Using social media tools can help individuals feel engaged with the outside world. Posting items can open the door to your world and that of others – helping to make and to keep connections. Posting personal pictures of pets, flowers, and food items are fun ways for individuals to enjoy a connection with another person, even if only virtually. Many people also find that asking for help or posting questions for reactions is useful.

Professional pictures should be updated every three years or sooner, especially if there is a drastic change with hair color, etc. I am ashamed to say, like the plumber who has a leaking faucet, that I haven’t updated my picture in five years. First, in my defense, I like my current picture. So why change it? Pinterest is a wonderful resource to get ideas for poses, color choices in wardrobe, and thoughts for what you want your picture to look like. Looking at ideas ahead of time, helped me to be more relaxed and focused on the pose, clothing choices, makeup, and facial expressions – such as how big of a smile works best. Using my camera to take selfies for clothing choices, makeup, and eyewear choices before the session took place helped ensure I was well prepared. Attached is my new professional picture.

When preparing interviewees, I often must stress the critical need for their resumes to be crisp and clear. The resumes that stand out are the ones that reflect your accomplishments and how you achieved them. For example, the leader of a sales team may state on his or her resume that the team generated X amount of revenue, exceeding expectations of monthly goals. A strong resume states not only your skills, but the impact you can make on the organization. Be sure your resume and talking points make the individual interviewing you realize that your skills are a good fit for the organization.

Recently, a colleague requested an opinion on several new professional photos she just posted. Most of the viewers were friends plus a few clients. The picture that received the most likes was the one I would have picked for her website.

The audience she solicited the opinions from is very similar to the market she is targeting. This brings us to the critical concept in selecting a professional photo: know the main goal of the photo other than personal preference. It is important that the photo fully represent the person in it.

The clothing elements, color, and style also worked for her. She was smart to take some photos with different color and style choices. The photographer was also wise to use different lighting to enhance her approachability in the photo.

Building relationships takes time with folks getting to know you from a professional side first. Second, you can interact virtually by speaking to their responses. Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to expand the knowledge circle. Each media has a distinct culture and purpose, making it important to match your information sharing goals. The main purpose is to get folks to know you and you to know them by sharing personal and professional sides of each other.

Recently, I was in a retail store purchasing a large ticket item. The order taker gave the impression she was being put upon (unlike Nordstrom in Oakbrook or Kohl’s in Elmhurst). The order was taken. However, it took 20 minutes to fill and no other customer was in the store.

The color ended up wrong, the original service person was not available, and the one that was there said she could not wait on me. The store manager walked by when I was waiting and did not pause or even cast a glance my way. I realized that this was the reason for the unfriendly service people.

It all starts at the top. An excellent product will sell regardless how difficult it is to purchase but when the service people are unhelpful, any product can lose market share at least in that store. Most products can be purchased at multiple places.

Shopping on line has become the way for me to shop whether it is for the house, office or personal items over these last few years. Before 2015, retail shopping meant going to various stores. It was not always fun to shop. In fact, it became more of a chore that a joyous experience.

The service, easy returns and problem handling of Amazon, Zappo, and Nordstrom (my favorite ones) has always been stellar. Whether working in an organization or as a consultant, when you offer consistent 24/7 service, you will build up loyal customers and client champions for your organization.

 Steve Wyrostek, MBA, CPRW at www.noclicheresumes.com  has been my go to person when you are ready to look for a new job or refresh your work documents, avoid the following when you are preparing your resume:

• An objective statement. Use a summary, instead. Objectives are often seen on first resume out of school or a Word template resumes. No objectives at any time. A four to five line, succinct, modular summary is best.
• Using dates past 20 years and if possible, keep job experiences in the 2000s. Never date degrees or certifications.
• Listing volunteer activities unless they relate directly to the job applied for.
• Too large or small font. Use 10 to 11 sans serif font (Arial, Calibri).
• Placing acronyms like MBA after your name. This can garble the automatic tracking system readers that most companies run resumes through.
• Block paragraphs. Use no more than three lines for a job description or bullet.
• Clichés. Hiring managers glaze over phrases like good communicator, like to work with people, detail-oriented, etc. Instead show those traits with job achievements.
• Forgetting to list achievements. Your job description is what you did and achievements are what you accomplished while doing it.

There are more but these are the most common things to avoid when preparing your resume.

Questions I always ask are what is your expertise? What defines your brand? What experiences created the confidence that makes senior leaders say you are an expert in a field? Begin a list of how you have led a team to success including how the outcome delivered a positive, long-term result for your company. Start with words from those you have mentored or helped in a specific situation. Keep a journal of them. This will help you define and flesh out your brand.

– A resume writer can take a sentence like this:

Perform various analysis and audit procedures on specific accounts to ensure the accuracy of various companies financial information, ensure that funds were not misappropriated and that accounting records are accurate and complete

And turn it in to this:

Use analytical and audit procedures to ensure the accuracy of financial information and verify that no misappropriation of funds has occurred.

– A resume writer can provide a template that works not only for your work documents but for the job you are applying to.

– A resume can be however many pages that work but many hiring managers will not look past two, especially if a strong competitor has a well written two page summary. A resume writer can get your resume to the appropriate length for your career accomplishments.

– 30 percent of those wanting resume rewrites are over the age of 50. They may be experiencing how tough it can be to sustain their career while in that age group. A resume writer can “de-age” them on paper

– A resume writer can write a coherent, powerful career summary for a job applicant. Hiring managers prefer this is to an objective.

Steve Wyrostek, MBA, CPRW

No Cliché Resumes