Ivy Exec recently interviewed Joshua Rosenthal, Founder & Director of Institute for Integrative Nutrition on their company culture.

Ivy Exec: In which area of your company do you expect the most growth during 2012?

Joshua Rosenthal: We see growth in Global Sales and Marketing over the next year as well as Social Media which easily connects our students and grads worldwide. Our 2020 vision is for the world to see the importance of food and nutrition on global health and the environment. Health and happiness is the main goal for everyone everywhere. I want to ensure we reach as many people as possible.

Ivy: What changes and challenges do you think your company will see in the next 5 years?

Joshua: Interest in nutrition and health grows year by year. What used to be a fringe movement, is now mainstream. Online learning is exploding and is vital to connect people to an educational experience that is affordable, and works within their daily lives and schedules.

Ivy: What made you start the Institute for Integrative Nutrition?

Joshua: I saw a need for a change in the way nutrition education was presented.

Ivy: What three words best describe your culture?

Joshua: Dynamic, Driven, and Fun!

Ivy: What are the two best perks that employees get at your company?

Joshua: 1. Organic breakfast, lunch, and snacks

2. Wellness package, which includes massage, chiropractor, and yoga

Ivy: What gets you excited about going to work each day?

Joshua: Working with intelligent, ambitious and deeply committed people who are inspired and driven by our mission to improve health and happiness in the world.

Ivy: Which leadership qualities best insure success at your company?

Joshua: Leaders are committed to the mission of the organization and see the big picture clearly. A strong leader is also committed to individual employees and their personal and professional success. At Integrative Nutrition, we walk the talk.

Ivy: What little known hobby or personal interest do you enjoy?

Joshua: Geostrategy. There’s a big world out there. I’m fascinated by connecting with as many people as possible.

Stay up to date with consulting job opportunities with companies like the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! Apply for membership with Ivy Exec. To find consulting jobs, visit Ivy Exec’s selection here.

Ivy Exec‘s Sr. Resume Writer Laura Hill was a featured Career Expert on CNBC’s The Wall Street Journal Report With Maria Bartiromo, offering advice on polishing your resume for today’s competitive job market.

Laura’s career experience includes an 8-year banking career with JPMorgan Chase; 10 years in recruitment; and 10 years as a career/outplacement coach. Laura received her MBA in Finance from New York University – Stern and BBA in Marketing from the University of Texas – McCombs. To see how you can work with Laura, click here.

In this video, Laura will cover how to revamp your resume with advice on how to create a specific profile statement, tailoring your resume to your target audience and more.

To get more personalized advice on your resume from Laura, please email, resumes@ivyexec.com

Presenter: Lawler Kang
What drives personal and professional happiness? How can I bring my ‘whole’ self to my daily pursuits, particularly looking for my “next big thing”? What might I do to augment my personal brand to optimize these efforts?

Learn how come the ‘Why’ and ‘How’ behind what you do is more important to your happiness (and productivity) than ‘What’ you do. In fact, the ‘Why’ and ‘How’ should directly impact the ‘What’.

Our presenter will start by illustrating the need, impact and benefits of bringing your passions and purposes to work. He will then walk participants through some tools designed to identify your ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ and will show you how to align them in your current, and future, work (and life) efforts.

After 15 years of corporate and entrepreneurial leadership, Lawler walked away from empire building, wrote Passion at Work (Pearson Prentice Hall), and founded Passion at Work Partners. Speaking/consulting clients: HP, Cisco, Google, Oracle, Microsoft, Booz Allen Hamilton, Pfizer, and most top-tier business schools. Lawler’s prior endeavors include leading successful turnarounds of three technology/biotech firms, serving as Engagement Manager, and then Managing Director of the Northeast Practice of Scient. Lawler graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Vassar College.

 

Resumes do lie.

According to Steven Levitt, University of Chicago professor, and one of my personal favorite authors (Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics), over 50% of resumes contain lies. SHRM (The Society for Human Resource Management) studies showed 53% of resumes lie. Other studies have shown that somewhere between 30-50% of resumes contain mistruths.

I’m not describing taking credit for the value you’ve provided past employers – that’s not a lie. I’m not including covering employment gaps through truthful methods, or describing your experience from your target employer’s point of view – these are ethical. Listing a local number and/or address can also be done ethically on your resume. I only support ethical job search methods – not because I think I’m Dudley Do-Right, but because ethical job search is much more effective than lying.

These studies looked for bold-faced lies, showing that they are rampant among job seekers. I suppose as the job market became tougher, more competitive, while employers became more dysfunctional in their hiring, candidates were driven out of desperation to lie on their resumes.

