Voicemail Woes

What happens if your voice doesn’t have any mail? Or your mail doesn’t have a voice?

You have decided to take a HUGE chance and leave your current job or maybe you recently graduated college. You are excited and ready to take on the world, nothing can stop you! But, it can be scary and difficult looking for a job. There are a million things going through your head that you must make sure you have completed. Questions and concerns rush through your mind… am I qualified for this position? I need to update my resume. What jobs do I list on my resume? How long will it take me to get hired? Is this the best move for me? Is this job going to pay me enough?

There are so many things you have to think about and worry about, that you could be forgetting to do the most important thing of them all; paying attention to the smallest of details. It can get frustrating when a recruiter comes across a resume or application and they love what they see; this person is qualified, educated, and has a lot of experience. This person is exactly who we are looking for! I am going to give them a call and set up a phone or even a face to face interview.

We pick up the phone and as the phone is ringing over and over, we start to plan the type of voicemail we are going to leave. Then we hear those words, which no recruiter wants to hear. “I’m sorry, but the number you are trying to reach has a voicemail box that is not set up, good bye.” But sometimes someone does pick up, only to tell us “I’m sorry you have the wrong number.”

Searching for a new career is hard enough, there are a lot of things that you need to make sure are completed as you are applying for jobs.  But don’t let the smallest details slip your busy mind.

Before you send in that resume, or fill out the job application, remember to keep these things in mind:

• Make sure you have the correct contact number on your resume AND application. 
• Make sure your voicemail is set up and empty of messages.
• Make sure your voicemail is professional and simple. No need to have a 5 minute voicemail message with music blaring in the background.

It would be silly for you to miss out on a great job opportunity over something that is 100% in your control. 

For other great voicemail tips, please reach out to me at ryan.gentile@mattressfirm.com

Will You Checkmate Your Career?

In the early 19^th century the laws of chess were created to ensure all players are playing equally. Wouldn’t it be great if there were laws for our career? I imagine most of us would love to have a career check list to ensure we were doing everything required to move up to our next position. But just as the game of chess is dependent on the mindset and decisions of the player, you are the motivator of your career. Preparing, playing and finishing a game of chess may also resemble your aspirations for a strong career.

To start the game, you must set up the board. A great start to setting up your career is to define your career goals. Where do you want to be in 12 months, 2 years, 5 years and 10 years down the road? Write them down, as a “goal not written down is just a wish” – unknown.

There are several types of moves while playing chess- basic movements, capturing and castling to name a few. How many moves have you made in your career? Are you being strategic? Basic moves are great; they provide you the foundation you need to gain success and credibility. Are you capturing key lessons from those around you? In castling the King and the Rook move together, are you working with a team or mentor to help you move through your career?

Formal games of chess players are required to record their moves. Research shows we learn more from reflecting on our experiences, even more than the actual experience. How much time do you carve out of your day, week or even month to record your moves or reflect on what you have learned?

A game of chess can end in a variety of ways: the three main being resignation, a draw or checkmate. How will your career end? Will you resign from your advancement? Will you end up in a draw, maybe a lull in your career because of a lack of clear goals or a mentorship? Or will you continue to advance and checkmate into your next journey?

Your career can be your personal game of chess. Write down your goals, make strategic moves, and reflecting on your experiences may lead you to a checkmate! 

For some great chess moves, please email me at Brandee.Baker@mfrm.com 

Resume 101

A couple of weeks ago I ran across an article published by Business Insider that I could not agree more with in regard to information that you need to immediately remove from your resume. It is important to remember that your resume lands you the interview, not the actual job. If you get to a formal interview, that is the time to dive deeper into your experience – no need for your resume to look like a novel (the recruiter and hiring manager will appreciate that immensely).

Remove the following from your resume:

•  Middle and high school Information
• This becomes even more unnecessary if you have collegiate experience
• Average or poor GPA
• Passive language
• "Familiar with"; "Learned how to"
• A series of short-lived jobs
• Photos
• Objective statement
• They can work against you and are very difficult to write
• Really obvious skills
• Example: Microsoft Word
• Any information that can cause discrimination
• Age, religion, political affiliation
• Too personal of information
• Social security number, marital status
• More pages
• Keep it to one page, trust me, that's all you need
• 
  

Take it from me, if you omit the above information you will be left with a relevant and impactful resume. 

Happy job seeking!

To read the Business Insider article in its entirety, click on the link below.

http://www.businessinsider.com/outdated-information-on-your-resume-2015-7?utm_content=buffer733ac&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

For additional resume tips feel free to contact me at edith.botello@mfrm.com.

Looking to Start a Professional Library?

We recently sat down with Steve Stagner, CEO of MFRM Family of Brands, and asked which of his favorite books he would recommend to someone looking to start a collection aimed at business and professional development. 

1. Leadership & Self-Deception- The Arbinger Institute
2. Spin Selling- Neil Rackham

3. Good to Great- Jim Collins

4. Radical Leap- Steve Farber

5. Purple Cow- Seth Godin

6. The Innovators Dilemma- Clayton M. Christensen

7. The One Minute Salesperson- Spencer Johnson, Larry Wilson

8. Blue Ocean Strategy- W. Chan Kim, Renee Maubourgne

9. The Loyalty Effect- Frederick F. Reichheld 

10. The Great Game of Business- Jack Stack



If you have any great books to recommend, feel free to email me at erica.siri@mfrm.com