Job Hunting: How Should You Tailor a Resume to the Job?

Frankly, most people write their resume wrong. They don't tailor a resume specifically for the job. 

Consider how a hiring manager approaches the culling process. They get 100+ resumes at a time, even for a pretty plain job. And they can't just get the "most qualified". They actually have to consider "best fit" into an existing team, as well as other factors that don't go into a job description. They only have seconds to evaluate each resume... If it's "meh" it'll likely be passed over. 

Photo by Resume Genius on Unsplash

In other words, the top 1/4 of your resume, which is the portion hiring manager sees first, is the most important. EVERYTHING there should be telling a story... that you are the ideal candidate for their needs. 

(Yes, this means the stock photo I used above is NOT a good example, except maybe for digital marketers. The multi-column layout is bad for ATS. The top bar just for the name is wasted space. The cute clipart is superfluous. At least it looks pretty neat.)

"I don't know what they need!" 

Not a problem... because you can ask AI LLMs, such as ChatGPT or Claude. Use a prompt like "Take on the role of a hiring manager in the industry of (insert industry) similar to the company (company name). What are the (insert number) most important employee traits-and-skills you are looking for?"

Now that you know the answer(s), make sure your objective/exec summary portrays you as an ideal candidate having those traits and skills. 

Then go through the job description and pick out the keywords that they were looking for, and incorporate those into the objective /summary. Do NOT use ChatGPT (or similar tools) for this as it would come across as very "AI-ish". Obviously, only incorporate those skills and traits you actually have. 

Don't make the summary too long, as you don't want a "wall of text" in front of the hiring manager. Keep the formatting of a resume intact, and keep the resume visually appealing. 

"Okay, what about the rest of the resume?"  

Now that you've caught their attention, you have to make the rest of the resume support your story. 

Go through every job in your employment history, and adjust the description so it incorporates one or more relevant keywords and/or trait/skill that you used in the summary. 

Tweak the job title if the title does not accurately reflect your duties. Don't reinvent the whole thing though. Don't claim to be "Team leader" when you work alone, for example. 

For details of the job, try to use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Each bullet point should contain all 4... starting situation, what solution did you develop, how you implemented it, and what results did you get (in numbers or percentages if possible, like increased accuracy to virtually 100%, double throughput in 90 days, improved customer satisfaction by 250%, etc.). 

If you spent a long time at one particular job (more than 3 years), break it up into multiple job titles that subsequent titles reflect some sort of growth. If you are training others in your department, you're definitely "senior _____" rather than just the plain version, for example. This makes you look like you're growing rather than staying stagnant.  

Conversely, if you end up taking a lot of short contracts and temp work at different companies, but they are usually the same type of job, you may want to group them together as "Freelance _____" rather than list them individually as it makes you less like a "job hopper". 

Your resume can go over a single page. 2 pages are fine. If you're really senior, you can probably go 3 pages, but generally 2 pages max. 

"But this is so much work!"

Job searching is a job in itself, is it not?  Besides, most requirements stay the same for jobs in the same industry, so any rewrites for similar jobs should be minimal. 

"How would I know if all this tweaking helped?"

You need feedback, but since employers won't give you feedback, you need to get them from a different source... Fellow jobseekers, or those already employed, i.e. former job seekers.

Join fellow jobseekers in Facebook groups or Reddit subreddits and put your resume out for critique. 

Make connections on LinkedIn and make friends with those that have the positions you wanted, then when relevant (weeks later, as you want to learn more about the job), ask for their honest opinion on "do you think this resume may be good enough to get me into your company?" You did not ask for a referral, but if they want to refer you, even better.. 

SIDENOTE: Some people with no shame ask for referrals from brand new employees. "Get me in!" was all they sent. Frankly, that's so rude and immature it should be rejected as spam. New employees have no referral powers, as they are still in probationary period! 

Track your submission to interview ratio, compare with fellow jobseekers. 

As you tweak your resume to improve your "story", see if the ratio improves. 

Good luck. 

JetPens: the full-selection US-based Stationery and Miscellaneous Store

JetPens.com, based on San Jose, California, is a full-service online stationery and related item stores. They stock pens (rollerball, gel, etc.), pencils, multi-pens, dip pens, fountain pens, brush pens, paintbrushes, and all the accessories such as replacement parts, nibs, ink, and so on. They also stock paper, notebook, diary, planner, all sorts of covers, all sorts of refill pages. They have stamps, stickers, washi tapes, pen holders, pen bags... Basically, if it's related to something writing, they probably have it. Yes, they have wax seal stuff too. They have school / backpacks too, plus other things. 

