Thinking about making the jump this year? You know, switching from one executive job to another? Here’s the bad news - it may take you longer than you think. But the good news? The outlook seems to be getting better.

According to the executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, job search times fell from about 4.2 months in 3Q06 to 3.7 months in 4Q06, a 12% drop.

That’s still up from the same time last year, but there’s reason to be thinking positive, says the consulting firm’s CEO:

“The fact that employers did more hiring and did it more quickly in the fourth quarter typically is a sign that they are optimistic about business conditions down the road,” said John Challenger, chief executive offer of the firm, which has been conducting this survey for 20 years.

What does this mean for your personal situation? Three words:

• Planning. If you’re setting a goal of getting a new executive position this year, plot out everything you’re going to need to make it happen. Additional training? Industry research? Building your network? These things all take time. If you plot it out, you’ll make the career change much more smoothly.
• Budgeting. This is especially important if you decide to leave your current position before you secure a new one. In addition to making the monthly nut, consider the cost of training, career coaching, resume writing and distribution, and other expenditures that may help you land that job faster.
• Persistency. You want the attention of your hiring targets, and follow-up is the key. How are you going to do it? Personal note cards? Industry or job-related clippings and articles? Personal touches at trade association meetings? Start thinking about your strategy, and what you need to do now to make it easy for you to execute.

And here’s one other bit of good news: CNNMoney.com says “the closely watched December employment report showed much stronger job and wage growth than had been expected.”

Talk about starting the year off right!

 
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Feeling under qualified or disadvantaged in the job search? It can be very tempting to lie on your resume to make your background more marketable or more appealing. Who would know, right? The answer is that the employer will know – maybe not right away but they will find out and then you are not only unemployed again but could possibly be facing litigation. It is never a good thing to lie on your resume.

With that said, there are some instances where creative wording can be a benefit to you in your resume. For example, if your company used strange job titles, you can benefit from changing the name of the job title to something more traditional but still accurate. If your title was Spin Doctor, you might want to change it to Publicist or Public Relations Director. We saw a lot of the less traditional titles pop up during the heady days of the dot com bubble when different was trendy (albeit somewhat silly). As long as the title you select is accurate and does not artificially promote you on the career ladder, it is acceptable to change the title to something more recognizable.

You can also eliminate a job in your career history, if the job lasted less than six months. Some jobs are either “filler” jobs to generate income during a job search that occurs as a result of a layoff. It is okay to leave these jobs off your resume. Sometimes, you work a job for a few weeks and realize it just isn’t working out so you leave for something better. It is acceptable to leave this position out of your job history to avoid seeming like a job hopper. Another situation in which you could omit a job would be a job in which you worked for a short time but then left to accept a much better offer.

While you may leave out a job on your resume, you need to be accurate with the dates you list on your resume. I generally recommend using month/year format if you have a continuous job history with no gaps and no job hopping. However, if you have some gaps or need to leave out a position, you may use the year only format on your resume. If you left a job in January of 2000 and did not take another job until April of 2000, using the year only format will allow that gap of four months to “disappear” from the resume. When completing a job application, you must list all jobs and dates accurately; since the application tends to come last in the job acquisition process now days, it shouldn’t be a hindrance to your interview process.

You can’t lie on a resume but you can construct it to your benefit. You should never fabricate or change educational information. Educational credentials are very easily verified and are the first pieces of information that are suspect on a resume. Some job seekers worry because the name of their college has changed since they graduated. They do not know how to list it – under the old name or under the new? I say use both. List the degree under the old name and then place the new name in parentheses. For example, Memphis State University is now the University of Memphis. A degree would be listed as:

Bachelor of Science – Criminal Justice, Memphis State University (University of Memphis)

Skills are also pieces of information that should not be changed. If you are comfortable using a skill in the workplace (let’s say a software package, for example), you can list it on your resume. Do not list skills which you could not demonstrate any familiarity. More and more often, employers are requiring applicants to demonstrate their abilities with software or other technology as part of the interview process. It would be very embarrassing to be asked to create a short Power Point slide show during an interview because you claimed proficiency only to have to confess that you have never really used it.

