Cher Forman

"Ask Cher"

Cher Forman has over 20 years of domestic and international Human Resources experience in organizations ranging from startups to $3B. As Director or Vice President, she has managed Human Resources groups at Applied Materials, Stanford Telecom, Ask Computer Systems, Teledex and Tri-Data Corporation and consulted on H.R. philosophy, values and infrastructure with many start-ups as well. Cher has managed several of these firms through rapid expansion and significant organizational challenges. While at Applied Materials, she led her business unit as the company grew from 6,000 to 16,000 employees in three years. Ms. Forman has specific expertise in employment, corporate legal compliance, development of cost effective compensation/benefit strategies, organization development and international HR management. She has a degree in Organization Behavior from the University of San Francisco and has participated in advanced training at several other colleges and universities.

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QR codes
October 07, 2011 by Cher Forman
Question:
 
Dear Cher:
Do you have any suggestions about how to set yourself apart from other candidates without looking desperate or naïve? The market for workers as “mature” as I am is a tough one. I’d just like to be able to do something different without going overboard.

Pete

Answer:

Hi Pete,
You bet I do! Read on. This is one of the best ways I have heard of to make a big, but understated, impression.

If you’re an older worker looking to make a transition, you know one of the things some interviewers say they’re concerned about is that an experienced worker may not have up-to-date computer skills. I know I have mentioned in the past that one good way to put the worry to rest is to, in a somewhat obvious manner, be putting your I Phone (or your friend’s I Phone which you have borrowed) away just before you begin the interview. It sets the expectation that you are tech savvy without saying a word.

Here’s an even better idea. You know those things that look like bar codes in a square box that we’re seeing more and more in advertisements and Marketing material? If my description doesn’t ring a bell, just keep it in mind for the next couple of days and you’ll probably notice several of them. They are called QR codes and can be used on business cards and resumes to direct the reader to more information you would like them to know about you without crowding your card or making your resume more than the maximum two pages. When the reader scans them with a smartphone, it might bring up your LinkedIn profile, or the reason you think you’re a good fit for a particular type of job , or even a great sample of your work.

FYI, they’re not very big and the appearance, the QR code can even be personalized! I read an article by a CEO of a communications company saying that when he saw a QR code on a resume, it showed him the candidate was well aware of current technology as well as trends.

This may sound deeper than you wanted to get into technology right now, but I understand they’re not that complicated, and there are many websites that tell you how to get one…many of them free. There’s a good definition of QR Codes at Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code Take it from there!

Good luck with your job search,



Best, Cher
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