Quintessential Careers: Q&A with John Logan

Quintessential Answers:
Q&A's with Career & College Experts

Questions and Answers with Career Expert John Logan

Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview in the current issue of QuintZine, our career e-newsletter. Those interviews are archived here for your convenience.

John Logan is human resources manager for ZS Associates in Princeton, N.J.

What do you look for in a resume? What are your resume pet peeves?

A resume should be a statement of the skills a job-seeker would bring to a new job, as well as an outline of accomplishments in past positions. Because the resume is often the only data an employer receives from a candidate, the bullet points must provide context for past work; providing details like number of people supervised, size of project budget, estimated cost savings in dollars (or other appropriate specifics) helps an employer place each candidate in the context of the organization. I find that most resumes do not provide enough details for me to understand the scope of the candidate's experience, but are merely a restatement of a job description, which is not helpful to me as an employer.

Given that (according to our research), most resumes these days are entered into keyword-searchable databases, is it all about filling the resume with as many keywords as possible? Should job-seekers strive for text-based resumes that can be easily entered into a keyword-searchable database -- or is there still a place for the attractively formatted, attention-getting "print" resume?

In larger corporations, resumes will be entered into a keyword-searchable database, so job-seekers should know key skills and software packages and list them as appropriate. Having those key words on a resume will get a candidate into the search pool, but employers still have to review each resume to understand the depth of skills in desired areas. Job-seekers should remember that it's NOT about buzzwords, it's about having the skills that an employer needs. Employers should remember that resume databases are tools to help find candidates with required skills, but those databases cannot replace reviewing resumes against the job specifications. Despite technology, I believe there is still some art in the employment process.

Database systems may not format a resume correctly, and appearances do count to interviewers. Job-seekers in creative fields (graphic design, advertising, performance, etc.) have more leeway in resume format.

Our research has told us that many employers do NOT read cover letters and rarely enter them into keyword-searchable databases. Do you read them? If you DO read cover letters, do you have any cover-letter advice for job-seekers?

Cover letters are the sole way our firm understands why an applicant seeks a position in our firm and what skills they will add; they are an important component of our application. The most effective cover letters announce the position the candidate seeks, and highlight up to three skills from the position listing that the candidate possesses -- augmenting what is written in the resume. Because resumes are structured in bullet format, the cover letter is the only avenue for a candidate to provide additional details about skills prior to an interview.

What do you feel is the most disturbing trend on the employment scene today?

As candidates search for new positions, I am very concerned that more job-seekers are overstating their skill sets and becoming increasingly creative in presenting their past accomplishments. As a resume is created, each candidate needs to be self-reflective and brutally honest with himself or herself about their skills and accomplishments -- creating two databases does not make you advanced at Access, supervising two part-time employees does not make an expert project manager. Most new jobs are incremental increases in responsibility, and mismatches may result in poor performance, hurting both job seekers' future employment opportunities and employers' organizations.

The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine have said that even as the economy improves, companies will continue to lay off workers to increase productivity and reduce costs. They further said that competition for jobs will be intense as workers re-enter the workforce. How can job-seekers achieve success and stand out from the crowd in such a competitive market?

I hold a contrarian view. In employment sectors that require highly educated, highly skilled workers (finance, consulting, engineering, etc.), I believe a sea change is occurring, and employers will face a job-seekers' market in the next few years. Workers re-entering the market or continuing employment will need re-education to gain the most current skills, and employers' appetite for cutting-edge skills will not be sated. The workforce is aging, and as more experienced workers seek more flexible opportunities, the pool of replacements will be smaller. However, in sectors outside those mentioned above, job-seekers can stand out by showing a consistent record of performance and promotion, an ability to learn new skills (either on-the-job or through additional formal education) and flexibility to recognize a good opportunity (type of work, location, or other factor).

What are the top skills that most employers are REALLY looking for these days? What are the key skills that make job-seekers employable? What skills does your firm look for?

Teamwork is a critical skill for most work environments. The ability to work with others and manage relationships is useful to any company. Strong communication skills (both written and oral) are also very important. Candidates with problem-solving ability/analytic skills are valuable because they can think beyond their immediate responsibility and understand the bigger picture. Finally, the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment is desirable as the speed of change in business increases.

What's the biggest mistake that you consistently see candidates make when they interview with you? What advice do you have for job-seekers who make this mistake?

Many candidates do not adequately prepare themselves for interviews. This error may be manifested in different ways: not researching the company's products or industry, not preparing for the interview format, not having prepared questions, or misreading the corporate culture. Myriad sources are available for research: company Websites, annual reports, newspaper articles, current company employees, university alumni databases listing current employers, etc. Candidates who have done research, ask intelligent questions and possess relevant skills stand out in any interview.

What's the biggest myth about job-hunting?

It's NOT just who you know; interviews and past work performance are also important. Personal networking may lead you to an open position... or a future contact... or an interview, but it will not get you a job. Many job-seekers mistakenly assume that knowing someone in an organization gives them an inside track on being hired. Knowing someone may get you an interview; knowing your stuff and showing it in an interview gets you hired.

What's your best advice for someone who would like to break into management consulting?

Management consulting is a challenging industry, and not for everyone. First, know exactly what you are getting into:

Consultants work around client demands and client time tables.
Your ideas/solutions may not get implemented.
If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first at fault.

Anyone with industry experience can put out a shingle and call himself or herself a management consultant, but success in a professional-services firm may result from different factors.

For new graduates, some skills may make you stand out:

Academic background. Clients hire consulting firms to help them think about their business differently, so academic performance and a major involving critical thinking skills are important.
Initiative. Consultants are often hired to recommend a change to current practice, so a proven record of initiative or innovation is helpful.
Team leadership. Success in consulting can be due to managing change effectively, so experience in leading teams toward a goal could be useful.

Candidates currently in industry seeking to move to management consulting should seek out opportunities within their current job for project management or internal consulting functions as an opportunity to test the role and gain experience before making a segue a professional services firm.

John Logan is the human resources manager with ZS Associates in Princeton, N.J., and has been with the firm since 1998. ZS Associates is a global management-consulting firm specializing in sales and marketing strategy, operations and execution. John's responsibilities at ZS include MBA recruiting, as well as general human-resources functions. Prior to ZS, he worked in human resources within the retail industry, as well as holding various positions in college student-affairs administration.

John holds an MSEd from Indiana University/Bloomington, with a concentration in higher education administration. He also earned a BS in communication studies from Northwestern University.

Check out all our interview with career experts in Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

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Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts

Questions and Answers with Career Expert John Logan

Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview in the current issue of QuintZine, our career e-newsletter. Those interviews are archived here for your convenience.

Check out all our interview with career experts in Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Quintessential Answers:
Q&A's with Career & College Experts