Is an objective needed on a resume?

Q: I have noticed that more and more resumes do not contain objectives at the top.  I was told many years ago that this section was required.  Is my information dated?  What would I put at the top of my resume instead?

A: Resumes have changed.  Let me share some resume tips, while also answering your specific question.

1. Use a simple font which can be scanned. Many large employers use scanning systems, as part of their applicant tracking system (ATS). If your resume is scanned, an image of your resume can be accessed by the hiring team.  Fancy fonts can sometimes confuse an ATS, making your information more difficult to retrieve.
2. Keep it to two pages or under. My resume is two pages. Unless you have a lot of patents, publications or similar, your resume should probably be one or two pages.
3. Keep your resume current. Every January, I review my resume. You want to be ready to share a resume on a moment’s notice.
4. Use a font that is not microscopic. Tiny fonts are tough to read. Sometimes more information is not better.  A resume is your commercial.  It should interest the reader, but not share every detail of your career.  Use the same font though our your resume.  Switching fonts can sometimes give a resume a sloppy look.
5. Most hiring professionals want to see your most recent experience at the top. A reverse chronological order is best.
6. White space is your friend. Don’t fill every square inch. Use consistent formatting. Avoid logos!
7. Keywords are your friend too. Make sure that your resume contains keywords. Hiring professionals will often search an ATS by keywords.  If your resume does not contain the keywords, you may be overlooked.
8. No need to include “References Available Upon Request.” If interested, they will ask you for references!
9. Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread. Sometimes we don’t catch our own mistakes. No typos or grammatical errors please.
10. I think the Objective section is dated and should be replaced with Summary. It is a way for you to summarize your career for your audience.  Take the opportunity and ensure that there are keywords included!
11. Make sure that your contact information is accurate! I have called or emailed candidates only to discover that their email or phone number is not correct!
12. Include your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, at the top of your resume. Recruiters will look up on LinkedIn anyhow so make it easy for them.

Resumes have changed over the years.  However, an annual review should help with keeping your resume current.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

How to apply on LinkedIn

Q: I recently applied for a role on LinkedIn and never heard back from the company.  Is this typical?  I would expect when a company posts a job on LinkedIn, they are serious about recruiting.

A:  LinkedIn is a great recruitment tool for most roles.  Most employers post roles on LinkedIn when they are eager to generate a pool of qualified candidates for the role.  However, there are ways you can use LinkedIn more successfully as a job seeker.

1. A candidate is qualified. Applying for a role requires less of an effort than it did 20 years ago. Most of us have a current resume on our desktop and we can easily respond to a posting with a resume.  However, there are “perpetual posters” who apply for almost any open role available.  It is difficult to take those candidates seriously because they seem to apply for any and all jobs, rather than the roles for which they are most qualified.
2. A resume is attached, as part of the online application. This might seem like a no brainer to some but many candidates do not attach a resume with your online application. This is frustrating!  The recruiter then has to reach back out to the candidate, and request a resume.  Yes, I can view a candidate’s LinkedIn profile but most of my clients still want to review a resume too.
3. The LinkedIn profile is complete. A professional photo is part of the candidate’s LinkedIn profile. The LinkedIn profile includes a well-written job history and contact information.  There are some LinkedIn profiles which are very thin and offer limited information.
4. A candidate is responsive. Sometimes recruiters work odd hours and on weekends. When we reach out to a candidate, we are hoping for a quick response (within 24 hours or sooner).  With smart phones and other technological innovations, we expect job hunters to respond if we call or email them.  If a candidate takes several days to respond, that is a sign that this opportunity is not priority in their lives.
5. The first impression is positive. The resume is well written and there are no typos. The same standards apply to a candidate’s LinkedIn profile. It should be well written and logical.
6. Check out who you might know at the company.  A connection to the company may be helpful!

Finally, sometimes hundreds of candidates apply to posted jobs.  It would be difficult to respond to every candidate.  If you feel like you are a well-qualified candidate, you can reach out to the recruiter listed on the posting.  However, there may be a reason why they haven’t contacted you and it may be unrelated to you.  The job may have been put on hold or another candidate has been hired.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

2017 hiring plans may exclude those over 40

Q: I am a new supervisor and we have been discussing hiring plans for 2017.  I work for a growing tech start up.  It is a fun environment but demanding.  My manager keeps describing our ideal new hire as “young, bright, high energy, etc.”  She keeps repeating that she does not want to hire anyone over 40 because they are on the “back nine” of their career.  She has directed me to exclude candidates of a certain age.  Isn’t this illegal?  How can she tell me that this is the right path?

