Our experts are not selling anything – this evening is about sharing job search best practices, and networking.

Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. To reserve your space, send an email to Lauren at Lauren@ResuMAYDAY.com. For more information, please contact Amor Montes de Oca at Amor@ArteYVidaChicago.com or 773-209-8268.

In your cover letter, please describe two business development strategies that you would use to differentiate PrimePay from other payroll services in the Chicagoland market. Without this, you will not be considered for candidacy.

Please send your resume and cover letter to Brendan Nicholls at bnicholls@primepay.com.

PrimePay, a rapidly growing payroll and business services provider, is quickly becoming an industry leader. We are a company committed to delivering the highest levels of personalized client service and support. PrimePay is currently seeking a dynamic and energetic Outside Sales Representative (Account Executive) to enhance its sales team in Illinois.

About the Opportunity:
We are looking for sales professionals who are interested in long-range career growth, are self-starters and who possess an entrepreneurial spirit. PrimePay offers significant opportunities for professional growth.

The Account Executive will be the one who generates revenue; identifies market potential; initiates sales; closes sales; and expands sales in existing accounts.

The Account Executive will treat his/her territory like his/her own business. PrimePay provides powerful sales automation tools and marketing support to enable new business growth and improve client retention. The target marketplace is small/medium size businesses with 1-200 employees. Account Executives must develop long-standing relationships with business owners/decision makers and develop the PrimePay brand in their territory.

Our Ideal Candidate

* Strong communication and interpersonal skills
* Effective and articulate speaking ability
* Persistent
* Ability to close the sale
* Networking and relationship building skills
* Inspires others with drive and motivation to sell aggressively
* Consistently identifies new sources of business
* Has a track record of attaining challenging sales goals and managing accounts within a designated territory
* Represents the highest levels of honesty and integrity
* BA/BS degree and 1+ years of direct sales experience (preferred)
* Computer literacy including use of laptops, Windows, and Microsoft Office (esp. Excel, Word)

Oak Brook, IL

http://jobs.primepay.com/jobs/358711-Sales-Account-Executive-Illinois.aspx

ResuMAYDAY’s Tips to Get Ahead During an Extended Job Search:
Use this time to develop your skills and expand credentials. This could be the perfect opportunity to earn an industry certification, become proficient in new technology, build on transitional/transferable skills or pursue other continuing education opportunities that were previously shelved when you were employed. Why is this important? An interview question that you should anticipate is, “During your employment gap, what did you do besides look for a job?” You need to be one of the candidates – or the only one – who has a clear and intelligent answer for this question. Nic Bruns, of Global Recruiters Network backs me up on this. He says, “It is not enough for a candidate to say, “I am unemployed and I have been looking for a job the last 12 months.” This is a weak statement that will get you excluded from many opportunities.” Nic recommends that candidates spend their unemployment tenure becoming a consultant – a real one – involving real work, and real clients. As a matter of fact, Nic says that job seekers can promote themselves as a consultant to potential employers. This is a great way to keep your skills up to date, and get your foot in the door in a way that may lead to permanent employment. The employer benefits in this scenario because they get an industry expert on their team without the long-term commitments of hiring an employee. Once you’re in, it’s your job to prove your long-term worth.
Luisa Buehler of The Hire Solution (and popular mystery/suspense author!) tags on to this by recommending that you use this time to give back to your community with volunteer positions that enable you to help others who are less fortunate. Not only will you be helping someone in need, but it will remind you of the abundance in your life. Luisa says, “This change in personality from acts of selflessness could be what attracts an employer”. Yes indeed!

