Cranky Recruiter: Show Your Strengths

Uh-oh, here's Cranky Recruiter digging in after a long holiday weekend.  May spell trouble for some job hunters out there.

Ok, so I've wrapped up working on some marketing roles recently and am struck by the fact that so many marketing resumes are so blah.  Often I see sales resumes that are pretty blah and I think that they probably know how to sell things but rely on a good marketer to come up with the collateral.  But a marketer with a boring resume.  It seems to scream poor marketing skills.

Everyone says you should do what you love.  If I was to become a marketer, I think I would love to market things.  If I was in the hunt for a job, I think my number one goal would be to market myself.  First I'd throw away those old versions of my resume, sit down at my creativity inducing desk/table/park bench and brainstorm what I should be branding myself as.  Do I want to be a packaging guru?  Then I had better have a resume that packs a visual punch.  Do I want to be the strategic marketer who can develop an entire program for my future company?  Well I had better have a logically laid out resume that reflects the tactical nature of my expertise.  Am I a technical expert?  My resume had better scream tech wizardry while explaining some highly involved expertise in plain old English. 

This may all seem simple, but this Cranky Recruiter has to slog through boring black and white, Times New Roman resumes all day long.  Occasionally I get a glimpse of color--but all too often it is just the hyperlink blue on an email address.

What wakes me up and makes me notice a resume?  Give me logos.  Did you work at Clorox Company--ooh, put the logo on it for easy recognition.  Were you the lead manager on the revamp of The Gap's marketing campaign--show me some of that classic "Gap" style and make it easy for me to figure out what you did.  Be a little creative--especially if you are in a more creative realm of marketing.  Isn't that the real goal of a marketer--making someone quickly understand why they should want and need the product they are marketing? 

So am I just going after marketers today?  No.  I think this is relevant to every job seeker.  Every resume needs to be factual, but it is also a marketing piece for you.  Do you want to be like every other job seeker out there and hope that your resume, which is one of 100's a hiring manager receives, gets a second look?  I hope not.  So put some time into it and make it reflect you. 

Lastly, get consumer input.  Pass it by someone before you send out your awe-inspiring resume.  Often a friend can spot typos that you've missed over and over.  And yes, you may get some other advice about changes you should make.  Maybe get a few people's advice on the resume and go for the consensus version.   I do often say that you need to take all resume advice with a grain of salt.  People are quick to give advice, but you need to write a resume you are comfortable with.  So, dear reader, take this advice for what it is worth.  Back to the inbox.

Job Seekers Beware: Identity Theft

When you are looking for a job you are thrilled when someone contacts you and wants to interview you for a position.  And as a potential employee, you often don't know what information you should and shouldn't share with a recruiter or hiring manager.  With unemployment running at a high level, if you are looking for a job you may feel that you need to be as helpful and as easy to deal with as possible in the hopes of landing a job.  This is just the way some identify thieves like it.

In the October 2012 issue of Consumer Reports they profiled "America's Worst Scams".  #14 was about ID thieves posing as recruiters to get job seeker's personal information. The article discussed job seekers who were using online job search applications being approached by a "recruiter" who was looking to fill jobs at companies nearby. The ID theives posed as recruiters and conducted interviews in public places with these people, having them fill out detailed job applications which included name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number.  These job applicants later went to the local company as directed by the recruiter, only to learn that there were no openings and that the recruiters were not associated with the company at all.

We all think we are too smart to fall for a scam, but ID thieves can be pretty clever.  While I am sure the majority of meetings you would have with a recruiter would be above board, I think you should always be cautious about sharing your personal information.

As a job seeker this is the information you should share:
1.  Your name
2.  Your phone number
3.  Your email address
4.  Your home city, state and zip code
5.  Your work experience
6.  Your education level/degree

If you are sending in a resume, you should make sure you have that information included.  Often people put their home address, and while this is the convention, I believe you can keep this off of your resume.  A potential employer can request this of you as needed.

