Tag Archives: Google

TIME FOR TOUGH LOVE

Posted on March 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

resumewritingtipsBY: Adam Gavriel

It’s time to set the record straight here, America.

A bit of tough love here, but it has to be said. You are NOT going to find work if you give up looking for work. A job is not going to fall straight on your doorstep if you’re patient enough; you have to be willing to go out and fight for it.

Some economists will have you believe that America’s economy is on the upswing when presented with a chart showing the unemployment rate decreasing steadily. What is not visible on that chart however is how many American’s have just plain exited the work force.

A report published earlier this month by Forbes.com reports:

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported unemployment fell to 7.7% from 7.9%, but the drop was at least partially attributable to a decline in labor force participation, Baker says. The employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) was unchanged at 58.6 percent, exactly the same as the rate in February of 2012 and just 0.4 percentage points above the low hit in the summer of 2011. This compares with an EPOP of 63.0 percent in 2007, pre-crisis.”

The only thing more discouraging about this statistic are the Americans who are looking for work, but essentially not even trying anymore.

Recently here at Crossroads Consulting a resume was submitted to us that really hit home in a very depressing way. To avoid any conflicts of interest, and to protect the identity of this applicant who we are trying to work with, we will just post a few snips from their resume so you can avoid these mistakes in the future.

In addition, please, if you are not comfortable with your resume contact us immediately. We have a highly recommended resume service that can help you most effectively optimize your resume for the eyes of employers.

The resume we received went as follows:

“Objective: To find a job in a sea of joblessness.”

The ‘Objective’ of your resume will be the first thing any recruiter or HR manager reads. This applicant did everyone in that business a favor. The average HR Manager spends six seconds looking at a resume. This applicant brought the average down to whatever time it takes to hit the delete key.

But it gets worse.

Instead of listing their internship experience under work history, the applicant listed it as a part of their education section. As was the case with all other job history written on the resume by the applicant, there was no description of what the duties of the jobs entailed.  Not to mention under job history, the applicant included “currently unemployed.”

This resume was just an absolute train wreck. What makes it TRULY sad was that it was avoidable. There are unlimited resources available with a simple Google search about putting together a strong resume. You do not have to have a listing of accomplishments a mile long to have a good resume to get yourself under serious consideration for a position.

As we look back and monitor the number of Americans who have just given up altogether, what about those still in the job market not really even trying anymore. We have hit a serious inflection point in America’s history at the moment, and we can go one of two ways. Everyone works together to get the economy going again, or we continue down a mediocre path where nothing happens.

It pains us here at Crossroads Consulting that we even had to mention this kind of resume in a blog post. If you have been following along here at OutOfOurMind.net you know how many times we have posted resources about how to bring your resume to an optimal level. We want to make sure nobody is sending horrific resumes like this one to any recruiter or HR manager, not just us. It does not help and helping people is the central tenant of our mission statement. It is why we are in this business.

Our main goal here is to get Americans working again. Whether it is through a position that we place the person in or not, if our system helped your resume or interview preparation skills, then we have done our job.

Even if all this article did was get you thinking, that is something for us to be proud of.

Please visit our website and feel free to send your resume our way for critique and helpful tips. And while you’re there, feel free to take a look at our job openings from across the nation that we are looking to fill TODAY.

About these ads

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

LET’S GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT – WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

If you have been keeping up with the blog here at OutOfOurMind, you may realize that the name is fitting to the personality.  You especially understand this concept if you’ve taken a jump over to CrossroadsConsulting.com to check out our unique job postings.  On our website you won’t read the kind of coma-inducing  job postings you find virtually everywhere on the web when you’re looking for jobs. Crossroads Consulting differentiates itself from the competition in that our ads are, “Fresher-and-Bolder,” (to borrow the name of Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller‘s travelling comedy show).

Obviously there’s the elements there that you need to know when you read a job description, i.e., the qualifications and such, but there is also a boat load of humor and personality; something desperately missing from the employment market.  Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LINKEDIN – HOOKUP FOR WORK

Posted on February 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam  Gavriel 

You may have found yourself reading our last blog here on why submitting resumes online is like throwing them into a black hole, and perhaps gotten a bit down in the dumps. We understand that not everyone is going to have that “inside man” that they need to get their resume to the right person and get that best chance of being hired (that’s why we so highly recommend using us! More on that later).

