Recently in Resumes Category

Nancy writes:

Do you have any suggestions on how to explain/validate long periods of professional work gaps in a resume? I am a stay-at-home mother and need some convincing and creative ways to describe this recent position on my resume. I would appreciate any input.


The Career Doctor responds:

I know I risk the wrath of some of the women reading this blog, but I don’t really like to see resumes that under experience list something cute, such as “Household Manager” or “Domestic Coordination Specialist,” as job title for women who stay at home to manage their households and parent their children. Of course, with a traditional chronological resume, if you don’t list something for when you stayed at home, you will have huge gaps between jobs.

So, you really have three options. First, you can take the approach listed above and make your time at home a category under experience. And while I realize there are many responsibilities involved — I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home dad for a few months a long, long time ago — I still don’t think, from an employer’s prospective, that it qualifies to go in this section.

Second, you can consider experimenting with reorganizing your resume into a chrono-functional or hybrid resume that is organized around skills clusters (such as communications, leadership, organizational, etc.) rather than specific jobs and experience. Unfortunately, this style of resume is on the outs right now because employers fear you are hiding something by taking this approach.

Third, you can look beyond your household and compile all the volunteering, freelancing, or other part-time or educational experiences you may have had and use those to show that you were still using and perfecting your skills.

Remember that the goal of your resume is to get your foot in the door — to get you that job interview — and once in the interview, you can decide how to position yourself — your experiences, skills, and accomplishments — to sell the employer on your candidacy.

Learn more about mastering resumes by using one of more of the excellent resources found in the Resume and CV Resources section of Quintessential Careers.

 

Basic Primer on Writing a Resume

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James writes:

I’m searching for a guide on how to write my resume, but I can’t seem to find anything. If you could give me some tips, or a site that I could go to, that would be greatly appreciated.


The Career Doctor responds:

Can’t find anything on resumes? Wow. There’s tons of stuff available on resumes — in magazines, books, and on the Web… but I’ll give you a quick primer.

Your resume is a critical marketing tool. Your resume has to entice a prospective employer enough — through its focus, content, and style — to first consider your qualifications for the job at hand and then to invite you for a job interview. A resume is a statement of your unique mix of experiences, education, and skills. You must not lie on your resume, but you must always remember its goal.

I think the most important thing any job-seeker should do before attempting to write a resume is to first sit down and make a list of your skills and accomplishments from all your previous experiences (work, volunteer, school, etc.) because you will take from this list those critical skills and accomplishments — not your duties and responsibilities — that highlight your fit for the next job you are seeking.

The next step is researching and identifying the job — and all the requirements of that job — that you are seeking because it is critical that your resume is focused on specifics. You should also research the potential employers that may have jobs that you seek so that you can incorporate some of their keywords into your resume.

Wait! Does this advice suggest that job-seekers need to have a specifically tailored resume for every single job they apply for? Yes! There is absolutely no reason for you not to develop a different resume for each job and employer. For most job-seekers, this task will simply mean tweaking small parts of your resume for similar jobs.

Once you have the content down, you should focus on the style and look of your resume. Do not use a template; design your own. Follow a consistent style. Use normal fonts and sizes. Use bullets rather than paragraphs. Do not use personal pronouns. Consider using a career/job objective or profile section. Always list education and experience in reverse chronological order (starting with the most recent stuff). Do not list any personal information (such as age, marital status, weight). Do not include controversial information. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, spell-check and carefully proofread your resume for any and all errors.

Read our articles published on Quintessential Careers: The Scoop on Resume Length: How Many Pages Should Your Resume Be? and 10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid.

You can gets lots more advice, including resume samples, resume-writing tutorial, and more, in this section of Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV Resources.

 

Shreena writes:

I am applying for a summer undergraduate work placement in a large company of opticians. One of the questions of the application forms is as follows: “Provide details of key achievements in your current role including facts and figures and performance targets to indicate the business outcome that resulted.”

Do I need to write about my role as a student at university? There are no real business outcome that results from being a student.


The Career Doctor responds:

Thank you so much for asking this question. Everyone reading this blog who knows a college student should be sure that s/he reads my answer.

Most college students should leave college with two types of experience: actual work experience gained through internships and part-time jobs and practical experience gained through class projects and papers.

When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard a time describing work experience, but one of the most common errors I see is that students often discount those class projects.

As the application states, the company is looking for your key achievements/accomplishments to date. If you have previous work experiences, list those along with their outcomes. But don’t forget about those class projects.

For example, at the university where I previously taught, many major courses required completing a project, often with a real client. For example, in a marketing research class, students might work with a local business in uncovering a problem and suggesting solutions.

When describing those student experiences, remember the same rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.

A sample explanation of a student project:

Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
  • Developed detailed SWOT Analysis
  • Assisted in writing survey questionnaire
  • Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents
  • Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results
  • For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers: For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

     

    Resume for Part-time Job

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    Gail writes:

    My question is how and where on my resume could I let employers know I’m looking for 24-32 hours a week. How should I word this? Should I put this in my objective?


    The Career Doctor responds:

    Ready for a frustratiing answer? It depends.