This is information you should never share unless it is a true employment application or offer of employment:
1.  Your Social Security Number

And beware if these questions are asked:
1.  Your mother's maiden name
2.  Your bank account information
3.  The make of your first car
4.  Your first pet's name.
Ok, maybe I am thinking about all the things you may use as your password on those last ones, but do try to keep personal information private so that ID thieves cannot use it.

So, what do you do when that friendly recruiter approaches you for an interview in a public location?  Well, first of all do your homework.  Is she really who she says she is?  Does she have a website?  Did she give you information about the job she is currently hiring for?  Have you ever heard of her before?

If you are feeling confident that this meeting may lead to a job or be good for your job search, plan on meeting her.  Beware if she puts a lengthy job application in front of you that asks for your mother's maiden name, any aliases you have ever used and your Social Security number.  If she shows up and has inconsistencies between what you talked about on the phone and what she is discussing during the meeting, keep your personal information as tightly guarded as possible. 

As a job hunter you want to be easy to interact with.  But don't be taken advantage of by those who prey on people in tough circumstances.  Keep your guard up and try to figure out if it is a real opportunity or a "phishing expedition".

Good luck out there folks!

Book Review: Margrit Mondavi's Sketchbook

Last spring I had the pleasure of sitting down for lunch with Margrit Mondavi.  She graciously agreed to be interviewed for this blog.  (Please visit the Post here).  During a wonderful lunch at Robert Mondavi winery she shared her experiences in the wine industry.

Recently Margrit published "Margrit Mondavi's Sketchbook" with Janet Fletcher.  It is a beautifully illustrated recollection of her life.  She shares her passion for life, her love of her family and friends, and her interests in art, food and culture. 

The book is a great reflection on her past.  She talks about her childhood and her young married life, being a young Swiss bride married to a U.S. Army Officer.  She also explains her involvement in the Napa cultural scene; bringing art and music to the local schools and hosting concerts at wineries, both at Charles Krug Winery and then the highly successful concert series at Robert Mondavi Winery.  Learning about her upbringing you can understand her culture shock living in different locations as a young bride and young mother.  Getting to know about her life-long love of art and music you can appreciate her involvement in the art programs at the Robert Mondavi Winery and also the many charitable donations she and Robert gave in support of the arts.

Of course no book by Margrit would be complete without Robert, and she gracefully explains her relationship with the love of her life.  It was touching to understand the deep love they had for each other, and also get a glimpse at the strong bond they had.  Hearing about their travels and the way they were completely engaged with each other's lives, hopes and dreams is a wonderful love story.

And if you are learning about Robert and Margrit, there must be talk about good food and wine.  The book details many of the great wine events they were involved with.  The partnerships they made and the dedication they had to the California wine industry was very informative.  I enjoyed learning about the Great Chef's cooking school, which was also a bit amusing.  I also really enjoyed the hand-painted menus that were included in the book.  It would not be a complete memoir of their love of food and wine without a few recipes thrown in. 

Margrit's artwork is included throughout, brightening up the pages.  There are also wonderful reminiscences by her friends and family, painting more detailed pictures of her life and influence.

Margrit is a very joyful person, who surrounds herself with beauty.  She is aging gracefully, still involved in so many endeavors, and savoring every minute of it.  This book is a joyous reflection of her.

Want a New Job? Beware 'Phantom' Postings - WSJ.com

Want a New Job? Beware 'Phantom' Postings - WSJ.com

Book Review: The Barefoot Spirit

 How does walking barefoot on the beach relate to being successful in the wine industry?  You need look no further than The Barefoot Spirit written by the founders of Barefoot Wine: Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan.  Along with writer Rick Kushman, the entrepreneurs who started Barefoot Wine just published a book.  It is about how Bonnie and Michael started out in the wine industry completely naive and ended up building a very successful business.   They took a new approach to creating a wine brand and steadily built their business.  They used new marketing approaches, injected a lot of fun into their brand and worked tirelessly to build customer loyalty. 
Over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting Michael Houlihan at many wine industry events, and he has always been a gracious and engaging man.  I have also known Rick Kushman for a few years now--running into him at local charity events and wine related functions.  I also read his articles in the Sacramento Bee regularly.  Together Bonnie, Michael and Rick have put together a story that is a quick and fun read that subtly gives you great business insight.  

