The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ "The Job Scam Report" on Substack! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Elements of Resume Style with Scott Bennett

The Elements of Resume Style with Scott Bennett
http://traffic.libsyn.com/thevoiceofjobseekers/thevoiceofjobseekers60.mp3

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scott bennett

As hard as resumes are to write, the most effective ones are written plainly, clearly, and briefly. The struggle for most people is to capture reader’s attention through failing to communicate all three elements. One of the best guides in my opinion is The Elements of Resume Style. It is one of the books I reference serving my clients, and one I regularly recommend. Scott is my guest on today’s show.

If you struggle with presenting a clear, brief, accomplishment-focused resume, then you will exceedingly receive much value from this conversation. What is your greatest challenge in writing a resume? We would love to get your feedback.

I’d love your feedback in these three ways:

Blog: TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com (Use the send voicemail feature)

Email: mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

Voicemail: call skype logo How Can Underemployed Job Seekers Adapt to the New Workplacecall skype logo How Can Underemployed Job Seekers Adapt to the New Workplace708.365.9822

Scott Bennett is the author of The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters That Work and founder of WriteResumesRight.com. The first edition was first published in 2005 (I thought it was 2001. I’ve had this book seemingly longer, but I digress), and the second last month.  The first edition of The Elements of Resume Style was translated into Chinese and distribute in India in an English language edition.

Scott has reviewed more than 100,000 resumes and hired hundreds of employees at all levels. At one time he was the President and Chief Operating Public Service Computer Software, but in 1996 transitioned into career coaching. Since then, he has influenced thousands through coaching, workshops, and seminars.

Highlights from our conversation:

    • What has changed about the way we look at resumes has changed since 2005, “The more paths, the more mechanisms, and delivery systems…the more rules for writing resumes stay the same.” Clarity and brevity are just as important today if not more than ever
    • Hiring managers typically have  many other critical responsibilities, and job candidates succeed in being noticed when they write a resume that respects the hiring managers time. Brevity and error-free resumes and cover letters attract attention in a pile that contains hundreds of resumes, and is quite rare
    • I loved it when Scott said not to “…play fun with fonts…” and not too many font sizes
    • He discourages readers from rewriting the job description, but with clear examples of their experiences. Instead of writing, “Excellent written skills,” write, “Wrote guide for 11,000 users,” displaying a clear evidence of your skills
    • Scott believes that the resume will not go away, just the way that it is delivered. The content remains critical and important
    • I asked Scott what he thought about infographic resumes (Shout out to Hannah Morgan as we discussed this two weeks ago). He stated that he thought it was a great idea, especially if the candidate is keeping his or her audience in mind. If a hiring manager’s secretary prints out resumes, then the impact will go unnoticed. But a computer/digital savvy hiring manager who views resumes online will more than likely note that this candidate stands out
    • Hear what Scott says about the “Summary” section (the first paragraph after the heading) and how to use it. His perspective is quite different than most of the advice you read these days. Let me know what you think.

Thanks again to AMACOMbooks for our three-year partnership and coordinating this conversation with Scott Bennett.

Resume help is featured through several recent episodes with some of the most knowledgeable resume writers and experts anywhere:

Personal SEO for Your Online Resume with Susan P Joyce

How to Proofread and Edit Your Resume with Lauren Milligan

Resume Keywords vs. Buzzwords with Erin Kennedy

Let me hear your resume struggles. What’s keeping you up at night? No responses from your resume? Let me help you. Call 708.365.9822 or email me at mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com and leave me feedback and contact information!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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Filed Under: Resume

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Science of Successful Job Hunting with Mildred Talabi

The Science of Successful Job Hunting with Mildred Talabi
http://traffic.libsyn.com/thevoiceofjobseekers/thevoiceofjobseekers54.mp3

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Mildred Talabi

Today’s job hunting requires being proactive in every way. This means using social media and other tools including video, blogging, and Twitter.  It is one of the ways to stand out, and today’s episode we’ll discuss how important it is to be proactive and get noticed.

Thanks for joining us for a very special edition of this podcast! It’s special because for the first time, there will be a video version of the podcast on YouTube which is now live. There is a slight difference in the editing of the video, but the same conversation. I am always open to suggestions for switching it up. If you have suggestions of any kind, you can contact me in three with ways:

Email: mark@thevoicefjobseekers.com

Phone: 708-365-9822

Blog: TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com

Twitter: @MarkADyson

My guest for this episode is Mildred Talabi (@MildredTalabi).  Her latest book is The Science of Successful Job Hunting. She started out as a journalist and eventually, became a career advisor on the side. Her career advice has appeared on a Google forum (you can find this on YouTube), JobMob, and Guardian.

When I first talked to Mildred last May, she was writing a book regarding youth unemployment and the affect joblessness was having on them. Then she shifted and was inspired to write a book for the general job seeker population.

Writing about youth is not a stretch at all. In fact, Mildred works a full-time job in training 16-24 year-old youths career development.

Two things you should know about the episode recording:

1) This was recorded on Labor Day when people were in a festive mood. You will hear a little music in the background.

