This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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 a bit 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 — in order 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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- skills
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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 is
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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. But 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:
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tamala writes:
I’m e-mailing you to find out if going to a professional resume writer is
worth the time and money. Right now I really don’t have the funds, but
I am desperate to find a job that I will be happy doing and making at
least $35-40K a year.
The Career Doctor responds:
You need to look at your job-search as an investment in your future. You
can do a haphazard job-search and maybe find another job, or you can
really put a lot of effort into it and find a great job and great career move.
The same holds with each tool of your job-search, and your resume is an
extremely important job-search tool. You need to make the decision to invest a
lot of time and energy to make it the best resume for you — or — you need to hire
an expert to do it for you. Either way, it’s an investment of time or money; but
either way, the payoffs should be big.
If you have the time and inclination, I suggest you read up on resume writing.
You can find some good resources online and in your local library. Most
job-seekers should have the ability to write a solid resume.
You have one other option besides hiring someone to write your resume. You
can also get your resume critiqued by a professional resume writer — usually
free or for a very modest fee. You can then make the changes yourself or hire the
expert to do it for you.
You can also find quite a lot of resume-writing advice and strategies in the
Resume Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
SEH writes:
How do you build a ‘“good resume” if you have LOTS of gaps in your job history?
I know that in order 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 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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Janet writes:
When should you use a chronological resume? When should you use a functional resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You’re not going to like this answer: It depends. The resume format most in favor these
days is the standard chronological resume, which is organized around a straightforward
employment history. Job-seekers with a solid employment history who are looking for
advancement within their career field typically use a chronological resume. Employers
and headhunters prefer the chronological resume because it’s easy to assess issues
such as employment history, qualifications, and career advancement by a simple
glance at the resume. Functional resumes (and I advise not a purely functional resume but a chrono-functional resume) downplay employment history in favor of
functional skills clusters, and are most used by new college grads, career changers,
and job-seekers with employment gaps.
The answer I am giving to all my clients and students is this: In today’s job market, it
is critical to have resumes for all job-search situations. Thus, I recommend developing
both a chrono-functional and chronological resume for job-seekers in situations where a
functional is typically the preferred. I also recommend having a least one electronic
version of a resume as more and more of job searching moves to computer-based
resume databases. The traditional print resume is not dead, but it is losing ground
daily to its electronic counterparts.
Remember that a resume is a statement of facts designed to sell your unique mix of
education, experience, accomplishments, and skills to a prospective employer.
On the other hand, remember that a resume is a marketing document, so do not
be modest; be clear about successes and accomplishments — and quantify
whenever possible.
So, what are the most important things to remember about resumes?
- The function of a resume is to get you a job interview, not the job.
- A resume is a statement of facts, so do not fudge dates, titles, accomplishments.
- Focus is critical; each resume should be tailored to a specific job, a specific employer.
- With employment history, focus on (quantifiable) accomplishments rather than duties and responsibilities.
- Appearances matter, so make sure your printed resume uses conventional (for your profession) fonts, colors, margin widths, etc.
- Avoid mistakes. Typos and misspellings will end the chances of even the most qualified job-seekers.
- Provide detailed contact information. Include your home phone, cell phone, and email.
Read more in my article, published on Quintessential Careers:
What Resume Format is Best For You?
You should also consider reading this article about e-resumes written by my partner,
Katharine Hansen: The Top 10 Things
You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Since 1992, I have worked for several different companies. About 3 years ago, I
switched employers and stayed there about a year before joining a start-up company.
I had been employed by the start-up for about 8 months before they were acquired
by my original employer.
I’ve been asked to take a substantial pay cut. So, I’m somewhat torn between
staying with this company and looking for new employment locally. I suspect that
even at my reduced salary I might be faring better than the local wage scale. Then
there’s also the problem of my resume. I’m concerned about how bad my resume
looks with all the moves in such a short period of time. A co-worker said that since
I was only gone for about a year and now back I started that I should just list the
current company as “1992 to present”.
The Career Doctor responds:
The current state of the economy is affecting workers and job-seekers in so
many ways, from layoffs to reduced hours to pay cuts. And everyone is frustrated,
including the employers and the employees. And you face multiple issues.
First, because you work for an out-of-state employer, I suspect your pay is much
higher than the local wage scale. But rather than guessing, I suggest you hop on the Internet and
do a little salary research. You can conduct your research by going to one or
more of the several salary Websites and/or searching for similar jobs and
comparing wage scales. Once you’ve completed your research, you need to
develop your options. If you decide to accept the pay cut, I would try to negotiate
a timeline for a return to compensation at your previous levels. I might also
negotiate an increase in other non-compensation benefits, such as more time off.
Second, please do not “fudge” your resume. There is nothing worse than lying
or providing misleading information on your resume. By definition, a resume is
a statement of facts about your educational and work experiences. In your
situation, you have solid work experience with a number of companies that shows
your ability to stay with employers for extended periods of time. But just as
importantly, job-hopping is so much less an issue than it used to be. Employers
know that numerous factors (mergers, economy, rightsizing, dotcom bust, etc.)
have led to many job-seekers having more short-term job stints than in the past.
Find more information about salary and salary negotiation tactics by going to this
section of Quintessential Careers:
Salary Negotiation Resources.
And you can get more information about writing your resume by going to the
Resume Resources section
of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper
acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the
resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard
conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead.
What is your professional opinion on this?
The Career Doctor responds:
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time
and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues.
Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the
employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is
no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and
responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general resume rules:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose
muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the
ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though
more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not
need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font),
and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer
has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many
employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who
has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective
employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has
resume quizzes
and an article on creating
Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Laura writes:
Since moving to Daytona Beach 5 years ago, I have worked for 10 employers and also tried
self-employment. (Four of the jobs were temporary.) Only one of those employers was a good
match for me, but unfortunately, they went out of business nine months after I started working
for them. I am a highly qualified accountant/bookkeeper, but it seems this town is unwilling to
pay a decent salary to someone with my skills and more than 25 years of experience. My age (over 50)
may also have something to do with my inability to get a good job offer. I have been on several
interviews, but I seem to come in second or third choice.
The Career Doctor responds:
I think now is the time to reinforce the whole concept of a job search as a marketing
campaign. Your cover letter and resume are the key marketing promotion documents
and the job interview is the critical sales call. If you then look at yourself as a product,
it puts job-hunting in a much different light.
You have a number of issues/problems/concerns that need to be addressed. First, I let
me preface the rest of this answer with the depressing news that the Central Florida job
market is one of the weakest and low-paying that I have ever researched. So, as you’ve
discovered, job-seekers need to keep their expectations tempered.
Your resume. There are a number of issues you need to deal with here. First, you need
to remove older job experience and take older dates off your experience and education
so that employers can’t easily guess your age. Next, you need to do something with all
the jobs; 10 jobs in five years is a huge red flag. I would consider lumping all your temporary
work into one grouping in a traditional resume — or consider experimenting with some sort of chrono-functional resume, in which skills are emphasized and employment history is secondary. Next, are you
current with your training/technology skills — and if so, does it come across on your resume?
So much of accounting and bookkeeping practices have changed, even in the last 10 years,
that employers may assume older job-seekers still do it the “old” way and may be resistant
to change. Your task is to not let them assume that!
In the interview. Your resume can only do so much for you — which is basically get you to the
interview. Now you need to sell yourself to the employer. Don’t go into interviews, as some
older workers do, with anything but a positive attitude — focused on how you can make an
immediate contribution to the company (rather than relying on all your years of solid experience).
Attitude, especially with older workers, is critical.
I strongly recommend that you read some of the articles and other resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Job
Resources for Mature and Older Jobseekers.
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- accountant,
- bookkeeper,
- Central Florida,
- chrono-functional resume,
- cover letter,
- education,
- employers,
- employment history,
- experience,
- immediate contribution,
- interview,
- job experience,
- job offer,
- job search,
- job-seeker,
- marketing campaign,
- older worker,
- positive attitude,
- Quintessential Careers,
- Resources for Mature and Older Jobseekers,
- resume,
- self-employment,
- skills,
- technology skills,
- temeporary work,
- training
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ben writes:
I have a question concerning submitting my cover page and resume via email. The
question is that most companies will not accept attachments so I must submit my
resume within the message body of my email vs. attachments. How do I maintain
the same appearance as the original written in MS Word?
The Career Doctor responds:
The short answer is you can’t. And while appearances are important for
traditional cover letters, the most important element is the content. The
same holds true for resumes; appearances are important for traditional
resumes, but content is the most critical element — regardless of the format.
So, how are emailed cover letters different than traditional cover letters? Let
me walk you through some of the key issues, but before I do, let me emphasize
that you should always go to each employer’s career center site and examine
the guidelines for submitting electronic documents, if they list them.
