3/1/18 - Scott Contributes to Monster.com Article - What You Should Never Put on Your Resume

Recently, I contributed to this Monster article.  In it, I explain why I think writing "References available upon request" is something NOT to put on your résumé.

10/12/17 - Scott Contributes to Monster.com Article - Computer Skills for a Resume

Recently, I contributed to an article on Monster.com about computer skills to include on your résumé.  Remember, the job posting is your compass to understand what's important to an employer.

Of course, the best way to make your computer skills stand out is to describe them using !@#$%, the Signs of a Great Résumé.  Remember that a ! might be that you have a mastery of programs called for in the posting.  You may also be able to articulate the difference you made and value your computer skills contributed in your last role by describing some #, $ or % that quantify what made you successful.

For more résumé tips and insight, visit www.ScottVedder.com.

2/24/16 - Sister Hazel’s Lead Singer Gives Résumé Advice that’s “All for You” – Author Scott Vedder’s Conversation with Ken Block

You’re probably familiar with Sister Hazel’s awesome hit song “Allfor You” from their platinum-selling album “…SomewhereMore Familiar.”  Recently I met with the band’s lead singer Ken Block shortly after the launch of the band’s newest album “Lighter in the Dark.”  With his signature voice, Ken shared some rock solid job search insight.  In fact, lots of what Ken says relates directly to using the Signs of a Great Résumé.  Not only is Ken a world-renowned performer, he’s also an entrepreneurial owner of the CYM Coffee Co. and Cymplify Central, the founder of a nonprofit for pediatric cancer research, Lyricsfor Life, the organizer of The Rock Boat music festival cruise and the very proud son of an Army veteran.  To say the least, he’s a busy guy, so I’m really glad he made time to chat with me!

Sister Hazel fans are known as “Hazelnuts.” Long before I was a best-selling author, I was a Hazelnut. I’ve now got 20+ years of memories connected with Sister Hazel’s music.  Spending time with Ken was a super cool experience for me as a fan, but also for me as a résumé expert and veterans advocate.  Here’s what Ken had to say about his own work history, what Sister Hazel looks for on a résumé and the values that military veterans bring to the workforce.  Along the way, I’ll also provide some insight about how his comments relate to using Signs of a Great Résumé in your job search.  For more of my best tips, visit www.ScottVedder.com.

Scott: Thanks for chatting with me today.  I’m probably on my 20^th year as a Hazelnut.  In fact working one of my first jobs, circa 1996, one of my first paychecks went towards buying “…Somewhere More Familiar.”

Ken:  That’s just huge and for us to be able to maintain a connection with people for that long we do not take that for granted.  Guys like you are what allows us to keep going forward and create new music and doing what we do.  So deepest gratitude for support on that Scott – and for your support on the new record – “Lighter in the Dark.”

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: Ken’s note on maintaining a connection is relevant in your job search too.  Connect with people in your industry BEFORE you start looking for a job and maintain a network throughout your career.  On your résumé you can quantify relationships you’ve built on the job using !@#$% to express the results those relationships have yielded.

Scott: My job is helping people find success in their careers and serving as an expert on veterans’ résumés.  I know your dad served in the Army.  I’ve also seen some of the philanthropic work you guys have done around veterans, so I just wanted to pick your brain on how you support veterans.

Ken: There’s a couple of things I’ll say.  First and foremost, my dad attributed everything he was able to do throughout his life to his experience in the Army.  He was a World War II vet and a Korean War vet and he was in for over 25 years in the Army.  It allowed him to further his education, allowed him to get skill sets where he could really become and entrepreneur and do different things that he went on to be.  He was also a great musician in his own right. 

He went on to become a really great educator and help start things like the Head Start Program for early childhood education in Florida and start a couple of little private schools for kids that didn’t quite fit into the public school system.  All of that came from the tools that he got in the military and the fact that the GI bill really helped guys at that time pay for their education.

