Back to Basics

Both offices of Momentum Resources have been crazy busy this month. Why? Many reasons.

Many women are looking to return to work now that the summer is over and the kiddos are back to school. We're also beginning to see early signs that the economy is thawing, as positions that have been funded or on hold for months are now getting filled. And of course the DC office is busy putting project managers and consultants to work for government contractors with new contracts as the Federal Fiscal Year is about to kick off.

But as I read through mountains of resumes every day, I'm struck by how many seemingly little things can derail an otherwise fantastic resume. Here are a few tips from the resume reader's perspective:

• Save your resume document name as "Jane Smith resume." That way the reader or hiring manager can simply Save your document, which is likely emailed, and find it quickly and easy next time. If you save your resume as "Resume" or "Jane's resume Fall 2009" it's going to get lost. Yes, the reader could "Save As" but she likely has 50+ resumes in her InBox and you don't want to get stuck in the black hole!
• Get a professional email address. Go to gmail, get a free email address that says something like "Jane.Smith@gmail.com." They'll give you options if yours is taken, but please don't conduct job search correspondence from mommyjane@.... or worse (believe me, we've seen worse)
• Put the meat up top, in bold. Have a security clearance? PMP? CPA? Put that up front, on top, in bold. Most readers won't get through the second half of your resume where many job search candidates like to hide "Training and Certification."

How to Prepare for an Interview - Part 2 of 2

So you've done your corporate research, reviewed the company's 10K and press releases and think you know all there is to know about where you're applying. But what about you? Experts suggest you spend 5-10 hours minimum preparing for the interview familiarizing yourself with common questions and knowing all you can about yourself and your experience.

What to know about YOU?

· Your Resume

o Ensure that you understand each bullet and term listed on your resume instinctively. Do not memorize it—synthesize it into your knowledge base.

o Be able to communicate how your experience, academic training and talents listed on your resume mimic what the employer is requiring of the candidate hired for the job.

· Your Goals

o Write down your career goals – what you want and don’t want in a career. Be sure they are well defined and practice communicating them with confidence.

o Be sure your goals and the related time frames associated with completing them are realistic. Check with a trusted colleague, mentor or friend to ensure your achievement time frame is realistic. Coming across as realistic is a sign of experience and maturity, two traits you want to convey on an interview.

o Be prepared to discuss your motivation behind these goals. Employers want to see when things get tough, you will persevere in the job due to deep rooted motivators.

· Your Characteristics and Traits

o TELL A STORY: Have examples ready from your professional life to demonstrate realistically your desired work ethic, integrity and ambition and other traits desired by the target company. Telling a story works so much more effectively than simply saying “I have integrity.”

· Your Challenges

o Be prepared to handle challenging, and even downright negative, questions about you, your experience and your manager/co-workers. Here is a secret: We all have them…so those that can speak most comfortably and diplomatically about them and can demonstrate how they learned from these mistakes/situations win the game…are you going to win?

o Where have you made mistakes and learned from them?

o What decision have you made recently that did not work out as you planned?

o Tell me about working on a project with a difficult co-worker…what was the outcome?

Knowing your background, skills and talents is the best way to communicate to hiring managers how you are right for the job. Armed with strong knowledge of yourself coupled with research about the job, company and culture, you will be able to show how you are the right match for the job. This is an investment in yourself. You are worth it.

Lisa Rangel, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), is the Managing Director of Chameleon Resumes and a graduate of Cornell University. She knows first-hand what resumes hiring managers respond to and from what interviews companies make hires resulting from her 13+ years experience recruiting for international recruitment organizations and boutique search firms. Lisa can show candidates which resume formats and interview tactics she and her corporate clients have responded to when recruiting top-notch candidates. She has written resumes, prepared candidates for interviews and performed job search coaching for professionals ranging from executive to entry-level to returning to work in marketing, sales, legal, accounting, finance, administrative, hospitality, healthcare, education, public service, human resources, technology, management, scientific and public relations disciplines spanning across a multitude of industries and corporate cultures.

Lisa is a member of Society of Human Resources Management, Human Resources Association of New York, and Professional Association of Resumes Writers and Career Coaches. She has been featured on Fox Business News, Good Morning America for Keith Ferrazzi’s “Who’s Got Your Back?” book launch, HeelsConnect.com and Mom-entum Resources.

Chameleon Resumes - Reinvent Yourself!