Here are the five critical email cover letter issues.
First, know the rules of writing a cover letter. If you are still writing “vanilla”
cover letters, you won’t get any employer response — no matter how you send it.
Second, keep it short. Email cover letters need to be more concise and shorter in
length than traditional cover letters.
Third, take advantage of keywords. Be sure to use all the keywords from the
employment listing — and any other important jargon or keywords from your industry —
without making the letter a string of sentences full of jargon.
Fourth, watch your line length. Some email software automatically perform line returns
for you, but I would make sure the lines of your email are no longer than 60 characters.
Fifth, take the time to send the email cover letter to yourself first — so you can see
what it looks like after transmission.
Finally, as you know, don’t even bother with attachments. Most employers don’t want them.
Instead, consider developing Web versions of your resume and providing the URL to the
employer (in addition to providing a text-based version).
Find more information and guidelines in my article,
Tips for a Dynamic Email
Cover Letter, published on Quintessential Careers. You can also find more information
about types of resumes in the Resume
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Quick question: How do you handle and resume that is now 2 pages…
no way around the second page…have to turn in Friday and I am stumped!!
The Career Doctor responds:
There is nothing wrong with established job-seekers having a two-page resume.
Even some exceptional recent college grads may need two pages to showcase
all their accomplishments, skills, education/training, and talents and abilities.
In fact, it’s much better to have a two-page resume with normal margins and font
size than to try and condense all your information onto one page using narrow
margins and tiny type, virtually guaranteeing that no employer is going to even
bother trying to read it.
Here are some rules about writing a two-page resume. First, if you need to go
to a second page, do so. Just be sure that the second page is at least half full;
anything less, and you should find a way to cut/condense to make the
information fit on one page. Second, be careful not to divide elements from page
one to page two; in other words, do not start a section on page one that carries
over to page two. Third, be sure to include a header at the top of the second page
identifying it as page two of your resume. Fourth, do not even consider going to a third page.
Some other general rules of resume-writing: focus (and quantify whenever possible) on accomplishments rather than job duties or responsibilities; showcase transferable skills when your work experience has been outside the traditional path; consider a functional style over a (traditional) chronological format when changing careers; consider leaving dates off college degrees to avoid age discrimination.
Find lots more information, articles, tutorials, and resources in the
Resume and CV
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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- abilities,
- accomplishments,
- age discrimination,
- ccomplishments,
- chronological format,
- college grad,
- education,
- focus,
- font size,
- functional style,
- header,
- job duties,
- job-seeker,
- margins,
- Quintessential Careers,
- responsibilities,
- resume,
- resume-writing,
- second page,
- skills,
- talents,
- training,
- transferable skills,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Galen writes:
I have been searching for a job for about 2 and 1/2 months. Every one I show my resume to, or e-mail/fax/snail mail to says that they really like my resume, or WOW, or this is a really strong resume.
Problem is no interviews, no follow-up calls from headhunters on-line or otherwise for jobs which I submitted my resume. Many of these jobs I am definitely qualified for, some over qualified, some under. Most, 80% fall into the definitely qualified for.
- What am I doing wrong?
- How do I get the headhunters to respond?
- etc.
The Career Doctor responds:
A key part of any job-search is follow-up. It’s not good enough just to be pounding the pavement, sending out cover letters and resumes, expanding your network of contacts, responding to job ads and postings, and contacting headhunters and recruiters. All those activities are important, but they’ll all be for naught unless you take the time to follow-up every single job lead.
No interviews is a bad sign to me. It means that there is something wrong with your job search…and probably not just your lack of follow-up.
I strongly urge you have a career professional — a resume service, a former boss or colleague, or a headhunter — carefully review your resume and cover letter. In fact, you should have him or her evaluate your entire job search plan.
I also strongly suggest you read our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven’t Found a Job, published on Quintessential Careers. The article discusses some of the common roadblocks to a successful job-search — and how to get through them.
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- boss,
- career professional,
- colleague,
- cover letter,
- follow-up,
- headhunters,
- interview,
- job ads,
- job postings,
- job search,
- network,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- resume service,
- roadblocks
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Julie writes:
I have been unemployed for a little over a year, but I have been doing all the paper work for my husband’s business he has on the side. I also live on a farm. So I really haven’t been employed. How would I add this in my resume? If I leave it off they will think I haven’t been working.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember, Julie, that you determine how you frame your experience — both on your resume and in job interviews. The employer is not a mind-reader, so unless you showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments, you are not going to get many interviews.
So many job-seekers are in a similar situations as yours. Perhaps they worked for a family business, perhaps it was volunteer work, or perhaps it was taking a year off to go back to school…But what you and all these other job-seekers don’t understand is that all these things add up to your specific mix of skills and abilities. Employers are more interested in job-seekers that have been doing something during a hiatus from full-time, paid employment than job-seekers who appear to have been doing nothing,
What’s the answer? Don’t discount any of the year that you’ve been working on the farm and helping your husband’s business. Instead, embrace that experience. Find experience, skills, and accomplishments that you can pull from the past year’s work. If you find the experience doesn’t quite fit into a neat career path, then consider experimenting by supplementing your conventional chronological resume with a chrono-functional style. What’s the difference? Chronological resumes focus on your job history while chrono-functional resumes focus on specific (transferable) skills sets you’ve mastered. Read more in these articles published on Quintessential Careers: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? and Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.
You can also find many more resume-related articles and tutorials in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- accomplishments,
- chrono-functional resume,
- experience,
- job interview,
- job-seeker,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- Resume Resources,
- skills,
- transferable skills,
- tutorial
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tad writes:
What if your job doesn’t involve numbers, dollars saved. I’m a security officer. How do I write a compelling resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
Tad, kudos to you for understanding the importance of quantifying on your resume. Job-seekers must show prospective employers your accomplishments rather than simply telling them — and quantifying results is one method to do just that.
But now you have to take that understanding to the next level, because you can quantify and showcase your accomplishments in just about any job. For example, can’t you quantify the number of hours, days, weeks, etc. without incidents; the number of hours of training and professional development; the number (and types) of security devices/technology you’ve mastered; number of security investigations successfully closed; commendations (or other records of achievement) you have received.
There are really two keys to writing successful resumes and cover letters. The first key, as you know, is stating your accomplishments (rather than job duties). For an in-depth review of this issue, please read our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
The second key is researching and using job-specific keywords in your resumes and cover letters. Employers are increasingly turning to keywords to conduct searches of resume databases, and if your resume doesn’t contain those keywords the company is using, then you are pretty much dead in the water. So, how does a job-seeker know what keywords to use on his or her resume? Good question. The quick and dirty answer is that you need to study job postings and job descriptions and find the pattern of words employers use and then be sure to insert them into your resume. The longer — and
better — answer is to read the very detailed article (and sidebars) from my partner, Katharine Hansen, published on Quintessential Careers: Tapping
the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- accomplishments,
- dollars,
- employer,
- job-seeker,
- Katharine Hansen,
- keywords,
- numbers,
- quantification,
- Quintessential Careers,
- results,
- resume,
- resume databases
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
D. A. writes:
There is no way for me to hide the fact that I’ve had 7 jobs in last 7 years. Although I have great credentials, no one will hire me — I actually have a job paying 1/3 less than what I’m used to making. Do I stick it out for a year? Do I try to finish my CPA license in this state (varies from state to state). Do I go back to school at night for IT? Thanks.
The Career Doctor responds:
You actually have a couple of problems. First, you need to figure out why you’ve had seven jobs in the last seven years — not only for your own well-being, but because employers are going to be asking you that question — and then you need to determine how to stop the job-hopping. Second, you need to determine why you are working at a job that pays a third less than what you’ve been making — and whether you should continue to do so. Third, you need to determine your career interests — do you want to be a CPA or work in IT…or do something entirely different? I suggest you sit down
and determine what you want to do for the next five years or so.
Once you’ve determined the root of your restlessness and have zeroed in on a career goal, then you can start with your career and job-search strategies. If you don’t already use one, I strongly suggest considering a resume in a chrono-functional format. Read more in this article: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? Keep in mind, though that many employers dislike any kind of functional format, so you’ll want to also have a chronological version in case the chrono-functional isn’t working for you (many employers don’t like them). You’ll also need to have an answer for your job-hopping — one employers will believe. You can find help in the interviewing resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Be sure to take the time to really address — for your sake — the reasons for your restlessness. You will be much happier (and healthier) when you are in a career field and job that challenges you and one which you enjoy doing.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Carol writes:
I have read your Quintessential Careers article
Moving Up the Ladder:
10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted with great interest because of my situation.
It has been recommended I write a proposal to create a new position for myself to move into.