There are so many people that come out of the military that have such a great skill set.  I would tell small business owners and people looking for responsible, hard-working, gifted people to tap into that base.  Tap into the fact that these are respectable, integrity-built, hard-working people and it’s a base that I don’t think gets utilized enough once people get out of the military.   I have a real sense of gratitude for what the military provided for my dad and for our family in general and a real respect for what those soldiers have to offer after serving and once they get back into the civilian population.

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%:  Ken is absolutely right!  He’s referring to the skills, qualities and values that veterans bring to the civilian workforce.  In Signs of a Great Résumé: Veterans Edition I encourage military veterans to tell civilian recruiters “I am a P.A.T.R.I.O.T.”

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Scott: Do you have any veterans working in the band or in the road crew?

Ken: We don’t have any right now and part of that is because our crew has been the same crew for about the last 15 years and we don’t have much turnover!

Scott: If you’re looking to hire someone, what would you be looking for in a veteran or anybody else?

Ken: The very same reasons we’ve kept those guys on our crew are the reasons veterans are so valuable.  They work very well on a team, they help us maintain structure, they understand responsibility and they understand having a mission.  There’s a goal each day.  Military guys would fit in really well.  Those guys have a skill set that would work really well for traveling band crews and production and sets.

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: Smart civilians like Ken know the value of hiring veterans – for all of the reasons he stated.  Savvy employers are looking for these qualities so it’s important to include the words “military veteran” on your résumé to help recruiting software quickly identify you as a vet.  If you’re a vet seeking a new job, check out the resources and veteran-friendly employer links I’ve posted on the Veterans Linkspage my web site.

Scott:  I love to encourage people in interviews to tell stories about their experience to help them get a job.  You tell a lot of really awesome stories in your music.  What’s your favorite story told in a Sister Hazel song?

Ken:  I think the message behind “Change Your Mind” – it’s not your life, it’s how you choose to look at your life and that shift in perspective is empowering.  I tell people, it’s not always easy but it’s as simple sometimes as changing the way you’re looking at something or the way you’re viewing it. 

I even do it while I’m taking out the trash at home.  I don’t go: “Oh man, I’ve got to take out the trash.” I go: “I GET to take out the trash.”  I have a house and I have the ability to put groceries in my house.  Do I have to take out the trash?  Yeah.  But at the end of the day I GET to, it’s a privilege.  Just throwing those little switches like that throughout the day can really be a powerful message.  

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: The idea about changing your mind works in your job search too.  In my Signs of aGreat Interview workshops I teach job seekers to use the “perspective pivot.”  You’ll hear an interviewer ask one question, but you have to listen for what they’re really looking to learn about and pivot your answer to provide perspective about your experience.

For example, when you hear “What’s your greatest weakness?” you have to “Change Your Mind” to respond in a way that showcases why you’re a great candidate for the job.  Instead of naming weaknesses, talk briefly about something you know you’ve needed to work on or to improve upon, how you’ve made a difference or grown and what the positive results have been.  Use an example full of !@#$% from your résumé to tell the story about how you’re self-aware and improving the way you work.

Scott: You’ve got a great job now doing what you love, that’s clear.  Did you ever have a job prior to Sister Hazel that made you ask “Man, what am I doing here?”  What was that other job?

Ken:  Sure man!  When I was a kid my first job was working for a tree service over the summer and my job was the chipper truck.  They’d cut off the branches and I had to feed all those limbs into that chipper machine.  And every time I though “I’m gonna lose my hand in this thing!”

Scott: They let a kid do that!?!

Ken: It was not fun man.  I did that for like two summers.  The one thing my parents always wanted, and they were always very supportive of my music, but they said “Look, it’s very important that you get a degree and a college education and get exposed to different people and different ideas.”  So that was my commitment to them.  That if I was going to shake down anything, I was going to finish [school] first.  I think we may be the only platinum band in America where all five of us college degrees.

