Meet Stephen Van Vreede
Career Coaching Specialist with MBA, CPRW, and ACRW credentials
Co-founder of premier social networking site just for job seekers called NoddlePlace.com
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What Others Have to Say
Peter Day on Think Before You Tweet: Why Jo… Endaladycle on Job Posting Sites: Are They on… Stephen Van Vreede on 2011 Job Market Outlook
Tough Love for the Executive-Level Job Seeker
Professionalism…It is quickly becoming a lost art, I’m afraid. From scruffy facial hair to baggy jeans to disastrous cell phone and e-mail etiquette, I’m beginning to think that people view their work environments as nothing more than an extension of their college dorm room.
The Résumé “Wow” Factor
As a résumé writer, I am always amazed at the amount of time I spend discussing the “wow” factor with job seekers. If any concept has been sold in regard to résumés, it is the idea that a résumé must take on an almost magical quality that casts a spell over the reader, transforming the average professional into the “must-have” candidate of the year!
Thinking About Writing Your Own Resume? Think Again…
Although I definitely agree that a resume is not all there is to conducting an effective job search, you should at least know that you have invested in a top-quality document that has a strategy to how it presents you.
Resumes Are Not About You
If you have ever taken any kind of writing course, probably eighth-grade English or something like that, you were told that all writing, no matter what form, is about communicating with an audience. The writer’s sole focus is to impart some kind of information to the reader in a way that the reader can grasp. If the writer fails to do that, it doesn’t matter how articulate, how intelligent, how fancy the writing is…the reader didn’t get it. Nothing was communicated.
The Resume Lie: Hide that Entrepreneur Experience!!
Entrepreneurs are some of the hardest working people on the planet. They are driven. They are rainmakers. They know how to wear lots of hats. These are all things that companies love and desire. But somewhere along the line both job seekers and some HR types have spread the word that self-employment is bad news on a resume.
The Job Hopper Dilemma
In today’s job market, resumes are being scrutinized like never before. And for good reason, job seekers with many short stints in their work history are concerned. After all, the label “job hopper” is one mantel no one wants to wear.
College Graduates Entering the 2009 Job Market
So maybe you or a loved one either have just graduated or are about to graduate from college. What’s your advice?
If you’re like so many out there, it probably goes something like this: “Run, do not walk, to the nearest grad school.”
Job Posting Sites: Are They on Their Way Out?
It seems hard to believe with the plethora of job boards out there and the dirge of them that seem to pop up daily that the actual existence of these sites could be called in to question.
But called into question they should be. After all with an effectiveness rate of, at best, only 4%, it is hard to fathom the mass hysteria that seems to surround them. Job seekers can’t seem to get enough of them, and companies can’t seem to stop giving them thousands of dollars each year.
Job Seeker Dilemma: Overcoming the HR Black Hole
I’m not sure there is anything more frustrating to today’s job search process than companies that post online for open positions, insist that candidates contact them only via online forms, and warn against trying any other means of applying for the position. Obedient job seekers then follow all the requirements, sit dutifully by and wait, and what happens? Nothing!
FB, Twitter, LI, Oh My! Is All This Social Networking Worth It?
Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, social networking is everywhere. Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter…and more like them are popping up daily. It seems that we are craving the need to speak to one another virtually. Never mind that we have cell phones, e-mail, IM, and text messaging, we seem to need these sites too.
Your Career Is Your Business: The Corporate Entrepreneur
A corporate entrepreneur? Although it may sound like an oxymoron, it is a good way of describing the type of mindset that today’s corporate professionals need to have when navigating through their careers.
Essentially, the corporate entrepreneur is someone who applies entrepreneurial-like principles to his or her corporate job, recognizing that in today’s job market, there really is no such thing anymore as being “the company guy” (or girl).
Job Search Tips: Optimizing Your Job Search Network
If you are struggling with using your network to help you with your job search, read on to find out how to do so.
Resume Writing Tips: How Far Back Do I Go on My Resume?
