Is your neighbor working on a home-improvement project just a neighbor working on a home-improvement project, or is there more to the picture? Could saying “hi” and lending your neighbor a hand lead to a great job opportunity? According to my career-coaching colleagues, including Wendy Terwelp, Laura Berman Fortgang, and Anne-Marie Ditta, taking advantage of the slow, breezy nature of summer to build relationships and strengthen your network could be beneficial to your job search.

Sizzling Summer Job Search Tips
by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

Are you taking a break from the job search and surrendering to the lazy days of summer? The conventional wisdom is that almost everyone is in vacation mode from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Consequently, many postpone job searching until September. Is this a mistake? Could you be missing opportunities if you take the summer off? We asked the career experts to find out.

Summer Job Searching — Worthwhile or Waste of Time?

“I often hear job seekers say that they want to take the summer off,” says Wendy Terwelp, career coach and president of Mequon, Wisconsin-based career management firm Opportunity Knocks. Terwelp says that by the time the summer ends, job seekers who took the summer off will be competing against even more job seekers who have followed the same strategy. Anne-Marie Ditta, president of First Impression Career Services, agrees. “A fair number of job seekers think that recruiters and hiring managers are unavailable during the summer,” Ditta says. Therefore, many believe it’s a waste of time to job search from June through August.

Debunking the Summer Vacation Myth

“Few people take long vacations anymore, so for the corporate world it’s business as usual in the summer,” says Laura Berman Fortgang, a pioneer in the personal coaching field who has appeared on “Oprah” and “The CBS Early Show” and wrote Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction.

“It may take a little longer to get internal consensus on a hire because of staggered vacations, but why waste three months when you can move things forward during that time?” suggests Fortgang, who says that summertime can offer advantages to job seekers. “Sometimes, summer’s quieter pace gives hiring managers a bit more ‘brain space,’ so they are more attentive to employment applications,” she says. Summer can be a prime hiring season for some employers. “Many projects hit the ground running in the fall, and employers want new people in place,” says Fortgang.

Six Summer Job Search Tips

How do you keep your search moving forward in the summer? Our experts offer these tips:

1. Capitalize on Seasonal Events: Summer is a terrific time to network,” says Terwelp. “There are festivals, barbeques, weddings and other gatherings that can be a perfect time to connect.” Fortgang says that using personal and social gatherings to let people know you are looking is an excellent strategy.

2. Don’t Get Discouraged: Summer vacations may make reaching the right people more challenging, but “don’t use this as a reason to back off,” says Fortgang. “Be patient and consistent, leave polite messages and continue due diligence,” she says. Keep in mind that receptionists and other gatekeepers take vacations, too. “You might connect with that otherwise hard-to-reach hiring manager while your competitors are lolling around waiting until September,” says Ditta.

3. Keep a Job Search Schedule: Yes, it’s summer, but don’t be lulled into laziness. “Even if it is just an hour a day, put structure in place to keep you going,” says Fortgang.

4. Build a Network: “Form a group of like-minded job seekers to keep your summer job search on track,” Fortgang suggests. Meet regularly to share information on who’s hiring. A job opportunity not right for you may be perfect for someone in your network, and vice-versa.

5. Take Stock of Your Resume and Skills: Summer is the perfect time to assess and update your resume and skills. “Review your resume and add any new accomplishments or training,” says Terwelp. Also, brush up on any skills that may be lagging. “Take a class or two in the summer. Not only will you be improving your skills, but you can network with your classmates.”

6. Get Outside: Warm weather is the prime time for outdoor home improvement projects, and by helping your neighbors you can help your career at the same time. Walk around your neighborhood and offer to give someone a hand. While you’re helping that neighbor, you can share that you’re job hunting and tap into someone else’s network. “This can lead to more connections, informational interviews and maybe even a new job,” says Terwelp.

When it comes to your job search, summer doesn’t have to mean slow. While that perfect swimsuit may remain elusive, you can use the summer months to find an ideal career fit. Your time and effort can reap big rewards and even land you a new job before autumn.

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This article was written by Kim Isaacs, director of ResumePower.com and author of The Career Change Resume book. Visit the ResumePower.com site to learn more about resume services to jump-start your career.

Copyright 2007- Monster Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. You may not copy, reproduce or distribute this article without the prior written permission of Monster Worldwide. This article first appeared on Monster, the leading online global network for careers. To see other career-related articles visit http://content.monster.com.

