Stand out resumes

The Business Insider has an article with several insanely creative resumes that helped people stand out from all the other applicants: http://www.businessinsider.com/insanely-creative-resumes-2011-6

Writing a bio for a blog, social media or website

If you're like me (and many other ASD folk) talking about ourselves in glowing terms is difficult. We wind up sounding cheesy, or blunt or confused. It is so difficult for me that I am not even going to try to tell you how to write a bio. Instead I will point you at the Undercover Recruiter:

8 Steps to write a bio

Boosting the impact of your resume

I was talking with a friend of mine at lunch about how he stood out when he was at his first job. He was in charge of collecting on delinquent credit card accounts. It was not a good job and he planned on moving up or out fast. There were three ways he could talk about his main duty:

• Collect delinquent debts on open credit cards
• Monitor 30 credit accounts for outstanding debts and recoup money on those accounts
• Protected $1.3 million of at risk money for the company

Guess which one caught his boss's attention and made his resume stand out when he went to interview for a new position? The $1.3 million stands out and is something people in any position can understand. It shows concern for the company and an understanding of the real purpose of the position.

Consider this: as a customer service agent are you answering calls for the company or are you improving customer loyalty? As a blogger are you informing the public or are you drawing visitors to the money making parts of the website? The company and the managers in that company have their view... catering to that view in your writing will make you stand out above your co-workers or the bazillion other candidates applying for the same job.

Incredible Resume Item done outside of work

"Earlier this year I got pretty bored and decided to do something creative in my spare time..." thus begins a video on YouTube (previously on Vimeo)  that has garnered millions of hits and demonstrated the artists ability to create an animated story with a plot, timing, suspense, a hint of romance and action... in less than 8 minutes. Admittedly some of the hits come from the niche the artist chose to compose in, World of Warcraft, but still it is a powerful testament as to what they person can do. If I were a recruiter, hiring manager, creative exec or ad house owner I would have e-mailed the guy asking "How much do you need to do that again for me?"; no interview, no HR BS... I would want that same expertise for my company.

Check it out: The craft of war: Blind

Networking via the internet

Part of a proper job hunt is specifically that... a hunt. You find your prey (a position you like in a company you like; hopefully with people you like) and then you stalk it. For a while lets assume you found the right job in the right company-- that would be several pages to describe-- but they are not hiring. What to do?

Extrovert NTs with a savvy approach would network to the job. Put themselves in front of the relevant decision makers at the company and show their value... or at the very least make sure they were the first person in the minds of the decision makers when it came time to hire.

For ASD folk this present numerous challenges including the networking part. However the internet has made networking much easier. As an example I recently applied for a job at the Cheezburger Network. It would have been a great job working remotely at a company that I really liked.

Rather than posting my resume via their online application system I looked up their CTO, found his e-mail address and sent him a message saying "What would I need to have on my resume for you to hire me?" I also found him on Twitter and LinkedIn so that when he followed up I could mention relevant things in his life in the e-mail. I made on-line friends with a couple of the people who worked there too.

I did not get the job but I certainly was considered for a position that was a step up which is a minor victory. Moreover, nothing prevents me from applying again.I plan on demonstrating how much more value I have added since this last process. A case in point is that the CTO wrote an article on what he looks for in hiring people and I will certainly address that in my next query to be hired.

The lesson here is that online, Aspies & HFA can communicate professionally with relevant decision makers. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr and yes, blogs, all offer clues as to what the person is interested in and will respond to in a message. Use it. Put it in your communication. Did the person recently injure themselves? Offer sympathy. Do they love mountain climbing? Mention that you read Into Thin Air. These things are what will hook them and draw them to the person beyond the resume.

Using a website to extend your resume

A resume is a very limited way to show what you can do. More than that it is rare that a reviewer reads much of it. However, a website, with a link on your resume, can show much more and in an easier to read format.  Thankfully doing an easy personalized website is not hard.

Sites like W3Schools offer excellent tutorials on how to read the underlying code for a website (HTML). With a few short lessons you will learn how to edit the text and pump up the important pieces of your website for review.

And rather than creating one from scratch Open Web Design and Open Designs offer templates that you can download and customize yourself. Designers have already taken the time in laying out pleasant looking web sites that are just waiting for your words.

And you do not even have to pay money to host the simple site out there. Coral Rift offers free hosting where you claim a site like <your name>.coralrift.com and then drag and drop your web pages onto the page. Viola you have a professional looking web site with your name.

Your content can then be tailored to talk about you, what you produce and what your interests are. Bonus points if the resume/website reviewer finds content directly applicable to the job you're applying for!