Simply Hired Blog

3 Ways a Job Seeker Can Handle a Bad Job Experience on Their Resume

By Gerrit Hall

In the perfect world, we’d all love our jobs. All the time. Forever.

Unfortunately, reality is far from that perfect world. Everyday, there are plenty of folks getting hired to, enduring, or finally quitting terrible, miserable, and horrible jobs.

Whether it was a personality conflict, unreasonable clients, or a horrible boss, we’ve all been there. However, once you’ve escaped that bad job experience, what’s the next step? How can you translate that crummy job into substantial experience that will get you hired?

Check out these three ways a job seeker can handle a bad job on their resume:

Keep it cool

Maybe that nasty boss or impossible client makes you want to scream. Go ahead and scream, just not in front of your new potential boss. Unless your interviewer is sworn enemies with your former boss, do not let emotions get the best of you on your resume, in your interview, or online.

Instead of writing something snarky, or your side of the feud on your resume, stick to the bare bones approach. List your responsibilities, accomplishments, and overall, focus on what you learned from the experience.

Be honest

You might have left at a bad time or maybe you were fired – whatever the case may be, honesty is the best policy. There are things that your potential employer should know and it’s in your best interest to tell the truth about them.

Nix it entirely

Keep in mind that this tip is not permission to lie. Your resume is a marketing document that should put you in the best light possible. If there is something that you think might be better received if discussed in person, or the experience is a tiny smudge on an overall good career, keep it off your resume.

If you did a good job, met goals, and learned from a job, your potential employer doesn’t need to know that you hated your supervisor’s guts.

What do you think? Have you ever had a bad experience in your career? How did you handle it during your job search? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.

Online Reputation for Job Search: LinkedIn

This is part two of a four post series on building your online reputation. Jay's other post is available on maintaining your online reputation through proper name conventions. 

By Jay Buerck

It is a social network that has over 150 million users and one that you are most likely using in your job search. Did you know that having a LinkedIn account should also be part of your online reputation management strategy?

Without question, LinkedIn is the preferred social networking service for the unemployed as well as the employed. The topic of LinkedIn has been covered many times, this includes how to leverage your LinkedIn profile as well as how not to use LinkedIn.

Using LinkedIn as a reputation management tool is easy as the social network carries a lot of weight in the search engines for searches involving your name. Google your friend's name, you will likely come across their LinkedIn profile on the first page.

Customize your Public Profile URL

One of the first things you will want to do is customize your public profile URL so that your full name is in the URL.

You can do that by going to Edit Profile and then moving down to your Public Profile and clicking edit next to your URL. You will then be allowed to change what can be shown in your public profile.

Obtaining a clean URL with your name in LinkedIn is always the first place to start with cleaning up or protecting your online reputation.

Connect Your Online Properties

LinkedIn allows you to connect your social media profiles such as Twitter and your personal website to your profile. You can set it up so that whatever you tweet goes on your LinkedIn feed.

If you have created yourname.com this is a great place to link to it from your profile. You can link to it from your profile page by clicking Edit and writing in your name as the anchor text for the link.

Another thing to do is link to your LinkedIn profile from your personal domain.

Your LinkedIn profile can not only connect you to hiring managers, industry leaders, and companies directly but it can also play a key part in your online profile. Making a simple tweaks to your LinkedIn profile can prove beneficial in more ways than one. 

Jay Buerck is the COO of an Online Reputation Management company and has worked as an online marketing specialist for over 8 years including stints with 3 Inc. 500 Award Companies. You can find more great tips and strategies by following him on Twitter (@jaybuerck).

Thanks, But No: 4 Steps to Take After A Job Rejection

By Tony Morrison

Dear Applicant,

We at Super Awesome Dream Company Inc. regret to inform you that you have not been accepted for whatever position it was that you applied ….

