The Executive Element

Book Review: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

executiveelement — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:18:35 +0000

Isaacson did a masterful job of capturing the essence of both Jobs’ demanding personality and creative genius. We’ve all heard about Jobs as a visionary and somebody who will be remembered generations from now for transforming six different industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. However, it wasn’t until I read Isaacson’s book that I realized just what it was that enabled him to do all that. My two main takeways:

1) There is no arguing that Jobs was a genius. There is also no arguing that he was a complete @$$hole. I truly believe that if he was a nice guy who was afraid to offend people or shove his ideas down people’s throat, we wouldn’t have the luxury of enjoying the beautiful products he created at Apple. His ability to see what others couldn’t was uncanny, but it was his skill in forcing people to see his vision and work relentlessly to achieve perfection that enabled his products to come to fruiting. He was notorious for being extremely difficult to work for and could be extremely hurtful to people his inner circle. But time and time again, the people he hurt would say that Jobs enabled them to build things they never thought was possible.

2) The reason Jobs and his team of designers and engineers have been able to consistently create products that customers are willing to camp out for is because he demanded end-to-end control of the product. Microsoft was able to gain market share by licensing its software to anybody willing to pay for it, which resulted in sub-par products and complete loss of control of the hardware. Apple software, on the other hand, only ran on Apple products and gave Jobs the power to ensure that the hardware and software were seamlessly integrated and provided the user with a superior experience. He was notorious for simplifying his products to make them as intuitive as possible, which is why my two-year old nephew could operate an iPad and why rocket scientists had issues figuring out Windows XP.

Overall, it was a great book that provided deep insight into one our generation’s greatest businessmen. As Malcolm Gladwell explained in his book Outliers, Jobs did have the advantage of being born at the right time (he was the perfect age to start exploring new PC technology) in the right place (down the street from HP in Silicon Valley) with access to the right people (Wozniak and countless other world-class engineers). But Jobs was able to do things nobody else could, and Isaacson did a great job explaining how his upbringing, spiritual journey, and creative vision came together to build the world’s most valuable technology company.

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Paying upfront for your resume service

executiveelement — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:54:56 +0000

One of the questions I frequently hear from new clients is “Why do I have to pay for my resume upfront?” The answer is simply because it is far easier for the client to recoup their money from the credit card company than it is for me to collect payment from a client who can’t or doesn’t want to pay. In my 8 years as a resume writer, I can count on my thumbs the number of refunds I’ve had to issue. In one of those cases, the client had completely unrealistic expectations of what we could do for her. And in the other case, I’m pretty sure the client just never had any intention of paying, and despite receiving an excellent resume and cover letter, kept demanding a full refund. I gave it to him just to get him out of my hair.

Think of it like you’re buying any other product, like a shirt. You don’t get to wear the shirt for a while and then decide whether or not you want to pay for it. Same thing here. And although we can never guarantee that you’re new resume will get a client a job (way too many other factors go into getting a job than just the resume), it is our policy to keep working with each client until they are completely satisfied with the product. I think our track record speaks for itself that we can consistently create outstanding resumes, cover letters, and other documents for our clients. And at this stage, we’d prefer to focus on cultivating new client relationships and writing awesome resumes rather than trying to collect on our accounts receivable.

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The love / hate of working from home

executiveelement — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:58:33 +0000

There was a great article in Fast Company this morning from Kevin Purdy, “How To Work From Home Like You Mean It” that I think of lot of work from home freelancers or solopreneurs can relate to. For the last six years, I have had the pleasure of not having to go into the same office at the same time every day of the week. For those stuck in cubicle-land, that may sound like a dream scenario, but most of us who work from home will tell you that it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be.

Purdy offers some great tips on how to maximize use of your time and avoid many of the pitfalls that come with an office-free environment. I’d be interested to hear how some of your are able to handle the challenges that come with a work from home lifestyle.

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Managing expectations for your resume writer

executiveelement — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49:56 +0000

One thing I tell every potential client I speak with is that creating a truly great resume is a process. Sure, there are instances when I can just take a client’s existing resume, and with little bit of input, turn it into masterpiece (not to toot my own horn…). But more often than not, it might take a round of two of revisions until we can consider the project complete. Why? Because I’ve probably never actually met you in person, worked with you in any capacity, or performed the exact same job function. But that doesn’t mean that I still can’t create a great resume for you. It will just take a little bit more time and communication for me to really understand the scope of your job, what you accomplished, and how I can best position you for the next step in your career.

