Breaking In

Coffee with an Executive Coach

Coffee with an Executive Coach

Confession:  when I was first approached to work with an executive coach a couple of years ago, I was insulted, hurt, and felt flawed.  What I did not realize then was that the chance to work with an executive coach would provide me with an incredible journey of self realization.   Sounds profound, huh?  Seriously, it was the chance to look in the mirror and get the opportunity to work on my challenging areas (aka “needs improvement”) with a great neutral partner.  (Don’t fool yourself, if we were all perfect, it would be quite a boring world!)  My former coach is now a good friend –there for me as a sounding board and mentor when ever I should call.  They are (for the most part!) patient, wise and insightful.  This brings me to today…

I was having coffee w. an executive coach*, who turns out, is a fan of my blog!  She gave me a couple of quite simple thoughts/tips for those of you out there breaking in and/or wanting to move up.  One that stuck with me….

            What is your 30 Second Elevator Speech?  Do you know what it is? 

I didn’t!  Another way of asking…. What’s your sales pitch?  Your story?  If you got stuck in the elevator w. the CEO or another senior level executive in your Company – what would you say?  Bottom line – you should always have a 30 second introduction prepared to self yourself and your skills. Think about it…. You never know who you’re chatting with in the Starbucks line on any given morning….

So, I’ll ask again, What’s your Elevator Speech?

*This fantastic executive coach can be reached through her website at www.lindseyresources.com

Your Curriculum Vitae: The Resume

Your Curriculum Vitae: The Resume

This may date me, but I vividly remember a scene in the movie Legally Blonde, where the main character, Elle, leaves her resume with her law professor for a potential internship.  The resume is on pink stationary and scented, to paraphrase, “…to add a little something…”  You got to love it….

In today’s day and age, the reality is resumes are rarely mailed or handed out - they are sent electronically, via email or uploaded into a resume database, leaving no room for that ‘little something.’

So, how do you get your resume noticed?  For years, I’ve told undergrads and grads alike that there is no magic secret to the perfect resume – that if you asked 10 recruiters for their opinion on your resume, you would get 15 responses! 

In my opinion, it’s really simple; keep it short and sweet and to the point. Some general tips:

·         Use bullets to summarize your experience – reading paragraph format is exhausting and time consuming.

·         Use action words to start each bullet. For example, “Managed staff of….. “ or “Created……”  or “Provided administrative support to….” Etc.

·         For people w. 5+ years of experience, add 1-3 key accomplishments where relevant.  As you progress up the career ladder, recruiters and managers want to know about your contributions.

·         SPELL correctly – especially the company name!

·         Your resume does not have to be one page – as long as your experience, education, and accomplishments warrant the length.

·         NO pictures, logos, age, weight, height, etc.  Not relevant to a professional job – unless you are a model or actor. J

Remember, you do only have about 3-5 seconds to capture the recruiter’s attention – use words and terminology that is relevant to the job – NOW, don’t lie on your resume, just ‘tweek’ it a bit to make it pertinent.