What LinkedIn provides to the user is a way to try and meander their way inside.

LinkedIn, in its essence, is the everyday market place for hiring, looking for work, and making connections. The big three in what it takes to get from the unemployment line to the bank. LinkedIn has its uses whether you’re a recruiter, someone looking for work, or a company looking to expand your market value and awareness.

First off, if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, make one today. If you Google yourself, you’ll find that the first thing that comes up (if you have a profile) is your LinkedIn profile. If I Google my own name, it goes in this order: LinkedIn, and my two Twitter profiles. If a company is seriously looking at making you their new hire, you better believe that they’re going to be putting in the research on you.

With a LinkedIn profile, these companies will find all the useful information they need to find on you in one place. LinkedIn is like having another digital resume to re-affirm everything you’ve already told to the company.

Some quick tips for LinkedIn users:

Make sure your profile is 100% complete. This means having all of your work experience on there (benefit, it can be longer than one page on LinkedIn), having a photograph of yourself (keep it professional, this isn’t Facebook!), and even including what areas you’re looking for work. Right away companies can see everything they need to know about you. This is your “home base” for LinkedIn, and what hiring managers will be looking at.

LinkedIn provides a much deeper service though, as it is also an online job board. Utilize the “saved searches” function and make sure you set it to update to your e-mail as often as you need it. You can have multiple saved searches where you change a keyword, or you can have a saved search for all the locations that you’d like to keep available to you. With the e-mail update function, you’ll have a weekly reminder that there are more jobs that you should be looking at within your saved searches.

One of the most underrated functions of LinkedIn is that on all the job ads, it is visible who posted the ad. Not just the company, but the LinkedIn user that posted that specific job ad. This makes it much easier to personalize your cover letter and trust me, that goes a long way.

Unlike Facebook, on LinkedIn you can even see who views your profile page. If you upgrade to LinkedIn pro (which comes highly recommended) you can see a full list of those who view your profile. LinkedIn pro also gives you the opportunity to send an “InMail” to another LinkedIn user, providing another way to get your foot in the door, and keep those connections climbing.

In a recent update, LinkedIn has allowed users to “endorse” other users on their skills. We understand the want to keep all your connections happy; however we HIGHLY recommend that you do not endorse anyone whose work you cannot specifically vouch for. If you endorse blindly, it looks bad for you and the user that you have endorsed. If you are going to take the time out of your day to endorse another user, make it count, and make sure it’s from the heart.

That should be enough to get you going and get yourself started on LinkedIn and building your professional network.

If you do decide to join LinkedIn today, remember to follow us at Crossroads Consulting to keep up with all things in our recruiting world.

At Crossroads Consulting we want to be your first step in busting out into the career of your dreams. With job openings spanning across the nation, and a resume service, there’s no excuse to not be contacting us today!

Remember, we’re here to put the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

TWELVE TIPS FOR 12-12-12

Posted on December 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

Whether you follow the American DD/MM/YY model, or the European MM/DD/YY model of the date, today’s date is 12/12/12, the last repeating date of this century. To me, this is just another one of those menial things that people tend to make a big deal about for a little bit, and then forget soon after. However this date could bring more in significance due to Madison Square Garden’s 12/12/12 concert to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy tonight, which is sure to be a fantastic event. But I digress…

In honor of the day, here are 12 tips to hopefully get you hired faster!