I am having a difficulty finding a template as to how to create such a document. Can you
make any suggestions.
The Career Doctor responds:
If I am reading between the lines correctly, I am guessing that someone within your
organization has suggested that you create this proposal, but even if I am mistaken,
the advice I am suggesting will be useful.
One caveat: If you have not been encouraged to create such a proposal from
someone higher in the organization, tread lightly, because management could
view such a proposal as you being unhappy with your current job.
There are several keys to success here.
First, you need to conduct research. Try and determine if other similar organizations
have the type of position you are proposing. If so, gather as much data as possible
to build your case. And even if your search is fruitless, by conducting the research,
you are building your network — and perhaps other more interesting opportunities
may arise from it.
Second, you need to do a detailed (as possible) cost/benefit analysis. You have to
show for the added costs of the position (including salary, benefits, etc.) that there i
s also an added benefit — such as increased efficiencies, reduced costs, more revenue, etc.
The more numbers you have to support your proposal, the better.
Third, you really need a champion of the new position in upper management.
Someone who is going to sing your praises and push for the new position. This person
could be your mentor — or anyone else in your internal network.
How likely it is to be approved depends on the strength of your proposal and
how flexible the organization is to new ideas.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen writes:
I am a “non-traditional” recent college graduate. My work experience does not coincide with my degree at all. I have followed all the cover-letter and resume tips and guidelines from multiple sources and sent out close to 100 resumes. I can’t even get an interview! I know I have a lot to offer these companies but they don’t even give me a chance. Can you help????
The Career Doctor responds:
Karen, what you need to do is build a resume around your recent degree and the transferable skills you have from your previous experiences (work and school).
I assume you want to enter the field that relates to your degree. If this assumption is correct, then you need to examine the skills that employers in that field are looking for in job candidates and see if you used many of those skills in your previous jobs —regardless of the field. You can read more about how to do this analysis by going to
Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique. Then you need to rebuild your resume around those skills, possibly experimenting with a chrono-functional
resume. You can find the best sources of information at Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.
Now onto a possible second problem with your situation: Are you doing anything besides sending out resumes? Are you calling these companies where you sent your resumes and asking for an interview? You cannot wait by the phone expecting these employers to call you — you need to be proactive and call them! Are you taking advantage of your network of friends, colleagues, and family by trying to get job leads from them? Are you using the career services office of your college? The alumni network of your college? Are you looking online for jobs?
I think if you redo your resume to focus on your transferable skills, become more proactive in your job search, and take advantage of networking opportunities, you should find your job searching much more productive.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michelle writes:
I recently was let go from my position at my office due to financial reasons.
How do I start off a cover letter letting the employer know this information in
a positive manner? I just need some advice on how to construct the first part
of the cover letter and I did not see that on the website. Hope you can help
and thank you for your time.
The Career Doctor responds:
Repeat after me — again and again — never ever put any kind of negative information
in your cover letter, resume, or any other job-search materials. The time to address
any of these negative issues — such as being fired — is in the job interview ONLY
after the employer raises the issue.
Your cover letter is the job-search tool that sets the tone for you as a job-seeker and
provides the critical first impression for the employer. How positive an impression is the
prospective employer going to have if your opening paragraph states, “although I was
recently let go from my previous job because the company was having financial difficulties… ”
The employer is going to stop reading before he/she even gets to the end of your sentence.
But you are not alone. In the thousands of cover letters I have seen over the years, it
is absolutely amazing the kind of negative information job-seekers put in their cover letters.
Perhaps they mistakenly think that full disclosure is necessary. Or perhaps because
professionals stress being truthful, they think this means they need to fess up to all prior
mistakes.
Please remember a cover letter is a marketing document. Its sole purpose is to entice the
hiring manager just enough to review your resume. It’s then the resume’s job to verify that
you are worthy of getting an interview for the open position.
If your cover letter is not focused, if it provides negative information, if it has typos or spelling
errors, or if it has too little or too much detail, your resume will simply not get a look
and your job prospects for the position are officially over.
Finally, let me once again stress that I am not saying to lie. I am simply saying do NOT
disclose negative information (or even too much information) until the employer asks you
about it. And at that point you need to put a positive spin on the negative information —
but only then.
I believe you need to review two key resources. First, read my article about moving beyond after
getting laid off: Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth.
Second, take advantage of the all the tools and resources we offer in this section of Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Eugene writes:
I am a student studying law, and I recently decided to apply for a position as a
paralegal with some law firms. I spent some time looking at your Quintessential
Careers website. Now, I do not doubt for a minute that much research is able to
substantiate the information that you have presented, but I find it difficult to
imagine that some of the techniques you mention do work. What immediately
springs to mind is the section on closing paragraphs: “I will call your office in
the next week to schedule an appointment.”
To me, that sounds quite unorthodox, and perhaps even pushy and rude. I
actually incorporated a line to the same effect in my cover letters after
reading your website, but now I am wondering whether it was the best thing
to do. Could you please explain to me why this works?
The Career Doctor responds:
In any job market, but especially in this job market, job-seekers need to know
how to best market themselves to prospective employers. This self-marketing strategy has several components when writing cover letters.
First, rather than saying something like “I hope you’ll find my qualifications a good
match with what you’re looking for,” you need to show — and tell — the employer that
you are a good match for the position. Describe how your accomplishments, skills, and training are a perfect match for the employer’s needs.
Second, you do need to end your letter with an aggressive stance. If you do not want
to be so aggressive as to say you will call for an interview, you can simply say you
will call to discuss the job. Employers want go-getters, not passive employees.
Third, as I have stated numerous other times, you MUST follow-up all your cover
letters and job applications. Saying you are going to call is the easy part; the hard
part is actually making the phone call. And in the phone call, you need to still be
aggressive in not taking no for an answer — just remember to stay professional
at all times — while showcasing why you are the perfect person for the job.
Find lots more helpful information and resources in the
cover letter resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- accomplishments,
- cover letter,
- go-getter,
- interview,
- job applications,
- job market,
- job-seeker,
- prospective employers,
- qualifications,
- Quintessential Careers,
- self-marketing strategy,
- skills,
- training
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Jacqueline writes:
I have a question regarding the closing, “Take Care,” at the end of business
cover letters. Is that considered “less” professional than all the traditional closings?
The Career Doctor responds:
I consider “take care” as a bit too informal for traditional cover letters. I have
seen it in email cover letters, and I find it a bit more acceptable there. When
writing conventional cover letters, I would stick with the traditional closings:
sincerely and cordially.
In the grand scheme of cover-letter writing, though, I think how you close the
letter is of little consequence compared to the much bigger issues that I list
below.
Key cover letter strategies:
- Addressing the letter to a named individual. Job-seekers must address the
letter to a person — the hiring manager. And if you make the effort to get the name,
make sure you spell it correctly. Do not write to the Human Resources department.
- The first paragraph must engage the reader and entice him/her to read more
of your letter. Do not waste this opening paragraph with the typical boring one that
many job-seekers use.
- The second and third paragraphs must show how well you fit the position you
are seeking — as well as highlight key accomplishments. Focus on what you can
do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.
- The last paragraph must state how you plan to follow-up the letter (usually
with a phone call). Be sure to give a timeframe — and then be sure to do what you
say you are going to do.
Finally, be sure also to avoid:
- Long (read boring) sentences and paragraphs;
- Letters longer than one page;
- Typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors;
- Simply rehashing/highlighting your resume
And remember to follow-up all cover letters with a phone call — showing your
continued interest in the position and the employer.
Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers:
Don’t
Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes.
And to find just about everything you ever wanted to know about cover letters, including
numerous samples, go to the Cover Letter Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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- accomplishments,
- closing,
- cover letter,
- Cover Letter Resources,
- cover letter strategies,
- cover-letter writing,
- email cover letters,
- employer,
- follow-up,
- grammatical errors,
- Human Resources,
- job-seeker,
- job-seekers,
- misspellings,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- typos
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Diane writes:
I would like to send my resume with a cover letter to recruiters/employment
agencies. The career development office I’m working with advises that it is
better to have someone’s name to address the cover letter to. Since it would
require a great deal of time to try and get a staff member’s name for each
agency, would it be acceptable to use a generic salutation, such as Dear
Recruiter?
The Career Doctor responds:
The rules of cover-letter writing are a bit different when writing letters to
headhunters than when writing letters to employers, but the one rule of
all cover letter writing is that the job-seeker must — as best as possible —
address the letters to named individuals. Think about it, when was the last
time you read (junk mail) addressed to “Dear Homeowner” or “Dear Pet
Owner.” If you don’t read these kinds of letters, why should busy professionals?
Job-seekers must always take the time to get names and titles for cover letters.