2) Around 4: 00, Mildred’s audio dramatically improved through the use of headphones. The audio editing reflects.

Here are some highlights from our discussion:

2:35

Mildred explains that she is an accidental  career advisor. Her background is in journalism and as an assistant editor she had to recruit people, and saw people were forward horrible CV’s.  Mildred started her first book (7 Keys to a Winning CV) while professionally working as an editor for The Guardian.

6:48

Mildred expands on the notion that passion is a good start but you can’t live off of it. Skill can be developed and that passion and skill is good.

9:30

We agree that you can pilot your passion, meaning that you can charge minimally with friends and family, and grow from then. Once you can test and get results, then you can charge more. Mildred give some examples from her career to reach that “sweet spot.”

13:11

Mildred and I discuss how job seekers should blog, stand out, and be innovative. It allows employers to Google and find you to leave a positive impression of you.

15:38

Mildred also shares how much she’s learned by blogging and reading. “There is so much available out there as far as knowledge…”

17:56

Mildred agrees that it is an employers’ market in the hiring process to eliminate candidates from the basic level.

Our conversation lasted more than 45 minutes. I decided to publish it in it’s entirety because of the loads of gems she offers. You can download a free sample chapter today of Mildred’s latest book.

By the way…

Hey, don’t forget to sign up on the blog for the e-zine, and by doing so you receive my new e-book, 5 Easy Ways YOU Can Create an Amazing Online Presence. I would love to hear and/or read your feedback about the show.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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Filed Under: Career, Job Search, Online Reputation, Personal Branding, Resume Tagged With: Job Advice, Job Search

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Personal SEO for Your Online Resume

Personal SEO for Your Online Resume
http://traffic.libsyn.com/thevoiceofjobseekers/thevoiceofjobseekers051.mp3

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Personal SEO for Your Online Resume

Personal SEO is a way of stating the importance of being found online. This episode will convince you that a Facebook page is not enough for a job search. Having an online resume  portfolio is how employers will find and confirm your value. That is our goal in today’s episode.

Susan P. Joyce (@jobhuntorg) is the perfect person to have this discussion. She is the owner of Job-Hunt.org and WorkCafe.com, Forbes Top 100 websites for your career. She is a former Marine and an MIT visiting scholar. She also a Huffington Post contributor. All of that sounds intimidating right? Well, she is just as down to earth as anyone I’ve met. We talked over the phone for almost an hour and traded numerous emails on a variety of job search subjects. This conversation is more than 45 minutes, and we covered so much. I don’t know if the highlights will do it justice.

Here are the highlights of our discussion:

  • People are still outraged that employers Google them not realizing that your online identity in general is fair game. Job seekers need to think in terms of leading employers and connections to where your best presence resides. Having a consistent profile across all platforms is smart and strategically sound in presenting your online resume
  • Google Plus is still an under-used yet powerful resource with fewer rules than LinkedIn.  It is a great place to manage your online reputation. Commenting on blogs and writing articles are great ways to associate increase visibility. We recommend using Google authorship to make it easier for employers to find you.  You must have a Gmail account and a Google Plus account to set this up
  • Amazon reviews scores high in Google rankings. A job seeker can write a review for industry related books, and be found. This increases value in presenting your online resume
  • We mentioned how people can also refer to the conversations in past shows with Hannah Morgan and Erin Kennedy as we discuss online reputation and the importance of keywords
  • Susan recommended that a person should Google themselves at least once a week to manager his or her reputation. Most people are unfamiliar with Google Verbatim, a tool used for targeted searches and useful to search your reputation
  • Privacy protection should be a long-term concern. Susan stated that there are too many people unaware of consequences of so much personal disclosure
  • We end the show by talking how employers are not posting salaries along with the description, and why she was so passionate about it. This is the original tweet that sparked my inquiry

Feel free to contact me in one of these ways:

Phone: 708.365.9822

Email: mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

blog: TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com (see the “Send Voicemail” button)

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

  • Mail
  • |
  • Web
  • |
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  • |
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  • |
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  • |
  • More Posts(760)

Filed Under: Online Reputation, Personal Branding, Resume

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I moderated a panel on Wealth Management for executives by Black Enterprise Magazine in October 2023 in Miami.

I was interviewed on Scripps News show, “The Why!” 4/13/2023

I talked with John Tarnoff and Kerry Hannon of “The Second Act” podcast about job searching after 50 in October 2022.

I was on “The Career Confidante” podcast to talk about “boomerang employees” and “job fishing” in June 2022.

Making Job Search a Lifestyle With “Dr. Dawn Graham on Careers,” SiriusXM Ch. 132, Wharton School of Business May 2021

In May 2020, I talked with LinkedIn’s Senior News Editor Andrew Seaman on “#GetHired” Live.”

Beverly Jones, host of the NPR podcast “Jazzed About Work,” invited me back to talk job scams, job search trends, and AI tools in April 2024

WOUB Digital · Episode 183 : Job search expert Mark Dyson says beware of scams, know AI & keep learning

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