Does this mean that you’re better off finding a friend or co-worker who knows you well to write your resume for you? Absolutely not. There are numerous benefits to having a stranger (who is also a professional resume writer) handle the project. First, it’s much easier for somebody you don’t have a personal relationship with you to remain objective about your background and skill set. Second, you should be able to give much more honest feedback throughout the process since you won’t have to worry about hurting a stranger’s feelings like you might with a friend. And finally, chances are you aren’t friends with somebody who writes high-level resumes for a living and understands all the nuances associated with creating such a document.

The moral of the story – be patient and collaborative throughout the process, and I can almost guarantee that in the end, you’ll be happy with the result. If you see that we’ll need to make some changes to the first draft, understand that that is just part of the process. Ultimately, we always get it right, but we need your help to get there.

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How to really use LinkedIn

executiveelement — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:38:02 +0000

Great article today at Business Insider on how to effectively use LinkedIn. And it has pictures, which is awesome.

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Do engineers make the best marketing executives?

executiveelement — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:50:55 +0000

According to a recent ranking by Business Week of CEOs of the top 1,000 publicly held US companies, more chief executive officers majored in engineering – not marketing, not finance, and not law – than any other discipline.

I have noticed a recent trend that the majority of senior-level marketing executives that I have worked with don’t have an MBA or an undergraduate degree in marketing. They were engineers. While it may seem odd that engineering folks would be the most likely group to climb the marketing ladder, it actually makes perfect sense. In most cases, engineers are the people most intimately involved in the product development process. They’re the ones who are translating customer requirements into products that meet specific demands in the marketplace. Over time, they pick up on the various other aspects of the business, but they will always have an advantage over people with a general business background in that they have a much deeper understanding of the technical aspects of the business. In any product-driven business, that is crucial.

I graduated in 2002 with an undergraduate marketing degree, and although I feel that I received an exceptional undergraduate education, I didn’t leave school with a skill set that could immediately be applied in the workforce. Just nine years later, I could claim that my degree is horribly out of date – the term ‘social networking’ didn’t even exist when I was in college. Engineers, accountants, and programmers, however, were all highly sought after following graduation because they had a tangible skill set that could be applied immediately in a professional setting.

I’m certainly not saying that all engineers will be better candidates for senior marketing positions than other folks with an MBA or other non-technical degree. There are many, many talented executives with degrees in the liberal arts and some with no degree at all. However, if my kids ever seek my advice on a college major, I’ll try to steer them towards a technical degree that will give them a valuable skill set and enable them to learn the other aspects of leading a business over time. But let’s be honest, what 18-year old seeks and actually takes advice from their parents?

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Create your web resume.

executiveelement — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:51:49 +0000

At The Executive Element, one of the most important things we consider when crafting a resume is how the document will look on a computer screen. Let’s face it, recruiters and hiring managers aren’t printing off stacks of resumes to review; they’re quickly browsing through them on their computer screens. This is why we front-load every resume we write so that the most interesting and relevant bits of information appear at the beginning of the resume. For instance, we make sure that if the reader only read the top third of the first page, he or she would have a pretty good idea of what you’ve done, where your strengths lie, and what you can offer a prospective employer.

According to Ken Sundheim, President of KAS Placement, a leading sales and marketing recruiting firm,“The bulk of website readers (70%) do not scroll down on the page when reading any form of writing on the web. Moreover, about the same percentage do not read the right side of the website.” So it doesn’t make sense to bury critical information at the end of the resume, hoping that somebody is going to read the document all the way through.

A strong summary at the beginning of the resume is critical as it should entice the reader to want to read further into the resume. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to best utilize this space and the recruiter moves on to the next resume in their queue. The summary should be concise and quickly enable the reader to understand the value you can bring to their organization. Also, it should entice them to browse through your professional experience to see how your background can support what you claim in the summary.

Another thing we do to create an effective web resume is optimize the content for all the various applicant tracking systems (ATS) that companies use to handle job applications and manage resume data. Basically, an ATS screens candidates based on the content in the resume, so placing the right keywords throughout the document is critical. For example, when applying for a Senior Account Manager position, you’ll want to be sure to include phases such as “sales management”, “strategic planning”, “business development”, “account retention”, “client relations”, and “opportunity conversion”. Let the job posting be your guide as they do a pretty good job of spelling out the keywords they’d like to see. You just need to know how to look for them.

