Resume Tricks

Business lies but not resume lies

2008-11-05T01:56:00.000-08:00

How many times are you told that you must tell the whole truth when writing your resume and at job interviews.
If you listen to some people talk, you would think lying on resumes is on the same level of crime as murder. Always tell the truth or you will be damned for ever.

Last night on British TV, there was a rags to riches story. There was a guy who is now a multi millionaire having sold his RECRUITMENT business having built it up from nothing twenty years ago.

He told the story of how, when he first started, he wanted to have an office in the best part of London, TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION (another way of saying lie) that his was a big established company.
He managed to rent a room that was nothing more than a broom cupboard in a large office block.

It was so small that when he opened the door to go in, it hit the desk and he had to squeeze between the wall and the desk to get to his chair.

Now this is the point. When customers came to call, the reception desk would ring him to say he he had a client. Obviously he could not receive his visitor in his office. So, he would go down to the reception and explain to the client that because his company was so busy, all the meeting rooms were full. Then he would suggest that they have their meeting over a coffee in The Ritz Hotel which was just a short walk away.

Now, this guy is very proud of this story. And so he should be. It showed ingenuity and determination. He built up a network of 100 worldwide offices and became a leader in the recruitment field.

But the bottom line is HE LIED to his clients. And everyone thinks that's okay. And so do I.

But why is it that when you go for a job and you dare to tell lies, you are treated with such disdain?
It's totally hypocitical. As usual, it's okay for the big guys to do it but the normal Joe Soap like you and I are like lambs to the slaughter.

Wise up. If you have to lie on your resume or lie at an interview to get a job, do it.

What qualities do you bring to this job?

2008-11-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

To answer this question, you need to have looked at the job ad for clues.
If it says, "The applicant needs to have several years experience in a similar field".

You would answer, "I have worked in this industry for several years and have gained good experience".

If the ad says, "The successful candidate needs to have problem solving abilities and be able to work as a team member". Guess what your reply should be?

Thats right. "I have a very enquiring mind and I like challenges. I am at my best when I have to solve problems".
And.
"I can work quite happily on my own if the need arises, but I do prefer to work in a team environment".

See this is not rocket science. The mantra you should live by whether applying for a job or in fact in any facet of your life is,"Tell them what they want to hear".

Interview question and answer

2008-11-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

Why did you leave your last job?

If you are still employed, this is irrelevant, but you are unlikely to get off the hook that easily.
They will ask why you want to leave.

If the truth is that you are a lazy git and your boss has made it clear that if you don't change your attitude you are going to be shown the door.
Obviously you are not going to even think about telling the truth are you?

A good answer is something like, "My present position doesn't give me the challenge that I am looking for in a job.
I like to be tested. I work best under pressure.
My present (or last) one isn't demanding enough".

This answer presents you as a go getter, an achiever.

Funny Resume

2008-11-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some answers give on a resume for a job in Walmart.
They are from a 75 year old man. The company thought it was so funny they employed him.

NAME: Kenneth Way (Grumpy Old Bastard)

SEX: Not lately, but I am looking for the right woman (or at least one who
will cooperate)

DESIRED POSITION: Company President or Vice President. But seriously,
whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be
applying here in the first place

DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz
style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can
haggle.

EDUCATION: Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.

PREVIOUS SALARY: A lot less than I'm worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and
post-it notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.

HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any.

PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they're better suited to a more
intimate environment .

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be
here?

DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the more appropriate question here would be
'Do you have a car that runs?'

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may
already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, so they
tell me.

DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job - no! On my breaks - yes!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?:
Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde
supermodel who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually,
I'd like to be doing that now.

NEAREST RELATIVE: 7 miles

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST
OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Oh yes, absolutely.

How to answer interview questions

2008-10-31T03:16:00.000-07:00

If you keep following this blog over the next few weeks, you will be able to build up a list of answers to typical interview questions.

Today we shall start with , "Why do you want this job"?

If you were truthful you would maybe say, "I have been out of work for six months and I am so desperate I will take anything thats offered, even this crummy low paid dead end position".

But, as we know, you don't tell the whole truth at interviews.

You must tell them what they want to hear.
A better bulls**t answer would be, "I have admired your company for many years and have always wanted to work here..
I think that it offers me the chance to develop my career further".

Or

"I have heard lots of good things about your company and and when I saw the ad for this job I was really excited and felt it was too good an opportunity to miss".

Better not give them the answer one of my friends gave. "It's dead handy. I just live round the corner".

2008-10-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

From now on this blog is going to be devoted to helping you get a job by using every trick in the book.
If you can get your dream job by totally honest means, ie. telling the whole truth, then great. Do it.
But telling the whole truth isn't alway the best idea.

Remember eighty percent of job seekers falsify their resumes and lie at interviews.
This blog is here to help you if you wish to be one of them.

For a few ideas to get you started, go to
http://www.resumetricks.info

There is also a free ebook you can download by going to

http://www.resumetricks.info/Articles/FormSubmission.php

The only time you should lie to get a job

2008-04-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

The only time you should lie to get a job is when you know you can actually do it.

It is totally pointless trying to get a job for which you have no experience or qualifications.

