My perpetually late werewolf story is going to be done TODAY. I have been plowing through it this morning and will continue to do so. Because it needs finish. And the editor needs it like forever ago.
Bristol: still don't know. Trying not to obsess (as opposed to what I've been doing for weeks?)
Patty has a cold.
Nothing sucks more than finding out about a conference stuff I'm working on would be perfect four 5 days after the abstract deadline.
‘Whitening’ the Résumé. I've heard about this before from friends, and I've even been told to use Rachel on my own resume lest my own unusual name trigger racist assumptions. Even so, the article is still shocking to me and a really clear sort of look at "here's one result of systemic racism."
The IAF auction is almost over. It ends tomorrow, in fact. There's some gorgeous stuff bid now It all benefits the Interstitial Arts Foundation, which supports the type of art many of you reading about this care about.
You know what I like? When my Amazon ranking has only three digits!
New upstairs neighbors. I'll be frank, they sound like the sort of very straight and normal 20-something women that intimidate me.
Yesterday was filled with Costco related aggravation in which I at first could not join because I don't have a driver's license and then was told over and over my passport would be acceptable if it was a "New York State" one. I had to explain, OVER AND OVER again that passports are not issued by the state, but by the federal government, and then come home in a snow/sleet-storm to get various proofs of address. I was finally able to join (and hey, they're gluten-free chicken basil meatballs are amazing) and had another irritating conversation with them about a household card for Patty ("do we have to prove domestic partnership or just her address?" "what do you mean?" "the form says close family, we are gay, do you need a domestic partnership certificate? or just proof that we live in the same house?" all of which somehow lead us back to this idea of New York State Passports).
I wanted to take some time to think about the "Whitening of the resume" issue because this hits close to home.
I'm an HR Director for a small but well known firm in Chicago. Yes, I generally screen resumes before sending them to managers based on the criteria they give me. We always try to find out what will substitute for a desirable credential, but I'm sure many HR departments don't.
As for names, I agree, if you think your name (due to religious, racial or ethnic identification) is holding you back use your initials. Kind of turns my stomach that I have to tell you that but many times (like right now) you may not have the luxury of being that picky.
But here are some pitfalls that you may not be aware of:
- Many companies use screening software (we don't). They are screening for specific words or phrases. You don't hit enough of these key words, your resume doesn't go forward. Unless you're screened manually, you will get shut out. So check resume web sites for key words in your profession. Yeah, it sucks but don't get shut out if you meet the requirements because didn't use the lingo.
- For goodness sakes, there's no excuse for spelling errors, especially spelling the company's name wrong. And no, spellcheck is not your friend if the company has a foreign name or an unusual spelling.
- Ditto for pitching your resume to another job. If I'm hiring pastry chefs (totally made up, we have nothing to do with food) don't have "wants to be sous chef as your goal." In fact, get rid of that shite, it will only be used to screen you OUT.!
- In the interest of space, we often compress stuff on our resumes. That's fine, just make sure you don't leave off stuff the employer wants. You should probably have 3-5 basic resumes that you then tailor to the specific job. Sending your standard CareerBuilder file without an attached targeted resume is a mistake. Its not customized, and frankly its a PITA to read. So no, don't just shoot your resume out there without reviewing that it covers every single item the employer asks for (assuming you have everything). That might mean eliminating an accomplishment that you feel proud of (won employee of the month award), for something mundane (proficient in Excel).
- Keep personal stuff off resumes. Should be obvious, but given that there is real prejudice, you don't want to give your potential employer a reason to screen you out. So anything related to your religion, sexual orientation, or politics should be excluded unless its related to a job.
I don't care about this stuff and whether you are telling me that you are a Druid or you go to my synagogue, or are a devout Christian or an atheist, I have to wonder if you have another agenda in making me aware of this.
Now if your last job was working for the Obama or McCain campaign then you are going to have to include that. Or you worked for your church. But you do not have to tell me (and I quote), "I am a hard working, married, born-again Christian with a lovely stay at home wife and three children."
