Jose Ruiz

 

•A good resume can help you plan your career. It should be a living document that you keep updated. The details of your career path are important (as we will discuss in the work experience section) and it is very unlikely that you will be able to sit down and remember the details and accomplishments of a job you held 7 years ago. 

•A good resume will tell a hiring manager if you fit a job description.

•A good resume will tell a hiring manager when a job is not right for you.

•A good resume will not get you a job. It will get you in the door for an interview.

When writing a resume to apply for a job it is important to look at it as a sales tool not as a table of information. The information and the way it is structured is 95% of the resume.

 

INFORMATION AND STRUCTURE

 

So what to include? What should be left out?

Think about yourself making a mayor purchase like buying a house. There are four levels of information:

 

1)The basic information that will motivate you to spend time on exploring more details.
Examples:
•Location
•Number of rooms and bathrooms

 

2)The key information that will determine if you will buy or not.
Examples:
•Price range
•Square meters
•Yard space

 

3)The trivial information that will not determine your decision but can be an influence.
Examples:
•Stores that are near the house
•Color of the house
•Restroom hardware

 

4)Useless information. Information that while true and accurate you really don’t need when making a decision to buy:
Example:
•Diameter of the sewage pipe
•The serial number on the electricity meter
•The exact length of a window

 

What would you think if you called to ask about a house and the first thing you are told is:  “The serial number of the electricity meter is SN394035, The front window measures 3.257 meters, it has 2-1/2 inch sewer pipes, the walls are beige and it has a tile roof. Are you interested?”

 

Sounds crazy?  That’s the way many people present themselves through their resumes.

 

A resume will immediately convey your communication skills and your focus on what matters.

 

A badly structured resume with the wrong kind of information will keep you from getting an interview. It will most likely not be read and if it is read it will likely have a negative impact.

 

The structure and information on your resume can in fact reflect your leadership skills as well as the experience you include. How many managers have you met that in spite of having the manager title for many years simply can’t even manage themselves and show absolutely no leadership skills?  A good leader is focused, knows what is important and guarantees that everyone that surrounds them share that vision through good communication. That focus, understanding of what is important as well as the communication skills are immediately reflected in a good resume.

 

In your resume there are also four levels of information:

1)The basic information that will motivate a hiring manager to spend time on exploring more details. This should cover the first 10 lines of the resume and will determine if it is worth reading the details in your profile.
Examples:
•Location. Where do you live? Do I have to relocate you?
•Education. What is your level of education? What is your discipline?
•Years of relevant working experience.
•Products you have worked with. For how long?
•Industries you have been involved with. For how long?
•Key skill sets and certifications
•Key accomplishments
•Spoke Languages

 

2)The detailed information that will determine if you are qualified
Examples:
a.Detailed work experience
•Company and brief company description
•Position including start and end date
•Brief description of activities
•Accomplishments
b.Education details
•Degree and date it was obtained
•Institution
•Certifications

 

3)The trivial information that will not determine the decision but needs to be in a place that makes it easy to be read. In short, your contact information. While it is third in importance it should be at the top!
Example:
a.Your name
b.Address
c.Home phone, cell phone and work phone
d.Email

4)Information useless to the resume. Information that really should not be on the resume:
Example:
c.Your social security number
d.Your passport number
e.The name of your wife and kids

A well structured resume with the right information will convey your background skills and ability to successfully execute in the right job.

Your resume can kill your career!

 QUESTION:

I currently have a job but I’m looking for better opportunities. I have been sending my resume out and I have sent it to at least 15 companies without a single request for interview. What am I doing wrong?

 ANSWER:

First of all: STOP SENDING OUT YOUR RESUME. You might be doing yourself a lot of harm and not know it.

 A few things may be happening and there are three things you need to consider before your continue your search:

1) The information and the structure of your resume.

2) Where you are sending your resume and why.

3) The suicide potential by sending out your resume to 15 companies while you already have a job.

 

I’ll focus on the last one (number 3) because it is the most critical. Very negative things can happen from blasting your resume and posting it all over the internet.