Rejection. Nobody likes it, but it’s the cold hard reality that the job search brings. This reality is made
all the more cold by the standard, vague, indiscriminate language that does not explain why they rejected you -- after all, the unknown "they" have never even met you -- but the language in the form letter is sanctioned by legal, so that is what every rejected candidate gets. Today, more and more people are applying for fewer and fewer publicly advertised job openings. As a job seeker, the best thing you can do after a rejection is to pick yourself up and try again.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Getting rejected can do a number on the typical job seeker psyche.

Check out the following four steps to take after a job rejection:

Breathe 

OK, it happened. You just got rejected by a company that you hoped would recognize what you had to offer. Remember that a rejection says nothing about who you are as a person, so don’t take it personally.

There are a slew of reasons why you got a rejection. The company could have hired someone else, promoted someone internally, or erased the position altogether (which happens a lot more than you’d think). You are not likely to get an answer, so put it behind you.

 If you’re angry or sad, let those emotions pass before you do anything else.

Follow-up

This might sound a little counter-intuitive, but try following up with the rejection. If you want to keep the connection going with a specific company, simply writing a note thanking the company for their time and consideration can affirm that you are a thoughtful and invested candidate.

​If you want to know what more you could have done to get the job or what you could have done differently, feel free to ask in your follow-up. You might not get a response, but many employers are glad to help rejected candidates improve.

Develop

Regardless of whether or not you got feedback from the company, look at yourself as a job seeker and employee. What do you think kept you from getting hired? Did you feel like your interview was rushed? Maybe you didn’t share all the great things you learned from your last job. Whatever the case may be, try developing yourself for next time.

Try again

Now that you’ve finished this chapter with a company, jump back into the job search. Many job seekers will take a break from applying while they are interviewing, so if you’re one of those, it’s time to fire up the resume and start applying again. 

You might have gotten rejected, but don’t let your past keep you from scoring an amazing job. Stay positive. You never know what opportunities could be just around the corner!

What do you think? What other advice would you share with job seekers who are recovering from a rejection? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Tony Morrison is the Vice President of Business Development at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. His roles include sales, marketing, and business development. He brings passion to Cachinko where he focuses on helping job seekers to find their ideal job and employers to find, attract, and engage their next rock star candidates. 

4 Things Employers Want to See in a Resume

By Sean Weinberg

The job search is a lot like dating.

No, really. If you think about it, it is. You are the suitor, trying to woo a prospective company into taking you on. You dress nicely, get the jitters before meeting for the first time, and show off all the wonderful things you can bring if they pick you.

If the job search is like dating, then the resume is a love letter to the prospective company.

For those of you who aren’t in the know, a love letter is (or at least should be) full of things the recipient wants to see. While your resume might not be the best venue for a poem or flowery prose, it too should be full of things an employer wants to see.

What sort of things? I’ve compiled a list of the top four things any employer wants to see in your resume and how to make it happen:

Results

When you get down to it, it doesn’t matter what you say you can do, who you worked for or for how long. Employers want to see results. After all, what makes a successful company? A staff full of experienced individuals or accomplished individuals? Results on a resume tell prospective employers that, if hired, you can actually get them results.

How to make it happen: Make a point to include at least one quantifiable accomplishment for every position you include on your resume. That means numbers. Writing something like “Introduced and signed on 17 new clients in 3 months” is possibly the most persuasive thing you can write.

Relevance

You could be a new grad or have 30 years of experience in the field – either way, your resume should tell employers that you are current and relevant. Simply put, no one wants to hire an employee who might hold them back.

How to make it happen: Even if you have no experience or are returning to work after long-term unemployment, you can make your resume appear more current by including evidence that you are keeping current in the industry. Include any classes or organizations you are actively part of or add new skills that would be billed as “new ​​and unique”. Nix old-fashioned tasks and skills that aren’t valuable anymore.

Intelligence

This one seems a little silly; after all, of course you’re smart! Right? Not necessarily. Usually, employers want to hire employees who are smart all-around. Having a genius who lacks any social smarts is just as bad as a pleasant employee who doesn’t know how to do their job.