A: Unfortunately you have been placed in a very difficult position.  You probably have an inclination that excluding one group of candidates is not a wise decision, but you are being pressured to do just that, by your manager

I consulted Amy Carlin, Esq., a partner at Morgan, Brown and Joy, LLP.  Carlin and I reviewed your question and she shared my concerns.  Carlin comments, ” Yes, it is illegal to make employment decisions, including hiring, based on the applicant or employee’s “protected class or characteristic,”  which includes age (40 or over pursuant to Massachusetts state law and federal law).  Other protected classes in Massachusetts include race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, among others. The manager here is making assumptions about what an applicant over 40 will be like in the workplace and seeks to exclude candidates based on their age – this is precisely what the anti-discrimination laws are meant to protect against.”

Instead it is better to focus on the requirements of the job description.  What exactly are the skills, knowledge and attributes required for the open position?  Carlin advises her clients to “develop interview questions that directly relate to these and the legitimate business requirements of the job. Interview questions that will lead a candidate to reveal that they are in a protected class are prohibited by law; investing in training for managers in this area is a smart move and one that will protect against discriminatory decisions such as the one the manager in the question is about to make.”

Tech companies have a bit of a tarnished reputation when it comes to hiring workers with a few gray hairs.  In 2014, the median age of workers at Facebook was 29, according to a report by Payscale.  At Google and Amazon, it was 30 in 2014.  Yet, the median age of all American workers is closer to 42 years old, according to the Department of Labor.  Employers will often tout that they are eager to hire a diverse workforce, but sometimes that diversity leaves out those who are 40 or over.

Companies are smart to include a broad pool of candidates.  With unemployment in Massachusetts hovering around 4%, employers need to tap a wide range of talent.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Landing a finance role in 2017

Q:  I recently applied for several senior financial management roles.  I have experience at large, international organizations.  The roles I am currently interested in are roles working for smaller organizations.  Typically these roles are working for entrepreneurial start-up organizations.  I am not getting any responses apply online.  I have attached my resume for your review.  Any advice for me?  My New Year’s resolution is to land a new job.

A: Your resume looks quite strong.  It is well-organized and follows a logical format with no gaps in your professional work history. It describes much of what you have accomplished.  It is easy to read with no typos or spelling errors.

However, there is one yellow flag on your resume.  You use words that may scare an entrepreneurial start-up.  Words like “executive” are rarely used in start-ups.  Also, the title “CFO” may turn off start-ups.  Start-ups typically want to hire individuals, even at senior levels, who can roll up their sleeves.  Sometimes even the senior-level financial leader in the organization may help process accounts receivables or payables, especially in the early days.  Start-ups often are eager to hire individuals who don’t need a large team to run the financial side of the business.

If you are targeting smaller organizations, you may want to emphasize your “hands-on” work style or that you are able to run a team efficiently and cost effectively.  You might want to emphasize that you are ok with working for an organization with limited resources.  You may want to remove the word “executive” and replace it with “leader” or something similar.  Entrepreneurial organizations have less of a focus on hierarchy and more of a focus on getting the work done.

Large company names can also scare smaller organizations, because of compensation expectations. Smaller organizations may pay less than larger organizations.  If a hiring manager reads a resume with international experience, a CFO title and the word “executive” used repeatedly, you might be passed over.  Instead the hiring manager may gravitate to candidates who has start-up experience, use titles like finance leader and focus their accomplishments on introducing and implementing systems and processes at a place, where previously there had been none.

Take a critical look at your resume and compare to job descriptions or postings available online, with a focus on roles for smaller companies.  My guess is that you will see that your resume reflects verbiage used more commonly in larger companies.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

No year-end bonus

Q: I was just told that I would be one of the few employees not receiving a year-end bonus this year.  Historically my company rewards employees with a bonus in January, based on the prior year’s performance, both company and individual.  Our company did well, and I think I did ok.  Do you have a recommendation on how I should approach my manager?  I am angry that I was led to believe I was going to get a big check in January.

A: Many companies offer bonuses, which are based on overall company performance as well as individual employee performance.  It sounds like 2016 was a successful year for your company financially.  However, I am guessing that your individual performance did not meet an expectation or a standard, probably set by your manager.

Think back on the past year.  Were there goals that you did not meet?  Did you receive any signals that your performance was not up to par?  Did you and your manager have any serious conversations regarding deadlines missed, careless errors or not being a productive member of a team?  Usually there are signals, but sometimes managers are reluctant to confront performance issues.  Often times, ignoring a performance concern is a poor path in the long term.

First, take some time to think about the past year and allow any anger to subside.  Then, I would suggest requesting a face-to-face meeting with your manager.  Summarize your performance over the past year.  Ask for feedback on what you did well and also what you didn’t do well.  Ask how the bonus payouts were determined.