    OK. Let me explain. If you are responding to job postings or online job ads that request part-time workers, then there is no need to even have it listed on your resume because employers will assume if you are applying for a part-time position that you are actually seeking part-time employment.

    However, if you are sending out cover letter and resume packages to a variety of employers — what we refer to as the cold calling method — then you must say somewhere that you are looking for part-time rather than full-time employment. I have a personal preference for putting it only in your cover letter, but you could also add it your job objective section of your resume: “To contribute extensive experience, training, and skills in a part-time project-management position.”

    I recommend that job-seekers use a qualifications summary; if done correctly, this section serves as a short-cut for enticing hiring managers to make the decision to continue reading your resume. A warning, though: If done incorrectly, this section could also stop your resume from being read.

    Review all the Resume Resources (including articles, tools, and tutorials) published on Quintessential Careers.

     

    Allison writes:

    I thought I’d take a chance and see if I could have a question answered that I didn’t find addressed on your Quintessential Careers Website. (Excellent site, by the way).

    I am required to turn in a resume for a school district with whom I am applying. I have been in the same type of position for 9 years, doing relatively the same type of work (counseling). Since each of the jobs I have held have virtually the same description, how do I address that under the work experience?

    I wondered if I should do a functional resume and bullet all the skills I have acquired through the years and then just list the schools (or districts) in which I have worked under the work experience.


    The Career Doctor responds:

    Kudos first for planning in advance — and for doing the research — with regard to your resume. Resumes are extremely important documents, and I am always amazed at how many bad resumes I see — poor focus, too wordy, ugly/boring appearance, with typos and misspellings. Resumes are one of the main tools with which prospective employers judge you — and help them decide whether to call you for an interview.

    The key element of resumes you are missing is that a resume is not some statement of job duties or descriptions. A resume is about showing how you took a job and made it your own — and helped the employer in the process. A resume highlights your key accomplishments in every job. And even when you have held similar jobs over a long period, you should still have quantifiable accomplishments in every position.

    So, you certainly could make a chrono-functional resume, where the job-seeker chooses about three broad functional skills areas, but what would you list under the functional categories? Not job duties. In addition, most employers loathe functional resumes. I think a standard chronological resume would work fine for you as long as you take the time to sit back and examine your accomplishments in each job.

    Here are some Quintessential Careers resume resources that you may find useful:

     

    No Response from Executive-Search Firms

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    Dan writes:

    I am an architect in my late 50s who is finding it exceedingly difficult even with an exceptional work history to get any response to resumes sent to executive-search firms. This even when (1) it would seem my background would match perfectly with senior management position requirements advertised, (2) I state my salary is negotiable, and (3) when asked, I respond that I am open to relocating if necessary. In a youth-oriented profession such as architecture, is there a certain approach that should be following in submitting in seeking a position or in the job-hunting process in general?


    The Career Doctor responds:

    As baby boomers continue to get older, I think we will see many changes in how older job-seekers are viewed — and we’re already seeing some of those changes — but perceptions are slow to change (and vary by industry and profession).

    Are you focusing all your energies on executive recruiters? And if so, why? Recruiters can be one source of job leads — but should only be one source. Remember that headhunters work for the employers — and not job-seekers — so you need to be just as aggressive in following-up with these recruiters as you would employers.

    Have you been networking? I know long-time readers of my blog are probably tired of me constantly beating the networking drum, but all studies point to the importance and power of networking when job-hunting. And many professional organizations also often have career and job postings on their Websites and at conferences. Investigate all the possibilities.

    One of the other things I’ve discovered about older job-seekers, especially those who have been out of job-hunting for many years, is that they are often weak on job-search techniques and tools. What does your resume look like? Have you taken dates off your degrees and limited your list of experience to no more than 20 years of work? Is your resume centered around accomplishments and achievements?

    Finally, what about the resources of your alma mater? Contact the college where you received your architecture degree and see how the career services and alumni offices can help you with your job search.

    Get more help with your resume by reading numerous articles and reviewing samples in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.

     

    LaShun writes:

    It seems every piece of advice about cover letters says to call the company you want to work for to get a SPECIFIC NAME of the person who has the authority to call you for an interview. But what if the company refuses to give that information? Most of the companies I call say just send a resume to the HR department at an email address or fax number but won’t give a name. And when I do get a specific name, I’m sure I’m not the only one who called. What else can I do?


    The Career Doctor responds:

    I empathize with all the job-seekers who are finding it harder and harder to get the name of the hiring manager — which is what all job experts recommend you do. Unfortunately, companies seem to be making it harder and harder for job-seekers to identify and follow-up with the hiring manager.

    You have several options for getting the name (and correct spelling) of the hiring manager. You could call the human-resources office, but remember that office’s role is one of screening. So, I would avoid HR altogether and simply call the main switchboard and ask the receptionist for the name of the department manager for the position you are seeking. Receptionists are wonderful sources of information — so cultivate them! You could also default to writing to the division or company president and hope your application trickles down to the hiring manager, but more often than not, if it does trickle down, it goes to HR. The final possibility is another important use of your network; contact all the people in your network and see if anyone works or knows someone who works for the company — and then ask that person to use internal channels to get you the name of the hiring manager.