Part of what I look at is goodness of fit. How well do I think this person will fit into an extremely religiously diverse and gay-friendly work place? But I'd be just as wary of a resume that had "Proud member of PFLAG" on it. Hey I am too, but what is your purpose in telling me?
Right now I have lots of qualified people looking for a job and if I have to choose between two people who are equally qualified, but one seems to have a need to let me know about their affiliations, frankly, I'm choosing the one who is focused on the job. That's life.
And if you do have issues because you have experienced job prejudice, please leave them at home when you interview. Cause, no one wants to hire a bright, qualified, but abrasive person. That's also life. And having been that bright, qualified and abrasive person in my younger years, I can attest that it doesn't get you anything but rejection letters.
And in the spirit of the holidays, if you have any specific questions you'd like to ask about job hunting or resumes, feel free to send me your questions via private mail. The only things I won't do is discuss my employer or write your resume.
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Date: 2009-12-07 01:10 am (UTC)I'm an HR Director for a small but well known firm in Chicago. Yes, I generally screen resumes before sending them to managers based on the criteria they give me. We always try to find out what will substitute for a desirable credential, but I'm sure many HR departments don't.
As for names, I agree, if you think your name (due to religious, racial or ethnic identification) is holding you back use your initials. Kind of turns my stomach that I have to tell you that but many times (like right now) you may not have the luxury of being that picky.
But here are some pitfalls that you may not be aware of:
- Many companies use screening software (we don't). They are screening for specific words or phrases. You don't hit enough of these key words, your resume doesn't go forward. Unless you're screened manually, you will get shut out. So check resume web sites for key words in your profession. Yeah, it sucks but don't get shut out if you meet the requirements because didn't use the lingo.
- For goodness sakes, there's no excuse for spelling errors, especially spelling the company's name wrong. And no, spellcheck is not your friend if the company has a foreign name or an unusual spelling.
- Ditto for pitching your resume to another job. If I'm hiring pastry chefs (totally made up, we have nothing to do with food) don't have "wants to be sous chef as your goal." In fact, get rid of that shite, it will only be used to screen you OUT.!
- In the interest of space, we often compress stuff on our resumes. That's fine, just make sure you don't leave off stuff the employer wants. You should probably have 3-5 basic resumes that you then tailor to the specific job. Sending your standard CareerBuilder file without an attached targeted resume is a mistake. Its not customized, and frankly its a PITA to read. So no, don't just shoot your resume out there without reviewing that it covers every single item the employer asks for (assuming you have everything). That might mean eliminating an accomplishment that you feel proud of (won employee of the month award), for something mundane (proficient in Excel).
- Keep personal stuff off resumes. Should be obvious, but given that there is real prejudice, you don't want to give your potential employer a reason to screen you out. So anything related to your religion, sexual orientation, or politics should be excluded unless its related to a job.
I don't care about this stuff and whether you are telling me that you are a Druid or you go to my synagogue, or are a devout Christian or an atheist, I have to wonder if you have another agenda in making me aware of this.
Now if your last job was working for the Obama or McCain campaign then you are going to have to include that. Or you worked for your church. But you do not have to tell me (and I quote), "I am a hard working, married, born-again Christian with a lovely stay at home wife and three children."
Part of what I look at is goodness of fit. How well do I think this person will fit into an extremely religiously diverse and gay-friendly work place? But I'd be just as wary of a resume that had "Proud member of PFLAG" on it. Hey I am too, but what is your purpose in telling me?
Right now I have lots of qualified people looking for a job and if I have to choose between two people who are equally qualified, but one seems to have a need to let me know about their affiliations, frankly, I'm choosing the one who is focused on the job. That's life.
And if you do have issues because you have experienced job prejudice, please leave them at home when you interview. Cause, no one wants to hire a bright, qualified, but abrasive person. That's also life. And having been that bright, qualified and abrasive person in my younger years, I can attest that it doesn't get you anything but rejection letters.
And in the spirit of the holidays, if you have any specific questions you'd like to ask about job hunting or resumes, feel free to send me your questions via private mail. The only things I won't do is discuss my employer or write your resume.