News

Ask an Indeed Career Coach Anything

  • 17 August 2023
  • 32 replies
  • 1016 views
Ask an Indeed Career Coach Anything
Manouska J
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Miro teamed up with Indeed, the leading job site in the world, to create dynamic resume and cover letter Miroverse templates packed with tips from the experts. Whether you’re embarking on your first ever job search; looking for your next opportunity following a layoff; or just making sure your documents are ready to go, these templates will help you feel confident in your pursuits. 

 

💡Indeed Resume Template: This editable resume template includes thought exercises and insider tips to help take the guesswork out of crafting a resume from scratch. 

 

💡Indeed Cover Letter Template:  Loaded with industry-specific examples and a space for brainstorming, this cover letter template showcases ways to share accomplishments, experience, and goals with future employers. 

 

Jamie Birt, expert Career Coach is here to answer all your career and job search related questions. 

 

Ask Jamie about…

  • Creating a resume that will get noticed
  • Preparing for an upcoming interview
  • Approaching salary negotiation
  • Finding a company that aligns with your goals & values

 

Jamie will be here on 8/30 responding to all your questions LIVE under this post.  Be sure to sign up for the event and check out the templates above and share with a friend. 

xManouska @Miro

32 replies

J
Userlevel 1

Thats a great news for all Job seekers. 

 

Manouska J
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Thats a great news for all Job seekers. 

 

Agreed or anyone looking to make a career pivot! So excited to see all your questions and hear from Jamie! 

xManouska @Miro
Mary Findley
Rank
Userlevel 4

Curious about the length of resumes! As you grow in your career, is it recommended to go beyond 1 page to 2?

Marissa Caputo
Rank
Userlevel 3

Some of my job-seeking friends have noticed that they sometimes receive an almost immediate rejection notice after submitting an application. Are there automated tools that hiring managers are using now to filter out candidates (maybe based on certain words or content in their application) before they make their way to an actual human to review? Any advice for these job-seekers? 

Marissa @Miro
Manouska J
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Curious about the length of resumes! As you grow in your career, is it recommended to go beyond 1 page to 2?

I’m curious to know too! I feel like the age old rule  earlier in my career was a resume should only be 1 page but there is only so much one page can hold as your grow and gain experience! 

xManouska @Miro
S

I would like to make a career pivot without returning to school. I’m currently a supervisor in the mental health field and would like to transition into HR. I know my skills are transferable, but I need guidance on changing my resume. Can you please help?

J
Userlevel 2

Hello! 
 

I am looking to make a career change into the tech world coming from a background in production and  advertising. I’ve been trying to teach myself some of programs that would be a good starter point while maintaining the work of my current position. May you please give some tips on how to maintain your current role while balancing the education and skills you may need to get into a new field. 

B
Userlevel 1

As a manager, how can I best support my team to take the next step in their career?

Indra Kusuma
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

Hi Brit,

As professional how you can show your expertise detail or job task that convincing and applicable for ATS? Any tips on writing better copy for resume?

Decendo Discimus - By Teaching, We Learn
Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

Hi all! I wanted to share a little about my background before jumping in to answer your questions. I’m a career coach at Indeed with 6+ years of experience helping job seekers navigate the job search through one-to-one coaching, webinars and events. I love helping people achieve success in their job search and careers by creating equitable, high-quality content and programs. I’m excited to be here today!

 

Manouska J
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Hi all! I wanted to share a little about my background before jumping in to answer your questions. I’m a career coach at Indeed with 6+ years of experience helping job seekers navigate the job search through one-to-one coaching, webinars and events. I love helping people achieve success in their job search and careers by creating equitable, high-quality content and programs. I’m excited to be here today!

 

We’re so excited to have you and your expertise @Jamie Birt! Thanks for joining us over the next couple hours! 

xManouska @Miro
Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

Some of my job-seeking friends have noticed that they sometimes receive an almost immediate rejection notice after submitting an application. Are there automated tools that hiring managers are using now to filter out candidates (maybe based on certain words or content in their application) before they make their way to an actual human to review? Any advice for these job-seekers? 

Hi Marissa! Yes, there are. They’re called applicant tracking systems (ATS). Most companies use ATS to scan resumes before they’re surfaced to recruiters. The ATS is looking for skills, keywords, and qualifications consistent with the job posting. From there, they stack rank those resumes among the other applicants. So, there are two main reasons your friends may be getting those immediate rejections.

1.) Their resume isn’t well aligned with the job posting (doesn’t include enough relevant keywords/skills).
2.) OR their resume is highly formatted. ATS is not sophisticated software. If a resume includes tables, graphs, images, colors, columns, etc., the ATS cannot properly parse it, and you risk being auto-rejected.

