DOES THIS PICTURE MAKE ME LOOK EMPLOYABLE?

In today's day, 99% of job application is done through cyberspace..
Google company.
Find website.
Search job board.
Send resume.

I'm often asked, "Should I put a picture of myself on my resume?"To which I usually respond, "Not if you want to get hired!" Photos are really unnecessary and often times inappropriate for your resume. I know it's the "thing to do" in Europe, but more often than not, the pictures are very mug-shotesque and scare me more than entice me to interview you.

Granted, I've had QUITE a few laughs when people do include photos. Like the girl laying on a couch smoking a cigar. Honey, the only job you're going to get hired for pays hourly. Resumes should depend on the written word...photo not necessary. Your physical appearance is not going to win brownie points with the potential interviewer. If anything, it could turn them off if you put the wrong picture(cue the candidate who sent a very voluptuous picture of herself...needless to say, BOOM BOOM didn't get too many interviews). Unless you're applying to work at Coyote Ugly, these pictures are better left in your significant other's wallet...do people still do that?

And on the other side, job postings that require a picture are most likely situations you don't want to explore (unless you're a model or actress and a head shot is required). Potential employers should not place your appearance at the top of their hiring pre-requisites. And while some employers may have other specific requirements besides your resume, a picture of you should not be one of them.

Speaking of specific requirements...many of my clients these days are requesting a NYC address. All of a sudden, they are discriminating against the suburbs. New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester not good enough for you? We have feelings too! As someone who breaks out in hives when she has to take public transportation, I wish I didn't have to commute to NYC either, but to think someone wouldn't t hire me because I was geographically undesirable is ridiculous. Metro North, NJTransit and the LIRR have a 75% accuracy rate...that's better than the weather people! And Al Roker has DOPPLER! Candidates from the suburbs are more relaxed, don't think taxi horns are melodious and actually give directions to foreigners. The burbs soften us to the hardships of the concrete jungle, so feel free to open your doors and let us commute in. Just think...we are on a SCHEDULE...to the MINUTE. Not many New York City residents can say that - subway troubles, rainy day=NO cabs, or the President's in town and they can't get past midtown. Commuters come into the city and stay underground...nothing stops them. There is no such thing as a geographically undesirable candidate...just a misinformed executive. Great candidates live all over the tri-state area so don't be afraid to take a chance on a station wagon and a dream. I promise...you won't be sorry you did!

Good night and happy job hunting,

The Job Yenta   

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A VEGETARIAN

One of my favorite things to do is drive my 4 1/2 year old and her two friends to school. The conversations that take place in the car are what made Art Linkletter successful. The other day we (and yes I say "we" because often times I am a participant in said conversations) were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I prompted this question and each of the children had their own answer - one said a firefighter, which of course made me smile thinking back to so many of my grade school friends who aspired to the same profession. The other little boy said, "A basketball player,"  as he waved his brand new Air Jordans for me to see while avoiding oncoming traffic. And my daughter, bless her heart said, "Mom, there are so many...a Ballet Teacher, a Shot Doctor, Princess Tiana and a Gymnastics Teacher." Nice that my daughter wants to ONLY give shots...screw the rest of the job doctors have...don't know where that sadistic behavior comes from.

So as the conversation moved on to other topics - Mario vs. Luigi; why Princesses were cooler than Superheros, I thought back to the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I believe it was first grade (or at least that's as far back as my memory serves me) and we were going around the room. It took less than a second for me to respond. "A Vegetarian!" To which my teacher cocked her head, chuckled slightly and said, "Excuse me?" So I said, a little louder, "A Vegetarian, Mrs. Glogower. You know...the doctor that fixes animals...A Vegetarian!" 

Now I know there are a lot of people out there who would've been DEVASTATED if I didn't become a recruiter (ok, maybe just the person I placed on Friday), but I've always had a deep love for animals and as soon as I met my dog's Veterinarian at the ripe old age of 6, I knew my calling. A few years later, I learned that Cornell had one of the best veterinary programs in the country and my dad and I instantly came up with the license plate for my car...A VETS VET...(to go on my corvette convertible of course). I was all set. And I followed that dream right up until first semester, sophomore year when I took Organic Chemistry. I remember the hysterical phone call home telling my parents that I just couldn't hack the world of free radicals, bond dissociation and carbocation (and yes, I Googled Organic Chemistry terms). Out the window went my dream of becoming a Veterinarian along with my 500+ page textbook (probably why I got a D...gasp). So I became an English major...

To this day, I wish I had become a Vegetarian. But I do believe everything happens for a reason. While I always loved the idea of helping animals, having to euthanize any of  them would have devastated me every time. When I had to put my two year old Golden Retriever to sleep 14 years ago, I finally realized that perhaps that D in Orgo happened for a reason.  So now I help a different kind of animal...the job seeker.

For ten years my job has definitely proved quite rewarding as I've helped hundreds of candidates find jobs. But I can't help but wonder how my life would've been different had I become a vet. Oh well...it is what it is. So now I just have to wait and live vicariously through my daughters. And someday, when you need a vaccine, I'll watch her administer it with pride.

Good night and happy job hunting,

The Job Yenta

PYTHAGOREAN'S THEOREM

What type of industry are you looking for?
OH...DEFINITELY not finance...I'm terrible with numbers.