  1. Make sure your resume is right. Nothing turns off HR professionals quicker than a poorly written resume. Make sure your spelling is correct, and your grammar is top notch.
  2. Include a cover letter. The cover letter seems to be a lost art these days. I know when I get cover letters; I read them word for word. It’s another area to talk about your skills a little more in-depth than your resume to make sure the hiring professional has the most information necessary to gauge your skills.
  3. Connect. Connect. Connect. You never know when your neighbor, acquaintance, friend of a friend, friend, old boss, old co-worker, etc… etc… can come in handy in letting you know about that opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
  4. Take care of your “online persona.” This goes double for recent grads. One of the first thing potential employers is going to do is Google your name. Make sure your Facebook profile is clean, or the privacy settings are set to the max.
  5. LinkedIn. More people need to utilize LinkedIn. I myself have a Facebook profile, a LinkedIn profile, a few online blogs, and a couple of Twitter accounts. When I Google my name the first hit that comes up, aside from a few windsurfing videos of an Israeli man who shares my name (lucky for me), is my LinkedIn profile.
  6. References and recommendations, get them and use them. Another area where LinkedIn comes in handy as friends or employers are able to easily write recommendations for you.
  7. Utilize all available outlets. There are plenty of job boards on the web, not to mention job postings on company websites. The jobs are out there people, find them! (we can help you there….)
  8. Stay productive. As we’ve preached here before, time unemployed is not vacation time. Learn a new skill to put on your resume to set yourself apart from the millions of others out there looking for work. Learn a new language; make sure you utilize all outlets to help you get that position.
  9. If an application allows you to submit samples of your work, DO IT. Self-explanatory here. If you’re applying online and the website allows you to add a sample of work, do it. Writing samples, a work sample, any sample you can think of, upload it. You would be automatically ahead of everyone in the process who skipped that step.
  10. Phone interviews are not phony. If you’re lucky enough to get to this step, make it count. The phone interview is the screening process between those the company is willing to bring in in-person, and those who they will not be “wasting” their time on anymore.
  11. Don’t get down, and keep at it. We know the job-searching process is frustrating and can be, at times, downright devastating. More and more Americans each day are giving up their search to find employment. We implore you to stay at it, and help us get the countries unemployment levels back to a reasonable number!

And of course, last but not least…

  1. USE US HERE AT CROSSROADS CONSULTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are here to help, no way around it. With over 50 current job openings across the nation, and resume optimization services, there is no reason NOT to be checking us out and asking us to assist you in your search for employment.

It is our belief that the job-hunting process should be relatively stress free, and we try to accommodate that mentality into our everyday work ethic. Remember, we’re here to put the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

Contact us today!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FAST FIVE TIPS ON INTERVIEWING

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

After a long holiday weekend one might find it very hard to remain prudent on their job search. However it is of most importance that you stay keen on your skills and continue to hone your craft. What better way to do that than to sit down to start the week and read these 5 easy tips on interviews. Welcome back to the work week, he’s how we hope to help get you through it…

1. In June we posted here on out of our mind the key phrase: “Know before you go” and it still rings true. Proving to a potential employer your interest in their company through prior knowledge you bring into the interview could make or break your chances at getting a job. Think of it this way, if you were interviewing for a job at Google, how impressed do you think they would be if you could tell them all about their newest social media venture Google+?

2. Another simple one. If you’re on time you’re late, if you’re early you’re on time. It would be in your best interest to get to a job interview at least 15 minutes before it is scheduled. Sitting in the lobby waiting for the interviewer will only give you extra time to prepare for potential questions. It will also show the company that you can be a loyal employee.

3. Dress the part, feel the part. Confidence can show in any manner be it the way you dress or the way you conduct yourself in the interview. Make sure you’re looking sharp.

4. Be prepared. Going back to the “know before you go” saying you should also come to an interview prepared. Just because you have already sent your resume and or cover letter to the company doesn’t mean they always have one handy. Make sure to bring enough copies so you’ll have plenty for anyone who may ask to see a copy at the interview. Also make sure that the resume you bring is as up to date as possible.

5. Know yourself. In short, know who you are, what your skills are, and be sure to be confident and explain yourself thoroughly. How can the interviewer get a grasp of how you can be as an employee if you don’t even know yourself? Make sure you can come up with real-life examples to answer your questions. Talk about a time where you displayed excellent team building skills or took on a role as a leader in a group work environment. Make sure when you leave the room you can walk out with your head held high and that you said everything you wanted to say.

These 5 tips are just a few of what we at Crossroads Consulting can offer you. Along with our resume optimization service and interview preparationwe are updating our current openings every day. Feel free to drop by the website and browse all of our services.

Also make sure to like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and good luck getting back to work!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Posted on June 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

In this blog today, we’ll give you just a preview of what Crossroads Consulting can do you for as part of an interview preparation guideline.

To steal a saying from the local weather and traffic channel: “know before you go” is a key phrase to remember when you have an interview scheduled. You’ve finally been set up with the employer of the job you have been eyeing on Crossroads Consulting’s job openings listand you are ready to go. Your resume and cover letters are set, your suit is ironed, you look good and feel good. But a sinking feeling comes over you, what exactly are you going to be asked in this interview? Who is going to be interviewing you? Do you know anything about the company you’re interviewing for? Again, “know before you go.”