I could talk about ATS for ages, but if you’d like to dive deeper into the topic, check out this article on how to beat the ATS and the Indeed Resume Template above, which I created with the ATS in mind :)

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

Curious about the length of resumes! As you grow in your career, is it recommended to go beyond 1 page to 2?

I’m curious to know too! I feel like the age old rule  earlier in my career was a resume should only be 1 page but there is only so much one page can hold as your grow and gain experience! 

Hi Mary & Manouska! Great question. Here is my rule of thumb: Don’t exceed 2 pages, but if you have 10+ years of experience, it’s perfectly okay to go onto a second page. That being said, you want your resume to be as relevant to the role as possible, so if your experience from 10+ years ago doesn’t align with the position, I suggest removing it. Also, give less resume real estate to those further back experiences. Your most recent 1-2 roles can have 5-6 bullet points, but past that try to limit yourself to 3 bullet points or less. I hope this helps!

 

R

What are some things that can be negotiated other than salary and how do you make it clear which are your priorities? 

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

I would like to make a career pivot without returning to school. I’m currently a supervisor in the mental health field and would like to transition into HR. I know my skills are transferable, but I need guidance on changing my resume. Can you please help?

 

Hi Sheila!
Career pivots are so exciting; congrats on making that decision. Here is my advice for your resume:

  • Start your resume with a 2-3 sentence professional summary that includes your transferable skills and qualifications (make sure they are consistent with the job posting). In the last sentence, say something along the lines of “Seeking a role as [insert role name here] at a company that values [insert value/mission here]. This will help you with Applicant Tracking Systems.
  • Include your skills section under your professional summary so the recruiter can see those transferable skills right away. If you’ve taken any training courses or certifications in HR, I would name this section “Skills & Certifications” and also include those here.
  • For your experience section, look at a few job postings for the role you’re applying for and include the responsibilities and accomplishments in your experience section that are relevant to the day-to-day functions and qualifications they’re seeking in candidates. Make sure the bullet points you include are numbers and results-driven—being a high-performer is one of the best transferable skills :).

Beyond your resume, I want to highlight that networking is so impactful when making a career transition. Use professional networking sites to reach out to individuals working in the field and/or companies you’re interested in. Asking someone for a quick 10-minute chat can go a long way by helping you understand more about the role, and if all goes well, hopefully, it leads to that person being open to referring you to a position. You can also check out this step-by-step guide on how to change careers!

W

1.What questions should I be asking a recruiter to ensure I stand out and make it through second rounds of interviews?

 

2.I’m debating on returning to a former company but would like to pivot to entirely new team/role. Any tips here? 

L

What do you think about remote work, and how available remote positions are? And when in recruitment process should i mention that i want flexibilty or remote work and that it is a deal breaker.

McCall Turner
Rank
Userlevel 4

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m so curious to know if you’ve used the Resume & Cover Letter Miroverse templates. I’d love to hear your thoughts on your experience and what you found to be valuable. 

 

What template should we create together next? Interview question, career map? We’d love to know how to best support you. Let us know! 

A

Absolutely love this! Would love to hear more from hiring managers that have been in the field for years, and from newly graduated/new jobseekers for more experiences & advice from them too!

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

Hello! 
 

I am looking to make a career change into the tech world coming from a background in production and  advertising. I’ve been trying to teach myself some of programs that would be a good starter point while maintaining the work of my current position. May you please give some tips on how to maintain your current role while balancing the education and skills you may need to get into a new field. 

Hi Jacklyn! Kudos on taking the initiative to teach yourself programs—many individuals in the tech field are self-taught these days. It’s important to create a healthy balance between your current role and your new education. This will look different for everyone, but I suggest considering your current obligations and responsibilities & coming up with a realistic number of hours you are able to commit to your learning each week–and then holding yourself to that. When thinking of this number, please don’t forget to factor in time for fun and self-care; you want to avoid burnout. From here, consider looking for courses/programs that are self-paced so you can stick to your schedule. Depending on your current role, you might also talk to your manager about picking up some extra responsibilities at work that can give you exposure to the skillset/knowledge you’re ramping up in.


Additionally, Indeed is partnering with Stack Overflow to present a free webinar on September 20th that sounds right up your alley: Making career moves - expert tips and advice for technologists. You can submit career questions to be answered by the panel experts.

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

As a manager, how can I best support my team to take the next step in their career?

