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How do you stand out from the crowd?  What makes you memorable?

In this world, you need something that distinguishes you from everyone else in your role/space/section.

Everyone has a resume.  Is yours special?  Maybe you use a unique font or your layout is ingenious.

When people look at your linkedin profile, what do they see first? What is their first impression?

When someone asks how you are, what is your response?

• “Oh, I am really busy, just swamped.”
• “It’s pretty slow.  I am just watching the clock these days.”
• “Things are crazy.  My clients are such pains.”
• “Really good.  I am working on some pretty interesting assignments right now.  Thanks for asking.”

Which of these responses is not like the others?  Which one will leave a lasting impression?

Yep, the last one.  It might even drum up a new opportunity if you were on the ball enough to have an answer like this ready.

Sure, you might feel extra confident if you arrive for your next meeting in a cool car with an expensive handbag. (I tried this and it does work.) But keep in mind that real accessories do not have cool brand names or a six speed transmission. They have warmth, humour and just enough information to be intriguing.

I read resumes for a living and sometimes I feel compelled to let you know about some nasty things that I see.  Nasty may be a little strong but in the scheme of things, this is your career and your resume should represent you clearly and professionally.

Today’s bugaboo is abbreviations.   One of the resumes I read today was full of abbreviations and it damn near drove me crazy.  If you don’t have time to write out the word, you don’t have time for my job.

If you are senior, say senior.  Not Sr.

If you are a Mechanical Engineer, do not succumb to using Mech. Eng to refer to yourself.

Sr Mech Eng looking for long term growth opp.

This kind of language is fine is you are tweeting or looking for a date but has not place on a resume.

Seriously.  What happens if your resume is received by someone who does not know what the abbreviations stand for?

If you specialize in piping design systems, say so.  PDS could Panzer Dragoon Saga (a role playing game) or the Planetary Data System.

If there is a lengthy term that is going to appear throughout your resume, then you can introduce an abbreviation early on (in parentheses after the term) so the reader knows exactly what you are talking about.

So spell it out.  You have worked hard to get where you are.  Let it shine.

Imagine you are at the final stages of interviewing for a great job.  The salary, location and job description are all great fits.  You are beyond excited.

You get asked for references.  You just about pass out.  You forgot about this part and have not connected with your references for ages.

Using the guy in the next cubicle three years ago is not going to cut it.  Neither will using your neighbour or a family friend.

Employers want to be able to verify that you do what you say you do in a way that is consistent with how you have presented yourself.

They want to talk to three or four people who have worked closely with you recently enough to remember it.  At least one of those people should have been your manager.

Cultivating references is almost as important as keeping your eyes open for new opportunities.  Think about the people you interact with on a daily basis.  Who would be willing and able to vouch for your skills, attitudes and work ethic?

Don’t let this fall by the wayside.  Keep your resume and references at the ready because you never know where and when the next opportunity will show up.

I was at the Canadian Nuclear Association conference in Ottawa last week and some really interesting people came to our booth to talk to us.

The one that stuck out was a soon-to-be graduate of a nuclear engineering program.  Most of his classmates were heading down the typical path – applying to power generation and research companies.  His dreams, however, were different.  He wanted to do work on the policy side, not the application side.

All of his co-op terms and summer jobs had been political, not practical.  He was looking to us for some guidance.

His skill combination was very unusual and was going to make finding a job trickier.  He had already come to the realization that his resume was not going to rise to the top of pile in either world.

I was reminded of a story that Martin Buckland, founder of Elite Resumes, once told me.  He was working with a senior executive who wanted to make a life change.  He wanted to leave the city altogether and be able to live and work at his cottage.

He had discovered that the hospital near his cottage was looking for a CEO.  He came to Martin and asked if together, they could create a resume that would get him in the door for an interview.

They researched what the hospital was going through and identified the challenges and opportunities that the new CEO would have to face and then presented a resume that reflected his experience with those things.

He got an interview and subsequently, got the job.

Did I mention that he had no experience in healthcare?

Here is someone who also had a less-than-typical profile and yet, managed to get into the role he wanted.

The key is to decide where you want to spend your time working.  It does not have to be a specific organization. It can be a certain type or size or location or brand personality.

Once you know where you are going, lay out a map to get there. Do research.  What’s happening in the space?  Who do you know there?  How can your experience help them?  What problems can you solve for them based on your knowledge?

It takes patience and perseverance but it will be worth it in the end.

It’s winter here in Canada and if you are doing the interview circuit, you need to be prepared.

There is nothing worse than sniffling during a conversation.  You try to be subtle by wiggling your nose or casually wiping your sleeve near your nose but face it: there is no substitute for a tissue.  So start each day by putting one in your pocket, sleeve or bra strap.

If you have a bit of a cough or a tickle (and who doesn’t these days?), then put some lozenges or tic tacs in your pocket, purse or briefcase. You can pop one while you are waiting for your meeting to start.  It will give you something to do with your hands.

Make sure you give yourself extra time before the interview but don’t hang around the reception area – that’s not cool.  Plan to take a few minutes in the lobby for your body temperature to sort itself out.  Your face and hands will be cold but your armpits will be working overtime so rather than greet the person you are meeting with cold hands and the tell-tale half moons of nervousness, spend a few minutes in the lobby.  Take off your coat, blow your nose and wait until everything comes to room temperature.  Then head upstairs to announce your presence.

Finally, no matter how much of a Tim Horton’s or Starbucks fan you are, don’t take your coffee into the meeting unless you are prepared to offer some to the other person.

So to sum up:  arrive early, finish your latte in the lobby, pop a tic tac and set yourself up for a great conversation.