 1) You might send the resume to a company for a position just to see what happens, you might do it twice or maybe three times in a few years and then you see a job opening that truly is a perfect fit for you and it matches your career goals. You send your resume again. The company looks at it and thinks “Oh! I know this guy, he sends his resume for EVERYTHING out there. Not focused. Go to the next one”.

 I’m not making this up. As a Plant Manger I had people send me their resume for an engineering position, an H.R. position and a sales position within two years…and their background was in purchasing! I would never hire someone that lacks that much focus because it is very likely that once I give them a job they will start blasting resumes again.

 2) On thing that many hiring managers with access to public job boards will do when they get a resume (I do it myself!) is search for the person in a public database.  It can signal if the candidate is an active job seeker which is not good.

 3) Once you blast resumes to many companies and you post them all over the internet you better know that they are out there and can come back to haunt you in a bad way.  I have received resumes that look pretty damn good and when I pull up my files or search the internet I find the person and SURPRISE! The resume is different. Titles have changed, in one case positions disappeared to cover-up being fired or spending very little time on a job. Assuming I’m still interested in the master of disguise, Can you guess which companies I call first for references?  

 4) Your current company can find out and not be happy. While they may not immediately fire you it will send the message that you will not be there long so you will likely be left out of promotions, training opportunities and salary increases.

Follow these rules if you don’t want to get burned:

1)      Be very selective to where you send your resume

2)      Work with private services that don’t provide public paid access to your resume

3)      Avoid resume job boards and public sites

4)      Keep track of your resume versions and be very careful on how you manipulate and change the information.

 

Question:
I just received and offer after a few weeks of interviews but as I look at it I’m really not convinced. It involves relocation, I would have to rent a house (I already own one now) and groceries are more expensive in that region. If Ia factor those things it’s not worth moving for the 30% they are offering. What is the best way to decline the offer?

 

You really should have clarified your expectation upfront. To be realistic a 25%-30% increase is what most companies will offer (READ: How much should I get for changing jobs in Mexico?).

 

If you want to keep your house and completely add the rent of another house in a new city to your new salary your expectation will most likely be higher than what most organizations will pay. And groceries? How much do you spend a month in groceries?

 

Let’s be realistic: I speak to over 100 people each month and there are two types of candidates:

 

1) The ones that are really interested in making a change because they have a very clearly defined goal of where they want to be in the future (money and target job) and understand the path to get there. These individuals seek POSITIONING themselves in an organization that will allow them to develop themselves with the absolute understanding that money will follow experience and responsibility.

 

2) The ones that are comfortable were they are but would like to make more money so they look around just because it doesn’t hurt.

Based on your questions it is clear that, at least for now, you belong in the number 2 category.

I strongly recommend you review your career plan. Understand and clarify where you want to be and what steps are required to get there. It’s important that you involve your family in this process and make sure it’s part of your life plan and not an isolated plan that will be questioned when its time to make a move. Your plan may or may not involve switching jobs, or moving to another city.

Once you know what your plan is: Attack! And do it hard with full commitment.

Never allow yourself to fall into category 2 because it WILL weaken your growth and burn bridges. It creates distraction and it will drop your intensity and performance with your current employer and you can never allow that to happen. You are building your resume every day with your achievements and your current performance. Every single day counts. Stay focused.

 

Having said that, the best way to decline is to be honest. Your answer should be “I’m apologize, but after reviewing the offer I realize I should have clarified my expectations up-front. This was not what I was looking for” Any good manager will be able to see through the excuses so don’t try to cover it up.

 

 

 

How much should I get for changing jobs in Mexico?

There is no easy answer for this question but the best way to address is it is to understand a company’s typical thought process.

Regardless of what companies will publicly admit there are three things that will determine what a company will offer you when changing jobs:

1) What you are worth in the Market. And this has nothing to do with your perceived value, it is important to distinguish your perceived value from your market value.  Your market value is simply based on what others with a similar skill set and experience (your competition) are currently or willing to make. I have had candidates tell me: “I saved the company $500,000 dollars last year why can’t they pay me 50% more?” And the answer is pretty straight forward, harsh, but straight forward: Because they don’t have to if someone else can save them the same amount for 25% less than what you make.

