Do not sell yourself short on your resume. You only have 20-30 seconds to catch a recruiters attention before they move on to the next resume. In this video we give you a quick tip about listing your education on your resume. We hope you enjoy.

By Kandi Mensing:

Are you on COBRA and it is too expensive? Were you offered COBRA and had to decline coverage because you couldn't afford the premiums? Have you ever lost access to your employer's health plan? It could have been because of a layoff, a termination, or reduction in hours. If you have ever seen the cost of COBRA coverage, you know that it is expensive!! Most individuals and families cannot afford to pay for COBRA.

Just to briefly explain for those that don't what COBRA is, COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It is a Federal law that was enacted in 1986 mandating that employer's allow employees (or ex-employees) that were formerly eligible to join the employer's group health plan access to the group's health plan, even though they're no longer 'eligible,' where coverage would have otherwise been cancelled. The legislation allows that the employer charge the (ex)employee full premium cost plus a 2% administrative fee. This can be very costly.

If you lose group coverage, what are your options?

1. Pay the expensive premiums for group healthcare 
2. Go without healthcare coverage, letting your policy lapse
3. Elect coverage on your new employer's health plan
   (If they offer healthcare, and if you're lucky enough to find another position immediately)
4. OR, purchase your own affordable individual health plan

At Mensing Consulting Solutions, we help people get off of COBRA (or avoid having to elect COBRA) by helping them shop for affordable individual health plans. We find them coverage they can afford without the markups of group healthcare. The last time my family was eligible for COBRA, our family plan through the group coverage was $1,100 per month. Add on a 2% administrative charge and we were looking at about $1,122 per month. Instead, we were able to purchase our family plan under an individually written plan (not group) for less than $400 per month! So, as you can see, there is  a sizable difference between what is paid for coverage under an individually written plan versus a group plan. We saved over $700 each month by purchasing our individual plan instead of electing COBRA coverage.

Group health plans are simply more expensive than plans written on an individual level (i.e. not group). Why is COBRA so expensive, you ask? Well, when you purchase COBRA, you're likely paying a 2% surcharge on the employer's group health plan (the only COBRA fee allowed by the government). Group health plans are accessible by the employer's eligible employees. Group health plans are guaranteed issue, meaning that eligible employees cannot be declined for coverage under the group health plan regardless of pre-existing conditions, lapse of healthcare coverage, or any other reason.  Group health plans do not afford employees the ability to customize their coverage. Some employers may offer several plans for employees to choose from, but not all employers.

When you purchase your own individual plan, you can choose the plan design that fits for you and/or your family at the price that you can afford! 

We work with many large carriers and are very competitive in the market. When you work with us, we don't just write your plan. We're there for you even through your claims process, for any support or assistance that you might need. We are a family business supporting families and other family owned businesses.

y: Kandi Mensing

In my career as a recruiter and talent manager, I have fired a great deal of people. As someone who has never been fired from a job, I certainly do not understand why it is so hard for employees to remain willfully employed.  The even more amazing thing is that almost every single person I have fired did not see it coming. Forget about the verbal and written warnings, the suspension(s), and the countless coaching sessions and chances the employee was given. Even when the employee is explicitly and repeatedly told that further such infractions can and will lead up to further disciplinary action including and up to termination, they still appear to be surprised in the termination meeting.

What interests me even more is when an employee will start fighting to keep their job after being told that their employment status is terminated with the company. What employees being terminated really need to understand is that firing someone is not a decision that companies take lightly. Terminations can get ugly with retaliation and litigation. Terminations can be very costly to an organization, not to mention the time and effort spent to source and train their replacement. Employers do not want to fire employees. Firing employees also temporarily leaves seats vacant in the company and work potentially undone. Plus, a reputable company does not want to hurt any of their employees or leave them stranded, which is why the employee is given warnings and opportunities to turn it around. Employees are usually deserving of their termination because they have not responded to the employer’s suggestions of improvement. Really, it is that easy; if an employer tells you a way to improve work on improving it. Most of the terminations I have conducted have been straight-forward and the employees deserving yet no one ever thinks it’s coming.

It really is simple to avoid termination – do your job! When your company gives your feedback on your performance, take it to heart. If employees would listen to what they are being told and learn to take constructive criticism rather than getting defensive, they would have a much better shot at success within an organization. Too many people get defensive when their organization tells them that they could improve. There is nothing wrong with being told where and how you can or need to improve. What’s wrong with personal or professional improvement? There is something wrong with not responding to the feedback and requests and making the necessary changes or improvements. On the other hand, I do think organizations could do a better job of giving purely constructive criticism, training their first line supervisors to better coach, develop and retain their employees, and also providing the positive feedback on a consistent and fair basis.

Share your termination story!