The prices are quite reasonable, and if you order $35 USD of stuff it's free shipping within the US. 

I originally only saw them as a fountain pen and supplies vendor, but they sell a LOT more than that. This is their Pens menu:

Jetpens' Pens menu... It's that big and detailed!

As the menus indicated, they have full buying guides (linking to their own stuff, of course) on what is best for what purpose. They periodically update old ones and create new ones, as inventory refreshes every year. 

They also have an extensive presence on Youtube. 

If you are in the US, and interested in getting stationery related stuff (not just pens), check out Jetpens.com. 

Fountain Pen Esoterica: What Other Special Fountain Pen Inks Are There?

Previously, we mentioned sheening and shimmering fountain pen inks. But what other types of "special" inks are there? Noodler makes the most of these special inks, so I'll mention a bunch of them here:

Anti-feather ink -- ink designed specifically NOT to feather, even on horrible paper such as newsprint, very opposite of fast-drying. Noodler's version is called "X-feather".  

Anti-freeze ink -- Noodler's makes a series of inks that will not freeze until -20 F that they call "Polar" series. Yes, the pen will still write with temperature below zero! However, it also feathers very heavily. 

Photo by Leo Okuyama on Unsplash

Colorfast ink -- ink that will not wash out, and highly resistant to solvents. These go by various names depending on the vendor. Noodler calls theirs "bulletproof". These inks are hated by forgers and check-washers, who relies on solvents that can dissolve the ink... So they can write in a different amount. Colorfast ink makes that very difficult if not impossible. 

Fast-drying ink -- made to help left-handed writers in a left-to-right writing world, these inks are dry to touch after maybe 10 seconds, even on super-slow paper such as Rhodia paper. 

Highlighter ink -- technically they are made to refill highlighters, but some of them are fountain pen compatible, such as Noodler's Electric Color, Dragon Catfish, or Year of the Golden Pig. 

Invisible Ink -- these are only visible under UV light. Some can be mixed with regular ink, or use alone to send secret messages. 

Iron-gall ink -- some of the earliest ink are iron-gall inks. They use a mixture of iron salts and tannic acid to create a purple-black or brown-black ink. However, these inks are acidic and not suitable for fountain pens. "Modern" iron-gall inks that are marked "safe for fountain pen use" are available, and they make marks that are extremely difficult to erase, as the ink penetrates into the paper deeply. Iron gall ink should NOT be left in a pen that's only infrequently used, even "modern" iron-gall ink. Also see "pigment-based ink".  

Lubricated ink -- some fountain pens are known to be "dry"... they don't feed much ink to the paper, making writing a bit difficult. A lubricated ink can help these pens perform properly. Keep in mind that a "wet" pen (one that already feeds a lot of ink) will likely leak badly with lubricated ink. Also, some older pens with piston type fillers or converters can benefit from lubricated ink. 

Pigment-based ink -- similar to colorfast ink, and iron-gall ink, pigment ink is almost impossible to erase. However, pigment-based ink uses carbon-based pigments, and has a similar drying/clogging problem like iron-gall ink. Either use the pen frequently, or use a different ink. Wash the pen out thoroughly first before loading new ink. 

Security Ink -- another Noodler special, their "Warden" series ink is not only colorfast, it is laser resistant, and they are mixed with a slightly different formula PER BOTTLE, so they cannot be replicated. A forger cannot replicate your signature unless they also stole your specific bottle of Warden ink. Else a forensics expert can tell the difference between the ink used in the signatures even if they are the same brand and color. 

So now you've heard about a couple of the special inks available on the market, esp. those from Noodler. I hope they sound interesting to you, and stay tuned for more fountain pen esoterica!

Job Hunting: Another SCAM?! Fake job posting!

Anyone can clone someone else's profile on LinkedIn, then change it a little. 

Anyone can register a domain that "sounds like" an existing domain, or as we've highlighted before, claim to be a company that hadn't existed for 10+ years with a website contain false information. 

Armed with both, they can then post fake jobs on LinkedIn. 

Why? I have no idea. What would they do with all those resumes? Offer them fake opportunities? Like someone tried on me?  

But it's clear I ran into another scam, this time on LinkedIn. But let me start from the beginning. 

I was browsing for jobs when LinkedIn found this "Customer Service Representative" remote job listing. 

Screenshot of the fake job listing, did you spot the red flags? 