Before I get to the differences in content, let me also address one other red flag
in your question. Why would you be sending off so many letters to recruiters?
Take the time to research the recruiting agencies that specialize in your field
and in your preferred location — and contact only those recruiters. Don’t waste
your time — and the time of those recruiters — by writing to recruiters who don’t
work in your area.
One other comment about strategy. The majority of recruiters say that the resume
is the single most important document they look at when evaluating job-seekers;
cover letters are a distant second. The message here? Make sure your resume is
exceptional.
Your cover letter to a recruiter should focus on these elements:
- Contact information
- Why you are on the job market
- Job titles and industries of interest to you
- Salary history and salary expectations
For more information about this topic, please read the article published on
Quintessential Careers written by my partner Katharine Hansen:
Cover Letters
to Recruiters Require Special Handling.
You can also follow this link to a
sample cover letter to a recruiter.
And don’t forget to follow all the other guidelines for good cover letters —
especially avoiding typos and misspellings and always being truthful. Find
more resources in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Cover Letter Resources.
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- career development,
- cover letter,
- Cover Letter Resources,
- industries,
- job market,
- job titles,
- job-seeker,
- junk mail,
- Katharine Hansen,
- Quintessential Careers,
- recruiter,
- recruiting agencies,
- resume,
- salary expectations,
- salary history
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Lorraine writes:
I have a query. My husband was retrenched almost 8 months ago now, and
I want to send his CV to as many printing
companies that I can find in South Africa. I also want to send a covering
letter attached with his CV explaining that he was retrenched 8 months ago and
would like to know if any of these companies have any vacancies. Please help
me with the wording of this letter as I am at a loss?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Certainly one of the key components of a job search should still be cold contact,
where the job-seeker sends his or her cover letter and resume (or CV) to companies
that might have job openings. The critical factor with this strategy is getting the
name and title of the hiring manager for your area of expertise and then writing
a powerful cover letter. Why does cold contact work? It works because of the
large hidden job market; the vast majority of job openings never get advertised
or posted, so cold contact is a way of applying for positions that may in fact be
open.
I assume that while you are writing the letters, that they will actually be signed
by your husband. The cover letter is critical — its function is to spark enough
interest so that the employer then looks at your resume (or CV). Think of the
cover letter as a sales pitch letter, where the item you are selling is yourself —
your mix of skills, accomplishments, and education. You NEVER want to put
anything negative in your cover letter. And while many folks are being retrenched
or rightsized or re-engineered out of jobs, it’s still a negative. Employers want to
see job-seekers who are (or appear) gainfully employed. So, please, say nothing
about the retrenchment in your cover letter; saying anything will only harm your
husband’s chances. Read more about writing cover letters in the Quintessential
Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Finally, please remember that your efforts are not complete once you mail the
cover letters and CVs to the printing companies. The last paragraph of your cover
letter should request action — an interview — and after a reasonable amount of time
(1-2 weeks), you MUST follow-up and contact each company — each hiring
manager — and ask for the interview. If you don’t follow-up, you are wasting your
time even sending the cover letters and CVs.
A note to all job-seekers: Please don’t wait eight months after being downsized to
start job-hunting. Take some time to reflect and consider whether it’s time to change
careers — but even if you get a big severance package, you should get right back out
there on the job market. The longer you wait to start job-searching, the harder it will
be for you.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Sheila writes:
Although I currently reside in San Francisco, I am planning to relocate to Indianapolis within the next 3 months (or so). My boyfriend suggested that I submit my resume with a cover letter to various companies in hopes of establishing a relationship and inquiring about employment opportunities. My problem is that, I just don’t know what specifically the cover letter should say. Can you please help me?
The Career Doctor responds:
A cover letter is an extremely important part of your direct-mail campaign. Before I get to cover letters, though, I want to make sure you have some overall strategy about relocating. You are smart to contact companies before you move, but you need a strategy in terms of the types of companies, finding the companies, and finding the right people to contact. And once you’ve sent out your cover letter and resume packages, you need to make sure you follow up and contact these people and try to get some interviews — either by phone or as soon as you get to Indianapolis.
In terms of a cover letter, here’s the short version. The cover letter is a crucial marketing document that must be directed to a named individual and create enough interest on the part of the potential employer to have him or her then look at your resume. You must create interest while also quantifying your qualifications for the position you seek. You must also demonstrate some knowledge of the company and stress what you can do for the company. Finally, you must request action — an interview.
The long version? Go visit Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources, where you’ll find a cover letter tutorial, a do’s and don’ts of cover letters, and a cover letter formula, and much more.
And for more help with the relocation, check out this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job-Seeker Relocation Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Maria writes:
I had been job-hunting without much success when a recruiter at a job fair
told me he thought my resume was really bad. I was shocked! I thought
I had a pretty darn good resume. What do I need to write and improve my
resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You didn’t attach your resume, so I don’t know for sure what the specific
problem is with your resume, but I have seen enough bad resumes to know
some of the most common problems. And for a recruiter to tell you that your
resume was bad means that it must be really bad. I’m not trying to be overly
harsh, but to add a douse of realism because I find job-seekers often ask for
advice on improving their resume when they secretly love it and plan no changes.
So… here are my all-purposes fixes for resumes.
First, your resume has to have a focus. Every job-seeker needs to be a specialist,
a specialist that fits the needs of the prospective employer perfectly. Sometimes
a job objective or summary of qualifications can give you the edge you are seeking.
Second, your resume must showcase your accomplishments. Employers like
specifics. They don’t want to know you saved your former employer money; they
want to know exactly how much money you saved. They want to know the exact
size of the staff you managed, the amount you increased revenues, the level of
customer satisfaction you delivered.
Third, there is no such thing as one resume. Gone is a one-size-fits-all resume.
Every resume you send out should be different from all the others. You need to
use specific keywords and phrases that fit each employer.
Fourth, your resume has to look appealing, welcoming. Yes, it’s superficial, but a
plain resume (or worse, from a template) screams plain job-seeker. Take the initiative
to design your own resume style… or hire a professional resume-writer who can do
it for you.
For more information, check out these articles on Quintessential Careers:
Many more articles, resources, and tools can be found in the
Resume Resources section of
Quintessential Careers and in the Resume
and Cover Letters Tips Blog of Quintessential Resumes & Cover Letters.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
No too long ago, I used one of your samples for resume and cover letter writing.
I must say, they really helped me.
The Career Doctor responds:
OK. So technically there is no question here, but I wanted to address this
issue because I had been recently interviewed on the subject of job-seekers
borrowing too heavily from samples found on job-search Websites and
books. And by the way, I am not saying that Mike did anything wrong; I
am assuming he used the samples correctly.
Why do career professionals provide samples? I know I do so as a learning
tool. I want you to be able to see what a good resume, cover letter, thank-you letter, etc., looks like. I have seen so much poorly written job-seeker
correspondence, that I thought it important for you to see good examples.
But I do not expect job-seekers to copy phrases or sentences word-for-word
in academic circles, we call that plagiarism, and if I were a hiring manager, I
would call it a reason not to interview or hire you. Borrowing someone else s
work brings into question your ethics — and work ethic.
So, please use the samples you find as guidelines for what your resume or
cover letter should look like and sound like, but do not lift whole chunks and
use them as your own. And be sure to read the accompanying articles that
describe in detail how to develop your job-search documents.
One final point. Someone raised the question of the difference between
borrowing a sample resume versus hiring a professional to write the resume
for you. The difference is one is stealing someone else’ s work (that may not
even apply to you) and the other is paying a professional to develop a
document specifically for you.
For those interested in samples, check out the many sample job-search
materials we have in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job-Hunting
Samples and Examples.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
I don’t think its smart to have my resume for all to review, how I can I post my resume and keep it confidential?
The Career Doctor responds:
There certainly is validity to wanting to be discrete about job-hunting when you are currently employed — you wouldn’t want your current employer to do a search for a position and get your resume from one of these job sites.
The good news is that many job boards now offer you a confidentiality option — thus your resume is still out there getting viewed, but you control who actually knows it is your resume. There are a few other job sites that even allow you to block your resume from going to certain companies, thus allowing no chance that your current employer will see your resume. You can search through a list of The Top 10 Job Web Sites.
And one final warning. Please remember that job-hunting on the Net should only comprise a small portion of your overall job-hunt — a little larger for people in technical and computer fields. You’ll do much better taking advantage of networking and other more traditional job-search techniques, but I also understand the value of the Web in a passive job search — putting your resume online and seeing what kind of responses you get, even when you are fairly happy with your current position.
confidentiality, employer, job board, job-hunting, resume, Top 10 Job Web Sites
Use Resume and Cover-Letter Samples Carefully
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
No too long ago, I used one of your samples for resume and cover letter writing.
I must say, they really helped me.