    One final comment about the many employers who state in job ads: “no phone calls.” This comment refers to applying by phone — but should not stop any job-seeker who has submitted an application from following-up to check on the status of his/her application.

     

    Will writes:

    I have a whole lot of experience, but not a tremendous amount of in any one area. How could I narrow down my choices so I know what kind of job to pursue? Also, what would be the best way to lay out my resume?


    The Career Doctor responds:

    There’s good news and bad news here. As employers continue to downsize and have employees multitask by combining job functions, there is certainly a need for job-seekers who have multiple talents and abilities. On the other hand, job-seekers without a specific focus will rarely ever get a second look from employers.

    So, as you mention, your task is to find a way to parlay your years of varied job experiences into some cohesive strategy that plays itself out on your resume. You don’t want to be seen as someone who does not know what you want to do, or one who gets easily bored.

    What is it you want to do next? If you truly have no clue, take the time to conduct some self-assessment. First, spend some time reviewing all your experiences (work, hobby, etc.) and make two lists — one with activities you enjoy and one with activities you never want to do again. You could also consider taking one or more assessment tests, many of which you can find online.

    Once you have a better picture of your likes and interests, the next step is researching careers that closely match your profile. Take the time to do this important career exploration. Many online and print resources can help you in this process. My favorite is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.

    Once you’ve identified a career path (or paths), the next step is finding employers in that field — and developing a strategy for breaking into it. In any job market, but especially in this job market, your key to success is building a new network for your new career. Find and join professional organizations in your new career field, use alumni networks to find people in your new career field.

    Use the Career Exploration Resources section of Quintessential Careers to help you.

    And learn more about networking in the The Art of Networking section of Quintessential Careers.

    And all sorts of great resume-writing tools can be found in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.

     

    An Effective Resume Despite Job Gaps?

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    SEH writes:

    How do you build a ‘“good resume” if you have LOTS of gaps in your job history?

    I know that to get in to explain to someone face to face, you need a way to get your foot in the door, and trust me, with my resume, I’m not going anywhere!


    The Career Doctor responds:

    Employment gaps are always a challenge when developing a resume. Small gaps are not that unusual anymore as the employment landscape has changed over the last decade or so. If you have a large gap — or multiple gaps — however, you will need to be a bit creative in dealing with the issue.

    The ideal situation is when you can show you were doing something productive during your employment gap — getting additional training, education, certifications or working part-time, freelancing, consulting, or volunteering.

    If you were ill or dealing with a family emergency, or simply out of the workforce by choice, your best bet may be to develop a chrono-functional resume. A functional resume is organized around three or four skills areas (such as communications, leadership, customer service, project management, etc.). You then list key accomplishments from all your experiences within each skills cluster (such as, directed marketing campaign that doubled annual sales over a three-year period while industry growth remained stagnant).

    Be forewarned that employers and recruiters look suspiciously at chrono-functional resumes. However, for some job-seekers, a chrono-functional resume is really the only choice; thus, the key is then developing a superior resume that wins over even the most diehard skeptic (and keeping your chronological resume handy in case the chrono-functional version isn’t effective).

    For more tips and advice, read this article from Quintessential Careers: How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History.

     

    How to Show Progression on Resume

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    Lynn writes:

    I have recently made a slight shift in my job field. I was an administrative assistant for more than six years and now I am working in the Accounting Department. How do I reflect the change in duties from administrative assistant to (I don’t really have a title now)…accounting. I have been doing this for only a month, but I recognize that the pay is better on this side of the fence. Some of my daily functions parallel what I was doing in my previous position. However, I want to show progression on my resume without looking like I job hop.


    The Career Doctor responds:

    I am a very big proponent of keeping one’s resume current. You never know, especially in the current economic and corporate climate, when you’ll be in a situation where you need to have your hands on an up-to-date resume. So, I laud your efforts.

    And when you get promoted (or transferred) within your current employer, that’s not job-hopping. In your case, it shows that your employer values your work enough to expand your job responsibilities.

    You really need a job title, so you should either ask for a new one — or suggest one to your boss. Once you have the new job title, you can show the progress from administrative assistant to the new position on your resume.

    While it may be a bit too early in your new position to identify some of your key accomplishments, remember that whenever you are describing jobs on your resume you should try and identify quantifiable accomplishments rather than list duties or responsibilities. Employers want to know how you made the job your own — and how you excelled in it.

    You can find some great advice on writing a powerful resume — in the form of articles and tutorials — in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.

     

    Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., the Career Doctor
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    About The Career Doctor Blog

    The Career Doctor Blog provides intelligent and level-headed solutions to job-seeker questions. Updated daily with a new career, college, or job-related question - coupled with a thoughtful response from nationally-recognized career expert Dr. Randall Hansen - The Career Doctor. Have a question that has you stumped? Feel free to email your question, but please know that because of the large volume of emails Dr. Hansen receives that a personal response is often not possible... and that it may take some time for your question to appear in the Career Doctor Blog.
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