My brother always tells me that one of the most underrated computer skills out there is the ability to use Google. Let’s say for arguments sake that you were in fact interviewing for a position at Google. What can you learn from a simple Google query about your potential interview? In short, it’s everything.

All readily available to you on the internet are the names of the founders of Google, the head of HR, and even the Google ethics code. All major things you can learn about the organization that can be used in an interview. So when the interviewer sits you down and asks why you chose to apply to Google you can reply with facts like…

· CNN money rated Google the #4 best company to work for in 2011

· I agree with many of the ethics codes and conducts outlined in the ethics policy

· I’ve been following Google’s growth for many years and am intrigued at their entrance to social media with Google buzz, Google wave, and the new Google +1 button.

These three random facts, all from the internet out of 100s available to you will help you set yourself aside from the competition on game day. When the interviewer looks back on the candidates he or she met that day they’ll remember the name (insert your name here) and how they knew so much about the company. The fact that you took the time to research the company can go a long way in showing you’re interest in working there in the future.

If you liked what you read here, please make sure to come on over to our website and see all the services we offer including interview preparation.

Also make sure to follow us on twitter, like us on facebook, and connect on LinkedIn.

But especially don’t forget to “Know before you go.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

FACEBOOK IS EVERYWHERE

Posted on February 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

By Amy Schlubach

It seems we can’t escape from Facebook these days. Just the other night my cousin and I were late-night snacking on a bag of chips and noticed the back said, “Be our fan on Facebook.” We laughed that even junk food companies want people on their Facebook page. It was also no surprise that last night leaving the gym I saw another slogan asking for fans on Facebook. I feel bombarded with Facebook everywhere I go, yet it’s normal nowadays.

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

A BRAND NEW DAY

Posted on November 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

So you’re looking for a job?

Times are tough out there and you find yourself on the outside looking in?

What to do?

You could do like so many others are doing and just quit, give up and collect from the Federal government and be a burden to the rest of society… That’s always an option…especially from a government that seems to be encouraging that these days…

-OR-

You can fight back. Take control of your own life and get yourself into the game.

If you find a recuriter out there that you trust, and I certainly hope that you trust us here at Crossroads Consulting, LLC and try and establish a relationship with your recruiter of choice and hope for the best. One thing you’ll always be assured of here is that you will get nothing but the truth from us, even if that truth isn’t what you want to necessarily hear.

The other thing that you can do is pick yourself up from the kicking to the ground that you’ve taken and get out there.

What do I mean?

Spend some time on the computer and target companies that a) you would have some interest in working for and b) that you think would have some interest in talking with you. The best choice for the latter is to call competitors of your most preficous company…especially if you spent any kind of significant time at all working there. Find out who the person is that you would be reporting to, and here’s the part that takes some courage…JUST SHOW UP and try and get an interview.

That’s bold…there’s no doubt about that, but in this marketplace you have to do whatever you have to do to make something happen for yourself. If you’re in sales, what better way to demostarte to a Sales Manager that you’re not afraid of cold-calling then to show up like a cold -call and sell yoruself.

Essentailly that’s what we as Recruiters are doing for you. We do it slightly differently in that we have contacts with many of the management teams of companies all over a particular region and when we’re impressed with a particular candidate we pick up the phone and start making calls on your behalf.

It sounds a lot simpler than it really is…the recruiting side that is. But the bottom line is that things happen when you shake things up.

It’s not easy right now. I’m not going to kid you. We’ve taken a gigantic hit over the last couple of years ourselves, but I get myself up and into the office everyday even when I don’t feel like it and get right back in there.

You can do it too. Don’t lose faith in yourself. That’s the one thing that nobody should ever be able to take away from you. I’ve had my own battles with it the last two years and it’s a process that you have to go through in order to give yourself that competitive edge to win out on jobs over so many other deserving people.

There are opportunities out there. You just have to get out there and find them.

We’re here to answer any of your questions and help you us much as possible. Feel free to call us at 203-459-9969 anytime Monday through Friday from 9-5 or you can email us anytime at info@crossroadsconsulting.com. A good recruiter who genuinelly cares about the people they work with, which we like to think that we do, are hard to find. That’s why we have the motto, “Crossroads Consulting, LLC., We’re putting the ‘Human’ back into Human Resources.”