Scott: And advanced degrees at that!

Ken: Yeah, I actually have a Master’s in Counseling Psychology.

Scott: How does that come into your songwriting or how you play with your audience?  Do you use that background to play around with some emotions?

Ken:  Well sure I think that anybody that gets into those kind of things is doing it because they want to connect with people and help people.  But they’re also trying to sort things out in their own life.  I have an interesting past myself.  I lost a little brother who was sick for a lot of my teenage years.  We were dealing with his cancer diagnosis.  I had another family member who was struggling really badly with addiction and stuff at that time.  I really wanted to figure out how people thought and what made people tick.  What they do and how they handle things.

As a writer, I try to write specifically enough where people can be sucked into the story and feel a part of it, but ambiguously enough where people can plug their own lives into it.

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: When you’re writing your résumé you certainly need to write specifically enough to ensure your recruiter is “sucked in” to the story of your experience.  The best way to do this of course is to use the Signs of a Great Résumé.  Remember, you can use !@#$% to describe your educational achievements (like Ken’s) too.  Don’t just list classes you took.  Instead, describe projects you worked on or groups in which you were involved and made a difference.  You can even indicate experience gained in clubs and organizations where you had a leadership role, where you can quantify the impact you had and you can show how that experience is related to the job you’re applying for.

Scott:  Is there a particular song where you think your heart is poured into it in a more significant way?  I know there’s one that you sing about your brother and that story.

Ken: Yeah “Running Throughthe Fields” was one I sat down to try to write a thousand times and it just wouldn’t come out - it just always felt forced.  It just spilled out one night and it seemed to be perfect.  And the ones that come easier like that are the ones that seem to come from a place that I can’t put my finger quite on. 

There’s another one that kind of touches on that it’s a song I wrote called “Best I’ll Ever Be.”  It also sort of taps into that loss of innocence and that sort of time period.  I didn’t think it was about my brother when I was writing it.  But every time I go back and listen since I wrote it I go “That’s about the emotions that were going on in that time period.”  They’re all different slices of things.

Scott: You know, talking about brothers, you did a song “Brothers”with Joe Bachman where you talk about “That’s what being brothers is about,” and even mentions the Marine Corps.  Any thoughts there?

Ken:  Joe is a great guy and he is a brother to us.  Sister Hazel, as a band, we’ve always prided ourselves on setting a tone with the other artists and other bands that we’re all in this together.  This is not a “battle of the bands,” this is not a competition.  This is about camaraderie. 

People ask us all the time “how do you create a music scene?” or “why are you guys all so close?”  The thing that happened in Gainesville at that time and the thing that happened on The Rock Boat from the day we started that festival was we all decided that regardless of genre, if you were a funk band or a country band or an “alt.” band or whatever, we were all playing original music and we were all trying to do the same thing which was connect with people.  And then once we all started fishing in the same direction and knew that we had each other’s backs, and that we were there to lift each other up and not tear each other down, that’s when we all got so much further and really got to the good stuff which was meaningful relationships with each other.  So we’re very sibling-like and very brother-like with a lot of the guys we work with. 

Of course early on we flew to Okinawa and we flew to Korea and we did shows on military bases all over the place in the States as well and we kept trying to share that same kind of theme.  We’re all in this together, we all appreciate what each other are doing.  Joe’s a huge supporter of the military and that brotherhood and that kinship that we all feel for each other can get us a lot further than if we’re all pulling in different directions.

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: One of the Signs of a Great Résumé is the “!” because not every achievement may have #, $ or % to quantify.  I’d certainly say that a “!” achievement for Sister Hazel is volunteering to travel overseas to support our service members.  This would be particularly relevant to include on their résumés if they were applying for a job in international business.  The band could indicate what countries they visited, how they built cultural competency along the way and their willingness to travel.  I’m just glad they’re willing to travel “all the way” from their hometown of Gainesville, FL to my turf in Orlando.  I get to see them perform almost every year!