The biggest problem with these desperate actions are … they don’t work very often.

When there are all these studies and articles floating around the HR world, it becomes common knowledge among recruiters and HR reps that a great number of resumes contain lies. So guess what happens – Recruiters, HR reps, and small company admins charged with prescreening resumes start to look for lies.

Screening out liars is one of the major functions of recruiters and HR reps. It’s one of the reasons you get the feeling that HR departments job is to find resumes to reject. In the case of resume lies … you’re entirely correct in what you feel.

It also became much easier for recruiters and HR reps to catch resume lies … just at the same time as desperate candidates started to lie more often on their resumes.

Here’s where candidates lie most often on resumes:

1. Education: Many companies will confirm university degrees and technical certifications in their background checks.

2. Dates of employment: Don’t try to stretch your tenure to cover up gaps. While excluding months isn’t a lie, tacking on additional years employment to your resume is a big lie that can be easily caught by a basic reference check.

3. Job title: Don’t embellish to give yourself fancy titles. This lie can be easily caught by a reference check – companies can and will give your official title as part of the reference process.

4. Criminal records: Criminal background checks will uncover felonies or misdemeanors. An increasing number of companies are using outside companies to do criminal background checks, even for non-financial jobs.

5. Inflated salary: Salary inflation can be caught by a thorough reference check – often using a service specializing in salary confirmation.

6. Professional license: Companies may confirm licensing with the appropriate state agency as a part of their background checks.

Today, companies don’t even have to do extensive background checks to catch you lying on your resume. That’s why over 90% of companies search social media and Google as a part of their hiring process. Because social media inconsistencies uncover a large percentage of resume lies.

So why not just scrub your Facebook timeline? While it’s a wise move to take off things you wouldn’t want your Mom or boss to see, it won’t keep your resume lies from being uncovered.

Why not?

You can thank your friends for that – because on social media, you’d also have to lie to all your friends. Do you think that when you put on Facebook that you “graduated” from Harvard in 1990, that you wouldn’t have 10 of your buddies crying “BS”? Or that you suddenly got a CPA?

The truth is more powerful than lies

If you are applying for jobs you are qualified for, rather than lying to try for jobs you aren’t, then the truth is more powerful than lies. I’m not just referring to the truth about you – but if you can get to the truth about what’s happening inside the company, then you can express your experience to show you’ve solved similar problems, met similar goals.

When you can get to the truth inside the company and can adapt your resume to what’s happening about the company, your resume will be much stronger than lies, and you don’t have the risk of getting caught in resume lies.

Phil Rosenberg is President of ReCareered, helping great people break through the challenges of modern job searches. Phil had managed the Chicago suburban Financial and Technology consulting practices for recruiting industry leader, Robert Half International.

This article is provided by The Voice of Job Seekers, and Ivy Exec

Do you know what your job competitors are doing to win over employers? If not, ask while networking with friends, foe, and everyone you meet. Find out how people are getting hired, or noticed by interviewers and employers.

Your competition is standing out implementing these strategies :

1. Boldly offering their social media profiles as professional proof
His or her social Media profiles are an enriched with creative and contagious updates while yours looks the same as it did in 2010. Even their photos, taglines, and comments have purpose and remain current.
Are your social media profiles filled out? Your profile on LinkedIn looks like a list. Don’t make your LinkedIn profile look like a list!

2. Your competitors know what you offer
Networking is more than your contacts referring you, although that is the universal expectation. If you want to “fit” in a high technology company environment, would you just bring a résumé? What are you talking about with your network?

3. Future-proofing by injecting value into his or her personal brand
Top performers create value and a professional brand that endures unemployment with plenty of options. They inject value in everything they do, therefore, his or her owns a potent personal brand. If you offer little competitive value, what are you doing to change that?

4. They thrive and embrace collaboration
Your competition relies on mentors and peers to share resources, complementing knowledge, and advice. You are relying on your past. Do you mention collaborating with others on your résumé? If not, how can you be a formidable opponent?

5. Your competition sweats the small stuff
Details separate you and the competition. Call backs, thank you notes (mentors, contacts, interviewers, baby-sitters), names of people you meet are as important as getting the job. Make a big deal out of the small stuff even if it’s mom, dad, siblings, or next door neighbors. Chivalry, graciousness, and gratitude goes the distance if you want to be noticed.

Mark Anthony Dyson is The Voice of Job Seekers. He writes for the unemployed, underemployed, and unappreciated job seekers.