This is your wake-up call.

It’s a brand new day.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Job Seeker News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

To Cover Letter Or Not To Cover Letter…

Posted on January 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Here at Crossroads Consulting, we get approached by job seekers for advice daily…In fact, it’s almost hourly sometimes.  Lately, given the horrific situation out there in the job market, the question has been raised enough times that it warrants us sharing some thoughts with you from OUT OF OUR MIND…

The question concerns the usage of cover letters. What should be in them? Should you use them at all for that matter?

Let’s answer the second one first. Our opinion is it depends upon the level of the job and the company that you’re sending them to. If you’re an executive applying for a C-level position you will most certainly need one. Conversely if you’re at a lower level of authority or just starting your career it will really depend upon the company. When you call to get a name, there is no harm in asking. Also, if you read the ads THOROUGHLY they almost always indicate if they want one or not. If they do, then by all means send one. If they don’t generally it’s a judgment call and we generally lean towards not sending them.

But now, let’s talk in terms of a good cover letter, there are some essentials.

For example: Here’s a basic screw-up that we see constantly.

Make sure the Cover Letter (CL) is addressed to the right person! The one that the job that the letter speaks of… We’d also REALLY recommend that you should have the right name of the company to…but we’re kind of picky that you. You know how it is. 

Don’t be lazy. If you want your resume to stick out from the bunch start with a CL that’s personally written, not addressed “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam” or any innocuous non-descript title. Do some research and find out who it is going to. If you’re applying to a large company, the odds are pretty high that it’s going to the Human Resources department.  How hard is it to use Google or even Spoke or pick your favorite search engine and look it up or get the phone number of the company to call there and get it?

Here’s another tip. If you’re sending a CL to a Recruiter, don’t use the phrase, “Working at (or with) your company.” Say stuff like “Working with your client…or with your client company.” The idea in these things is not to put yourself out there to look stupid and get ruled out before you even get to your resume.

Next Up, try and make it more than just a letter written telling people how great you are and how hard you’re going to work and that you can’t wait to lick the garbage out of the pails for them. People aren’t that stupid and they know you’re kissing their asses. Speaking from my own experience both as an eternal job seeker when we were in radio and standup comedy, more people get turned off by it than excited by it.

Keep the message, short, sweet and to the point.

Nobody has the time or the inclination to spend twenty minutes dissecting you CL to try and make sense of it. Just say what you need to and move on.

We can help you by writing these things for you in addition to fixing up your resume. However for that there is a charge of $100 unless it needs a lot of work and then it would be more.

But here’s a freebie that if you use it right will help you, cost you nothing and help you land your next job.

Dear (Name of person making the initial decision to interview. Usually HR, but could also be the Hiring Manager, make sure you know which they are and the correct spelling of their name)

Please consider my letter and resume as an application for the (The title of the position exactly as it appears in the ad) with (The full name of the company).

While your job description had a good amount of information in it, even a well written one does not encompass all the things that you and your company are looking for from of a potential applicant. , Additionally, just as the job description doesn’t have everything about the job, the same can be said for resumes, including mine which you will find attached here.

Based upon the available information you provided at (Name of the place where you saw it…and make sure you have that right) and from what I’ve read, I believe that I have more than enough of the necessary elements you’ve stated in the ad that you require to garner your consideration and an interview for the opportunity to join (The full name of the company).

Please understand that like your job description is just an overview of your company, the same can be said for a resume. To me a resume is just a piece of paper showing you a summary of dates, employers and descriptions of responsibilities. It doesn’t reveal to the reader the depth of the person who I am.

I could make all sorts of claims and it wouldn’t sound any different than any of the other applications that I’m certain that you are receiving…but sitting down and talking together in an interview would.

Please contact me to schedule an appointment.  I would welcome the chance to get to know you and (The full name of the company) better to see if there is a mutually beneficial fit.

I look forward to hearing from you with a positive reply.

Cordially,

If you have any further questions for us, feel free to submit them to AskMitch@crossroadsconsulting.com. We’re anxious to answer your questions and make this a forum to help people in these trying times.

To submit your resume to us, send it in MS Word format and just follow this link

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Job Seeker News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,