Scott: I help a lot of people with résumés.  Do you happen to have a résumé tip or any kind of insight that you would give?

Ken: I think it’s important to strike a real balance.  Don’t be afraid to point at things that you’ve done that aren’t necessarily the obvious things.  There are things in your life that may not have been when you were at a specific job.  Things about your character and your personality that you can point to as qualities that would be impactful and help anybody that would be bringing you into their organization.  Short and sweet, but don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back and be clear about what you bring to the table.

Résumé Insight That’s Full of !@#$%: Ken’s right again!  A résumé is not just about your work experience – it’s about the experience, skills and qualities which make you a great fit for the job.  In order to express soft skills or qualitative skills on your résumé, you can use the terms from the job posting to help draft your Summary of Qualifications.  

Look for terms like “strong interpersonal skills,” or “excellent verbal and written communication skills” and even “fluency in a foreign language” in the job posting.  Veterans should use the “P.A.T.R.I.O.T.” skills to explain, and where possible, quantify their values.  And remember, all experience counts.  Even if you gained a skill or experience in a volunteer capacity or in the course of your personal development, you can describe it using !@#$% on your résumé when it’s called for in the job posting.

Scott: That’s great résumé insight from a platinum-selling artist who also arranges The Rock Boat music festival cruises, and also runs a nonprofit and also has the Cymplify shop in Gainesville.  I don’t know how you balance it all!  Any tips for someone trying to balance a lot of things in their life?

Ken: A couple things.  Surround yourself with people that you trust and people that share your vision and your mission.  Learn how to delegate things a little bit.  I had to develop trust making sure that people around me could bring things to the party.  What I’ve found is that if you surround yourself with the right people, not only will they deliver but they’ll bring things to another level.

Family has to come first – I will tell everybody that.  If that’s not working, nothing else is working.  Put that first and make sure you do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it, and trust the people around you to do what they do. 

And have fun.  If you’re not having fun doing it – and that doesn’t mean it’s not hard sometimes and that you’re not going to have to follow your faith sometimes – our life’s in the doing and on the journey.  It’s not in crossing the finish line.  So have a good time with it because that will be what will resonate.

Scott: You brought up a good point about the diversity of people you surround yourself with and how you’ve built a diverse team with many skills in Sister Hazel and in all the journeys you’ve had.  Is there a diversity tip that you would give about people building teams or bringing people together?

Ken: This is an election year.  I’m not going to get political, but what I’ll say is we have five guys in the band, plus with David [LaGrande] we have six.  We have a crew of another six or seven.  We have a management team and publicists and all these people that work together.  They have vastly different ideas when you put somebody together as a Democrat, as a Republican as a “whatever it is,” and maybe even different spiritual beliefs. 

But what I have found is in 21 years, that even though in this group we have very different ideas politically (possibly) and spiritually (possibly), we solve problems together.  We treat people the same way: with dignity, with respect.  We treat the janitor the same way we treat the CEOs.  We may not always agree on exactly the best way to get there, but with compromise, trust and respect, we all want to get to the same place.  We find a way to move things forward.  In that beauty of that push and pull, as long as it’s done in a respectful way, you can create things that are far beyond what you could do on your own.  It’s the sum of the parts that really make things bigger.

Scott: That’s awesome.  So one last question about your new album, “Lighter in the Dark.”  The chorus to “Karaoke Song,” a hit featuring Darius Rucker, has been stuck in my head all night long!  If you had a “Go to Karaoke Song,” what would it be?

Ken: [Jokingly he laughs and says,] I don’t sing anything by my own songs!  Just kidding.  I like to sing old songs like old Sam Cooke blues.  We covered “Bringit on Home.” I love that real soulful singing that I don’t get to do a whole lot while we’re on stage.  Sam Cooke’s my “Go to” guy.

