I've started all of my job searches. But no one was biting. I was floundering. The interviews I was getting, I was competing with 100 other people with as good, if not better credentials than myself. So, thanks a collection of rejections (I mean that in a good way) I learned a couple of important things that might be helpful to other job seekers.

1. Apply for jobs you're really qualified for. I know this sounds like a "duh," but let me explain. When I change jobs, I like to apply for positions that will stretch my skills and challenge my existing knowledge. Because the market is flooded with qualified and over-qualified candidates, you'll lose every time. Companies do not need to take a risk on you when they can take the cream off the top of the proverbial milk.
   
   
2. Customize, Customize, Customize. This is classic job-searching advice, but it's more important than ever. Customize your cover letter to hit on the major points in the advertisement. Customize your resume. Make sure the things they deem are most important are listed first in your job duties section. Most of us do more than we could ever quantify on our resume. This is a way to really showcase your skills!
   
   
3. Show up in-person. No, I don't mean show up at a company that you're applying to. I mean show up at job fairs and meet and greets and networking groups to make a connection with people. With hundreds and sometimes thousands of people competing for the same job as you, that chance to connect may be what sets you apart from the faceless masses.
   
   
4. Practice good internet citizenship. I know I've said it before, but watch your keyboard strokes. Keep a positive attitude online. Don't list "binge drinking" as a hobby. Forward craigslist ads to your unemployed friends. Write blog articles you think people might be able to use. Volunteer your time. You never know what sorts of karmic goodness might come back to you.

Seattle Area Job Events:
April 16th, Seattle Central Community College Job Fair
April 22nd, Jobbernaut Career Fair
May 6th, Choice Career Fairs

3 Reasons to Love the "Imperfect" Job Candidate

I've said it before, but I obviously feel the need to harp on it. Employers who are actually hiring are like bait in a shark tank. With unemployment rates in the high tens and even in the double digits in parts of the country, there's enough talent to go around. Companies are putting out one job listing and receiving hundreds of responses. No need to take a risk, they've got the talent coming out of their ears. And they're just skimming the proverbial cream off the top.

I say it's time to stop. Stop playing it safe. Let's pretend that your company is one of the large investors that the government is wooing to trust real estate again. Here are three great reasons why hiring an employee with great future potential is better than buying gold.

1. "Imperfect" candidates have a place to grow. It's human nature to want to be challenged. Hire the "perfect" candidate and you're hiring someone who already know, and understands your job, and is already bored. Hire someone who is capable of doing the job but might have 3 out of 4 skills and you have them for double the time of someone who has no where to grow.
   
   
2. You can mold "imperfect" candidates. People who are slightly under skilled are perfectly suited to be trained to your systems. You have someone willing to learn, so teach them to be a super user in your pre-existing processes. Chances are they'll have something to add down the road.
   
   
3. "Imperfect" candidates have a fresh perspective. So they have all of the skills but not the industry knowledge. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get a fresh perspective on how things being done in other industries might be able to help you. Pick their brain for applicable solutions to tough problems your company faces.

Job Hunting: It's a FIRE SALE!

I'm giving away the farm! I'm looking for people I can do things for. Need a job? A website? A recommendation? A babysitter. I'm your gal!

This sounds crazy. I know. When I first became unemployed, I was wearing a scarlet letter of desperation. I knew that no one wanted to help someone so insecure. I needed to find a mental Judo tactic that would help turn my attitude around. So I starting using the Fire Sale tactic.

Got a co-worker you need to get more from? Take them out to lunch! Need to get your aunt to stop sending you chain letter emails? Offer to help set up her Facebook account! Need a recruiter to call you back with potential job offers? See if they have other positions you can match to your friends!

It took an adjustment being that I come from a generation of "me" types. But at the end of the day I feel pretty great and I know I've helped someone and it shows. And even crazier is that it's really working. I've had more potential opportunities from this approach than any Craigslist cruising I've been doing. Give it a shot!