How to make it happen: First and foremost, PROOFREAD. A sure-fire way to look like an idiot is to leave typos on your resume. On the flipside, leave out any and all jargon that HR might not understand.

Consistency

Here’s a fun fact: a consistently-written resume removes any and all need for an objective statement. Employers want to see a resume that flows and highlights an employee who is focused on specific professional goals. When a resume is consistent, it tells the employer exactly what kind of employee you’ll be and where you’re headed.

How to make it happen: Think of your resume as a story. You start at A, do XYZ and then head to B. As you progress through your story, you develop a focus and refine yourself as a worker. Tell this story in bullet points and your resume will be consistent!

What do you think? What other things do you think employers look for in a resume? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Sean Weinberg is the COO and co-founder of RezScore,a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Also the founder of Freedom Resumes, Sean has dedicated his career to helping job seekers write the best possible resumes.

Best Practices for Emailing Hiring Managers

The email is often the first point of contact between you and a prospective employer, and can solely determine whether or not you are considered for the position. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your initial emails.

Before You Email, Connect

Recruiters get hundreds of emails for a single job opening, so you need to make sure your email stands out from the rest.

To get noticed, first ask yourself, “How can I connect with the recruiter besides just sending an email?”

Well, a great place to start is to use Simply Hired’s Who Do I Know? feature. Log into LinkedIn via Simply Hired’s search result page and check to see if you have any connections at the company. If you have a connection, either reach out to this person directly for a referral to the position of interest or request an introduction.

If you don’t have a connection at the company, consider searching for a new connection at the company on LinkedIn. You can also look for the recruiter on Twitter and introduce yourself. The point is, use whatever means you have to ensure the recruiter recognizes your name and looks over your application.  

Composing the Email

When it comes to actually sending your email there are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. Send Emails from a Professional Address - No HotGURL22@yahoo.com or Cowboysfootballfan99@comcast.net.  The simple name.number@isp.com works best.
   
   
2. Craft an Attention Grabbing Subject Line - Avoid simple subjects like Sarah’s Resume or Jeff’s Application for Employment. Include the title of the position you’re applying for and any kind of credentials you have that set you apart from the pack. 
   
   Remember, the subject line contains the only 50 characters the recruiter or hiring manager is guaranteed to see, so make them count!
   
   
3. Personalize! Personalize! Personalize!  - Forget the cut and paste cover letters or templates with a few substituted keywords (if you forget to update the company’s name in your template, that’s a sure-fire way for your email to get deleted right away). The last thing you want is for the recruiter to think you only put a template’s worth of effort into applying. This email is your cover letter, so customize your email to show how you meet the requirements laid out in the job description, whether that’s specific experience, skills or credentials. And don’t be afraid to show a bit of personality to stick out from the other candidates!
   
   
4. Be Courteous and Polite – Your mother was right -- manners always have and always will go a long way. So make sure you include a greeting and introduce yourself at the start of you email. Likewise, include a thank you and a salutation (Best, Sincerely, etc.) at the end.
   
   
5. Be Precise – Make your email concise and engaging -- many recruiters/hiring managers only briefly scan your cover letter for a few seconds, or a minute or two if you’re lucky. Include the most impressive information first so they are more likely to read it and add the more standard stuff towards the end.  If they list specific requirements, or if they ask any questions, include that information first, more general information can go at the end. Throughout the email be sure to compose short concise paragraphs or even bullet points, rather than giant blocks of text.
   
   
6. Proofread – Whether in an email, a resume, or any other correspondence, you don’t want to be dismissed as a candidate because you misused the semicolon or used the wrong there/their/they’re. Check your work. When you’re done proofreading your email, proofread it again or have someone else look at it. Remember that once you send the email, it is set in stone!

Keep these tips in mind to ensure that your emails will catch the eye of those hiring managers and recruiters and you will land that first interview.