Scott: What’s your favorite track on your new album “Lighter inthe Dark”?

Ken:  I like a couple of them for different reasons.  Live, I like playing “Kiss me WithoutWhiskey.”  Singing it’s just sort of tongue-in-cheek fun.  But sonically, it’s got that that old Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, southern rock, blues feel going on.  I love the extended jam on the piano solo.  On the overall songwriting, I think Drew [Copeland] came in with a couple songs that were really well written.   “Something to Believe In” is a really well-written song and of course “Almost Broken” is really good too.

Scott: Well Ken, this has really been an awesome, special day for me, as a “crazy Hazelnut.”  You’ve made me crack a smile and that don’t look so bad to me!  (Ed. note: That’s a line from their song “Happy.” Ken chuckled at the reference.)

I really hope that we’ll follow-up around Cymplify because I like the direction you’re heading up there, the positivity and how you’re helping people.

Ken: Do send a link, I’d love to see check your book out as well.  Nice talking with you and have a great one!

Of course I'll be sending a book to Ken.  If you'd like more great résumé insight, pick up a copy of Signs of a Great Résumé today!  Visit www.ScottVedder.com.

1/4/16 - Author Scott Vedder Joins eSpeakers with Rave Reviews!

Author Scott Vedder has joined the eSpeakers Marketplace, where previous meeting planners, professors, corporate sponsors, military officials and event participants have written raving reviews about the Signs of a Great Résumé Workshop!  Book Scott for your next event today!

Now meeting planners from around the country can easily contact Scott through the eSpeakers Marketplace, which brings the world's greatest speakers together in one place.

Learn more about the many workshops, programs and custom keynotes available from Author Scott Vedder at www.ScottVedder.com.  Scott has been invited to The White House, The Pentagon, a number of Fortune 500 company events, Duke University, Florida A&M University College of Law, the University of Central Florida, the Veterans Administration and to present before thousands of participants at schools, conventions and private events across the country.  Contact Scott to present as a speaker or lecturer, to conduct training workshops and for media interviews.

Here are some of the rave reviews Scott has already received - how can Scott help make YOUR next event a success?

Scott Vedder is available for travel nationwide and frequently presents at events throughout his home state of Florida.  Book Scott today and get free résumé tips at www.ScottVedder.com.

9/13/15 - Scott Vedder Becomes Expert Contributor on Clarity Site for Career Advice & Venture Development

Helping people succeed in their careers is a labor of love for me.  I'm pleased to announce that I'm now serving as an expert on Clarity!  

You can schedule a quick call today to ask me anything about your job search or developing you venture:

• Learn how to phrase something "just right" on your résumé
• Get an answer to that interview question that's been bugging you
• Determine how to present your venture to prospective licensees 

Don't waste your time and energy trying to figure things out on you own.  Call me today!  We can talk for 15 minutes, an hour or all day if you'd like!  I'm looking forward to it!

I'm offering expert insight in three categories:

1. Résumés: Scott conducted over 5,000 interviews as a Fortune 100 recruiter and reviewed countless résumés. His proven approach to writing résumés is explained in-depth in his #1 best-selling book Signs of a Great Résumé and the subsequent version, Signs of a Great Résumé: Veterans Edition. Get answers today about EXACTLY what recruiters want to see on a résumé!   Ask Scott why your résumé should be full of !@#$%, the Signs of a Great Résumé. 
2. Interviews: Scott Vedder has conducted more than 5,000 interviews. He knows what recruiters really want to hear in an interview. Find out the best way to answer ANY interview question. Put his experience to work for you.
3. Pitch Development: Scott helps you draft the perfect pitch for a venture capital presentation, to solicit investors, to market your products to consumers or to develop your web copy.  Don't struggle to find the right words and angle.  Get Scott's expert insight today!  During Scott's time at a Fortune 100 company, he worked as a recruiter but also in corporate alliance development and commodities procurement.  Scott was a buyer responsible for purchasing equipment and services for a profitable, $12+ million/year business within a worldwide division.  Ask Scott how to ensure your pitch will be well-received by professionals in similar positions.