Even if you manage to get it, you won’t be able to actually do it, so it so you will get found out pretty quickly.

Imagine if you tried to get a job a bus driver and you couldn’t drive!

Not only is that a completely stupid thing to do, it is incredibly dangerous.

Trying for a computer operator’s job is a waste of everybody’s time if you don’t know a mouse from a monitor.

If you are asked any basic questions about a job that you have never done or know nothing about, you are dead in the water.

So then, lying in order to get a job should never be done in any circumstances. Right?

Well actually it’s wrong according to surveys which suggest the majority of us do it.

It depends on which type of occupation you look at. There are some where the vast majority of all applicants bend the truth to some extent on their resumes or at interviews.

The official line about lying on a resume or at an interview is that it is frowned upon by all employers and employment agencies.

But can lying ever be justified?

Of course it can.

Just ask the millions who do it every year.

So what if you omit some details from your resume. It’s all about presentation.

If you can do the job, it’s your task to persuade the interviewer that you can.

If there is some piece of your work history that is not relevant to the job you are applying for and you think would not help you get it, then why include it.

The official line is, your potential employer needs every bit of information about you down to the last detail. Why?

Okay, if you have been to prison for two years, that is significant. Omitting that would not be advisable.

But if you had a job in as a waiter and your are a qualified accountant, why would you want to include that?

If you are a great at your job and you know for a fact you could do the job, in whose interests is it that you put it in your resume?

If you were successful in getting the post, and in two years time your employer found out about your lying, do you think he would fire you if you were doing a brilliant job?

Possible, but highly unlikely.

But what if you had brought it up earlier Do you think it might have swayed his judgement and given the job to some other candidate?

Possible and likely.

So in the end, it means sometimes it helps both parties if you bend the truth just a little.

Learn these tactics for getting a top job.

2008-04-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Applying for a job requires planning. You need to treat it like a sales campaign.

The product you’re selling is you.

Most sales people are taught the AIDA formula when they first begin.

The letters stand for;

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

1. First you need to get the attention of the hiring manager.

This can be done by writing a punchy covering letter attached to a sizzling resume.

In your letter make sure you highlight your qualifications for the job you are applying for.

Yes, this sounds obvious, but a lot of applicants fall down on this point. Look at what is being asked for in the job advertisement. Take the relevant bits of your work history that match, and bring them out in the letter.

Do the same with your resume.

You should change your resume with every job you apply for to make sure it matches up with the specification in the job ad.

If you do this right, you will get the attention of the person doing the hiring.

2. Create interest. This again can be done on your resume.

After you have made sure your work experience lines up with what is being asked for, go into more details about how your work history. Let there be no doubt how you qualify for the post.

A good idea is to imagine you are the one doing the hiring. What would peak your interest? What is it in the resume that makes you want to get them in for interview?

3. Desire is usually best created at the interview.

When a sales person is attempting to sell a product, they need to build up a desire in the mind of the prospect.

Often a buyer is looking to solve some sort of problem.

If you were the sales person, you would be guaranteed to get the sale if you could convince the buyer that your product could do just that.

What problem is the hiring person trying to solve?

4. A sales person wants the customer to take action and place the order,

Action is what you want the hirer to take. And the type of action is giving you the job.

If you have done the first three steps correctly, this one should just slot onto place.

To help things along, it doesn’t do any harm to give the impression that you have more interviews lined up, in the very near future.

Do you honestly think you can get a job……..or do you think you get a job honestly?

2008-03-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of rubbish talked about applying for jobs. Almost all of it concerns the topics of how to write a resume, how to conduct your self at an interview, what sort of covering letter you should write.

And the advice is always the same. Be honest. Never tell a lie.

Let’s be clear on this. The advice is well meant, if somewhat misguided at times.

Sure, if you have the qualifications and experience that are a perfect fit for the post you are applying for, then all you have to do is follow the instructions and format your resume and you will be almost certain to succeed.

But, how often does that situation happen? Not very.

And yet there are numerous results from surveys that suggest a majority of job applicants are not honest in what they write on a resume and what they say at an interview.

Indeed, one survey turned up a staggering figure of 80% of Silcon Valley workers who admitted to lying to get a job.

Across the whole population, it’s estimated that 50% of us admit to falsifying our backgrounds when applying for new jobs.

There is a stigma attached to lying. But that doesn’t stop Governments, Politicians, Big Business, and Employers doing it.

Face up to it. Lying is a way of life. We all lie. To ourselves, to our friends, to our partner. And usually when you lie it’s for the best of motives.

You will happily lie to a child to stop them getting frightened. You will tell your partner that the meal they made for you was great even if you hate it.

We think, quite rightly, that lying is okay if the motive behind it to help and protect.

Now, think about lying to a prospective employer.

If a company is advertising a job vacancy, what they are saying is, they have a problem.

They have a need for someone to come in and do a job for them. If they don’t get that someone, it could effect business and ultimately, profits could suffer.

If you have to manipulate your resume or need to be economical with the truth at an interview, if the end result means you getting employed and do a fantastic job, that’s got to be a good thing.

On this site we hope to help you get that job by making the most of what you have got.