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Recently, a number of job seekers have asked me if it’s okay to drop undesirable jobs from their resumes. The reasons varied, but most had to do with holding short-term positions, leaving jobs on bad terms, getting fired, and changing careers.

In the past, I would have considered that approach. After all, a resume is a marketing piece and should present only the qualifications that would help “sell” the candidate. Now I’m revisiting this issue, and my advice is that you shouldn’t omit positions from your resume just to make your work history look more desirable.

Okay, I shouldn’t use absolutes. Someone asked if a job she held for several days can be dropped. Yes, it can! An extremely short-term job is not significant enough to be listed in your employment history. Also, if you’re only including employment history from the last 10-15 years or so, of course you can omit older jobs. As is the case for most resume strategy decisions, use your judgment.

Here are the top reasons why it’s usually not a good idea to omit jobs from the resume:

1. You will look like a liar when the employer finds out during a background check, and then you’ll have some explaining to do (if a job offer is still a possibility).

2. Although resumes aren’t officially signed, legal documents like applications are, employers are expecting you to provide a thorough, honest work history. The omitted job may go unnoticed for now, but could come back to haunt you after you’re hired. Your job–and reputation–could be in jeopardy.

3. In some cases, listing the job will look better than showing a “gap.” Yes, you were employed (even if for a short time), and that will remove the employer’s concern about what you were doing during that time period.

4. It doesn’t look as bad as you think it looks. I understand that it’s a competitive job market and everyone wants to have a “perfect” work history, but very few people offer such a history. You’re human. You took a job that was a bad fit. You got fired. So what? We tend to magnify our own flaws, even when others wouldn’t notice there’s a problem.

I’m not saying that providing a complete, truthful work history is the easy approach. You could be hit with tough interview questions, but you should do fine if you anticipate the questions and prepare responses before heading into the interview.

The bottom line: You will get a new job, and can proceed with a clear conscience.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Heather Johnson joins us today with a great primer on how to ace the interview. I especially like Heather’s emphasis on building confidence by planning, researching, and practicing before the meeting. Enjoy! — Kim Isaacs

10 Tips to Ace the Job Interview
by Heather Johnson

Most people dread going on job interviews. The stress of meeting new people, dealing with tough questions, and possibly losing a good job opportunity is enough to unnerve even the most self-assured people. The good news is that with a little preparation, you can “wow” the interviewer and become a frontrunner for the position. Follow these 10 tips to ace the interview:

1. Research the Company – Employers are impressed by candidates who take the initiative to learn about their operations. Your research findings will also help you ask relevant questions during the interview.

2. Learn About the Interviewer – If you know who is interviewing you, find out a little more about the person. Check out the company’s website for employee bios or visit social networking sites like LinkedIn. Be careful not to overdo this, though — you don’t want to appear like a stalker.

3. Practice – Ask a friend, family member, or colleague who is experienced with job interviews to roleplay with you. Here’s a list of 50 common interview questions that you can use as a starting point. Just going through some possible interview questions will help ease your nerves.

4. Dress Appropriately, Yet Comfortably – Wear your best business attire for an interview, but don’t squeeze into something that’s uncomfortable. You’ll feel awkward and your physical discomfort might affect your performance.

5. Tell Yourself You Don’t Need This Job – Even if this seems like your “dream job,” convince yourself that you don’t need the job. This way, it won’t be the end of the world if the interview doesn’t go well.

6. Be Punctual – Plan ahead and allow some extra time for traffic, as you will not make a good first impression if you are late.

7. Make Eye Contact – Make direct eye contact with the interviewer. This shows that you are genuinely interested in what the interviewer is saying.

8. Remain Calm – When people are nervous, they tend to rush through conversations. Take your time while answering questions, and think before you speak.

9. Ask Questions – The interview will help you determine if you even want the job, so be sure to ask questions. You may discover that this isn’t the job for you.

10. Thank Your Interviewer – Not only should the interview end with a “thank you” and a handshake, follow up with a thank you card as soon as you return from the interview.

Perhaps the most important rule is #8–you will perform better if you appear calm and collected, even if you are shaking on the inside.

About the Author: Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of how to become a pharmacist. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com (replace “at” with @ and “dot” with “.”).

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I’m sometimes asked if people should write their own resumes. After all, who knows more about the job seeker’s accomplishments than the job seeker himself? So I’ve compiled this list of the top ten reasons why you shouldn’t write your own resume:

Top Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Write Your Own Resume

10. Last time you wrote your resume, it was confused with your six-year-old’s homework assignment.

9. Your self-composed resume left you amongst the long-term unemployed.

8. You struggle with how to word your Objective section and keep coming back to the old standby, “Seeking a challenging position with a growth-oriented company.”

