By Pamela Alton

For one reason or another, the time has come for youto begin seeking new employment. You have searched the newspaperclassifieds, contacted the employment agencies and asked otherpeople in the industry. Now what? Before you go any further, youmust be prepared to seek new employment.

The First Step: Preparing Your Resume

Twenty seconds is all you get. This is the average time anowner or property manager takes to scan a resume and determine ifthe applicant should be granted an interview. It's true--you haveperhaps spent thousands of hours in training and working at afacility and all you now have is 20 seconds to sell yourself to aprospective employer. For this reason, it is essential for yourresume to project a professional image. Your resume and coverletter must encourage the reader to take a closer look.

As an owner of a nationwide, manager-placement services, wereceive resumes daily. Some resumes we receive are handwritten,some in crayons, others contain misspellings, dates don't matchup and they run on and on, making no sense at all. Remember, youonly have one chance to make the first impression.

Tips for Designing a Successful Resume

Always include your name, address, phone number, workexperience and education, if applicable. Job objective, if used,should appear at the beginning of the resume after your name andaddress. At the bottom of your resume, include "ReferencesAvailable Upon Request," or some such wording. Remember,your resume will be scanned, not read. Short concise phrases aremuch more effective than long-winded sentences. Make sureeverything is easy to find. Avoid paragraphs longer than sixlines. Reorganize and condense information if paragraphs becometoo long. Be specific about your skills and responsibilities.Slant your past accomplishments toward the type of position youhope to obtain. Omit information that is not relevant and befactual; don't lie about dates or addresses or supervisors'names. It is grounds for dismissal if you are hired and they findout your information is false. Be positive. If you achievedsomething, then say so. You are selling your skills andaccomplishments. Lastly, and probably most importantly, have yourresume done on your computer or professionally typeset, makingseveral copies using high-quality resume paper.

Preparing for the Interview

Once you have your professional resume in hand and submit itto the job openings you've found, get prepared for the actualinterviews. Leave plenty of time to get to the appointment and beearly, if possible. Have your reference list with you, and if youor the past facilities you worked at have been highlighted in oneof the national self-storage magazines, bring them along also.Many owners are now requesting a credit report and backgroundcheck. To save time, bring your current credit and DMV reportswith you. If you can't obtain your current credit report, or youhave had some problems in the past, be honest and up front aboutit. If you try to hide your past problems, it could reflectnegatively upon you.

Dress professionally. Ladies should wear a dress or businesssuit, hose and heels. I recommend that men wear dress slacks,dress shirt, polished shoes and, perhaps, a tie and jacket. Youshould be well-groomed, including finger nails and neatly trimmedhair. Leave jeans, sweat pants and running shoes at home, alongwith the children and pets. Remember, the first impression ismost important.

Bring a note pad and a list of questions you may wantto ask the perspective employer, such as,

Think before you answer the interviewer's questions. We alltend to be nervous during an interview, but try not to blurt outanswers to questions. Be positive. An employer doesn't want tohear about how bad your last job was, how the last employer wasso cheap he wouldn't fix anything, how you hated the softwarethey used or how small the apartment was. This only shows theinterviewer that you are inflexible, possess a negative attitudeand are probably hard to work with. This type of attitude couldpossibly lose you the opportunity to work with that company.

If you have children, have a daycare plan. Children do not addto the office atmosphere at most storage facilities, and ownersfeel more comfortable in hiring people with children if they knowchildren will not be in the office during business hours.

When the interview is over, stand, shake the interviewers'hands and thank them for the opportunity to interview with theircompany. If you are interested in the job, tell them so. If youare currently employed, make sure you let them know you must giveat least two weeks notice. That way, they know you would givethem the same courtesy when you leave them. If they can contactyour current employer, tell them so. If not, make it perfectlyclear that you would prefer they not contact your currentemployer until the position has been offered to you and you haveaccepted it.

After the Interview

The day after the interview, send them a thank-you note,thanking them for taking the time to interview you. State thatyou are interested in the position. Let them know that if theychoose someone else for the position, to please keep your resumeon file for future reference. Or, ask them to pass your resumealong to another owner. If you aren't offered the position, askyourself what you could have done differently or do better at thenext interview. Then, follow through and make those changes.

Just remember, don't wait until the last moment to search fora new position. It takes time to find the right position and youdon't want to accept a job in haste, only to move on to anotherfacility in a few months. Don't accept a position you aren'tinterested in. It costs an owner thousands of dollars to find,hire and train a new employee, and it is not fair to them to haveyou move on in a few months.

When it comes to job hunting, be prepared. Gather your jobhistory, reference information and have your resumeprofessionally typeset, making several copies on high-qualitypaper. Remember to dress professionally at the interview and keepa positive attitude during the interview process.

Pamela Alton is the owner of Mini-Management, one of theindustry's largest nationwide manager-placement services.Mini-Management also offers policy and procedures manuals, salesand marketing training manuals, inspections and audits,consulting, telephone shopping and training seminars. For moreinformation on the services offered by Mini-Management, call(800) 646-4648.