Archive for January, 2009

The following article is excerpted from Squawkfox. For the full article and the continuing series of how to write a successful resume, click HERE.

Series: How to Write a Resume (that gets job interviews) November 16, 2008 by Fox | Comments: 9
This article is the introduction to a multiple part series on How to Write a Resume (that gets job interviews).

If you’re anything like my best friends, your resume probably sucks. Yes, I’m sure your skills, experiences, and qualifications don’t suck. But to be honest, very few job searchers know how to write a professional resume that consistently lands them a job interview.

I’ve been on both ends of the resume game. I’ve reviewed hundreds of resumes as part of a hiring team. I’ve also applied to numerous jobs in various fields using countless resume types, formats, samples, templates, presentations, and content. Over the years, I’ve discovered why few resumes stand out and why most end up lining kitty litter trays.

Resume Writing Series:
What is a Killer Resume?
10 Resume Dos
10 Resume Sins
Resume Anatomy
6 Sucky Resume Words

Resume writing is not rocket science. But your resume must impress the reader in seconds to be effective. Otherwise, your skills and experiences will be recycled faster than you can say, “paper shredder”.

About the Resume Writing Series
So how do you write a resume that impresses and gets you that golden job interview? There’s a knack to presenting your skills, education, and qualifications on paper. In this series I’m going to show you how to do it. I’ll also deal with these common resume writing issues:

How to organize all your resume information!
What should you include? What should you avoid?
What resume writing tips and tricks work?
How many pages? What format?
How to present problem situations like layoffs, job hopping, parenting, sickness, little experience, being fired.
Should you hire a resume writing service?
And much more!
I may just include a few free sample resumes, resume templates, and resume examples to help you along the way.

So now what?
Before you jump in and start revving up your resume, it may be a good idea to look inward first for some introspective thinking. No, I’m not going all Oprah on you. But before you can write some resume stuff, it would help to know what makes you tick! To get ticking, take a peek at this series:

To continue, click HERE to go to the Squawkfox site… or just stay tuned for future updates from this series right here on our RECRUITERS WITH ATTITUDE blog!

Josh Thurlow is the CPGworks Employee of the Week!
Josh has been with the CPGworks family for many years. He has worked with a few of our client companies over that time period. He has matured and grown in this process and has really come to prove himself. Most recently he has been working with a client company called MELCO since August 2008 and he’s been doing a great job. Keep it up Josh.

The ANSWER:

ACQUIRING AND RETAINING QUALIFIED PERSONNEL…

In the same survey question, other issues that they considered important, were low in comparison.

For those of you looking for steady, long term jobs and careers, market yourselves. Contact us, provide a good resume, but more importantly, decide what you want to do as a career in this industry and set your sights on THAT goal.

Reliable, qualified people are in demand.

Contact us.

(Survey information provided by the Bonadio Group and ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors Inc)

Richard Sikorski came to CPGworks just over a couple months ago, in answer to an ad that we placed for a maintenance position. When you see it, don’t let the picture fool you. Richard is a BIG guy. Former military and uh, well, his shoulders just cleared the door frame to my office. Nonetheless, he is the nicest guy in the world. We sent him to Kissling Interests, a large and very professional property management company in Buffalo, and he got the job. From the get-go he was an instant hit, very much liked, and he did a great job, knocking down the job-orders list one after another. He is efficient, works hard and has a great attitude. He’s been with the company for over two months now, and doing great. Keep it up Richard.

Listen Up Buffalo!
Last week I wrote an article on my blog (www.storywriteronline.blogspot.com), suggesting that there should be a concise strategy for the rebuild of Buffalo. I think it needs to be stated again, harder this time, and with a few choice lines.

Let me say at the outset. I didn’t come from Buffalo. I have lived in Los Angeles California for 25 years until just this year. I have travelled the world, seen most cities in America. I didn’t even plan to relocate to Buffalo, but the city caught my attention and I decided to locate here. Foremost, I was struck by the charm and beauty of the city. The architecture, the classic buildings, streets and turning circles. All of it portrayed the heart of America to me. Yet, like a single rose in a patch of weeds, I was shocked by the condition of areas around the beauty. I was even more shocked when I looked into it, to find out that the city has stayed this way for decades and that elected officials have repeatedly passed the buck to the next guy in office.

I see tremendous amounts of effort, valiant in fact, truly passionate and dedicated, from groups and individuals to improve and help Buffalo regain itself. I am networking with them as we speak. They are real heros. But I think some strong words are in order. I quote a passage from Lee Iacocca’s new book ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone? as I think it is appropriate:

“Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’”

With that said, a few facts should be tabled, again:

1. Buffalo, statistically speaking is reportedly rated as the 4th best housing market in America. Hello!!
2. Buffalo still maintains a better work-force/employment ratio than most states in America.
3. Price of living in Buffalo, is comparatively good.
4. Despite any downside, Buffalo is a great place to raise a family and has a good infrastructure.