I have 6 out of 10 skills, yeah! But something nagged at me in the back of my brain... Something is "off" about this job listing. And I don't mean "cara jacobsen". Yes, that's how it's written... all lower case.

What's the first thing that caught your attention with the job listing itself? 

The post has horrible grammar ("a upbeat"), capitalization ("Customer service Rep"), and missing punctuation marks ("customers concerns"). And that's within the first sentence! 

But that wasn't what caught my eye. It's the mismatching company name. Did you see that the job listing was for the company "Empowered Build Inc", but "cara" works at Empowered build LLC"? (bad capitalization AGAIN?)

This job supposedly pays from $20-$43 per hour, just for customer service work! That's way too high. 

So what sort of profile does Ms "cara jacobsen" have? More red flags. 

Screenshot of potentially fake profile (from video)

The logo looks like it's done in MS Paint by a kindergartener. And she ONLY has 2 connections and 7 followers (probably from those 100+ people who applied). She had NO activity on LinkedIn. She allegedly lives in Shingle Springs, which is Central California, 100+ miles east-northeast of San Francisco. 

What can we find about "Empowered build LLC"? There's a website at www.empoweredbuild.net that matches, that claimed to be founded in 2012 "delivering top notch construction solutions". Yet if you go to the website, and scroll to the very bottom... it's based in CANADA?!

Empowered Build LLC gave a 579 area code, which is Quebec, Canada. 

Given the job listing mentioned construction equipment rental customers, does it even MAKE SENSE for anyone in the US to be renting equipment from a Canadian company? 

But there's more... When we explore the "team" at this Empoweredbuild.net, we found "Cara Jacobsen"... with a completely different photo. 

So who's the "real" Cara Jacobsen? Left is LinkedIn, and right is website. 
Screenshot of video expose

As I explore this "website", I came across the "team" page, giving 6 different people, supposedly employees of the company. Except this Cara Jacobsen (capitalized correctly) is clearly NOT the "cara jacobsen" on LinkedIn, despite same name (sorta) and same employer. Hmmm...

Google Reverse Image Search found no match for the left Cara, but it did find a match for the right Cara... on LinkedIn. 

This Cara has 149 connections and 170+ followers. 
The other "cara jacobsen" is very likely a clone of this one. 

But let's compare the two Cara's employment history, as given to LinkedIn... 

Exactly the same period of employment, hmmm...
then "cara" learned NO skills in HR and Insurance fields? 

When you combine this with the fact that "Cara J" has well over 100 connections and followers, and "cara jacobsen" has only a handful, it's pretty conclusive that "cara jacobsen" is a cloned profile. Which means the company is fake, and the job listing is fake as well. 

And let's just say of the 5 remaining photos on the "team", one of them is practically a stock photo. (Try Google Reverse Image search the bottom right, the African-American girl)

So I reported this job listing. 

Within 90 minutes, LinkedIn deleted the job listing. By the time I finished the video, the job listing no longer exists. 

Here's the video if you prefer to watch that: 

Don't get scammed out there, unlike the 100+ people who applied to this fake job. 

Writing and Storytelling: Are You a Cook, or a Chef?

Brandon Sanderson, famous novelist, had taught some writing classes at BYU (Brigham Young University) many years ago. In the following video, he challenged his students to be chefs, not cooks. 

The video is an hour long, so I'll try to summarize that challenge for you... 

What is the difference between a cook, and a chef? 

A cook is an individual who follows established recipes to prepare food. 

A chef is an individual trained to understand flavors and cooking techniques, and can create new recipes with available ingredients. 

Let's take the metaphor to writing. 

If you write like a cook, you are following a formula. On page X you must have introduce character A, on page Y you must have plot element B, and so on and so forth. 

If you write like a chef, you understand how plot, drama, tension, theme, storyline (or plot line), story structure, character arc, and more combine and interact to create the final result, and you are ready to create new combinations because you understand the basic techniques and the ingredients (characters, words, description of senses, etc). 

At least that's my interpretation of what he said. 

I'll even throw in my interpretation of "anti-cook" (not in the lecture). 

New writers who don't understand story structure and the rest of basic plotting and writing techniques often have a hard time accepting that they need to learn story structure and the rest, because they think it will turn them "formulaic". 

But as Sanderson pointed out, you are formulaic because you're writing like a cook, not a chef. You need to understand the basic techniques, to know how to apply them in different combinations to create new original results. 

At least a cook will produce something edible, if not original. If you are an anti-cook, you may well produce something completely inedible. Or in writing, something people put down and never pick up again. 

So, go learn the basic techniques, and write like a chef. 