The Career Doctor responds:
OK. So technically there is no question here, but I wanted to address this
issue because I had been recently interviewed on the subject of job-seekers
borrowing too heavily from samples found on job-search Websites and
books. And by the way, I am not saying that Mike did anything wrong; I
am assuming he used the samples correctly.
Why do career professionals provide samples? I know I do so as a learning
tool. I want you to be able to see what a good resume, cover letter, thank-you letter, etc., looks like. I have seen so much poorly written job-seeker
correspondence, that I thought it important for you to see good examples.
But I do not expect job-seekers to copy phrases or sentences word-for-word
in academic circles, we call that plagiarism, and if I were a hiring manager, I
would call it a reason not to interview or hire you. Borrowing someone else s
work brings into question your ethics — and work ethic.
So, please use the samples you find as guidelines for what your resume or
cover letter should look like and sound like, but do not lift whole chunks and
use them as your own. And be sure to read the accompanying articles that
describe in detail how to develop your job-search documents.
One final point. Someone raised the question of the difference between
borrowing a sample resume versus hiring a professional to write the resume
for you. The difference is one is stealing someone else’ s work (that may not
even apply to you) and the other is paying a professional to develop a
document specifically for you.
For those interested in samples, check out the many sample job-search
materials we have in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job-Hunting
Samples and Examples.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Glenis writes:
I read your blog regularly, but recently it has become of more interest
to me because my son is job-hunting. He has been a financial-aid counselor
at two universities, having moved to take the position at the last one
because it was a career advancement. Unfortunately his position was
eliminated due to budget cuts.
After being unemployed for a 6 months, he decided to take whatever
employment he could get just to help pay the bills, which happened to be
at minimal pay. He has not included this employment history on his resume
because he feels it would not look good. He has interviewed with 2-3
universities but so far no offer of employment.
Do you think the lack of employment information for the last year is affecting
his chances of being hired?
The Career Doctor responds:
I hope by the time you are reading this column that your son has a
new job in his career field, but if not, let me make a few observations.
I think there is a possibility of three things happening here that your son
needs to address.
First, the stigma of being fired. We can call it something prettier — his job
was eliminated — but the bottom line is that he was forced to leave his place
of employment. He needs to focus on this issue and make sure he is totally
over the trauma of the experience — especially since he was let go through
no fault of his own. He obviously has valuable skills since he was able to
move forward in his career.
Second, he needs to deal with his resume — and the reality he is living. A
lot of displaced job-seekers in this current economy have been forced to
take survival jobs so that they don t end up homeless and bankrupt. Most
prospective employers would rather see an applicant that has been doing
something productive — even if outside his or her field — than a large gap on
the resume. Of course, if he has been doing any kind of consulting or
volunteer work in his field, he should put that on his resume.
Third, perfect interviewing skills. If he has gotten a few interviews, then at
least some of the colleges are not bothered by the gap on his resume
enough to not interview him, so if he is not having success in the interview,
then he is either not interviewing well or not following-up his interviews. He
may want to conduct a mock interview with a career professional to judge
the quality of his interviewing skills.
I suggest he read, Getting
Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth, published on Quintessential Careers.
He may also want to read this article on Quintessential Careers:
The Pros
and Cons of Taking a Survival Job. What Should You Do?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Linda writes:
My husband is retiring from the service. He has made his way
up the ladder, from an enlisted personnel to an officer. He is in
the engineering field. The problem is most of the minimum
requirements for positions he is applying for require a bachelor’s
degree. He is approximately 20 credit hours away from this,
and still actively in school. What are some suggestions on
verbiage for the cover letter and resume to address this?
The Career Doctor responds:
First, kudos to your husband, both for the service to our country,
but also for working on furthering his education in preparation for
work in the civilian sector.
Your husband has three things working for him right now. First,
many employers are actively seek transitioning military veterans
because of the extensive experience and training they receive
while in the service. Second, engineering is an occupation back
in demand. Third, he is close to completing his degree.
Here’s how you address his situation on these key documents.
On the resume. The goal of a resume is to secure a job interview.
I would start with a summary of qualifications section, outlining
his three or four key qualities that make him the perfect candidate
for the job he is seeking. One of those bullets should be his
college education, the others should focus on his experience.
Since he is actively working on his education, I would list
education next, and when you list the degree he is receiving,
put the date you expect him to be done with it. Then list his
experience. I would also have a section on his advancement
from enlisted personnel to officer.
On the cover letter. Remember the key task of the cover letter is
to sell the hiring manager just enough so that he or she will
review the resume. You want to start of strongly identifying the
key strengths — and ideally tie those directly to what the employer
is looking for in a job candidate. In the second paragraph, I would
highlight some of the specific accomplishments of the work
experience, along with the number of years in the field. In the
third paragraph, I would mention the near-completed degree,
and the specific date when it’s expected to be completed.
Note: some employers will substitute years of experience for
an incomplete education. For example, college grad and five
years experience, or some college and eight years of experience.
Learn more both in the
resume resources
and the military transition
sections of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Randle writes:
My question for you is how heavily do prospective employers consider the
fact that you have been fired? I have asked others whether I should I
remove this place of employment from my resume, and most have said
no because it will leave an unexplainable gap in my employment. I was
only employed there for 6 months and was terminated because I didn’t
fit in. I was told there was no room there for me anymore and they were
going to hire someone else.
The Career Doctor responds:
Your letter just goes to show how callous some employers can be. So sorry,
we don’t really like you and you don’t fit, so see you later. Of course, in some
ways, that employer did you a favor because it’s certainly better to find out
sooner rather than later.
My opinion is that as long as this was not a dead-end job, that you should
include it on your resume.
There are several ways to judge whether you should put this job on your
resume. You need to decide how important it is to your career advancement.
If this was your first job in your field, then you need to use it to show you
have experience… If you gained valuable skills from this job, you need to
include it. And if you have solid accomplishments, you need to include
the job.
On the other hand, if you were taking classes or volunteering at the same
time as this job — and you have something to fill the gap, then you might
consider omitting it.
Most importantly, do not call attention to it. Don’t say you were fired.
Simply list it as you do any other employment on your resume. Remember:
no negative information on your resume.
Once you get to the next level of your job search — the job interview — you
will need to have an explanation about the short stint. And what employers
are looking for is not any kind of excuse; what employers want to hear is
what you learned from it, so always look for a positive lesson.
Being fired can certainly be traumatic, and job-seekers sometimes feel as
though they have been branded with a big “F” on their foreheads, but you
need to clear your head and move on, otherwise your lack of confidence
will come through in your job search.
Read more in my article, Getting
Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth, published on Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Heidi writes:
What are some tricks to making resumes more effective? I am not having
much success in finding a new job and at least one person has suggested
my resume could be stronger. But how?
The Career Doctor responds:
I don’t know about tricks, but I can certainly give you some strategic pointers.
I am constantly amazed at how many bad resumes I see on a regular basis —
and with all the articles, books, and Web-based resources, I simply do not
understand how it is possible.
Let’s start with the purpose of a resume. A resume is a marketing document
designed to arouse enough interest in a prospective employer to call you for
a job interview. It’s a statement of facts — education, skills, and accomplishments —
designed to show how you would make the ideal candidate for the open position.
A resume should focus on the positive. It should not include any negative information.
It should also not include duties and responsibilities, salary information, names of supervisors, or references.
And a resume should be tailored to each specific job, each specific employer.
Once you have your resume written, you’ll want to modify it each time you send
it off. From the job description and from the company’s literature or Website, pull
some of their words and jargon and incorporate them into your resume.
Finally, consider adding some kind of summary at the top of your resume. You
could use a keywords section, a job title, or a qualifications summary… something
that a hiring manager will see from a quick scan of your resume.
And please do not forget that looks and writing matter. Make the resume attractive
and avoid all grammatical errors. Do not use a template, but instead create your
own format or borrow one from a resume you find attractive. And whenever possible,
have someone proofread your resume before you send it out.
For more help with resumes — from articles to tutorials, samples, and more — go to this
section of Quintessential Careers: Resume
and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ashley writes:
Dr. Hansen, I have gotten several different opinions on my resume, with some saying
it’s good, and others saying I should have a functional resume. I have been to my
college’s career services and other professors. So I am not really sure which is
best for me. Should a new college grad have a functional resume? Should my
resume be limited to one page? Please let me know what you think.
The Career Doctor responds:
Several things jump at me when I look at your resume. All job-seekers should
remember that a resume is a strategic marketing document that must have two
key elements: design and content.
First, let’s discuss design. Every design aspect must be consistent on your resume
— same style of headings, same margins… a coherent and appealing look. One of
my pet peeves deals with margins… I hate unusually narrow margins. There’s a rule
of “thumb” with resumes — margins must be big enough for my (big) thumbs to hold on
to it and not cover any content.