In light of that, why keep talking to Buffalonians about improving Buffalo? People who live here KNOW it’s a great city, inspite of the blights and neglected areas. We all pass it every day.

Any campaign, any war, any any is won by a STRATEGY, unless it is a complete fluke, which is not worthy of mention then.

Buffalo cannot solve it’s issues through insular means. Buffalo needs to tell, through simple, word of mouth, low-cost campaigns, the rest of America, that this is a great place to live. It is time to DRIVE people INTO Buffalo to fill the massive hole created from the earlier exodus. This place has a lot to offer. Housing is good. Cost to raise a family is good. Infrastructure is good. Simultaneously, it is time to zone-out the parts of Buffalo for rebuild, NOT just demolitions. Zone it out. Give an incentive package to developers to come in and develope these zones. Tax breaks, discounted land, whatever. If someone screams about it being unfair (which there are always some screamers), then put it to the vote by the people since this is a democracy, so that the screams stop. It is time to stop messing around with the rebuild of Buffalo.

If Downtown LA, can rebuild itself from a once abandoned and quite degraded area (2 decades ago) that was the victim of decentralization like Buffalo, then Buffalo can do it too. I saw it happen in the time I was there. But it’s going to take sticking to a STRATEGY, not a political platform, and not some other agenda to gain popularity. To stop a sinking ship you have to HANDLE the ship. You can put all the flowers you want around the decks, throw all the parties you want, but if the ship sinks, so do the flowers and so do the people.

Come-on – let’s stop talking about Buffalo to Buffalo. Let America know about it. It’s not a dying city or a city with an inferiority complex. It’s a city with fantastic opportunity and it’s time to open the doors and take the brakes off.

PS I work for a construction staffing agency in Buffalo. I’ll get the people to help build the place. I know about a hundred guys right now that would happily go to work! Honest!

Real J. Laplaine
www.storywriteronline-rl.com
storywriteronline@gmail.com
RLaplaine@cpgworks.com

The following article from Buffalo First lends support to the fact that Buffalo, is the place to be!

“Because Buffalo did not cash in on the nationwide housing boom, the market will not be sharply impacted by the bust in real estate prices.

In a report on Forbes.com conducted by Moody’s Economy.com, the Buffalo area is rated as the nation’s fourth-best housing market, joining other Upstate New York cities, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany in a top-25 ranking. Syracuse was second, behind McAllen, Texas, while Rochester was 15th and Albany 21st.”

A friend who writes articles for the IT and Engineering Industry out of California, asked me to write a short article for possible inclusion within his article. I chose to write this as I think it applies.

THE STAFFING INDUSTRY

In these times of economic stress, it behooves the staffing industry to pay more attention to certain details which I have found to be sorely lacking in this industry. Care! As a headhunter for the construction and service company industry, I get everything from the general laborer to the high-end Project Manager and I make it a point to treat them the way I would want to be treated if I were sitting in their chair, jobless, often times with family, mortgages and bills to pay. It makes a big difference when you view applicants like that, and treat them with care. Drop the computer automated replies to resumes and applicants. Talk to people – they appreciate a real person responding. If we’re going to handle the recession and put America back on it’s feet, it won’t be up to Obama to do it. It will be up to staffing agency people, and others in like positions, to get Americans to work.

Real J. Laplaine
Headhunter
CPGworks
www.cpgworks.com

It never ceases to amaze me that when I discipline myself to listen to people and treat them with common respect and courtesy and really show sincere interest in them, what in turn I found out about them.

Case in point. A man came into our agency yesterday seeking work. He had just moved back to Buffalo after being away for 22 years. I had the gentleman fill out the necessary forms and then interviewed him only to find out, quite casually, that he was personal friends with two very senior people in Buffalo, in fact, had grown up with one of them. That person happened to be the current Mayor of Buffalo. He wasn’t even name-dropping.

In yet another case, someone told me another story that just happened to them today. This person happens to work at a retail outlet here in Buffalo. A man came up to her to cash-out his purchase and was upset that he couldn’t find everything he needed. When she asked him about this, he told her that in the past year he has spent close to half a million dollars at this particular store, and despite that, cannot get them to get everything he needs when requested. He told her that the only reason he hasn’t taken his business elsewhere is because of her friendly service and help to him, and that he comes back to this store just for that reason.

People ARE important. Everyone one of them. Treat them so!