Job Hunting: What Are Your Transferable Skills?

 A transferable skill is a skill that an be applied to multiple roles. These may include both hard (technical) and soft (people) skills. Transferable skills are very important if you are applying for a job that was outside your typical employment history, such as a career pivot or (re-)entry into job market. 

Photo by João Ferrão on Unsplash

Here is a list of 88 transferable skills. Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, and many of them sound alike (analytical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc., or flexibility vs adaptability) You need to choose the term that's closest to the ones used in the job description, and either use the same words to describe your prior job, or describe the prior job in sufficient detail to show how that skill is transferable to the job you're seeking. 

Going through this list should give you some ideas on what transferable skills you have. It had to be at work though, and don't embellish. You keeping your bank account from being overdrawn every month does not really entitle you to "budgeting" skill. 

Think of this list as a "basis" for your own list, so you can write a better resume / CV.  

• Active Listening: understanding, responding, and remembering what was said
• Adaptability: Adjusting to new conditions and environments.
• Analytical Skills: Examining information to understand it better and make decisions.
• Anticipating Possible Obstacles: Predicting potential challenges and preparing for them.
• Assertiveness: Expressing oneself confidently without being aggressive.
• Attention to Detail: Noticing and addressing small details in tasks.
• Budgeting: Planning and controlling the financial resources.
• Collaboration: Working jointly with others to achieve a common goal.
• Complaint Handling: Addressing and resolving customer complaints effectively.
• Conflict Resolution: Settling disputes and finding mutually acceptable solutions.
• Contract Negotiation: Reaching agreements on the terms of contracts.
• Creativity: Thinking of new and original ideas.
• Crisis Management: Handling emergencies effectively.
• Critical Thinking: Analyzing facts to form a judgment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working with different departments to achieve a common goal
• Customer Engagement: Interacting positively and meaningfully with customers.
• Customer Relationship Management: Managing interactions with current and potential customers
• Customer Service: Assisting and supporting customers to meet their needs.
• Data Analysis: Examining data to draw conclusions and inform decisions.
• Decision-Making: Making choices by identifying options and assessing consequences.
• Detail-Oriented Work: Paying close attention to all aspects of a task or job.
• Diplomacy: Managing sensitive situations and relationships tactfully.
• Document Management: Organizing and controlling documents.
• Editing and Proofreading Documents: Reviewing text to correct errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style
• Effectively Explaining Complex Concepts for Non-Experts: Simplifying complicated ideas to be understandable by normal people
• Emotional Intelligence: Recognizing and managing your own and others' emotions.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Event Planning: Organizing and coordinating events.
• Expressing Ideas Verbally: Clearly and confidently sharing thoughts through spoken words
• Flexibility: Adjusting to changes and new challenges.
• Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback: Providing helpful feedback and being open to receiving feedback
• Goal Setting: Establishing objectives and devising plans to achieve them.
• Goal-Oriented Mindset: Focusing on achieving specific aims.
• Honesty: Being truthful and transparent.
• Initiative: Taking action without being prompted.
• Innovation: Introducing new ideas or methods.
• Integrity and Ethics: Adhering to moral principles and professional standards.
• Interpersonal Communication: Interacting effectively with others.
• Leadership: Guiding and motivating a team towards achieving goals.
• Learning Agility: Quickly learning and applying new skills or knowledge.
• Market Research: Gathering and analyzing information about market conditions.
• Meeting Deadlines: Completing tasks on time.
• Meeting Etiquette: Conducting oneself appropriately and professionally during meetings
• Mentoring: Guiding and supporting others in their professional development.
• Motivational Skills: Inspiring and encouraging others to achieve their best.
• Multilingual Abilities: Communicating in more than one language.
• Multitasking: Handling more than one task at the same time.
• Negotiation: Discussing to reach an agreement or compromise.
• Networking: Building and maintaining professional relationships.
• Organization: Keeping tasks and materials orderly and systematic.
• Ownership of Work: Taking responsibility for your tasks and results.
• Performance Monitoring: Tracking and evaluating performance.
• Persuasion: Convincing others to agree with your ideas or to take a specific action.
• Phone Skills: Communicating effectively and professionally over the phone.
• Policy Implementation: Putting policies into practice.
• Presentation Design: Creating visually appealing and effective presentations.
• Presentation Skills: Effectively conveying information to an audience through speech, visuals, and gestures
• Priority Management: Determining the order in which tasks should be completed based on importance
• Problem Solving: Finding solutions to difficult or complex issues.
• Procedure Development: Creating and improving processes.
• Process Improvement: Identifying and implementing ways to make processes more efficient.
• Product Knowledge: Understanding the features and benefits of products.
• Project Management: Planning, executing, and closing projects.
• Public Speaking: Speaking to an audience effectively.
• Punctuality: Being on time for appointments and deadlines.
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring that products or services meet certain standards.
• Rapport-Building: Creating a connection and trust with others.
• Relating to Diverse Populations: Understanding and interacting well with people from various backgrounds
• Resourcefulness: Finding quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties.
• Respectfulness: Showing consideration and appreciation for others.
• Responsiveness: Reacting quickly and positively to needs, inquiries, or feedback.
• Results-Driven Attitude: Focusing on achieving specific outcomes and goals.
• Sales Techniques: Effectively selling products or services.
• Scheduling: Planning and organizing time and resources.
• Social Media Skills: Using social media platforms effectively for communication, marketing, and networking
• Spelling and Grammar Proficiency: Using correct spelling and grammar in writing.
• Stakeholder Management: Managing relationships with those who have an interest in a project or organization
• Statistical Analysis: Using statistics to analyze data and draw conclusions.
• Strategic Planning: Defining strategies and making decisions to achieve long-term goals.
• Teamwork: Working effectively and harmoniously with others.
• Technical Support: Assisting others with technical problems or questions.
• Technical Writing: Writing clear and precise documents related to technical information
• Time Management: Using time effectively and efficiently.
• Training and Development: Enhancing the skills and knowledge of others through teaching and support
• Troubleshooting: Diagnosing and solving issues.
• Vendor Management: Handling relationships with suppliers.
• Workplace Safety Knowledge: Understanding and applying safety practices.
• Written Communication: Conveying information clearly and effectively in writing.