Resumes come in three different basic formats – chronological, functional, and combination. It is simple to understand what each one does by just thinking about the name. The chronological resume is time-based, thus “chrono” as part of the name. Functional resumes are written around the functions executed in the job seeker’s experience. Combination format resumes are combinations of chronological and functional.

Understanding what they are is easy; determining which format to use for your particular career situation can seem complicated. I say “seem complicated” because many people want to make it difficult and its really not. There are two factors to consider when deciding on the proper resume format – employment history and current goal. Here are some guidelines to help you select the most effective format for your situation.

Here are a few career situations and the recommended format for each.

~~You are targeting a job that is a step up the ladder from your current position and you have at least three years experience in the field. Use a chronological resume.

~~You are targeting a job that is a lateral move and you have at least three years experience in the field. Use a chronological resume.

~~You are targeting a position in a different but somewhat related field where you would use skills that you have used in your current job. Use a combination resume.

~~You have a long, progressive career history in the same field and are targeting a lateral or upward career move. Use a chronological resume.

~~You are targeting a position in the same field but with significantly different required skills and job description. Use a combination resume.

~~You are military separating from the service and targeting a civilian job. Use a combination format.

~~You are in a technical field where you have used many different technologies, been involved in many projects, and have a broad array of skills. You are targeting a similar position or moving up. Use a combination format.

~~You have significant hurdles in your employment history such as large gaps, significant job hopping, or legal troubles and are targeting a position in your field. Use a functional format.

~~You are changing fields completely and your prior work history has no relevance to your new one (e.g. moving from computer programmer to chef). Use a functional format.

I am often asked if choosing the wrong format can be a killer for a resume. There is no hard, fast rule regarding resume formats. You have to choose the one that portrays your experience in the best light for the current goal. Functional formats are in-and-of-themselves red flags to employers and should be used only when a combination format would not suffice to win the interview. I’ve only listed two instances when a functional should be considered and both are extreme circumstances. Most recruiters hate the functional format resume because it usually indicates something in the career history has to be hidden. Whenever possible, one of the other resume formats is a better choice than a functional format resume.

There is an interesting article by Susan Young on the Inside Bay Area website about an experiment conducted by two teen girls applying for jobs at large, national retailers Abercrombie and Fitch and Hot Topic. One of the girls dressed up in gothic attire and one dressed up in typical teen style of jeans and t-shirt. Both went to these two different stores to ask about employment. The girl with gothic appearance was given the cold shoulder by both stores while the girl in pleasant, “normal” attire was warmly received and provided an interview date on the spot.

The tone of the article suggested that judgment by employers on outward appearances is discriminatory. Whether hiring on appearance is discriminatory or not, it is interesting to note the fact that openness on the part of the employer was improved by the pleasant appearance of the girl dressed in attractive, average clothing. Additionally, since the girls were applying for public-contact, sales-oriented positions, their appearance would have an effect on sales performance. (You can find the article at www.insidebayarea.com) In fact, the article notes several instances of negative reactions by passersby to the gothic-attired girl. Negative reactions by the buying public do not translate into sales for retailers.

This experiment was conducted by high school age girls in a minimum-wage employment setting, but the effects of appearance by job applicants is applicable across all industries and wage levels. How you look makes a difference in the job search process – like it or not. First impressions impact not only the reception you receive by prospective employers but also by people you meet in networking, professional development, and on the job itself.

I have always found the pharmaceutical sales niche a prime example of how appearance is a factor in employment. We’ve all been in the doctor’s office waiting area around lunchtime when the pharma reps start coming in with their little rolling demo cases. Have you ever seen one single one who was unattractive and not extremely well-dressed? They know their market – physicians – and that the market would not be receptive to their appearance in jeans and t-shirts. Their employers, the large drug manufacturers, also know that market and would not hire sales reps that did not project the appearance needed to reach the market.

The bottom line of the issue is that preferred appearance by employees is not discrimination on the part of employers but rather sheer economics. Remember that on your next job interview or networking opportunity. Your resume usually makes the first impression with an employer and it’s crucial that it best a good one. The investment is worth the pay off you receive in the job search. And a shoe shine, a new suit, and a trim around the ears may be worth more in the long run than the few bucks you spend on them in the short run.