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Looking For Honesty and Integrity in Dallas IT Consulting Companies

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in IT Consulting/by admin

Job Tips and Job News – Resume vs. Online Profile: What’s the Difference???

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in job search, Job Seekers, Job Tips/by admin

I was recently asked about the difference between a resume and an online career profile. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? Are they considered in different ways? What should be included or avoided? Good question… short answer… YES! They are different. There are a number of things to consider when creating a […]

Looking For Honesty and Integrity in Dallas IT Consulting Companies

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in IT Consulting/by admin

Job Tips and Job News – Resume vs. Online Profile: What’s the Difference???

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in job search, Job Seekers, Job Tips/by admin

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Looking For Honesty and Integrity in Dallas IT Consulting Companies

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in IT Consulting/by admin

I was in IT for several years before being laid off a few years ago. I was laid off right before September 11, 2001 and was working on my MBA in eCommerce at the time. I found myself in a very difficult situation as many other people did during that time. Because I was working on my MBA and was almost finished, companies I interviewed with considered me ‘over-qualified’ for most positions I applied and interviewed for.

I stumbled into IT Consulting sales and account management mostly because I wanted to continue to use my IT background for something and what a better way than to find the best people for Dallas IT Client departments and at the same time put people to work. It seemed to me like the best of both worlds. Having been a Dallas IT project leader, programmer, and production support engineer, I knew what Dallas IT clients were looking for and the type of people they needed. Also, having been out of work myself, I loved putting Dallas IT candidates and consultants to work.

My first position was with a company that had provided consultants for the last Dallas IT project team I was on. The company only had one client and it was my past employer! When they set up my phone voice mail, the pass code they used was 911. I was appalled that they would use that pass code considering what had just happen with September 11. The owner would never tell me what nationality he was, but told me to tell everyone they were an Indian company.

I also later found out that they had consultants that programmed the code of one of the systems I had supported at my former company and had stolen it. They were selling the system to other companies in the same industry! I spoke to the IT Development Manager who was over the systems I had supported and she said that although upper IT management knew this company had stolen their code, they were still doing business with them!

Anyway, there is more. When I started working for this company they only had one client; my past employer! The CEO gave me a list of clients to “show off” to potential clients. I mentioned that they only had one client and he said “I know, but this is what I want you to tell the potential clients.” I told him I would not lie for him or anyone else. I found that he lied to clients, consultants, candidates, and his own employees all the time. He lied to his VP of Marketing, and the VP of Marketing would lie to him and ask me to cover his lies. I told him no way!

I was there for two months before the final straw. Having never been in a sales role in my life, and in a horrible economy, I made my first placement as an account manager. I placed a consultant with a Downtown Dallas company. In violation to our contract, they hired our consultant away. The CEO of our company became so enraged that he threatened to kill the CEO of the new client company for violating the contract! The CEO of the client company was totally blind sided because he was not even aware that his manager had hired our consultant away.

I immediately went to the parking lot, called the client CEO and apologized then went back to my office and packed all my stuff. I decided that I could not work at a company that operated without honesty and integrity and especially a company headed by someone that threatened people’s lives!

Although my first experience with IT Consulting/Recruiting firms was a pretty bad one, I felt like I really found something that I loved to do – find the right fit between Dallas IT Clients and Dallas IT candidates and consultants. I decided that I would find a company to work for that operated with honesty and integrity.

I will share more about what I have found on that search later….

Mike Hanes
ProVisionTech

ProVisionTech Jobs – Dallas IT Jobs – Dallas Technical Jobs

Dallas IT Recruiter Guy

Integrity in Recruiting
972-200-7171

“Save Time, The Best Resources, Guaranteed!”

Job Tips and Job News – Resume vs. Online Profile: What’s the Difference???

June 14, 2010/0 Comments/in job search, Job Seekers, Job Tips/by admin

Good question… short answer… YES! They are different.

There are a number of things to consider when creating a professional profile online vs. creating a resume to email or present to a company, or when applying for a specific role.

Here are some thoughts that can help…

When creating a resume for a specific company or position you are pursuing, it’s critical that you tailor it for the specific recipient. Emphasize the experience you’ve had that would be most important to that particular company or position. Although your experience may be very broad, if they don’t very quickly see the direct related experience for the role, it’s unlikely you will be considered further. Using words from their job description, their terminology, and giving special attention to the skills you have that are directly applicable to their requirements is key. The extra effort involved in customizing your resume for each individual application will pay off in a greater chance at a response.

When creating an online profile, whether it be a LinkedIn profile, your personal professional website, a Visual CV, a job board, or any number of other venues online to post your information… it has to appeal to a broader audience. You won’t know who will see it, or what kind of role they have in mind when they’re looking.

Although you may be interested in a variety of opportunities when you are applying, the viewer generally only has one role they are looking to fill. Your online profile should help them understand all your experience and see the fit for multiple roles.

~ An online profile isn’t limited to two printed pages! While it’s usually not a good idea to create a submitted resume that’s more than 2 pages long, you don’t have that kind of restriction with an online profile. You can include much more information, more detail, more accomplishments, more strengths, and more keywords. Keywords are important, as that’s the most likely way they will find you. Include as many keywords as you can think of that someone might use to find someone with your background. With more detail, the likelihood of being found in a search rises, and it gives the viewer a greater chance of finding what they are looking for.

In an online profile, just as in a resume, it’s important that your information is written in short, substantive, sentences and/or bullet points. When someone is scanning your information, short lines will get read, paragraphs will not. It’s important that they grasp your experience quickly and easily, in order to gain their further interest.

~ An online profile can include testimonials! A submitted resume doesn’t generally have the space, and it’s not the best venue to include third party comments. However, an online profile can be a great place to include reference information and comments to “back up” the assertions you make about yourself in your profile. It’s great to express your strengths and accomplishments, it’s even better when someone else confirms them as well.

~ Consistency is key! It’s critically important that a resume you submit to a company, and your online profile agree with each other! Nothing will torpedo your chances for an opportunity than the appearance of an attempt to deceive. Although the resume you present may not give the entire picture of your full responsibilities in a particular position, it should never contradict the more detailed description. If your role was as an Office Manager of a small business, and your responsibilities included accounting, your resume should never make it appear as if your entire role was as an Accountant.