TAPP Blog

Most jobs/industries require an ability to follow instructions and my industry, association management,  is no different. As the CEO of TAPP and The Guild Associates as well as the executive director of a number of associations, I have to carry out the directives of the board and members.

When I advertise for a new staff member, I request that a cover letter accompany the resume. A no brainer – right? Wrong. At least 20 percent of the resumes arrive with no cover letter or an email note saying something like “attached is my resume, please call me with more information.” These individuals are immediately eliminated. If they can’t follow instructions and include a cover letter, then most likely requests from members will not receive a response.

One of the fun parts of my job is being able to participate on all the webinars. Today's webinar was with resume experts Dawn & Melissa from Relaunch Career Associates and focused on how to be hired as a part-time professional. As we discussed the current trends for an individual to find a job and how to organize his or her resume, I realized that some of my perceptions about a resume were stuck in the 80s. For example a one page resume is not necessarily the best length - the length of a resume is determined by years of experience, industry, and position. In addition the resume must demonstrate how the candidate fits into the company... it is the primary sales piece to be hired.

In order for the candidate to convey the message that the hiring manager hopes to read, the company must provide the right job description. So what does a job ad say about your company? Is it part of the sales tool to get the "right people on the bus*." Large companies often have a section on their websites which try to share what is like to work at the company and the company culture. My guess is that many smaller companies don't have that information on their website. I remember the first time I was asked what our company culture was. I think I rambled trying to explain it.  How an individual will fit into the company culture is important for both the employer and the employee. Realizing how much job seekers are being encouraged to research a company and tailor both their resume and cover letter, makes me think of the job ad differently.

I recently traveled with a group of people for a meeting. At dinner one night, someone posed the question “if there were an ad in the paper (or online) and it was your ideal job, what would it be?” Money is not a consideration. The answers in this group ranged from living in the North End of Boston and cooking/learning from the chefs in the restaurants to being a commercial photographer to volunteering at Children’s Hospital. Two people said that they were in that job.

It was interesting to hear each person’s answer to the question and how similar or different it was to their current job. It is a good exercise to do to see if you are in the right field or type of job. If you are in a job search, it should be a starting point for your job search. What are you passionate about? Does it lend itself to a career (either full time or part-time)? What skills does it take? Is it industry specific? If you liked your previous position, was anything missing?