So, research the market when setting your expectations. Once you arrive at market data it is important to understand how it is used.  If you take market statistics as a reference companies will try to make offers below the 50 percentile to guarantee room for growth and development. The area above that percentile is reserved for compensating performance and experience at the corresponding level.  If at any point you are able to negotiate above the 50 percentile be cautious of what your future will look like. You might be staring at a few years with below average salary increases. 

2) That your current salary is.  This becomes a none issue if you are at market but if you are under the market it will force a question: Why are you below market?  And in many cases there is a valid reason but beware of how you present your case. Companies will know about other companies more that you might expect. Company names in your resume and your current salary will hint to what your performance has been. Questions marks will fly if you have been with a well recognized organization for the past 4 years and your salary is below market.  Regardless of how well the interview process goes and how good an organization may be when evaluating potential employees there is never a guarantee that a new hire will perform as expected so if you are below market don’t expect an immediate increase to bring you to market level. Companies will typically provide an increase to bring you on board but it will be up to you to bring yourself to market level by performing.  So worry about positioning yourself in an organization that will FACILITATE getting back to market level within a certain amount of time versus trying to find sponsor that will immediately take you there because they feel for you and believe your story.
 
It is also important to consider that while companies understand that money is important they will seek a candidate’s decision on the base of career development and not an immediate boost in pay. For that reason, most organizations will shy away from providing sharp increases when presenting an offer. The average increase in Mexico, assuming that the increase does no put you outside the hiring companies range for the position is between 20-30%.  In very few instances do we see organizations that are willing to increase a candidate’s salary by more than 30% when changing jobs. So once again, worry about positioning yourself in an organization that will provide a level of responsibility, training and experience that will allow you to progressively increase your market value and consequently your salary. 

Chase responsibility and experience that can be marketed and the money will come.

3) Their internal pay structure.  You would think that a pay structure in a company that is worthwhile would necessarily match market data. Unfortunately it is not always the case and not because organizations would not want it that way, simply because events can change the market quicker than what a company can or would be willing to react to. Typically it is a temporary offer and demand issue for specific positions and companies many times prefer to take more time on a job opening or even lose a few employees to avoid turning their cost structure upside down or generate disgruntled employees by increasing the salary for only specific positions while keeping other similar ones the same.

 

Beware of Counteroffers 

National Business Employment Weekly - 4/24/94

You've been approached by another company and offered a position with growth potential and a moderate increase in compensation. You've analyzed and agonized over the decision to leave a good (or bad) job for what could be a better one, and have accepted (or decided to accept) the offer. However, upon resigning, your current boss asks you to stay. This appeal is known as a counteroffer or buyback.

In recent years, counteroffers have practically become the norm. "It's almost like a part of the accepted divorce proceedings, and allows the boss to save face with his boss," explains one departing Texas-based executive of a major airline. "And it sometimes has to take its course."

But while buyback offers can be tempting, take care not to fall into the trap or be blindsided to your own detriment. Career changes are tough enough as it is, and anxieties about leaving a comfortable job, friends and location and having to reprove yourself again in an unknown opportunity can cloud the best of logic. But just because the new position is a little scary doesn't mean it's not a positive move.

Since buyback gestures can create confusion and buyer's remorse, you should understand what's being cast upon you. Counteroffers are typically made in conjunction with some form of flattery. For example:

·         You're too valuable, we need you.
·         You can't desert the team/your friends and leave them hanging.
·         We were just about to give you a promotion/raise, and it was confidential until now.
·         What did they offer, why are you leaving, and what do you need to stay?
·         Why would you work for that company?
·         The President/CEO wants to meet with you before you make your final decision.