Resumes must also be designed with some flair, and job-seekers often accomplish this style
through varying typography, font size, and font selection. Your name and major headings
should be larger, perhaps in a different font. And be sure to include as much contact
information as possible.
Second, let’s talk content. I would recommend you — and all job-seekers — use one
of the “hotter” elements in resume writing — the “Qualifications Summary,” also
sometimes referred to as “Professional Profile.” This section is what I
like to refer to as the executive summary of your resume — it may change depending
on what type of job you are seeking — but it should be the key 3-5 accomplishments
that make you better than anyone else for the job you are seeking.
And as you write about your experience, remember to focus on accomplishments, keywords, and action verbs. Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments.
As for resume length, the current rule is a resume is as long as it needs to be based
on your experience, and college grads with lots of experience can have two-page resumes.
Get more information on resumes and resume-writing in this section of Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV
Resources for Job-Seekers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Cathy writes:
For the first time in 23 years, I am conducting a job search that includes the
Internet. I understand the importance of having a resume in text format to
submit where requested.
I am also hearing that most recruiters, employers, etc. prefer resumes now be
submitted electronically. Is this true? Maybe it’s the old-fashioned marketer in
me, but my tendency is to search the web for jobs and then send my resume the
traditional way by mail so I can differentiate by different fonts, paper style,
appearance-related factors. Could this be working against me?
Â
If so, even when I am asked to attach my resume as a Word document, I fear that
various PCs will alter formats, fonts and spacing — so it’s back to the plain Jane text,
or is it?
Â
Â
The Career Doctor responds:
While I totally agree with you about the power of print resumes, I have to sadly
state that their influence in job-hunting is definitely on the decline. Job-seekers
will still need these documents for job fairs, interviews, and a direct-mail campaign,
but because the Internet has so dramatically changed how we search and apply
for jobs, you know need to focus on having a text resume.
Employers want text resumes — especially electronic versions (submitted online
or via email) — because they can easily deposit every resume into a massive
database and then use keywords to search and find the resumes that most match
their needs.
Text resumes are almost completely void of any style — and when printed, they
look pretty ugly.
So, not only are resume formats changing, but so is the content. As you work on
your electronic resume, you must be focused on keyword and keyword phrases
for your occupation and industry. Where we often avoided industry jargon in the
past, now we embrace it. Of course, accomplishments are still extremely important,
but you must now also try to phrase them the way you think a hiring manager
might conduct a resume database search.
One final thought, though. I always recommend — when possible — to follow-up an
emailed resume with a formatted resume sent through the mail. I think job-seekers
who use this combination approach have an edge over those who do not.
Read more about electronic resumes in this article on Quintessential Careers:
The Top 10 Things You
Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online. And for a
quick review of resume-writing, you might want to review this article:
Avoid These
10 Resume Mistakes.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Amy writes:
I am writing my first resume and I am using your web site for information in
doing so. I have 7 years of experience and 3 employers on this resume.
I was at my first job 5 years and had 3 positions while I was there.
I know my whole date of employment with that employer, but I don’t know the
exact dates that I went from 1 position to another. I only have estimated dates.
How do I put estimated dates on a resume? I have been looking at sample
resumes, and I haven’t seen any with my situation. All of this will make my
resume about 1.5 pages. Is that too long? I tried to cram it on 1 page, but
the only way was to crowd it and put the type as small as 9 pt., and it was
hard too read at 9 pt. Please give me your feedback.
The Career Doctor responds:
First, kudos for thinking ahead and perfecting your resume before you jump back
into the job market. A resume of more than one page is fine for someone with
seven years of experience. A one-page resume that uses non-existent page
margins or tiny type will just not get read.
As for content… First, remember that it’s perfectly fine to develop a generalized
resume, but once you identify prospective jobs and employers, you’ll want to
customize your resume using the employer’s words and highlighting the experience
they seek.
In terms of describing your experience with your first you have two
choices. In the first approach, you list all three positions within the same company,
using the company as an umbrella. In the second approach, which is favored by
my partner Katharine Hansen, you list each job separately, which gives more
weight to each position. I also tend to favor the second approach. And if you are
unsure of your dates or exactly how to list them, contact the human resources
department of the company, thus the dates on your resume will match their
records in case a prospective employer calls to check.
Finally, some general resume rules to remember:
- Customize your resume to each position and employer.
- Focus on accomplishments, not duties.
- Design an attractive resume using normal fonts, sizes, and page margins.
- Provide as much contact information (phone, cell, e-mail) as possible.
- Avoid all errors, especially misspellings and typos.
- Keep your resume factual.
- Never include salary information, supervisor’s names, or references on your resume.
For more tips on resume-writing, including samples, go to this section of Quintessential Careers:
Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tasha writes:
I have a question. I was fired last summer, but I don’t use my last employer on
my resume so there’s a huge gap of employment and I don’t know what
to put on applications for “reason for leaving” when really I was fired for a
misunderstanding without opening a can of worms with an interviewer.
Example of gap: 11-2006 thru 12-07 is my last employment history on my
resume. I worked 12-07 thru 06-08, but I was fired and don’t use this
employer on my resume.
Can you give me a suggestion — please?
The Career Doctor responds:
Yours is an interesting situation. Before I even get to the issue of the job
you were fired from, let’s start with what you’ve been doing in the year-plus
since you were fired. Have you worked at all during this time? Have you
volunteered your services? Have you received additional education or training?
You must find something to fill this gap — other than job-hunting or sitting
home feeling sorry for yourself over being fired for some sort of misunderstanding.
If you have not done anything — start doing something NOW.
While a resume is a statement of facts, it is also a sales document — it needs
to convince the prospective employer that you are worthy of an interview.
And in my opinion, a short stint is much better than having a much longer
gap on your resume. Regardless of the month, hiring managers will see 2007
and think that you have been out of work for two years and there must be
something wrong with you. It’s just too long of a gap. You could consider
using a chrono-functional or hybrid resume centered around skills clusters, but many
employers favor the traditional chronological resume because it’s easier to
find the information they need.
As for job applications, simply put “left company” as the reason. You certainly
do not need to go into any detail on the application. Again, the application is
designed to weed out applicants, so it too is a sales document for you. Once
in the interview, you may need to address the issue — so be prepared with a
short statement about how you were fired over a misunderstanding, being very
certain to address the lesson you learned from the experience so that you
show a positive attitude and growth. Do not blame your previous employer
or manager; accept your responsibility in the issue, but do not dwell on it.
And don’t worry too much what this past employer will say about you. The
one benefit of living in such a litigious society is that most employers are
very unwilling to say anything too negative about current or former employers
for fear of being sued.
Finally, it sounds as though you are having a hard time rebounding from
being fired. If so, consider getting some sort of career counseling to deal
with these feelings. You might also benefit from my article,
Getting Fired:
An Opportunity for Change and Growth, published on Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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 a bit 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 — in order 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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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An article on CollegeSurfing.com, The Piece of Paper Standing Between You and Your Next Interview: The Cover Letter, by Robyn Tellefsen, quotes Quint Careers. We're continuing to excerpt parts of the article:
Get a name.
How hard is it to Google a company and get the decision maker's name to put on your cover letter? The extra few minutes it takes to procure that info can save your resume from the recycling bin with all the other "To Whom It May Concerns." Take it from Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, who wrote: "The largest employer in Central Florida tosses cover letters in the circular file if they are not addressed to him personally." Wow!
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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 is
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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. But 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:
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tamala writes:
I’m e-mailing you to find out if going to a professional resume writer is
worth the time and money. Right now I really don’t have the funds, but
I am desperate to find a job that I will be happy doing and making at
least $35-40K a year.
The Career Doctor responds:
You need to look at your job-search as an investment in your future. You
can do a haphazard job-search and maybe find another job, or you can
really put a lot of effort into it and find a great job and great career move.
The same holds with each tool of your job-search, and your resume is an
extremely important job-search tool. You need to make the decision to invest a
lot of time and energy to make it the best resume for you — or — you need to hire
an expert to do it for you. Either way, it’s an investment of time or money; but
either way, the payoffs should be big.
If you have the time and inclination, I suggest you read up on resume writing.
You can find some good resources online and in your local library. Most
job-seekers should have the ability to write a solid resume.
You have one other option besides hiring someone to write your resume. You
can also get your resume critiqued by a professional resume writer — usually
free or for a very modest fee. You can then make the changes yourself or hire the
expert to do it for you.
You can also find quite a lot of resume-writing advice and strategies in the
Resume Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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When it comes to cover letters, have you got writer’s block? Do you feel that if you could just start the letter, you’d be OK? Writing help is here with Quintessential Careers’ large collection of job-seeker cover-letter openers for all cover-letter writing situations. That opening paragraph is the most important of your letter, setting the tone and grabbing the reader’s attention to ensure he or she will continue reading (and then review your resume).