By: Kandi Mensing

{FORMATTING} A resume is a glimpse at your work history, an indicator of your grammar and punctuation skill set, and a look at your attention to detail. Resumes are intended to get applicants to the interviewing phase of the recruiting process. Many people compose 'paragraphical' resumes. If you learn one thing from this blog, please take this away: do not format your resume in paragraphs. {BULLET POINTS} Bullets are always the answer. In this economy, it is said that you have 15 seconds to catch a recruiter's attention. Look at your resume. Does it communicate the most important parts of your resume in that time? {BOLDING} Is the name of your company and years of experience in bold? If your answer to that question is 'yes', listen up! While your prior places of employment are relevant,  they are not near as important as the actual position you held with that organization. You should always bold your position/title, not the company or dates of service. Now, while we're talking about formatting, let's talk about those bullet points. First of all, each bullet point does not need to be a full sentence. Just make sure that within your bullet points for each position you include keywords that describe your work experience accurately. {KEYWORDS} Keep in mind that many application interfaces are able to identify applicants by keyword. Include keywords in your resume that you would use to search for candidates for employment such as yourself.{OBJECTIVE} I would argue that objectives actually hurt an applicants chances more than they help. Objectives are the first thing listed on a resume, the hardest part of a resume to author, and truly do not tell the recruiter much of anything because applicants purposefully compose them to be vague. All too often, I see the objective "To obtain a challenging position with a growing company." Well, the job may not be challenging and the company may not be growing.  With this objective and in this scenario, you have automatically eliminated yourself from being considered for employment on this basis alone.

{ATTENTION-GETTER} So, how do you catch a potential employer's attention with your resume? First of all, your name needs to be LARGE. This is YOUR resume we're talking about. You want your name to stand out and be remembered. {PERSONALIZE} Resumes are almost always black and white, text and paper. It is refreshing to see a little color, or a designed/personalized letterhead. Add some color to your resume. Don't be afraid to be yourself!  I repeat, it's YOUR resume; a representation of YOU. Make sure your resume reflects who you are and what the potential employer is getting if they hire you (within reason of course!). If a job doesn't want you for you, then you probably don't want that job. You want to be happy right?

{SO, HOW DO YOU GET TO THE INTERVIEW?}

1. Proper Grammar
2. Correct Punctuation
3. Consistency in formatting
4. Keywords
5. A concise resume that quickly outlines your experience and has the ability to catch the recruiters attention quickly
6. Professional and proper correspondence (more information to come in our future blog)

Resumes are complicated, yet integral pieces in your job search. We offer resume and image consulting for interview and job search preparation. Contact us for more details.

By: Kandi Mensing

YOU’RE UNEMPLOYED.
NOW WHAT?

It is time to hunt for a job; that’s what! Sure, you could live off of government money, i.e. unemployment compensations, but that is one of the worst things that a job seeker can do. In adverse economic climates hiring managers are understanding of job seekers who are unemployed due to a lay off or other form of reduction in workforce. However, that does not mean they are understanding of people who make a living on unemployment compensations. Despite a down economy,  hiring managers are having a difficult time filling their vacancies. That means that the right candidates simply are not applying for the right jobs. Do you find yourself applying for every job that seems to relatively fit the bill? FOCUS.  Hone your efforts in the areas of the job sector that are relevant to your educational and professional experience. Don’t apply for any and every job just because you think it increases your chances of finding work. It doesn’t. Companies do not want to hire a prior Executive Assistant to work as a Receptionist. Not only is their pay rate likely far above the budgeted rate for the receptionist position, but they will also be under-utilized and therefore more likely to jump ship when a better opportunity arises. Hiring managers would rather wait for the right person for the job than to place some warm body.

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES. I once lived in downtown Saint Louis, Missouri while job seeking. What I did was walk from building to building downtown attempting to get ‘face time’ with any and every hiring manager or human resource department that I could. I left copies of my resume with every stop. In the end, I landed a recruiting job because of my strategy. After I was hired, I was told that I really impressed them by just walking into their building and applying. It showed them that I wasn’t going to sit at home waiting for an emailed resume to get me at least a phone call. I was out actively looking for an opportunity. I wasn’t afraid of rejection or an honest day’s work. I was motivated and outgoing. In general, you just need to do whatever it takes. Follow up as necessary and track what jobs you’re applying for. All too often I call candidates to phone screen them and they have no clue that they even applied with me. It would really impress a hiring manager if you were able to show your high level of responsibility, accountability, and organization, by asking them to hold while you reference your application tracker. I always suggest a three-ring binder with divided sections that fit your needs. You can organize it by interest level, date applied, application level (applied,  received call, sent follow-up email, phone screened, interviewed, etc.), or any method you would prefer.