There is a lot of information floating around about how far back a candidate should go on his or her resume. Frankly, much of it is conflicting. In recent years, the trend has been to include about 10-12 years of work history on a resume. For different reasons, many professional resume writers will not include any information for jobs prior to that range. They will cite issues like potential age discrimination, lack of employer interest, and space considerations. All are valid reasons, with the age discrimination argument as the possible exception, but that is a story for another time.
Resume Tips for Financial Candidates
In today’s business environment, many candidates in the financial services arena, including banking, mortgage, and investment management, are hedging their bets and considering their options in the job market. However, they are concerned that little, if anything, will be available within their own field, so they plan to try their luck in other arenas. So what can you do with your resume if you find yourself in a similar situation?
The Twitter Job Search: Does It Live Up to the Hype?
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…by now you have probably been exposed to at least one, if not more, of these sites. If you’ve been keeping up with the latest job search news, you’ve also probably been bombarded with cries to “network, network, network.” Well, networking itself is obviously not new, but social networking or social media sites like LinkedIn (and NoddlePlace) are. Although these types of sites attract lots of users, not everyone knows how to use them effectively, especially when it comes to the job search.
Beginner’s Guide to the Twitter Job Search: Top 5 Essentials
It is hard to imagine a job seeker today who isn’t on Twitter. Like LinkedIn, it is rapidly becoming a must-do social networking tool. And also like LinkedIn, it is rapidly becoming a popular hangout for job seekers.
The Great Cover Letter Debate
To cover letter or not to cover letter … that seems to be the question these days. This past week alone on Twitter, my business partner and I must have come across or participated in no less than 30 discussions that started out something like this: “Do I really even need a cover letter? Does anyone read them anymore?”
Group Job Hunting 101
Many of you may be asking, “What is group job hunting anyway?” No, it is not like group therapy where you want to share as little as possible with a bunch of people you don’t really know. It is also not anything like group interviewing, where a prospective employer grills a whole group of job candidates at the same time so that they can compete with one another head to head.
Group job hunting is an alternative channel for conducting a job search that connect job seekers with one another and allow them to share contacts, resources, leads, and other advice.
Recruiters Are Not “Employment Superheroes”
It’s pretty simple. A recruiter, typically, will only be looking for candidates who fit with the types of positions he or she is being paid to recruit for (or will be paid for if a suitable candidate can be found).
If you don’t fit with what the recruiter needs, then he or she can’t help you. The recruiter might keep your info on file and contact you if anything does come up, but basically it is time to move on.
Social Networking & Job Seekers: It’s Not a Popularity Contest
Are you like so many other job seekers…on the desperate hunt for more followers and more connections on all the social media networking sites? After all, the more you have, the more you increase your odds of finding a job faster, right?
And certainly the blogosphere is replete with job search advice telling you that social networking is the hot new trend that separates job seekers into two camps: those with connections and those without. And those with the most connections…win?
About to Toss Your Resume/Cover Letter Out the Window?
So there you are…staring at the Microsoft Word page. Maybe it is just a fresh document, or maybe you are trying out one of Word’s overused résumé/letter templates. You’ve read up on all the “rules,” the plethora of do’s and don’ts. You think you have a pretty good handle on how a résumé and cover letter should be put together. After all, people tell you that you’re a good writer. You know all about proper usage of white space on a page.
So why does everything you seem to write come out like a bad marketing promo? It ranges anywhere from bloated to desperate to not bad, but not you. In fact, you’ve pretty much just described everything you aren’t or don’t want to be.
Job Seeker, Is It Time to Change Course?
Across the blogosphere last week, there was some buzz surrounding the declaration by a well-known Internet marketer that job seekers should just quit the job search and start their own company instead. The reaction among career support professionals was mixed. Some loved the advice. Others hated it. And many others fell somewhere in between.
Resume Tips for Contractors and Consultants
Independent contractors and consultants often find it difficult to prepare a resume because of their disjointed work history. They tend to have lots of short-term jobs, which usually results in a resume that violates two of the main principles of effective resume writing.