917-447-1815

lisa.rangel@chameleonresumes.com

www.chameleonresumes.com

link with me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisarangel

Twitter: @lisarangel

How to Prepare for an Interview - Part 1 of 2

The economy is finally thawing, you've been searching for months and now you've finally landed an interview for a job you'd really love. What should you be doing to ensure you stand out in a very crowded field? PREPARE! Interview preparation is easily the most important task in your job search process. In addition to being familiar with your resume, experts suggest you spend 3-5 hours researching the company, position and the hiring managers and another 5-10 hours familiarizing yourself with your resume, goals and experiences. Don’t wing it. A professional interviewer will be able to determine if you have done your homework or not. Don’t chance getting caught not having done your research and eliminating any chances you have in being considered for the job.

What to Research?

· The Company:

o Company Website – About Us, Management, and Career Page

o Google – where does the company show up? What is currently being said about them?

o Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn – for current corporate culture information.

o Hoovers/WSJ.com/Fortune.com/EdgarOnline/Dun & Bradstreet – for current news, corporate information and financials

o Industry Specific Resources & Trade Publications

· The Background of the Interviewer(s)

o LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter

§ Professional: background, achievements, education and experiences

§ Personal: Hobbies, Family, Interests, etc…

§ What do you have in common? School? Interests? Keep it professional

· The role for which you are interviewing

o Ask for a copy of the job description (this could be different than the ad posted)

o Google the job title for duties and responsibilities

o Vault.com – has interviewing tips on specific job titles/industries

o Industry specific websites offer job responsibility information—make sure you understand what is being required for the job in terms of duties, achievements, and responsibilities.

o Look an LinkedIn for other people with similar titles and network

Preparing for an interview is the best way to showcase your experience to the hiring manager and communicating to them how you are right for the job. Armed with advanced research on the job, company and culture, you will be able to show how you will fit into the culture and company and make a difference in the job. This is an investment in yourself. You are worth it.

Lisa Rangel, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), is the Managing Director of Chameleon Resumes and a graduate of Cornell University. She knows first-hand what resumes hiring managers respond to and from what interviews companies make hires resulting from her 13+ years experience recruiting for international recruitment organizations and boutique search firms. Lisa can show candidates which resume formats and interview tactics she and her corporate clients have responded to when recruiting top-notch candidates. She has written resumes, prepared candidates for interviews and performed job search coaching for professionals ranging from executive to entry-level to returning to work in marketing, sales, legal, accounting, finance, administrative, hospitality, healthcare, education, public service, human resources, technology, management, scientific and public relations disciplines spanning across a multitude of industries and corporate cultures.

Lisa is a member of Society of Human Resources Management, Human Resources Association of New York, and Professional Association of Resumes Writers and Career Coaches. She has been featured on Fox Business News, Good Morning America for Keith Ferrazzi’s “Who’s Got Your Back?” book launch, HeelsConnect.com and Mom-entum Resources.

Lisa Rangel

Chameleon Resumes - Reinvent Yourself!

917-447-1815

lisa.rangel@chameleonresumes.com

www.chameleonresumes.com

link with me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisarangel

Twitter: @lisarangel

Start the school year off right: Get Cozi, Make a Mint, and Send Smiles.

As busy moms, the challenge of juggling multiple schedules, managing money and sharing milestones can be overwhelming. This fall, harness the power of FREE Internet-based programs to create streamlined processes.

• Cozi is family calendar program that syncs with both Outlook and Internet based calendars, and has a function to upload your child's school calendar. Color-coding gives each person a unique schedule, it's easy enough that older kids can input their own, and reminder texts can be sent to any mobile phone. In addition, Cozi offers a family blog function, a text enabled lists, and a screen saver that collages digital pictures languishing on your hard drive.
• Mint has revolutionized our family financial management. Mint does the work...you input usernames and passwords from financial accounts, and it downloads transactions for you and e-mails a weekly summary. Easy to understand charts & trend analysis, e-mail reminders about bill due dates, low balances, and over budget warnings and automated record-keeping—what's not to love?
• Sharing milestones with family tends to get pushed to the bottom of my do list. Enter Smilebox, more fancy than an e-mail picture attachment, but less work than printing pics and mailing a card. Select a digital card design, upload your pictures or VIDEO (a new use for my Flip camera) from your hard drive into Smilebox, add some text and you've got a custom greeting to send.

I've shared my favorites, and am ready to hear about yours. What Internet-based programs do you use to make balancing family and work life a bit easier?

Guest Blogger, Jane Meier, is a mompreneur who recently launched Full Circle Partnerships and loves any discussion of how to blend family with business.