Fountain Pen Esoterica: Regular Ink, Sheening Ink, Shimmering Ink, Oh My!

Unless you're in the fountain pen community, you would not know there are certain... "fancy fountain pen ink" and new ones developed all the time. Most people expect black ink and blue ink, but there are actually dozens of fountain pen companies all over the world, and they launch new color lines all the time. Some of them can get really fancy, such as sheening ink (shows different colors depending on how much ink you use), and shimmering ink (includes sparkles!)

Photo by David Pennington on Unsplash

SIDENOTE: Fountain pen ink are dye-based, not carbon-based (aka "India ink") If you use carbon-based ink in a fountain pen you'll clog it. Same with "calligraphic ink" unless it is specifically labelled as "fountain pen safe". Calligraphic ink are often not dye-based, but pigment-based, and if they dry inside a fountain pen, the pen is ruined as those will NOT wash out. The pen will be permanently clogged by paint pigments. Calligraphic dip pens, with no feed mechanism, are not affected this way. TL;DR-- ONLY use "fountain pen ink" in fountain pens. 

There are other types of fountain pen ink, but they are more about ink's resistance to environmental challenges, like archival ink (no-fade), water resistant ink, quick-dry ink, and so on. How well they work also depends on what paper they are paired with. And that's another topic altogether. 

Sheening Ink

Sheening ink with its unique dye formulation, forms different colors depending on its concentration. This type of ink is typically slow to dry, and requires a thick pen stroke (made by special fountain pens with stub nib or wider, a cotton swab, or a brush) to see the multitude of colors from a single ink. Sometimes, it's just different shades of the same color, but sometimes, it's distinct colors or mixes thereof. You usually need a fountain pen of at least a broad nib, if not wider, to see the sheening colors, but it is beautiful. Also, you need paper that's NOT that absorbent, because the ink cannot "pool" to create the sheen if it gets absorbed into the paper!

Shimmering Ink

Shimmering ink contains shimmer particles that reflect light, so once they get on paper the inked area will "sparkle" if you shift the paper a bit under the light. However, the particles are known to clog some pens, and requires shaking before use as those particles can "settle" to the bottom of the ink bottle. It is sometimes added to sheening ink so you have an ink that both sheens and shimmers. Similar to sheening ink, they do not dry quickly. And thus, they require paper that are not very absorbent.

Watch Brian Goulet of Goulet Pen show off his "top 10 sheening inks"...  Keep in mind more than a few of these inks are also shimmering inks.  

Conclusion

There are a lot of developments in fountain pen ink, and the best known ones, sheening and shimmering inks, can produce some stunning visuals with the right paper and pen. And they are relatively cheap compared to cost of a new pen, esp. high-end pens, and can add to your enjoyment.