Learn more at https://clarity.fm/scottvedder.

Get some of Scott's best résumé and interview tips at www.ScottVedder.com.  Learn more about venture development at www.GoForLaunchVenture.com. 

7/26/15 - Brigadier General Tammy Smith Meets with Author Scott Vedder - Résumé Tips for Army Reservists and Military Spouses

I had the honor of speaking with Brigadier General Tammy Smith, U.S. Army Reserve Command Deputy Chief of Staff at the Equality Summit in Orlando sponsored by Out & Equal and Disney.  I asked Gen. Smith a few questions about the value reservists bring to the civilian workforce, how their “day jobs” help support the mission of the U.S. Army and how spouses contribute as well.

Scott’s Question: What is your best insight for how to quantify and explain the value of Army Reserve experience on a civilian résumé?

BG Smith:  We have the same translation problem… “How do I tell people what I do with my military skills?”  What we try to do, especially with the reservists, is to put them in a position where what they do in their reserve job amplifies their contribution to the civilian workforce.  Whether that may be a technical skill that works in both workplaces, especially like our bio-med folks, what they do in reserve quite often is what they do in their civilian jobs.  And where it doesn’t cross over, it’s how do you find that “leader niche.”  We have a greater preponderance of technical personnel and so we try and market that on behalf of our reservists.

Scott’s Added Insight:  No matter what your MOS is, be sure to highlight your technical skills.  Tell your civilian recruiter “I am a P.A.T.R.I.O.T.”:

Scott’s Question: What are some qualities that help the most successful reservists balance their reserve duties with their civilian careers?

BG Smith:  You’ve got to have a good conversation with your family about what the responsibilities are because this is a “team sport.”  You’re not in it by yourself.  You have to be honest also with your unit when you get to a place that might prevent you from “being all that you can be.”  Be honest about it.  We encourage [reservists] to be honest right up front so your chain of command can anticipate that maybe you can’t come to your battle assembly… because of school, finals, whatever it is.  Just have those honest conversations.

Scott’s Question:  Is that part of what people describe as the “new Army” where there’s more of this consciousness of respect between personal balance and what your service duties are?

BG Smith: I think we’re trying to adapt a bit to what we perceive as the millennial generation wanting to understand context in their choices.  It’s all about the retention.  They have choices, it’s an all-volunteer service, and I think that’s a bit of our adaptation and learning best practices and talent management.

Scott’s Question: Have you seen Army Reserve experience help soldiers in their civilian careers?

BG Smith: Absolutely!  In the Army Reserve we have this internship where [companies] train [reservists] and get them certified in taking care of medical equipment which is the same type of certifications they need in their Army reserve job.   And we have a leg up at [certain companies] to help you get this particular type of training.

Scott’s Added Insight: Remember, internships and specialized training can also be included on your résumé when they’re related to the job for which you’re applying.

Scott’s Question: How often do you think civilian careers help to bring new skills and abilities to the Army Reserve?

BG Smith: All the time! The thing that I wish we had better is how to catalog that talent, those discreet skills of the force.  We know what their particular military skills, but might not have the ability to reach in to know [all of their civilian skills.]

Scott’s Added Insight:  Share with your military leaders details about skills that you feel you bring from your civilian career to the military.  General Smith also shared that having your commanders understand these skills can be helpful from a security perspective and for contingency response.

Scott’s Question: How has the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell affected the career aspirations of LGBT service members led by your example [as the first openly LGBT general officer in the United States Armed Forces]?

BG Smith:  I hear from a lot of them who say “Now I know I can do this.”  Where a lot of people would have gone and said [they’ve] done their term, I’m proud to serve but “I can’t live my life this way.”  But now your life in the military can be just as good as your life [in a civilian career.] 