3 Social Media Job Search Tips

Using social media (facebook, twitter and LinkedIn) is standard in today's job search. But where to begin and how to leverage these tools is overwhelming to say the least! Here are 3 easy tips to get you started:

• Clean Up Your Online Presence. Anything involving heavy booze, strippers or goofy faces has to go. Your recruiter will google you, search your public information on FaceBook and research what others have to say about you on LinkedIn.
• Don't Apply Blind. Don't submit a resume To Whom It May Concern on a careerbuilder.com ad. Instead, use the search function on your LinkedIn account to find someone in your network, or your network's network, who currently works there or who has worked there in the past. Ask to make "introductions" via LinkedIn or in real life. The goal is to eventually have your resume hand delivered to the hiring manager's desk.
• Research Potential Roles. Before a phone or in-person interview, use the Advanced Search function on Twitter to see what people are saying about the organization to which you are applying. Use your FaceBook status to query "who knows someone at XYZ Corporation" and reach out to those people. Again, use the LinkedIn search function to find someone in your network who has an inside connection there.

More Back to School Tips

As a follow up to yesterday's post on Back to School meal planning tips, I wanted to share a link with you in today's Washington Post on family organization tips for back to school. The tips are based on Lea Schneider's book "Growing Up Organized: A Mom-toMom Guide." The thing I really like about her approach is that it's about instilling organization tips in your children, so they learn to do it for themselves. Right before our youngest was born, I put the then-5 year olds through a week of "Camp Independence." During that week, I taught the boys how to do the "morning routine" (fold PJs, get dressed, make bed, make cereal, aka "Breakfast appetizer") and evening routine (bath, PJs, reading) on their own. That help was invaluable as I juggled a newborn and a new job. This year the 7 year olds are going to work on unloading and sorting their backpacks after school, keeping up with their own sports equipment and maybe, just maybe, packing their own lunches.

Back to School: Meal Planning

As I prepare to get (finally) all 3 kids back to school next week, I'm taking a hard look at household organization. I definitely have some weak areas.....like the overflowing dresser drawers in the twins' room... but one thing I've got down pat is meal planning. Maybe it's because my kids are a nightmare during the circus that is after-school/soccer practice/homework time or maybe because I really like to eat, but over the last 7 years here's what I've come up with.

On Thursdays I review grocery store circulars and identify loss leaders. I then survey the fridge and freezer contents, pantry items, and make a list of needed items and note what meal basics I already have. I then make a meal plan, adding to the list the missing ingredients based on what I have on hand.

Friday is my half workday, so I hit the grocery store, bring home and put groceries away, prep meat (if it needs to be divided and marinated) and prep half of the produce. Every night after cleaning up dinner dishes, I pack lunches for all 5 of us and make sure the produce container (aka "crudite tray") is stocked with prepped/washed/chopped fruits and veggies, and -here's the key- prep the next night's dinner. It might be as simple as pulling out frozen meat or prepared dish or I might chop veggies and herbs, even measure out ingredients, so that it's easy to throw together during the witching hours. I supplement this process with monthly runs to Trader Joes and weekly trips for in season produce to the Farmer Market.

Tips:

• Crudite tray: I use a vented takeout container, but I've seen fancy $15 versions by Rubbermaid at Wal-Mart. If it's ready to go, you'll snack on the good stuff and not chips. Put this out while you're making lunch or dinner and the kids will munch on this while they're starving, keeping them out of your hair and ensuring they get what they need. I keep white bean dip (puree a can of cannelloni beans with olive oil and a bit of salt and/or rosemary), hummus and ranch dressing in my container.
• Post the meal plan in the kitchen. If you're working late, sick, etc the sitter or husband or older child can help get things going.
• Keep your recipe rotation fresh! See resources below, but scan magazines like Real Simple or Rachel Ray for new recipes that keep you out of your rut. And plan away, but leave room for options that pop up at the Farmers Market or in the ethnic section of the grocery store.
• Meat: Divide and marinate! As soon as you get home from the store, use kitchen scissors to divide a salmon fillet, divide up portions of ground meat and economy sized portions of poultry. Pour marinade right in the gallon zipper bag and freeze. The night before, put in the fridge to thaw and at dinner time simply saute or grill a pre-prepped meal!

RESOURCES

www.Rachaelray.com Yes she's hokey, but the recipes are easy and they do in fact take 30 mins, the whole premise is that it's faster to cook your own food at home than order Dominos

Realsimple.com has every recipe the magazine has ever run (for free) with convenient search terms and even meal plans and demonstration videos

youvegotsupper.com a free website and weekly email with family-friendly meal plans

leftoverchef.com Can't figure out what to do with 1/2 lb ground turkey and 1000 island dressing? Check here!