7. The latest version of your resume leads with your 1972 babysitting gig.

6. You’re using an IBM Selectric to format your resume’s layout.

5. You think keywords have something to do with the Dewey Decimal System.

4. Your son’s resume is more impressive than yours, and he has never held a job.

3. You’re trying to sum up a long-term career history on a one-page resume.

2. You were always the first to be eliminated in spelling bees, but there’s always spellcheck, write?

And the #1 reason why you shouldn’t write your own resume…

1. Hiring managers have an uncontrollable bout of the giggles when reading your resume.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Newspapers, blogs, sales letters, and other marketing documents use headlines to draw readers in and make them want to continue reading.

Using the same concept as headlines for sales copy (Michel Fortin’s blog post on the subject is a must-read), adding one to your resume can give you an edge over other candidates.

If you’re boring employers to tears with a ho-hum “Objective” section that focuses on you and your needs, try using a headline instead and see if that makes a difference in your resume’s response rate. I bet it does!

The goal of a headline is to capture the reader’s attention, so it should contain your value proposition. Don’t even try to create one unless you can succinctly express why the employer should hire you. Once that is clear in your mind, you can create a headline that gets noticed and makes the hiring manager want to read the rest of your resume.

Have you replaced your “Objective” section with a headline? If so, I would love to hear how it’s been working for you. Feel free to post a comment below or send me an email .

To your success,

Kim Isaacs

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Many people took me up on my offer to critique their resumes for free — here’s the thread: Free Resume Critique

When reviewing the resumes, I noticed that the documents shared common problems and issues — regardless of the career field. The free critique offer is now closed, but you can improve your resume by following these tips:

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Resume

1. Proofread. This should be a no-brainer, but almost all resumes had typos and formatting inconsistencies. Make sure your resume is perfect, and hire a professional if you’re not confident in your proofreading skills.

2. Remove “Fluff.” One of my pet peeves is the use of flowery resume language. If you’re a results-proven, detail-oriented leader with excellent verbal and written communication skills, I’m talking to you. This type of language makes hiring managers’ eyes glaze over and doesn’t do much to “sell” your credentials. Instead of saying that you have these skills, prove it with examples of past successes throughout the resume.

3. Add a Headline. A Headline calls out your objective as well as one or two of your top qualifications, and is a modern twist on a traditional “Objective” section.

4. Add a Summary. If you don’t have a Qualifications Summary, write one — immediately! The summary can present the top reasons why employers should contact you — your value proposition. If you lead your resume with a compelling summary, employers will be more likely to read the rest of your resume.

5. Include Important Skills. You can create a separate “Key Skills” section or incorporate your skills in the Summary section. Either way, an easy-to-skim, bulleted list of your job-related skills will appeal to hiring managers.

6. Add Accomplishments. And while you’re at it, quantify them (if possible) so employers can understand the impact of your work.

7. Avoid Using Personal Pronouns. Employers know that your resume is about you, so write in an “implied” first-person voice.

8. Focus on the Last Ten Years or So. If your work history is extensive, keep in mind that most resume reviewers are concerned about your recent employment. You can keep the early positions, but cut down on the amount of space used and consider summing it up in an “Early Career” section.

9. Add an Online Folio. If you don’t already have one, create an online career folio or blog that can bring your branded message to life. Once you have established an online presence, you will increase your chances of getting found when an employer or recruiter Googles you.

10. Ditch the “References Available” Line. Employers expect you to have references if you’re in a job search, and this line is just wasting space at the end of the resume.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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If you’ve been thinking about submitting your resume for a free critique on this thread, please note that I am closing the offer on April 1. Resumes submitted after April 1 will not be critiqued. I will re-open this offer when my schedule gets less hectic.

Thanks for the incredible response — I enjoyed critiquing all of the resumes that were posted!

If you missed this offer, here’s an article that provides alternative resources for critiques: Top 8 Resources for a Resume Critique

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Check out my latest Monster podcast on one of my favorite subjects: How to Write a Cover Letter for Your Career Change.

No cover letter templates, please! You’ve got to write from the heart. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

P.S.: I’ve been offering free resume critiques for more than a month now, and I’m about to close the offer because my schedule is getting super crazy. So if you haven’t yet submitted your resume for a free critique, hop on over to this thread and follow the instructions for posting your resume. Hope to see you there! - Kim

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