job search Archives | Rebecca Henninger

July 22, 2020by Rebecca Henninger Rebecca Henninger No Comments

How to Ask for Informational Interviews – What to Say and How to Say It!

If you’re a job seeker in today’s market, you’ve probably heard of informational interviews, but may be wondering why they are useful, who to ask, and how to ask for them. I’ll cover the basics here and give you language for your requests to customize based on your audience.

When you’re job searching, you know you need to get to a hiring manager. You also probably know how important getting that inside referral is to getting your application past the ATS to an actual human being decision-maker.

So how do you accomplish that? The informational interview is a great tool to have in your arsenal! It can help you build connections, learn about a company’s hiring process, and better understand what positions, departments, and companies are the best fit for your skills, experience level, and career goals.

Who to Ask

I like to break it down into two primary groups.

One would be your contemporaries, counterparts in similar roles who can shed light on the application process, do’s and don’ts, position hierarchies, and what the actual job is like. These would be professionals in lateral roles to the one you are currently in or applying to and can help you understand what titles you should keep on your radar, how the hiring process works, and what to expect during an interview process.

The other is potential hiring managers. These contacts can give you a broader, more strategic understanding of the company and the industry. Believe it or not, these people are often most open to informational interviews, because they understand and respect your initiative. They have likely had to network and navigate to get where they are today.

How to Ask

This is often the hardest part! I’ve included a bunch of prompts to help you get started below. Send out a few today and see what happens. If you get a positive response, use that as your base for future requests. If you’re not getting anything back, tweak your request and your strategy.

Informational Interview Request (Referral)

Hi Name!

{Name} suggested I reach out to you as a potential contact with expertise in (field). I hope you don’t mind me contacting you out of the blue!

A {title/function} with {# of years} of {industry} experience, I am really interested in learning about {something you know about contact or company} and would love to hear more about your journey.

Are you open to a quick call?

Happy to help with anything at all on my end. I look forward to connecting.

Thanks,

Rebecca

Informational Interview Request (Cold)

Hi Name!

My name is [Your Name] and I came across your info on X while researching X. I hope you don’t mind me contacting you out of the blue. I am reaching out because

Possible next lines:

your work in X really intrigued me! I have been working on similar projects {include details} at {current company} and love to connect with other pros.
your transition from financial services really impressed me! I’m sure that transition wasn’t easy.
Company Name is on my radar and I’d love to learn more about what you’re doing in the X space and learn more about the culture.
I saw you have extensive experience {in function}, which is an area I’m also passionate about.
I saw you have extensive experience {at Company}, which is a company I’m interested in learning more about.

I know your time is valuable and don’t expect you to know of any open positions. I’d really just love to hear more about your journey and have the opportunity to learn more about the company!

If you do have a few minutes to chat, I’d be really grateful. If not, no worries! Either way, have a great day and stay well!

Thank you!

{Your Name}

What to Ask

Once you’ve secured the interview, do your homework! Study their profile, google the contact, and make a (long!) list of possible questions. You won’t necessarily get to ask all of them, but you definitely don’t want to waste their time or appear unprepared. Great starters include:

How did you get to where you are?
What do you do every day?
What do you like about your job?
What’s the culture like?
What’s the best career advice you have ever been given?

Why Informational Interviews are Helpful

Beyond the value of building new connections, informational interviews help you to cultivate a deeper understanding of the role you want, the companies you admire, and the skills and attributes hiring managers value the most. With this renewed understanding, you can more effectively evaluate your own candidacy. What are opportunities to upskill? What kind of feedback can you integrate to improve your resume or LinkedIn profile? What can you volunteer for at work to bolster your candidacy for the jobs you really want?

Reach out with any questions at all – 973.270.1777 or [email protected]. Happy hunting!

December 4, 2019by Rebecca Henninger Rebecca Henninger No Comments

How to Write an IT Resume that Recruiters Want to Read

As a technology professional with strong technical skills, you know how to virtualize a complex environment, manage cloud governance, and optimize code, but do you know how to write an IT resume?

The challenge with technology resumes is the subject matter. It’s complex and gets muddy when you get too far into the weeds. An HR manager or a recruiter is likely not an expert on client-server technology or open source databases so it’s best not to bore them with allllll the gory details.

When attempting to convey your technical cred, focus on the business benefit! As always, the same advice applies. Don’t bury the lead, quantify, and use strong, action verbs. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Avoid buzzwords and cliches. To a certain extent, this is tricky because sometimes the buzzwords are part of your job. In that case, they are keywords and should be used. Avoid, at any cost, overused, ineffective words such as results-oriented, goal-driven, and achievement-oriented.