After this meeting you will have a sense of your manager’s perception of  your abilities.  Does your manager have confidence in you, or not?

Only you can make the decision whether you can continue to work for this manager and this company.  If you feel that you have been short-changed, only you know if you would be able to move on from that feeling.  Some employees are able to rally and improve upon their individual performance.  Others struggle and leave the company, looking for a better fit for their skills and their interests.

One final comment: because you have received a bonus in the past, does not mean you will always receive it in the future.  Companies often use individual performance as a criteria for awarding bonuses. You should never assume.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Camp Director career path options

Q:  I am a college senior, graduating in May, 2017 with a major in Exercise Science.  For the past ten summers, I have been a camper, then a counselor at an overnight camp.  Camp changed my life.  I hope to one day be a camp director.  What is the typical career path for camp directors?  Are those roles seasonal or year-round?  Is housing provided?  What are the ideal qualifications?  Does my degree work for this type of role?

A: A summer camp experience is often a life-changing experience.  Many overnight camps are magical places, where campers experience incredible personal growth.  Campers are exposed to new challenges almost every day.  Maybe a camper tries horseback riding for their first time.  Maybe it is the first time a camper lives in a cabin with 10 other kids.  Or maybe it is the first time that they have been away from home, other than a sleepover at a friend’s house.

I consulted John Tilley, Executive Director for YMCA Camp Coniston in Grantham NH.  Tilley and he explains that many camp directors are “homegrown,” meaning that their love of overnight camp began as a camper.  Some campers are passionate about their camp experience and are promoted through different leadership roles, ultimately landing in a camp director role.

Other camp directors may begin in “multi-seasonal” positions, according to Tilley. During the school year they will work with conference and school groups visiting camp, often instructing nature lessons, group building activities, and general camp administration. Housing and food are typically provided for staff in these positions and they frequently lead to full-time employment. A candidate may think of this as a paid internship.

Tilley says that your degree would work fine for a camp director role. Camp directors hold undergraduate degrees but specific majors are less important than the totality of a candidate’s experiences.  In short, your camp experience may be a more important qualification than your specific degree.  Tilley offers “camping, by its very nature, is experiential.”

Directing a camp is running a small- to mid-sized business. Ultimately a camp director must understand all facets of business, including budgets, facilities management (e.g., maintenance and construction) and communication with almost every demographic, from a tearful eight-year old to an exuberant grandparent.  The ability to work with others, as well as managing a diverse team, are both required skills.

A willingness to relocate can be important. Although the New England area offers many overnight camps if you are open to moving anywhere your opportunities for career growth may be enhanced.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

Networking tips for an introvert

Q:  I am introvert.  I have been told to network.  How does a network introvert?  It is so anxiety-producing!  HELP.  The thought of walking into a giant room of strangers has me feeling sick.

A: Networking is still a critical part of the job hunt puzzle.  According to a recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, about 70% of new jobs are still found through people who the job seeker knows.  Most outplacement firms also share this statistic to the job seekers with whom they work.  Networking is important.

Knowing that networking is essential to your job hunt, how does an introvert network?  Here are some tips.

1. Hold yourself accountable. LinkedIn and your PC are useful tools. Make sure though you don’t spend all of your job hunting time behind a screen.  Aim for 75% of your time as networking time, while about 25% should be spent online.  Simple math means about four days of out of a work week should be spent networking!
2. Update your LinkedIn profile A photo, a complete job history and a few recommendations are the bare minimum.  Your network of contacts will likely find you on Linkedin at some point in time.  To gain confidence, start small. Ask a neighbor for coffee. Invite your brother-in-law out for a beer.  Remember, it is not just the person in front of you that could be helpful.  It is their entire network of contacts.
3. Consider events like meet up and other professional networking groups like the Acton Networkers  (www.actonnetworkers.com) and the Hopkinton Networkers group. Everyone is in the same boat. With a shared purpose, others will be empathetic and helpful.
4. When you enter a large room at a networking event, don’t strive to shake every hand. Instead your goal should be 3 to 5 strong and meaningful contacts.
5. Print business cards! They make it easier to approach a stranger.
6. Practice your pitch. Jot down a 1 to 2 minute pitch.  Your pitch should include who you are and what type of job you hope to land.  Practice, practice and then refine and practice again.
7. Send a thank-you note after every meeting.  An email thank-you note is fine in most instances.  People will remember that you sent a note.

Finally, after you land a job, be sure to be willing to connect with others who are job hunting.  Someone, some day will ask you how you landed your job.  Take the time and share what worked and what didn’t.  You will have some real-life experience to share!

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.