Is Your Résumé Riddled With Bullets?
I feel I can be silent no more. It is time to stand up for the bullet point.
I review hundreds of résumés per month, thousands per year, and one of the main areas of formatting confusion has to do with use of bullets. I see résumé after résumé with nothing but bullet points.
Maximizing The Résumé Profile Section
I thought I would take some time today to generate a discussion on how the résumé profile section might be improved.
Enough of the Resume Advice Already!
Resume advice. It’s everywhere lately. Honestly, there’s so much of it that a job seeker would have to work hard not to be bombarded by it. Do this. Don’t do that. Make sure you have this. Make sure you don’t have that.
The Truth About Writing a Resume
So there you are…staring at the Microsoft Word page. Maybe it is just a fresh document, or maybe you are trying out one of Word’s overused résumé/letter templates. You’ve read up on all the “rules,” the plethora of do’s and don’ts. You think you have a pretty good handle on how a résumé and cover letter should be put together. After all, people tell you that you’re a good writer. You know all about proper usage of white space on a page.
So why does everything you seem to write come out like a bad marketing promo? It ranges anywhere from bloated to desperate to not bad, but not you. In fact, you’ve pretty much just described everything you aren’t or don’t want to be.
The Social Media Job Search: Is It All Over but the Shouting?
Lately I’ve noticed an interesting trend when it comes to social media and the employment process. Everyone in the hiring world seems to have something they need, be it a job seeker looking for a job or a hiring pro looking to fill a position, and from both sides, I keep hearing that there is no one out there to fulfill these needs. Somehow there aren’t enough jobs, and yet when there are jobs, there aren’t people to fill them.
How can that be?
Are Resumes Becoming Obsolete?
Spend enough time on social networking sites, blogs, and career pro networks, and you will be bombarded with information of resume do’s and don’ts. But what is the real future of the resume? Some say a paper resume will be obsolete in 5 years. Others say it will be whittled down to a 140 characters or less. Still others say very little will change.
As a resume writer who lives in a household with another resume writer (God help our daughter), this topic is ongoing. So I thought I would bring some of that discussion to you by interviewing my business partner and my bride, as well as my resume mentor, Sheree Van Vreede (aka @rezlady).
Some of My Favorite Twitter Job Seekers
I joined Twitter in January of this year to help promote my new social networking site for job seekers called NoddlePlace.com. What I discovered was so much more than just an outlet for all of us Internet marketers. Instead I found a talent pool overflowing with highly qualified professionals that any organization would be privileged to work with.
Always an Interview, Never an Offer?
For some reason, lately I have been meeting up with several job seekers who have all had the same dilemma: many interviews without an offer. When I say “many,” I mean anywhere from 5 to 7 within a 3-month period. By and large, that is a good amount of interviews for this economy, and if you are obtaining this many without getting to an offer, it may be time to take stock.
Twitter Career Pros Who Don’t Just Tweet but Converse
Job seekers often lament to me that they cannot find people, career pros especially, who will actually help them, much less speak with them. In today’s social networking environment, there is no longer any reason for this. However, people are still people no matter what the technology is doing. And it can be tough, even on Twitter, to get some career pros to speak with you.
Job Search Distractions
As I work with job seekers of all levels and across multiple industries, I have come to realize that they all have one thing in common: They are all human. “Well, that’s obvious,” you may say. But what I mean by that is that they are all faced with distractions that can prevent them from conducting an effective job search.
Why the Interviewer’s Social Media/Online Image Is Important Too
We’ve heard so much lately about the importance of the online image of job seekers and why it is imperative for them to clean up their reputations before any potential employer searches them out. Niche businesses have even cropped up to help with this process and to turn a negative image into a more positive one.
Many companies are also spending significant resources to monitor and “fix” their online image, overcoming negative customer reviews and competitor backstabbing.
