The Wrong Approach

I received an email recently from someone I presume to be a salesperson looking for work.  Obviously this is a common occurrence these days, but here is the error in the delivery – the email had no writing.  Yup, it was just a blank email with an MS Word attachment that appeared to be a resume. This approach is a wasted effort in today’s world.  I never opened the attachment for fear it may be some malicious, virus-infested computer-killer.  Dramatic, I know, but the point is valid.  It is similar to a phone call that comes in on your home phone at night and lists nothing more than “Out of… Read More

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I May Know This Person

From the title of a resume posted online: receptionist,homemaker,health aide,sales ass,youth counselor,or daycare aide I know I have worked with many a sales ass.  In the resume, this person lists a job from years ago in which they worked the retail cash register at a drug store.  I particularly enjoyed their description of that work: SALES ASSOCIATE:RECEIVE CASH FROM CUSTOMRES IN PAYMENT FOR GOODS.PROCESS SALES TRANSCATIONS AND ISSUE RECEIPTS. “Issue receipts” just kills me.

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Fun From The Resume Pile

From the outstanding resume file – a resume I received yesterday for a Project Manager position: Personal Attributes I am highly enthusiastic, hard working, opinionated and motivated to work under my own initiative or as part of a team. 1. I have extensive practical experience of fault-finding… Which explains why his team wants him to work on his own initiative. In all fairness, the candidate goes on to finish item #1 with: …and problem solving systematically. Certainly  a lot easier to do once you’ve established blame. There’s a sentence later in the letter that suggests English isn’t a strong suit – My team were involved in maintenance, repairing and servicing… Read More

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What NOT To Mention In A Cover Letter

I have been searching through online resumes and came across this commentary in a cover letter: I am a 63 year old male just recently let go from my job because I’m too old. Don’t worry, I’m fighting it but in the meantime, I need a job. You know, some things are better left unsaid.

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Time And Title

I’m digging around the resume pile again and came across a title that I actually enjoyed (slightly edited by me): Sales Pro Seeking New Dragons To Slay I know, it is a bit quirky, but it stands out which is important in it’s own right.  I opened up the resume to look at the details inside and found this piece of information under the Education section (redacted by me): _________ University 1986-2001 Liberal Arts So much for the good title.

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Not So Confidential

I got a kick out of this – I’m looking through resumes online and I came across one that was listed as confidential.  Candidates put a title to their resume that often says “Experienced Sales Professional” or something of that sort.  The candidate can then hide their personal contact information (name, address, phone, etc.) and their current employer.  This person did that. Except the title for their resume was their actual name as in “John Doe’s resume.” Oops.

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Candidate Requirements

Might be a good idea to leave this bit of data out of the cover email: Position must be daytime hours and reachable BY THE BUS SYSTEM. I am without a vehicle and License at this time, this is only temporary until I pay a fine.

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When Experience Matters

We go after experience-only hiring in that it is overly subjective and wrought with pitfalls.  But that doesn’t mean experience is irrelevant.  There are certain aspects to an applicant’s history that is important for hiring decisions. I’m currently sourcing for a mid-level, B2B sales position in the Twin Cities’ market.  Although open to less-experienced sales candidates, our customer still requires a certain level of sales experience for the position. This requirement means that the Best Buy salespeople, car salespeople and other retail-based experience is not a fit.  I am certain there are talented salespeople within those groups, but the mitigating factor is that our client’s sales cycle is long (up to 2… Read More

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