If I was recruiting actuaries, then a disdain for all things numerical would be a big negative. But since I predominantly place assistants, this answer is stupid. As long as calendar management and travel arrangements don't give you hives, you can work in just about ANY industry. And NEWS FLASH...finance is where the money is.

The other day I met a lovely candidate who had only worked in the fashion world. We were talking about her next step and she recited this very line. We got into a whole discussion about why finance wasn't so bad and she started seeing hedge funds, and investment banks and private equity firms (OH MY) in a whole new light. She never realized that just because you work in finance, doesn't mean you're wearing your calculator in a holster and talking about Pythagorean's theorem at the water cooler. Smaller firms (like those mentioned above) have changed the way we see the financial world. Gone are the days of navy skirt suits, pearls, stockings and pin-drop-quiet offices. Hedge funds have made the financial world sexy. To get an administrative job at one of these coveted firms, you need a college degree from a top school, a polished presentation, great computer skills and no ego. And if you don't have prior experience at one of these firms, be prepared to start at reception! In return, you will be offered a TOP salary and an equally impressive bonus. Add in gyms on-site, free meals, 100% paid benefits, profit sharing, and beautiful offices and it quickly becomes evident how fabulous the finance industry can be.

The bottom line is that before you set out on your professional road trip, do your research. It's important to know why you want to work somewhere. It's not about creative vs. finance as these categories are too broad and need to be further dissected. Figure out the way you think and consider all the options. While finance is where the money and perks are, often times you are working late hours and if you want to climb that corporate ladder, you should have an interest in the stock markets, world economics, financial analysis, etc. On the other hand, should you want to venture down a creative path, bear in mind that often times these jobs don't pay very well until you've been in the business for 5, sometimes 10 years, have high turnover due to rigorous work schedules and require a lot of moving from job to job to get ahead. But often times, the creative companies have amazing perks to compensate for the lower salaries - fashion houses offer discounts and ridiculous sample sales; magazines give free subscriptions, celebrity sightings and some have the coveted fashion closet; advertising agencies are often wined and dined by their publishing counterparts and are given everything from amazing dinners to gifts, concert tickets and free trips. And the list goes on...And don't get me wrong...my whole career was in the creative industry. I was a conference manager at an international marketing company; promotions coordinator at a major publishing house; AND an assistant to a former television personality...and in addition to all the great perks, I was given amazing opportunities, got to travel the world and even found a husband! However, after having a finger on the pulse of the employment market for the past 10 years, there are PLENTY of days that I wish someone had guided me down the financial path.

So don't rule anything out for the WRONG reasons. At the end of the day, this is a big part of your life so make sure you REALLY know what you're getting yourself into...and who knows...maybe calculus wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Good night and happy job hunting,

The Job Yenta

88 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS

As I made my way into the city today, I found myself flashing back to when I first started recruiting. It was May 2001, and boy was that a shitty time. Besides the bubble bursting, four months later, our city, country and world would forever be changed. After 9/11, the candidates were coming to see me in droves and the jobs had all but dried up. Companies were folding left and right; 1.3 million square feet of office space had disappeared in a matter of hours and most people were reevaluating their professions and next steps in life. But most of all, I remember the stories of the survivors...my boss perished; I was late for work that day; I had to walk down 88 flights of stairs; I was supposed to start at Cantor on September 12...However, the story that is forever embedded in my mind was not TOLD by a candidate; rather it was ABOUT a candidate.

My boyfriend and I were walking near St. Vincent's Hospital and we came upon all the missing ads for the people who were in the towers that day. As we perused the faces, I saw one that looked familiar. Jill, a candidate that had been referred to me only a few months earlier, was missing. My heart sank in that moment because up until that point, I did not know anyone personally who was involved. But it wasn't until a few months after 9/11 that I learned what REALLY happened. Jill and a few of her colleagues were working for AON in one of the towers. When the plane hit, a group of them packed up their things and left. But a few did not. It said that they, including Jill, were paralyzed with fear and decided to stay at their desks until someone came to get them...sadly, you know how the story ends.

I've never forgotten that story, or Jill for that matter. Her face is forever ingrained in my memory and I've always wondered what if??? "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow is about this very subject. The WHAT IFs in life. What if you didn't go to the bar that night for your friend's 25th birthday? Maybe you wouldn't have met your husband. What if you missed your bus to work? Maybe you would've avoided that three hour back up in the Lincoln Tunnel. What if I was the recruiter who placed Jill at AON? For selfish reasons, I'm so glad I wasn't. I don't think I could've continued doing what I do. And on the other side, what if I had found Jill a different job...chances are she might not have been in the towers on that tragic day. But then again, the opportunity she got at AON was a GREAT one and at the time, she was looking to get out of her job so anything I presented may have paled in comparison.

This experience really changed the way I do my business. As most of my candidates will profess, I'm not the recruiter who pushes you to take a position. I want my candidates to be happy and I want my clients to be happy. It's important that a relationship is established between both parties and that they can commit long term. Now while this doesn't work in my favor as turnover = more business, it does give me a reputation of being committed to the cause as opposed to the result.

I've worked for NINE different companies since graduating (two of them my own), and from this I realize that it's much better to find a home as opposed to a just a job. And I always recommend thinking about the "what ifs" every now and then...don't obsess over them, rather consider them before making a move. Because when one door closes, a new one's opening right about the corner...


Good night and happy job hunting,
The Job Yenta