Counters usually take the form of:

1.     more money
2.     a promotion/more responsibility
3.     a modified reporting structure
4.     promises or future considerations
5.     disparaging remarks about the new company or job.

Of course, since we all prefer to think we're MVPs, it's natural to want to believe these manipulative appeals, but beware! Accepting a counteroffer often is the wrong choice to make. Think about it: If you were worth "X" yesterday, why are they suddenly willing to pay you "X + Y" today, when you weren't expecting a raise for some time?

Also consider how you've felt when someone resigned from your staff, The reality is that employers don't like to be "fired." Your boss is likely concerned that he'll look bad, and that his career may suffer. Bosses are judged by their ability to retain staff. When a contributor quits, morale suffers. Further, your leaving might jeopardize an important project, increase staffers' workload or even foul up a vacation schedule. It's never a good time for someone to quit, and it may prove time-consuming and costly to replace you, especially considering recruitment and relocation expenses. It's much cheaper to keep you, even at a slightly higher salary. And it would be better to fire you later, on the company's time frame.

"We've made counteroffers on occasion, if a good person approaches the issue professionally," says a former senior partner of a Big Six accounting and consulting firm. "But usually it was a stopgap measure because we couldn't afford a defection at that point in time. We didn't count on those people long term, and usually they'd burned bridges two or three levels up, if not with their immediate manager. It definitely put them in a career holding pattern."

The senior partner cites a long conference he once attended with his boss and two subordinate managers, in which they approved a counteroffer and raise to an employee two levels down. "Immediately after that meeting, my boss called me and said, 'We can't afford to lose him now, but our No. 1 priority is to find a replacement, ASAP!' " he says. "And we replaced him within a few months."

Another senior executive from a major Dallas-based bank says, "If it's a real 'hitter,' I'll try to get him to stay. But to be honest, any additional compensation is 'stealing' from his future earnings, and I'll always question his convictions, knowing he can be bought. Further, I'll wonder if I can really count on him (which equates to limited future opportunities). In other words, the damage is done."

While your employer may truly consider you an asset and genuinely care about you personally, you can be sure that your interests are secondary to your boss's career and your company's profit or survival. Thus, flattering offers and comments are attempts to manipulate you to act in your employer's best interests-which aren't necessarily your own. In other words, they're not about you.

Accepting a counteroffer can have numerous negative consequences. Consider:

1.Where did the additional money or responsibility you'd get come from? Was it your next raise or promotion-just given early? Will you be limited in the future? Will you have to threaten to quit to get your next raise? Might a (cheaper) replacement be sought out?
2.You've demonstrated your unhappiness (or lack of blind loyalty), and will be perceived as having committed blackmail to gain a raise. You won't ever be considered a team player again. Many employers will hold a grudge at the next review period, and you may be placed at the top of the next reduction-in-force "hit list." As one executive who requested anonymity says, "Like an adulterous affair that's been discovered, the broken trust is never fully recovered."
3.Apart from a short-term, band-aid treatment, nothing will change within the company. After the dust settles from this upheaval, you'll be in the same old rut. A rule of thumb among recruiters is that more that 80% of those accepting counteroffers leave, or are terminated, within six to twelve months anyway. Half of those who do succumb reinitiate their job searches within 90 days, recruiters say. 
"They butter you up, give you more money, but nothing really changes. In fact, they can get worse," says one insurance executive in Utah who accepted a counteroffer. "My immediate boss was really agitated, since his boss interceded. At raise time, he told me that none had been budgeted (since I had already gotten a raise), and that if I wanted, I could negotiate with the president as before." This executive, by the way, left the company within months.
6.Attempted buybacks can demonstrate disrespect for your well-thought-out decision and commitment to the new company. Should your current employer decide to eliminate your position or pass you over for promotion, successfully countering their decision is unlikely. Besides, you've analyzed, accepted and committed to the new company, which has sure made plans and accommodations around you and counting on you.

Finally, when making your decision, look at your current job and the new position as if you were unemployed. Which opportunity holds the most real potential? Probably the new one, or you wouldn't have accepted it in the first place.