Finally, there may be instances when you have to cut and paste your resume into a text box on a company’s career portal. Using a Word document is a bad idea as the formatting gets jumbled, so we recommend converting the Word version into an ASCII or text format. This way, you can be sure that when you copy and paste the resume into a text box, the formatting (or lack thereof) will not be distorted.

In conclusion, there are three critical elements to focus on when writing a web resume.

1) Create a strong branding statement and summary at the beginning of the resume.
2) Optimize the content with keywords to help the resume pass through applicant tracking systems.
3) Utilize multiple formats (PDF and text versions) to avoid formatting issues.

As always, give us a call if we can be of assistance.

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Appropriate email addresses on a resume

executiveelement — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:19:29 +0000

It’s 2011 and I’m still amazed at how many people still don’t understand the importance of having an email address that is suitable for the job search. Below are some samples (slightly altered) of email addresses that I have seen on resumes lately:

puppyluvr5@yahoo.com – Not only is this one a little creepy, it also screams “Please don’t take me seriously!” Sure, most everybody loves puppies, but making this the online moniker that every potential employer will see is not a wise idea. Use your name – only your name – in your email address! If your name is John Smith, chances are that jsmith@gmail.com is probably not available, but do your best to keep your name the central part of the address. Add a number, a middle initial, or some other simple alteration as needed.

daveandsandy@hotmail.com – So you really share your email account with your husband or wife? I can understand a married couple having a shared email just for use with their kids and grandkids, but not for a job search. Two people on one email account is a bad idea for many reasons, but it may be telling potential employers that you’re not savvy enough to handle an email account on your own, or even worse, that you can’t be trusted by your own spouse!

gregjones@netzero.com – Netzero was a free online email service that came out in the mid 1990s, which was when it signed up the vast majority of its users. They were actually one of the first services to offer free dial-up Internet, which shows you have ancient this company is in the online world. Most people have replaced their Netzero email addresses with a Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail account as time went on. Those that are still using a Netzero account (or one of its brethren – Juno, AOL, etc.) may be signaling that they’re a bit behind the curve. See this article of an extreme take on this concept.

The bottom line – your email address is an extension of you, and you need to be aware of how it effects your personal brand. Recruiters and hiring managers are paid to be judgmental (in a completely legal way, of course), so don’t let something silly like a ridiculously outdated or inappropriate email address overshadow what could otherwise be an exceptional resume or cover letter.

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Six things to consider when choosing a resume writer

executiveelement — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 02:54:51 +0000

Choosing a resume writer to use is very similar to selecting an attorney or accountant. You want to find a true professional who has the right amount of experience and expertise, at a fair price, to lead you though the process. Here are six things to consider when choosing a resume writer:

1) Do they pass the 10,000 hour rule? In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he goes in depth about the idea that it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to really master a subject area or skill. The idea applies for athletes, actors, musicians, doctors, and yes, resume writers. 10,000 hours comes out to about five years of full-time work or 10 years of part-time work. After 10,000 hours, you can be sure that your writer has seen just about every client scenario possible and developed a clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

Keep in mind that a tremendous amount of experience doesn’t always translate to exceptional work. Trends in the job search and resume writing realms change often, so it’s critical to find a writer who isn’t stuck in their ways and can adapt to the constant technological and social changes.

2) Are they well-versed in your industry and function? Today, we live in a world of specialists. The jack-of-all-trades is finding it more and more difficult to survive. When paying good money to have somebody prepare your resume, you want to work with somebody who specializes in your line of work. Writing a resume for a lawyer is very different than writing a resume for a programmer. There are countless nuances specific to each profession, and there’s not a writer alive today who is well versed in all of them. If you’re in sales, find a writer who knows sales. If you’re a non-profit executive, find a writer who understands the non-profit arena. At The Executive Element, we often turn away clients outside our areas of expertise because we know that are other writers out there that better understand their background and will ultimately provide a better service.

3) Do they have a strong online presence? A website is no longer an optional marketing tool, it is a requirement. Any professional resume writer who doesn’t have a basic website that lists their credentials and services isn’t really a ‘professional’ resume writer. For those writers that do have a website, is it modern and well-written? I’d be hesitant to hire a writer who claims to be an expert in ‘personal branding’ if their brand is being communicated through a website created in 1997. Additionally, you should be able to check out your writer on LinkedIn, and hopefully, view recommendations from satisfied clients.