With this new Quint Careers tool-set, you’ll find dynamic cover-letter opening paragraphs, including more than 100 customizable openers — with accompanying sample paragraphs showing each opener in action.
The Customizable Cover Letter Opening Paragraphs and Samples include:
Customizable Opening Paragraphs for Cover Letters for …
- Uninvited (Prospecting) Letters
- Invited (Job Ad) Letters
- Letters for College Students and New Grads
- Letters for Students and New Grads of Graduate and Professional Schools
- Letters for Students Seeking Internships
- Letters to Recruiters, Headhunters, Executive Search Firms
- Referral Letters that Spring from Networking
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
SEH writes:
How do you build a ‘“good resume” if you have LOTS of gaps in your job history?
I know that in order 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 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.
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The final paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “Here’s my contact information…”
“In this paragraph, tell the employer that you are excited and looking forward to the interview,” Brown-Volkman says, “Make note of your contact information and state what next steps will be. If you will wait for their reply, tell them that. If you will be following up, tell them when they can expect to hear from you. Whatever you put down, make sure you do what you say will you do.”
Then, it’s up to you…
An ideal cover letter can get you the interview. What you do once you get there is in your hands.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Janet writes:
When should you use a chronological resume? When should you use a functional resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You’re not going to like this answer: It depends. The resume format most in favor these
days is the standard chronological resume, which is organized around a straightforward
employment history. Job-seekers with a solid employment history who are looking for
advancement within their career field typically use a chronological resume. Employers
and headhunters prefer the chronological resume because it’s easy to assess issues
such as employment history, qualifications, and career advancement by a simple
glance at the resume. Functional resumes (and I advise not a purely functional resume but a chrono-functional resume) downplay employment history in favor of
functional skills clusters, and are most used by new college grads, career changers,
and job-seekers with employment gaps.
The answer I am giving to all my clients and students is this: In today’s job market, it
is critical to have resumes for all job-search situations. Thus, I recommend developing
both a chrono-functional and chronological resume for job-seekers in situations where a
functional is typically the preferred. I also recommend having a least one electronic
version of a resume as more and more of job searching moves to computer-based
resume databases. The traditional print resume is not dead, but it is losing ground
daily to its electronic counterparts.
Remember that a resume is a statement of facts designed to sell your unique mix of
education, experience, accomplishments, and skills to a prospective employer.
On the other hand, remember that a resume is a marketing document, so do not
be modest; be clear about successes and accomplishments — and quantify
whenever possible.
So, what are the most important things to remember about resumes?
- The function of a resume is to get you a job interview, not the job.
- A resume is a statement of facts, so do not fudge dates, titles, accomplishments.
- Focus is critical; each resume should be tailored to a specific job, a specific employer.
- With employment history, focus on (quantifiable) accomplishments rather than duties and responsibilities.
- Appearances matter, so make sure your printed resume uses conventional (for your profession) fonts, colors, margin widths, etc.
- Avoid mistakes. Typos and misspellings will end the chances of even the most qualified job-seekers.
- Provide detailed contact information. Include your home phone, cell phone, and email.
Read more in my article, published on Quintessential Careers:
What Resume Format is Best For You?
You should also consider reading this article about e-resumes written by my partner,
Katharine Hansen: The Top 10 Things
You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
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The fourth paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “Here’s why I am a good candidate…”
“In this paragraph,” Brown-Volkman says, “describe who you are and what makes you stand out. Include your strengths and what you are passionate about in your career.”
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
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.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
The third paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “Here are relevant examples of what I have done that match with what you are looking for…”
“In this paragraph, discuss your accomplishments or highlights that you want to showcase or have the employer locate quickly,” advises Brown-Volkman. “Bullets work well in making your accomplishments easy to read.”
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Since 1992, I have worked for several different companies. About 3 years ago, I
switched employers and stayed there about a year before joining a start-up company.
I had been employed by the start-up for about 8 months before they were acquired
by my original employer.
I’ve been asked to take a substantial pay cut. So, I’m somewhat torn between
staying with this company and looking for new employment locally. I suspect that
even at my reduced salary I might be faring better than the local wage scale. Then
there’s also the problem of my resume. I’m concerned about how bad my resume
looks with all the moves in such a short period of time. A co-worker said that since
I was only gone for about a year and now back I started that I should just list the
current company as “1992 to present”.
The Career Doctor responds:
The current state of the economy is affecting workers and job-seekers in so
many ways, from layoffs to reduced hours to pay cuts. And everyone is frustrated,
including the employers and the employees. And you face multiple issues.
First, because you work for an out-of-state employer, I suspect your pay is much
higher than the local wage scale. But rather than guessing, I suggest you hop on the Internet and
do a little salary research. You can conduct your research by going to one or
more of the several salary Websites and/or searching for similar jobs and
comparing wage scales. Once you’ve completed your research, you need to
develop your options. If you decide to accept the pay cut, I would try to negotiate
a timeline for a return to compensation at your previous levels. I might also
negotiate an increase in other non-compensation benefits, such as more time off.
Second, please do not “fudge” your resume. There is nothing worse than lying
or providing misleading information on your resume. By definition, a resume is
a statement of facts about your educational and work experiences. In your
situation, you have solid work experience with a number of companies that shows
your ability to stay with employers for extended periods of time. But just as
importantly, job-hopping is so much less an issue than it used to be. Employers
know that numerous factors (mergers, economy, rightsizing, dotcom bust, etc.)
have led to many job-seekers having more short-term job stints than in the past.
Find more information about salary and salary negotiation tactics by going to this
section of Quintessential Careers:
Salary Negotiation Resources.
And you can get more information about writing your resume by going to the
Resume Resources section
of Quintessential Careers.
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The second paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “I like your company because…”
“In this paragraph, compliment the employer on what it has done right and what you admire about the organization,” Brown-Volkman says. “Sincere flattery goes a long way and shows that you have taken the time to get to know the employer in more detail.”
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper
acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the
resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard
conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead.
What is your professional opinion on this?
The Career Doctor responds:
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time
and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues.
Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the
employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is
no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and
responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general rules for “print” resumes — those you use for networking, interviews, and the rare occasions when you still send a resume and cover letter via postal mail:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose
muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the
ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though
more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not
need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font),
and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer
has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many
employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who
has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective
employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has
resume quizzes
and an article on creating
Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
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The first paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “I am writing to you today because…”
“In this section, state why you are writing to the employer,” Brown-Volkman says. “Where did you see the ad for the position, or who recommended you?”
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Laura writes:
Since moving to Daytona Beach 5 years ago, I have worked for 10 employers and also tried
self-employment. (Four of the jobs were temporary.) Only one of those employers was a good
match for me, but unfortunately, they went out of business nine months after I started working
for them. I am a highly qualified accountant/bookkeeper, but it seems this town is unwilling to
pay a decent salary to someone with my skills and more than 25 years of experience. My age (over 50)
may also have something to do with my inability to get a good job offer. I have been on several
interviews, but I seem to come in second or third choice.
The Career Doctor responds:
I think now is the time to reinforce the whole concept of a job search as a marketing
campaign. Your cover letter and resume are the key marketing promotion documents
and the job interview is the critical sales call. If you then look at yourself as a product,
it puts job-hunting in a much different light.
You have a number of issues/problems/concerns that need to be addressed. First, I let
me preface the rest of this answer with the depressing news that the Central Florida job
market is one of the weakest and low-paying that I have ever researched. So, as you’ve
discovered, job-seekers need to keep their expectations tempered.
Your resume. There are a number of issues you need to deal with here. First, you need
to remove older job experience and take older dates off your experience and education
so that employers can’t easily guess your age. Next, you need to do something with all
the jobs; 10 jobs in five years is a huge red flag. I would consider lumping all your temporary
work into one grouping in a traditional resume — or consider experimenting with some sort of chrono-functional resume, in which skills are emphasized and employment history is secondary. Next, are you
current with your training/technology skills — and if so, does it come across on your resume?
So much of accounting and bookkeeping practices have changed, even in the last 10 years,
that employers may assume older job-seekers still do it the “old” way and may be resistant
to change. Your task is to not let them assume that!
In the interview. Your resume can only do so much for you — which is basically get you to the
interview. Now you need to sell yourself to the employer. Don’t go into interviews, as some
older workers do, with anything but a positive attitude — focused on how you can make an
immediate contribution to the company (rather than relying on all your years of solid experience).
Attitude, especially with older workers, is critical.
I strongly recommend that you read some of the articles and other resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Job
Resources for Mature and Older Jobseekers.