Start with a Headline: The biggest compliant I hear from recruiters is that they get too many resumes that are not focused. The best way to quickly target your resume and showcase for a hiring manager what you are looking for is a headline. Use the job you are targeting, even if it is not the one you have. If you are not comfortable using Director of IT when you are a Manager, an add-in such as Career Target: Director of IT can help to bridge that gap.

Organize Information. Nothing is worse than a “laundry list” resume where the recruiter simply doesn’t know where to look. Use keywords to indicate what the bullet is about or try adding subject headers above a grouping of bullets. This helps your ATS and also tells the reader what you do.

Focus on the Last 10 Years. I am not a proponent of excluding any experience prior to the last 10 years if it is relevant. Ageism is alive and well and you don’t want to date yourself, but you also don’t want to appear 30 when you are 45. It’s confusing and can do you a disservice. In technology, however, even more than in other fields, the older experience is simply not relevant. Technology moves at lightning speed. Your experience implementing Windows NT technology is not going to impress anyone. While we’re at it, neither is your @yahoo or @aol email address, so change these please.

Highlight Business Benefit: Technologists of today are business enablers, business partners, and conduits for efficiency. Use language and quantifiable achievements to demonstrate not just the technical elegance of your solutions, but the bottom-line results to the business. This will give a hiring manager confidence that you understand the big picture and will add value to their organization.

Include Git Hub and Personal Development Projects. Technologists, more than almost any other profession, are expected to truly walk the walk. Demonstrate your geek status and love of all things IT by including personal projects, Git Hub links, and involvement in the thriving tech community.

When writing your IT resume, the most important thing to remember is that you need to focus on the reader. Think like a recruiter! Using job descriptions and profiles of other people currently in your role, compile a list of keywords—both technical and soft skills—and address these, quantifying mastery whenever possible, throughout your resume.

Typically, an E or F pattern works best for structuring information, as the eye naturally skims down the left side of the page. There is nothing wrong with adding color or well-placed graphics for emphasis, but always best not to go too far out of the box, particularly when you are in a conservative industry. The content, the words on the page, are the most important part of your resume.

Struggling to find the words to express your achievements? Reach out to me today or schedule an intro call to find out how my professional IT resume writing service can help you bring your career to the next level.

October 16, 2017by Rebecca Henninger Rebecca Henninger No Comments

How The Resume Writing Industry Has Changed – And What You Need To Know About It

resume writing The resume is not going away. This much we know, although for a few years that very thought was a topic of discussion.

What is happening is that the resume has become just one component of your search. Albeit a very important one – but in no means will your search be uplifted and transformed by addressing the resume only.

My current resume practice has shifted as well. Clients need a great resume but the heavy and overstocked resumes of 2010 are dead. Hiring managers are reading for only a few seconds – recruiters are giving your resume a 6-second scan. You had better make sure that you grab their attention!

So what do you need to know today? Here’s the deal:

1) Do keep paragraphs less than 3 lines and bullets less than 2. If necessary, add supporting detail in a secondary bullet.

2) Do organize information using keywords or subheaders.

3) Do keep your resume achievement oriented. Even if you spent a lot of time answering phones for your boss, that’s not going to get you the interview. Focus instead on the new filing system you implemented.

4) Do frontload the achievements and results delivered in the beginning of the bullet – Delivered a 40% productivity improvement by implementing streamlined processes and procedures. Recruiters read down the left side of the page. Leverage this by strategically placing info you want read first.

5) Do get a second and third eye on your resumes. Have them read for content and accuracy. Take their advice with a grain of salt, if they do not actively hire.

6) Do hire a professional if you are overwhelmed. I not only provide writing support to my clients, but also moral support and confidence-boosting insight.

7) Don’t expect to find a job simply by applying online. An average open posting receives 250 applications. Even great resumes get lost in the clutter.

8) Don’t rely on only the people you know. While the age-old adage remains true, you don’t know everyone so you need to expand “who you know”. The best way to do this? Cold networking. Put on your big girl / big boy pants and start reaching out to people that can actually help you get your foot in the door.

9) Don’t fixate on your resume. Yes — make changes if needed to meet the job posting, but no need to rewrite it every time.

Reach out today to learn more about my tactical job search coaching and resume creation services. Book a 15-min call today to find out how I can help!

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