http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com A Blog for Opening Doors to Your Future Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:33:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In the last 12 months I left one company, test drove another, and then expanded my independent business. Let me share what I learned while researching how to take control of my own destiny. Economic insecurity will continue Many employees feel less secure than they did 3-10 years ago. While the end ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2010/02/take-control-of-your-destiny/ Many job seekers create a resume that suggests they are suitable for many different companies and then apply to hundreds of job postings. These resumes frequently use language like "relationship builder," "effective communicator," and "strong team lead" without offering more specific accomplishments or case histories to support the adjectives. Recruiters ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2009/09/what-does-it-take-to-be-an-%e2%80%9ceffective-communicator%e2%80%9d/ There are lots of books and courses available on how to use LinkedIn with the standard messages and tools. But those courses tend to produce users who think that if being listed in the software is good using it heavily without further thought is better. I disagree. In ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2009/09/the-limitations-and-dangers-of-using-linkedin/ Disclosure: O'Donnell Executive Strategies provides recruiting services as well as career strategy. Here are important tips for a successful relationship with a recruiter, when you are the candidate. Interview the recruiting firm. A firm may cover many roles, such as Sales, Marketing, IT, Engineering, Senior Finance and Accounting, Training, Organizational Development, Human ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2009/09/advice-from-a-recruiter-for-the-candidate/ In many of my blogs I have advised you to concentrate your efforts on the 15-25 corporations for which you are likely to be the preferred job seeker. So what if you want to move to another industry or role? What if you have not yet had a job offer ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/07/expanding-your-target-audience/ I am in my 50s. Yes, age bias exists and, yes, it is illegal. You won’t always be able to avoid it. But age bias is sometimes not really about your actual age, it is about certain soft skills and attitudes that employers desire but older employees are less likely ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/07/job-hunting-over-the-age-of-45/ Your long term career goals are much more likely to be achieved if you create group of advisors you respect that you can check in with periodically. These are not “friends” who will agree without question with your rationale about why your career is at the stage it is. These ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/06/create-a-personal-board-of-directors/ The simple answer? Don't do it. I have seen national studies that claimed about 70% of resumes have "mistruths" in them. Other studies state 25-50% of resumes have "embellishments" (an exaggeration but not lie.) The most common lies: Length of employment gaps Titles Degrees completed Salary Reason for leaving Not mentioning a job from which you were fired Taking credit ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/06/lying-on-resumes-and-in-interviews/ I see too many resumes that show the minimum skills required by a job ad but don't show how well the job applicant performed the tasks or why this candidate is a better risk to interview and hire than other applicants with the same skills. If you are guilty of ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/06/don%e2%80%99t-be-lost-in-a-pile-of-resumes/ Fact: 70% of executives who accept a counteroffer are gone from that employer within 6 months. Fact: 85% of executives who accept are gone within 18 months. A counteroffer is an offer made by an employer in order to keep you on after you have given notice. The most frequent counteroffers strategies include: a ... http://placementgenius.odonnellexecutivestrategies.com/2008/05/counteroffers-benefit-the-employer-not-you/