Use this time to create a plan. Job seekers should use this time to research and formulate strategies on how they will be most effective in their next position. What are the steps and procedures that are within your reach of influence (in your position and at your level of competence)? Keep on top of industry movements and trends. This will prepare you for interview questions such as, “If we were to hire you, what would you do internally to protect us from another recession?”
This is also the right time to assess whether or not the plan you already have in place needs to be revised. Says Julie Roth of Blue Mark Partners, “The long-term unemployed may have excuses for remaining on the market. For example, those who are in a dying function/industry find it hard to find a new position unless they re-craft themselves. In this case it is IMPERATIVE the job seeker finds a new career path. Once the job seeker does this they should CONNECT THE DOTS to the reader of the resume or the communication to the company/recruiter how all the previous years of experiences and skills are valuable for this new role. On the other hand, someone in a sales function has clearly not done a good job of marketing themselves if they maintain their status of unemployment. Good sales people are always in demand yet they must be able to demonstrate they met/exceeded sales quotas, brought in new accounts, grew a territory, increased sales/profit margins.” Julie raises a good point and in my 10+ years of working with job seekers, I find that salespeople are the ones who usually have the hardest time selling themselves to potential employers. But Jody Schwartz of MS Recruiting Services is quick to point out that more than ever before, employers are looking to get two or more employees…for the price of one! She states that her clients (employers) are seeking candidates with multiple skill sets, such as an Underwriter who can also handle sales or customer service situations. “This is happening more and more with many of my clients. They are combining positions and this is NOT unusual.” This just affirms the need to research what employers are looking for, and then become that person. Those who adapt to this make themselves two or three times more marketable than their peers, so I’m grateful that Jody shared this with me.

Identify your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). The third and final point I want to make is that as a job seeker, you must be able to identify what makes you unique from all other candidates competing for the same jobs. It’s not enough to say “I’m hard working, I’m dedicated, I’m detail-oriented and I finish projects on time and under budget”. None of those words mean anything! Instead, pull out those tangible credentials that separate YOU from the rest of the pack. A good way to do this is to complete the following sentence: I feel that I excel above my peers and colleagues at…” Remember, employers don’t just hire employees, they hire problem solvers.

I hope these tips and the expertise of my ace recruiters are helpful for anyone struggling with a job search – no matter how long it lasts. I see momentum in the market and I truly feel that 2011 may be the turnaround that we’re all seeking. If you have questions or comments, please share them! And in the meantime, let’s ring in 2011 with wishes for happiness, peace and prosperity for all.

Recruiter Contacts:
Nic Bruns of GRN Wheaton, www.GRNWheaton.com
Luisa Buehler of The Hire Solution Employment Corp, www.TheHireSolution.net
Julie Roth of Blue Mark Partners, www.BlueMarkPartners.com
Jody Schwartz of MS Recruiting Services, www.MSRecruitingServicesltd.com

This weekend, I’m offering a freebie report, “Insider Tips To Writing a Killer Resume”. You can get this sent to you by signing up for my newsletter on the home page! (This starts on Saturday, just to be fair to WGN.)

If you want to hear the re-broadcast of December’s show, it’s posted in a previous blog posting.

If you heard the 3/14 show, I’d love your feedback on my advice and if you didn’t have a chance to ask your questions, please do so here!

If you aren’t standing in lines to return Christmas presents (or, if you are!), tune in this Saturday at 2PM to the Bill Moller show on 720AM. I’ll be talking about ‘creating a killer resume’ and any other job-search topics that Bill wants to discuss.

Bill Moller is a Chicago media mainstay, with a 14-year history on CLTV. Here is the link to his radio show: http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/moneyshow/index.htm

As a resume writer, I strongly discourage job seekers to include their picture on the resume. That just makes sense, right? But what about your L.I. profile? Should that also exclude your picture? I tend to think it does but with all of the technology offerings that are out there today, it’s going to be difficult to remain as anonymous as a traditional resume allows. (Don’t even get me started on the …$!%#@… video resume!)

My recommendation is that job seekers omit pictures from their profiles but instead, make sure the profile is as strong as possible – lots of accomplishments and as many endorsements as possible. My friend and LinkedIn coach, April Williams, recommends that anyone concerned about posting their picture to a worldwide audience chooses a group photo instead. I love this idea!

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to worry about this at all, but that’s an entirely different topic for a different day!