Hi Brooke! I love this question—it shows how much you care about the growth and success of your team. First, make career development conversations a priority. Whether that’s scheduling a specific career development meeting 1/month or adding it as an agenda item to your regularly scheduled 1:1s. It’s important to not only create a safe place for your team to share their career goals but also to help keep them accountable for taking steps towards achieving them. Being your team's advocate outside your 1:1s is also a great way to help them succeed. Once you know their interests, find opportunities to connect them to an area of the business. Sometimes, it’s easier than others. When they want to grow outside of the area they currently work in, connect them with a mentor or colleague in their area of interest. Even if it means they are growing in a different direction, they could still grow in a way that furthers the goals of the company.  I also suggest having regular conversations with your manager about your team’s accomplishments and goals so that when an opportunity for the next step presents itself, everyone’s aligned.

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

Hi Brit,

As professional how you can show your expertise detail or job task that convincing and applicable for ATS? Any tips on writing better copy for resume?

Hi Indra! I’m glad you’re thinking about the ATS–it’s something a lot of job seekers aren’t aware of! The ATS is scanning your resume for keywords, skills, and qualifications relevant to the job posting. On top of this, they also scan for how many times it’s in your resume. The ATS will correlate how often this skill is listed with how experienced you are in it. I share this tip with some hesitation because keyword stuffing your resume is never a good idea–the recruiter will see right through that. However, if you’re an expert in a skill such as Python, I recommend including it in your professional summary, skills section, and throughout your experience section. Below, I’ve included some copy examples for a skills and professional experience section that help showcase expertise & results:
 

Skills
Expert: SQL, Javascript, Python
Advanced: Java, Scala
Intermediate: R, C++


Work Experience:
Full Stack Developer 
● (Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome, or quantified results.
● Built a full stack app for exploring job applications and saving favorites—delivered viable prototype within a 48-hour deadline.
● Skills Used: RESTful APIs, React, PostgreSQL, Bcrypt


I also encourage you to check out the Indeed Resume Template above, which walks you through how to create an ATS-friendly resume!

Lauren Booker
Rank
Userlevel 2

Thanks so much for sharing your expertise with us, Jamie! 

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

What are some things that can be negotiated other than salary and how do you make it clear which are your priorities? 

Hi Rosalyn! This is a great question. I think many people assume only salary can be negotiated in a job offer, but there are many non-salary items that can be discussed! Here’s a few examples:

  • Start date
  • Relocation expenses
  • Transportation benefits
  • Signing bonus
  • Remote work
  • Equity
  • Vacation/sick days
  • See a list of more here

An employer should provide a copy of their benefits package when they extend a formal offer, which you can review to determine whether it meets your wants and needs. From there, prioritize what is most important to you to negotiate. Whenever you enter a negotiation, it’s important for you to provide reasoning for your request, ideally how it will enhance your work performance. Once you feel prepared, call your recruiter. There is less to be lost in translation via phone, and your recruiter will be your advocate in this negotiation, so it’s important they understand you clearly. In this conversation, be honest with them about your priorities. For instance, if you’re negotiating salary and remote work, you can say, “While I’m optimistic we can reach an agreement for both, remote work is my higher priority.” After the conversation with the recruiter, follow up with an email re-stating your requests with reasoning in order of importance. I hope this is helpful!

Jamie Birt
Userlevel 4

1.What questions should I be asking a recruiter to ensure I stand out and make it through second rounds of interviews?

 

2.I’m debating on returning to a former company but would like to pivot to entirely new team/role. Any tips here? 

Hi WhitneyElinor!

  1. The biggest mistake to be made is asking no questions at all, so I love that you’ve asked this! Asking questions shows that you have a genuine interest in the role. While there are no golden ticket questions, my advice is to ask questions that are thoughtful and show you’ve researched the role and company. Here are a couple of examples:
    1. “I was reading up on your company values and was excited to see they align well with mine. I’m interested in how you see the company’s value of “be curious” being put into action?”
    2. “From reading the job description, I understand the team is looking for someone who is a self-starter, detail-oriented, and metric-driven. From your conversations with the hiring manager, are there any other skills that would make someone successful in this role that weren’t included in the job description?”
  1. Amazing! You’ve already got some inside scoop on the company! If you know the hiring manager or someone at the company who could intro you to the hiring manager, reach out to them, explaining your interest in returning to the company and joining their team. If you don’t know them personally and don’t know anyone in the company who could connect you, reach out via Linkedin with a message introducing yourself and explaining the same. I would also encourage you to connect with someone currently working on the team to learn more inside information about the role and the team’s needs. I also highly recommend getting a referral to the position from someone currently at the company. Best of luck!

Reply


Terms & Conditions