4) What is their process? How does the writer go about collecting enough sufficient information to write a quality resume? Do they use worksheets or schedule a phone consultation? Most good writers will usually do both. While worksheets can be a bit cumbersome for the client, they are the easiest way to collect sufficient basic information such as job titles and dates, basic job responsibilities, education, associations, etc. The worksheet should also ask the client to try to list quantitative achievements whenever possible.

While the worksheet is a great starting point, a phone consultation can help tie all the information together and provide an opportunity to communicate information that may not fit into the worksheet format. If you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a new resume, you have every right to speak to your writer and discuss the project as you see fit. I would be very leery of any service that doesn’t make every effort to collect as much information as possible before starting the project.

5) Have you seen samples of their work? Some writers are very leery about posting samples on their website because they think potential clients will just copy their samples and never purchase their services. We’ve found that this rarely happens. When viewing a writer’s samples, think like a hiring manager. Does the sample resume have a contemporary format? Are the most important pieces of information easy to find? Can you get a clear understanding of the client’s core skill set and value he or she can bring to an organization? Are cliches overused? If you’re impressed with the samples, chances are good that you’ll be pleased with their service. If the samples are underwhelming, move on and find somebody else.

6) How much does it cost? There is a tremendous range of fees that writers charge for a resume and cover letter. You’ll find people offering resume writing services on Craigslist for $29. You’ll also find established writers that charge $1500+. Both are fairly ridiculous. Somebody charging anything less than $100 would have to do several projects per day to make a decent living; meaning, volume is their priority, not quality. On the other end of the spectrum, there are more experienced writers (often published) who charge a fortune simply because they can. They have the credentials to demand top dollar and they tend to be very selective with the clients they choose to work with. There are plenty of high quality firms that charge somewhere between $300 and $700 for a resume package, which is a fair price to pay for the average management- to executive-level client.

Clearly, there are lots of things to consider when choosing a resume writer, but ultimately, it comes down to selecting somebody that you’re comfortable with. A referral from somebody that had a great experience is obviously a good way to go, but in the absence of a referral, do your homework and ask lots of questions.

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Cold call cover letter lands job at Foursquare

executiveelement — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:11:17 +0000

I read an interesting article this morning by Nicholas Carlson at the Business Insider about Tristan Walker, a Stanford MBA student who sent a letter (eight letters, actually) to the founders of FourSquare asking for a job. Ultimately, he got the job and is now their Vice President of Business Development. He didn’t use a boiler plate cover letter like so many job seekers, showing why it makes sense to break the traditional mold of a one-size-fits-all approach to cover letter writing.

Here’s the letter:

Hey Dennis and Naveen

How’s it going? Hope all is well!

My name is Tristan Walker and I’m a first year student (going into my
second year) at Stanford Business School (originally from New York).
I’m a huge fan of what you both have built and excited about what you
guys have planned for FourSquare. It is an awesome , awesome service.

I would love to chat with you guys at some point, if you’re available,
about FourSquare. This year, I’m looking to help out and work
extremely hard for a startup with guys I can learn a ton from. Dennis,
with your experience at Google and the Dodgeball product, and Naveen,
with your experience at Sun and engineering in general, I know I could
learn a great deal from you both!

Before business school, I was an oil trader on Wall Street for about
two years and hated it! Moved out to the Bay/Stanford to pursue my
passion for entrepreneurship and the startup world. This past spring I
had the opportunity to work for Twitter as an intern and learned a
ton. Solidified my commitment to working at a startup that I’m
passionate about, and FourSquare is one of those startups that I
believe in.

I know you guys are probably getting inundated with internship-type
requests, but thought it’d be worth a shot! I can assure you I’m humble
and I’m hungry! Let me know if you’d be interested in chatting further.
I definitely look forward to hearing from you.

Stay awesome!
Tristan
@tristanwalker

Obviously, Tristan’s a smart guy who would be a viable candidate for any job under the sun, but he did several of the key things that we preach to clients regarding the cover letter:

He knew his audience and tailored his message accordingly, stating why his background at Twitter would be a great fit at a start-up like FourSquare
He demonstrated his passion for working in a start-up culture and that he believed in FourSquare’s product.
He positioned himself as someone who was willing to learn and grow within the company, acknowledging the founders’ own specific backgrounds as an opportunity to expand his skill set.
He was persistent. It’s a fine line between persistent and annoying, but sometimes you do what you have to do to get noticed.
And finally, he asked for the job!

We can’t all have a Stanford MBA, Wall Street experience, and an internship at Twitter, but we can follow Tristan’s example and find betters ways to connect with prospective employers.

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