Nevertheless, although we are starting to hear more about companies cracking down on the online output of their employees, for the most part, few companies have the time and energy to devote to monitoring their employees’ online reputation. So, what about their employees who represent them to the public? Or their employees who represent them to potential talent? And furthermore, the recruiters, headhunters, and staffing agencies who actively assist in attracting top candidates? Is anyone considering the online image of these individuals and the effect it can have on job seekers?
Job Seekers on Edge – My Top 5
With unemployment rates soaring and job seekers in abundance, is it just me or have we all started this year a little on edge? As a career services professional, I have come across more manic, depressed, and generally angry people over the last several months than I have ever experienced. And I have to say that I am starting to get very concerned.
Why Group Job Hunting Doesn’t Work
For those of you who are familiar with the work that I do (career coaching, resume writing, and promoter of the group job hunting concept), my title probably seems a bit surprising. After all, how can one of the biggest fans of group job hunting claim that there are times when it doesn’t work?
Hey, Are You Here to Find Great Talent or What? NoddlePlace.com Candidates to Check Out
Although we hear a lot about how tough the job market is for job seekers, we often miss the fact that finding good talent is still hard to come by. Hiring pros are constantly telling me that they can’t find candidates to fill their positions. At NoddlePlace.com (not noodleplace), we bring job seekers together to network with one another. But we also serve as an advocate for them using our social networking presence to help get them noticed.
Does Your Resume Make You Sound Like a Robot?
Just when I think perhaps I have heard everything, particularly when it comes to resume advice, someone has to go and put something out there that seems to come from left field. The flavor of the moment now seems to be: human-ness, making your resume sound more “human.”
The Plight of the Recent College Grad
Meet Sara. You probably know many others like her. She just graduated from college, and she is facing her first real job search. Not only is she discovering the job market is flooded with thousands of other entry-level candidates, but she is also realizing that college did not really prepare her for answering that all important job search question: “What are you looking for?”
Interviewing: Practice Really Does Make Perfect
A few weeks ago, I introduced Sara, a recent college graduate, whom I asked to share her job search experience. I have now asked her to follow up on that article.
Resume Job Posting Site Reviews: CareerBuilder.com
In NoddlePlace.com’s ongoing review of resume job posting sites, we take a look at CareerBuilder.com.
Tools ‹ NoddlePlace.com — WordPress
Tools ‹ NoddlePlace.com — WordPress.
Resume Job Posting Site Review: Resume Boomer
In our review of various resume and job posting sites, we take a look at Resume Boomer, a site that allows you to post to more than 60 job boards while only taking the set up time for one.
Review: Job Posting Sites – ScriptLance
I am starting a weekly review of some known and relatively less known job posting sites on the market. Some of these sites will be good for a broad industry audience, others will be focused on a specific market segment.
Resume Do’s and Don’ts For 2011
Creating an effective resume can be difficult for the inexperienced writer. But if you want to give it a try on your own anyway, here are a few resume writing tips and traps to consider.
2011 Job Market Outlook
The economic climate stemming from the financial industry crisis that began in December 2007 has been tough. Financial institutions, accused by Congress of taking too much risk when underwriting home mortgages—despite the significant leverage used by government agencies and regulatory bodies—responded by tightening their lending parameters for corporate and commercial clients. In addition, poor consumer … Read more
Unemployment Part 2: Comments and Responses
Responses to reader comments about unemployment and how it impacts the resume and the job search process.
The Resume and Unemployment
Are there pitfalls to going on unemployment in terms of how strong my resume can be? Find out in this article.
Positioning Your Resume to Work Beyond Your Local Market
Learn how to position your information in your resume so that you will be considered for jobs in a different geographic area even though many companies are trying to screen out candidates that aren’t local.
When You Thought the Job Was Yours, But…
Here is the fourth entry in our entry-level job search series by Sara, a recent college graduate who has been facing the tough job market. Since May, we have been following her plight, and this latest installment highlights an all-too-familiar lesson that many job seekers have had to learn.