The Beginning:  Bonnie and Michael started up Barefoot Cellars in the late '80's somewhat accidentally.  With a good amount of bulk wine needing a home, they went about building a new wine brand from the ground up.  While that bulk wine sat, they quickly learned everything they could--talking to winery owners, store owners and anyone they could find who would explain how things operated in the wine biz.  Maybe that is what allowed them be so successful--being comfortable asking questions and then figuring out how to use that information to build their company.

I know a little about a lot of things in the wine business, and this book gave me some helpful insight and interesting color regarding how wine is marketed and sold.   Why does that bottle end up costing the consumer $20 versus $5?  Why can you find some wines in almost every store you stop in, but you stumble upon a new brand when you shop at a locally-owned store?  How do wines go "on sale"?  What does it take to make wine that so many people end up liking?  The Barefoot Spirit explains it using fun anecdotes.

College Dinner Party Wine:  I do have a soft spot for Barefoot Wines.  One of the first wines I really experienced was Barefoot's Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1.5 L bottle in college.  My friend Susi, who was practically raised in her family's Italian restaurant, brought it to one of our rare dorm homemade dinners.   If an all knowing Italian restauranteur was offering it, I knew it had to be good.  That wine remained with us through 4 years of college--and through many deep philosophical wine powered nights.  When I first met Michael I told him this--and he said that so many people tell him similar stories.  

Treat Your Customers Right:  The wines have a lot of fans to this day, and a fan base is what Barefoot worked very hard to build.  The fun wine world we are in today is much different than the wine world Michael and Bonnie found themselves in at first.  To just name their wines Barefoot and have a fun looking footprint stamped on the label was unheard of.  They really went after building a marketing program that reveled in individuality and a commitment to their consumer.  Putting a 800 number on their corks allowed customers to contact them--and contact them they did.  Often it was to tell Michael and Bonnie they couldn't find the wine at their local stores, or to talk about a problem--but often it was to sing the wines' praises.  Barefoot didn't just listen to these calls, they responded to the calls and worked to turn them into consumer loyalty opportunities.

So with my fondness of the brand it was kind of fun to read this book right before hitting the beach where I could walk barefoot in the sand and unwind.  I wrapped up the book on the final approach to the Belize airport where my husband and I were headed for a week of much needed relaxation.  My husband was reading parts of the e-book over my shoulder.  He said to me, "Anyone thinking about going into the wine business should read this book first."  Might be a good plan.

Treat Your Employees Right:  As a recruiter, I appreciated the comments on how to humanely manage people and how important your staff is to your success.  They were constantly learning how to build and manage their business, and they clearly state that they were successful because of the hard work and dedication of their employees.  I know the two owners were also very hard workers dedicated to their business and their employees.  The advice they offer to other business owners is valuable. 

Management Book In a Memoir:  I enjoyed Rick Kushman's writing style,  keeping it light and conversational while making strong connections between Michael and Bonnie's experiences with business strategy--while never hitting you over the head with business jargon.

Being Barefoot:  Appropriately, Barefoot's logo was created to celebrate being footloose and enjoying yourself.  Having just escaped a bad winter storm and enjoying myself in Belize I reflected on the book while walking barefoot in the white sandy beaches.   I can appreciate the Barefoot Spirit and am happy it is living on with both the brand and with the brand's creators.  The last comment from Michael in the book is very touching.  "When you see a footprint on the beach, you don't know if it was made by a man or a woman, or someone who is gay or straight or black or white.  You can't tell religion.  It doesn't matter.  It's just the impression a human makes when they walk on the earth.  That's what matters.  We're all on the beach together."

I'm glad we're on this beach together.  Cheers!