NETWORK. When you are unemployed, one of the most important things you can be doing is networking. The purpose is to keep your eyes and ears peeled for opportunities, but also to let everyone around you know that you are actively looking for work. Referral applicants always have a leg up on random applicants. There are many platforms used for networking this day in age. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool. I call LinkedIn the professional Facebook. Even if you are currently employed, you should be using LinkedIn. You can add all of your professional and personal contacts. This can be a powerful tool in reaching a substantial audience with your message. You can always network in person too. Anywhere you go you should be asking if they are hiring or at least inquiring as to how that facility or organization could use your talent or background. While unemployed, always, and I mean always have copies of your resume on you (even if they’re in your vehicle). Attend cheap or free local and/or professional events. Have personal business cards made perhaps with bullet points of your skills. Denote on the networking cards that you are currently looking for an opportunity. Volunteering is another highly effective method of networking, however it can also help to further build your resume and personal brand. Plus, it’s for a good cause and can also aid your well-being by providing you with a sense of purpose and contribution during your uneventful days of being unemployed.

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Apply in the manner the job requisition asks of applicants. If the ad says “Apply by visiting our website at…” then do just that. If the ad says “no phone calls please”, don’t bother the hiring manager by calling them to check on the status of your application. It will appear as if you don’t pay attention to detail and that you don’t follow instructions. With that, you don’t want to exclude yourself from any opportunities. If the ad says to apply by mailing your resume and you respond to the ad by email, your resume may not be considered for the job. If they ask you to reference a requisition number in your application; DO IT. Requisition numbers tie your application to a specific job vacancy within the organization. Without the requisition number referenced, you may get tossed into a ‘general resume’ folder and may not be considered for the opportunity that you were interested in. If they ask you to provide salary history and expectation; DO IT. I think you get my point. It’s pretty simple.

WALK IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES.  Think about what the process is for recruiting talent. A hiring manager may scan in your resume to their resume database which can detect key words in the particular documents scanned. In addition, they may search resume databases such as CareerBuilder. It is important to have key words on your resume so that you may be found in such searches. If you were a hiring manager, what key words would you use to search for applicants with your background? I always suggest that applicants have a “Skills” section in their resume. Below is an example of items you might include in a ‘Skills’ section of your resume so as to maximize your opportunity to appear in search results within said resume databases. I suggest formatting it into two to three columns within your resume rather than in one column as illustrated below.

Professional Skills:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Windows
• QuickBooks
• PeopleSoft
• Citrix
• Typing: 80+ wpm
• Data Entry: 11,000 ksph
• Payroll & Scheduling
• Sales & Marketing
• Safety & Compliance
• Management
• Inventory Control

You also need to be mindful of what is going on in the hiring manager’s world. Too many people get discouraged if they have reached out to the hiring manager and don’t hear back from them. They are busy. They are recruiting for, most likely, more than just the position that you applied for. Don’t get discouraged. Be persistent, but mindful of their schedules and workload. You are unemployed with nothing to do but to wait for a return call on your application, they are not. They are employed with a burgeoning list of responsibilities as companies are doing more with less staff these days.
BE GRATEFUL. Thank the hiring managers for reviewing your resume. Thank them for their time on the phone or in the interview. You are grateful for their time and consideration, right? Humble yourself to thank them. They have very unappreciated jobs and it can go a long way in impressing the hiring manager.

BE PASSIONATE. Show passion for the job you’re applying for, the company you’re applying with, and for life, in general. Nobody wants to interview someone who is depressed and down on their luck. I once had a grown woman crying in the interview about being unemployed. I don’t know if she thought it would tug at my heart-strings or what, but quite frankly she made a fool of herself. You shouldn’t be that emotional over being out of work. I understand that it can be a tough time, but at least pull yourself together during the interviewing process.

BE CONSISTENT. Correct resume errors and inconsistencies. Make sure all relative resume parts are in corresponding font, text size, color, bold, italics, etc. Ensure all bullets and columns are aligned and the order in which you present your job data is consistent (job title, location, dates, etc.). Stay tuned for our upcoming blog on resume branding. 

BE CLEAN.  Do not ever give a resume that has been folded, is stained, or has a raunchy smell. If sending your resume by mail, spend the extra money in postage to send your resume in a full-size envelope. Don’t mail a resume with a coffee splash, shoe print, etc. Also, resumes hold smell. It is going to reflect negatively on you if a hiring opens your resume to the smell of cat urine (trust me, it happens!) or stale cigarette smoke. Even when just out applying for jobs, dress to impress. You never know what opportunities might present themselves and you need to be prepared. In addition, even the receptionists of companies make note of your appearance and will pass on to hiring managers. In general, just be a clean person!

Sure the job market is tough, but if you work on finding work, there are jobs to be had and there are ways to set yourself apart from other applicants. Ending on that note, happy hunting!

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