What is a good client to me?

Since I have been in this business in this city for well over 20 years, I have had many, many clients. These clients come in all shapes and sizes. Some have been very difficult and demanding, and some have been very responsive and cooperative. Some allow me to do my job of screening and selecting just the right candidate based on their needs, and some put up road blocks to make that impossible. Some value what I do and some are intimidated by it. Many have come and gone, and then come back. Some I never hear from after our initial contact whether I successfully placed for them or not. Many I have forgotten, but a few very loyal ones I well remember.

I came across Tom Sineni and United Commercial Real Estate over 15 years ago while marketing a talented real estate candidate. Tom and I worked well together, had our Italian heritage in common and developed what was to be a very long, loyal and pleasant business relationship. Tom was responsive, allowed me to do my job, and always valued me as a business solutions partner! Tom created a very busy, hardworking and employee-friendly atmosphere that my candidates and I very much appreciated, so it was a win, win, win situation on nearly every placement occasion.

Tom lost his battle with cancer last week, and the real estate community lost a major contributor. I lost a very dear client.

I doubt I will in my recruiter lifetime meet up with another Tom Sineni. He was one of a kind!

My deepest sympathy to Tom's family, employees, friends, and business associates. He will be greatly missed.

By: Janet Connell

President

Bullock Personnel

The importance of creating the "Winning Resume"

Over the last year and a half everyone has seen the job market slim down, thus creating Supply and Demand within a job search. The demand for a job is high and the supply of resumes are high, so how can you, as a candidate, set your resume apart to ensure that yours will be at the top of the chosen list? Employers no longer are looking at those resumes that "resemble" what the job duties might entail. Instead they are looking for key words that a resume has that fits their necessary job skill. "Nearly one-in-four human resources managers said they receive, on average, more than 75 résumés for each open position, according to a nationwide survey by Careerbuilder.com." Your resume has to set apart from your competition to even be recognized from the beginning.

Taking extra steps to sell yourself is a must in this job seeker market, where as in the past you might have been able to get by with a simple ho-hum resume. Think of your resume as a piece of marketing material, would you even consider working for a company if they didn't present themselves in a manner worthy of your business? You may not want to read an entire message board about a company, but rather see their highlights-what is most important to their clientele, their expertise, and length they have been in business. These little things are their selling tools that set them apart from their competition, exactly what you would need to do to set yourself apart from your competition.

Below you will find some tips that we have found to be successful for improving resumes for some of our placed employees:

1. Really know who the company is by reading their job description and formatting your resume based on what they are looking for.

2. Apply to a position that fits your background; do not randomly apply to a position. Any future position that you might have been considered for may be lost, due to the fact that you did not take to the time to read the details of that job description. Do not assume that if you apply the company will automatically consider what is on your resume for other opportunities. If they do not see any skills that match what they are looking for your resume may be found in the deleted file.

3. Bullet points versus the paragraph. Depending on the recruiter, they may tell you that they prefer one over the other. Be prepared to have a resume with each. From my own personal point of view, it is easier to read job descriptions when it is placed in a bullet format. Again, it is assisting in those key words and phrases, which we as recruiters, are looking for when reviewing resumes for a particular job.

4. Listing skills and qualifications are a must. You have the skills that the position requires so list them. Companies are more apt to select those individuals that are even remotely familiar with their software. The quicker they can get you up and running, the faster they are at receiving a return on their investment.

5. Education- if you are a recent graduate then place at the top of the resume, otherwise education should be placed at the end of your resume with your skills and qualifications.

Your resume is your "First Impression" to a recruiter, so dress to impress! Only you can market and sell yourself. If you don't sell yourself, how can you expect anyone to sell your experience, and in that case, to want to buy what it is your selling.

By: Estelle Wilmer
Client Services Specialist
Kennmark Bullock Personnel