Hello.  This is the Helpdesk.  What can I do for you?

I am not getting satisfaction from my job.  Also, I think I am not making enough money.

Hmm.  Well, when was the last time you were satisfied?  Can you remember what you were doing at the time?

Sure, I was on vacation.  That was satisfying.

Okay.  How about before that?

Oh yeah.  I was working on a special project.  We were doing a corporate fundraiser.  I got to work with different people and we managed to reach our goal.  It was super fun. 

That sounds highly functional.  Could you recreate that situation?

No.  It’s an annual thing. Sigh.

You mentioned that the money was not working any more either.  Do you know when that crashed?

No, it just seems to have come to a halt.  Nothing has really changed. 

Maybe it’s time to do some upgrades.  When was the last time you changed your operating system or did a system update?

Oh gee.  I don’t know.  I think it’s been a while.

It sounds to me like that’s what we need to do.  I’ll need to take a look at your education, the jobs you have done and of course, your network.  Could you get all that ready, say, by Tuesday?

If that does not work, we may have to do a cold reset and that could be expensive.  I’d like to troubleshoot one part at a time.

So, let’s set up that appointment and I’ll jump on your resume for a quick look around.

 Okay.  I won’t lose any of my stuff, will I?

No, we should be able to preserve everything.  We’ll just tighten it up, do the latest updates and get it ready to handle some real career action.

Wow.  That sounds great.  Can you take a look at my iphone? It has not been the same since I threw it at my boss.

I know I am always crowing about getting out of your everyday hamster wheel.  It’s refreshing to get out of the routine and slide off the beaten track, if only for an evening. It can be hard to do but it’s worth it.

My sister gave me an early birthday gift: an evening with Margaret Atwood at the Metro Reference Library.  I had to leave my office at the crack of five to get to the subway to hook up with my mom who was going with me.

The whole drive in, I was thinking that I was going to be late which led to questioning why I had agreed to it in the first place.  I was in a pretty negative head space when I get to the subway.  All I could think about what the work I could have been finishing. 

As I parked the car, I looked down at the clock.  I was right on time.  I found a parking spot.  The train was waiting for me.  Things were looking up.

I gave my head a shake, took a deep breath and got on the train.  (Looking back, the deep breath on the subway car was maybe not as cleansing as one might expect, but nevertheless)

We got to the library, had a glass of wine and some snacks and then sat listening to Ms Atwood read.  We were in the second row.  Very close.

Then the very charming Ian Brown asked her a bunch of questions about the future, the environment and the process of writing

I have to be honest here:  I have never finished one of her books.  They just never really appealed to me but listening to her in person:  wow.  She is funny and warm.  She knows a lot about a lot of stuff.

It was quite an enchanting feeling to be so close to someone who is so influential.  I also wrote down a bunch of things she said and they have been rolling around in my mind all week.

I walked back outside the library and took another deep breath.  I had been off the hamster wheel for two hours and it felt great.

So thanks, Kate and Mom for the break.  I am going to pay it forward and invite someone else to get off their hamster wheel.  Anyone care to join me?

Employment relationships come in many varieties.  It used to be that you got a job, you got a paycheque, you got promoted, you retired.

Then bonuses came along.  People gave up part of their base salary for the potential of a larger and larger bonus.  We saw extreme examples of this on Wall Street when traders worked for a base salary of $1 ( yes, $1) and a potential bonus of $500,000.

The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

Then there is the more dramatic kind of variable pay where someone’s whole compensation package is based on commission.  This is very common for realtors.  It’s also not uncommon in the recruiting business.  It promotes a kind of feast or famine lifestyle.  I heard someone describe it this way: “Sometimes we eat steak and sometimes we eat Kraft dinner”.

In a role that has commission, there is usually the potential for a higher financial reward but the onus is on you to make that happen.  It will not be automatically deposited into your bank account week after week.

Now we see contracted employment relationships where someone is hired to perform a service for a fixed term or a specific project.  In other words, everyone understands from the get-go that the gig is going to end.

As the employee, you are taking on the risk of finding what to do next.  In exchange for taking that risk, you are generally paid a premium; perhaps 20-30% more than you would in a permanent job.

Many people thrive in that kind of situation.  They like having different projects and they get used to a higher pay rate.

But it comes at a cost and not just that the job will end.  As a contractor, you may also have to manage your benefits, your vacation and your retirement plans.

So, there can be more money, but there is more risk and a lot more obligation.

Here’s the take-away:  don’t go swooning after the dangling money carrot, if you aren’t prepared to take the responsibility for not only washing it and cutting it up but figuring out how to grow more carrots.

You know your occupation has made it, when it is the role of the main character in a current and sexy Hollywood movie.

I was in a turkey stupor on the couch last night when I came across the movie Friends with Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. 

Slightly glazed over, I thought I heard Mila Kunis say she was a head hunter.   I sat up (slightly) and grabbed the remote and hit rewind.  Did she say head hunter?  Yes, it turns out that she did.  A head hunter in New York City, no less.

That had my attention.  She was introducing Justin Timberlake to a new opportunity.  In english: she was pitching him on a changing jobs for something better.

Maybe I have been working in the wrong vertical all along…..none of the candidates I have worked with resembled Justin Timberlake.  I am not saying that nuclear design engineers and project planners lack charisma but I’m not sure any of them would ever fit the criteria for “sexy”.

To be fair, I don’t much resemble Mila Kunis either.  I’m quite a bit taller.

So I guess its true, the grass is always more sparkly in Hollywood.  For now, I will just keep trucking along in non-sexy, non-glamorous but extremely satisfying role as head hunter to the non-celebrities.

Happy New Year!