I get notes from folks all the time.  One that rings true to your question is [from when] Tracey and I were attending the national Memorial Day Parade and I got a Facebook note later from a soldier who said “Ma’am, you don’t know me but I was at the Memorial Day Parade – I saw you and Tracey in the stands.  My fiancé and I happened to be in D.C. because we were coming there to get married.  When I saw you I knew that one day I could be a command sergeant major and I could be on that stand too.”  That’s an example of perhaps what has shifted in some folks’ minds. 

It’s now been almost 4 years since repeal and I’ve met a lot of young people, 2^nd lieutenants and such, who didn’t go in [to the Army initially] but now that [DADT has] been repealed [they realize] “I can go in now – and I don’t have to go back in the closet to serve.”  And we perhaps have had a little bit of up-tick on those individuals who were not willing to do that trade off in their lives in order to serve.  Now they don’t have to, so it’s been wonderful.

Scott’s Question: Your wife Tracey Hepner is the co-founder of the Military Partners and Families Coalition and a proud military spouse.  What have you both experienced about how LGBT spouses and partners add to the vibrancy of the military community? 

BG Smith:  Her experience has been tremendous.  When we look back on what has been that most significant thing – there’s a lot of them.  We live on post.  We live in military family housing.  Our reception has just been incredible.  [Other military families] knock on our door when we arrive and they bring us cookies!  What many other families take for granted as “I don’t want to live on post – it’s like living in a fish bowl” has been one of the richest experiences of my entire military career.  To actually be part of the true military family and knowing that when I’m [traveling or gone] Tracey’s going to be fine because she’s got all her friends now in the neighborhood who understand exactly what her life experience is – because it’s their life experience too: living with a soldier.

Scott’s Added Insight: Military spouses can and should explain on their résumés “I am a P.A.T.R.I.O.T.” and should highlight skills they’ve learned while supporting a family member in the military. 

For more great tips and insight for veterans, reservists and spouses, visit www.ScottVedder.com and check out Signs of a Great Résumé: Veterans Edition.

10/28/14 - Monster.com Article Cites Résumé Expert Scott Vedder

A recent Monster.com article asked ‪#‎résumé‬ expert Author Scott Vedder for his expertise about how applicants come across as "out of touch." Here's Scott's insight from the article:

-- Scott Vedder, author of “Signs of a Great Resume,” says he once saw a job candidate whose resume made him look completely out of touch: It listed the names and Social Security numbers of each of his six grandchildren. “It’s never appropriate to talk about your age or family status on a resume,” Vedder says. “And it’s certainly not appropriate to send a recruiter your family members’ Social Security numbers!”

Frame your experience as a benefit: “Recruiters frequently look for candidates with a proven history of success,” Vedder says. “Look for hints in the job posting which indicate a company is searching for a ‘seasoned executive,’ a ‘mature leader,’ or an ‘established professional’ or for jobs which require ‘10+ years’ experience. Then give specific examples to explain why your background makes you a great fit for the job.” --

Learn more about how to stand out for the right reasons on your résumé and avoid seeming "out of touch." Visit www.ScottVedder.com for great tips today!

10/19/14 - Pellissippi State Community College Library Adds Signs of a Great Résumé as Student Resource

Thank you Pellissippi State Community College for adding Signs of a Great Résumé as a resource for students in your library!

10/16/14 - Congressman John Mica Thanks Author Scott Vedder for Helping Military Veterans

Author Scott Vedder was invited to join Congressman John L. Mica at the University of Central Florida's UCF Veterans Academic Resource Centerfor the "Boots to Business Suits" job event for military veterans. 

Congressman Mica thanked Scott for his support of veterans at UCF and across the country.



The VARC was among the many organizations who benefited from Scott's Indiegogo campaign to help 1,000 veterans get to work. Learn more at www.ScottVedder.com.