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- resume,
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- technology skills,
- temeporary work,
- training
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ben writes:
I have a question concerning submitting my cover page and resume via email. The
question is that most companies will not accept attachments so I must submit my
resume within the message body of my email vs. attachments. How do I maintain
the same appearance as the original written in MS Word?
The Career Doctor responds:
The short answer is you can’t. And while appearances are important for
traditional cover letters, the most important element is the content. The
same holds true for resumes; appearances are important for traditional
resumes, but content is the most critical element — regardless of the format.
So, how are emailed cover letters different than traditional cover letters? Let
me walk you through some of the key issues, but before I do, let me emphasize
that you should always go to each employer’s career center site and examine
the guidelines for submitting electronic documents, if they list them.
Here are the five critical email cover letter issues.
First, know the rules of writing a cover letter. If you are still writing “vanilla”
cover letters, you won’t get any employer response — no matter how you send it.
Second, keep it short. Email cover letters need to be more concise and shorter in
length than traditional cover letters.
Third, take advantage of keywords. Be sure to use all the keywords from the
employment listing — and any other important jargon or keywords from your industry —
without making the letter a string of sentences full of jargon.
Fourth, watch your line length. Some email software automatically perform line returns
for you, but I would make sure the lines of your email are no longer than 60 characters.
Fifth, take the time to send the email cover letter to yourself first — so you can see
what it looks like after transmission.
Finally, as you know, don’t even bother with attachments. Most employers don’t want them.
Instead, consider developing Web versions of your resume and providing the URL to the
employer (in addition to providing a text-based version).
Find more information and guidelines in my article,
Tips for a Dynamic Email
Cover Letter, published on Quintessential Careers. You can also find more information
about types of resumes in the Resume
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Quick question: How do you handle and resume that is now 2 pages…
no way around the second page…have to turn in Friday and I am stumped!!
The Career Doctor responds:
There is nothing wrong with established job-seekers having a two-page resume.
Even some exceptional recent college grads may need two pages to showcase
all their accomplishments, skills, education/training, and talents and abilities.
In fact, it’s much better to have a two-page resume with normal margins and font
size than to try and condense all your information onto one page using narrow
margins and tiny type, virtually guaranteeing that no employer is going to even
bother trying to read it.
Here are some rules about writing a two-page resume. First, if you need to go
to a second page, do so. Just be sure that the second page is at least half full;
anything less, and you should find a way to cut/condense to make the
information fit on one page. Second, be careful not to divide elements from page
one to page two; in other words, do not start a section on page one that carries
over to page two. Third, be sure to include a header at the top of the second page
identifying it as page two of your resume. Fourth, do not even consider going to a third page.
Some other general rules of resume-writing: focus (and quantify whenever possible) on accomplishments rather than job duties or responsibilities; showcase transferable skills when your work experience has been outside the traditional path; consider a functional style over a (traditional) chronological format when changing careers; consider leaving dates off college degrees to avoid age discrimination.
Find lots more information, articles, tutorials, and resources in the
Resume and CV
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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- education,
- focus,
- font size,
- functional style,
- header,
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- job-seeker,
- margins,
- Quintessential Careers,
- responsibilities,
- resume,
- resume-writing,
- second page,
- skills,
- talents,
- training,
- transferable skills,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Galen writes:
I have been searching for a job for about 2 and 1/2 months. Every one I show my resume to, or e-mail/fax/snail mail to says that they really like my resume, or WOW, or this is a really strong resume.
Problem is no interviews, no follow-up calls from headhunters on-line or otherwise for jobs which I submitted my resume. Many of these jobs I am definitely qualified for, some over qualified, some under. Most, 80% fall into the definitely qualified for.
- What am I doing wrong?
- How do I get the headhunters to respond?
- etc.
The Career Doctor responds:
A key part of any job-search is follow-up. It’s not good enough just to be pounding the pavement, sending out cover letters and resumes, expanding your network of contacts, responding to job ads and postings, and contacting headhunters and recruiters. All those activities are important, but they’ll all be for naught unless you take the time to follow-up every single job lead.
No interviews is a bad sign to me. It means that there is something wrong with your job search…and probably not just your lack of follow-up.
I strongly urge you have a career professional — a resume service, a former boss or colleague, or a headhunter — carefully review your resume and cover letter. In fact, you should have him or her evaluate your entire job search plan.
I also strongly suggest you read our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven’t Found a Job, published on Quintessential Careers. The article discusses some of the common roadblocks to a successful job-search — and how to get through them.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- network,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- resume service,
- roadblocks
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Julie writes:
I have been unemployed for a little over a year, but I have been doing all the paper work for my husband’s business he has on the side. I also live on a farm. So I really haven’t been employed. How would I add this in my resume? If I leave it off they will think I haven’t been working.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember, Julie, that you determine how you frame your experience — both on your resume and in job interviews. The employer is not a mind-reader, so unless you showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments, you are not going to get many interviews.
So many job-seekers are in a similar situations as yours. Perhaps they worked for a family business, perhaps it was volunteer work, or perhaps it was taking a year off to go back to school…But what you and all these other job-seekers don’t understand is that all these things add up to your specific mix of skills and abilities. Employers are more interested in job-seekers that have been doing something during a hiatus from full-time, paid employment than job-seekers who appear to have been doing nothing,
What’s the answer? Don’t discount any of the year that you’ve been working on the farm and helping your husband’s business. Instead, embrace that experience. Find experience, skills, and accomplishments that you can pull from the past year’s work. If you find the experience doesn’t quite fit into a neat career path, then consider experimenting by supplementing your conventional chronological resume with a chrono-functional style. What’s the difference? Chronological resumes focus on your job history while chrono-functional resumes focus on specific (transferable) skills sets you’ve mastered. Read more in these articles published on Quintessential Careers: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? and Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.
You can also find many more resume-related articles and tutorials in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- chrono-functional resume,
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- tutorial
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tad writes:
What if your job doesn’t involve numbers, dollars saved. I’m a security officer. How do I write a compelling resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
Tad, kudos to you for understanding the importance of quantifying on your resume. Job-seekers must show prospective employers your accomplishments rather than simply telling them — and quantifying results is one method to do just that.
But now you have to take that understanding to the next level, because you can quantify and showcase your accomplishments in just about any job. For example, can’t you quantify the number of hours, days, weeks, etc. without incidents; the number of hours of training and professional development; the number (and types) of security devices/technology you’ve mastered; number of security investigations successfully closed; commendations (or other records of achievement) you have received.
There are really two keys to writing successful resumes and cover letters. The first key, as you know, is stating your accomplishments (rather than job duties). For an in-depth review of this issue, please read our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
The second key is researching and using job-specific keywords in your resumes and cover letters. Employers are increasingly turning to keywords to conduct searches of resume databases, and if your resume doesn’t contain those keywords the company is using, then you are pretty much dead in the water. So, how does a job-seeker know what keywords to use on his or her resume? Good question. The quick and dirty answer is that you need to study job postings and job descriptions and find the pattern of words employers use and then be sure to insert them into your resume. The longer — and
better — answer is to read the very detailed article (and sidebars) from my partner, Katharine Hansen, published on Quintessential Careers: Tapping
the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- dollars,
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- Katharine Hansen,
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- numbers,
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- resume databases
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
D. A. writes:
There is no way for me to hide the fact that I’ve had 7 jobs in last 7 years. Although I have great credentials, no one will hire me — I actually have a job paying 1/3 less than what I’m used to making. Do I stick it out for a year? Do I try to finish my CPA license in this state (varies from state to state). Do I go back to school at night for IT? Thanks.
The Career Doctor responds:
You actually have a couple of problems. First, you need to figure out why you’ve had seven jobs in the last seven years — not only for your own well-being, but because employers are going to be asking you that question — and then you need to determine how to stop the job-hopping. Second, you need to determine why you are working at a job that pays a third less than what you’ve been making — and whether you should continue to do so. Third, you need to determine your career interests — do you want to be a CPA or work in IT…or do something entirely different? I suggest you sit down
and determine what you want to do for the next five years or so.
Once you’ve determined the root of your restlessness and have zeroed in on a career goal, then you can start with your career and job-search strategies. If you don’t already use one, I strongly suggest considering a resume in a chrono-functional format. Read more in this article: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? Keep in mind, though that many employers dislike any kind of functional format, so you’ll want to also have s chronological version in case the chrono-functional isn’t working for you. You’ll also need to have an answer for your job-hopping — one employers will believe. You can find help in the interviewing resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Be sure to take the time to really address — for your sake — the reasons for your restlessness. You will be much happier (and healthier) when you are in a career field and job that challenges you and one which you enjoy doing.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Melissa writes:
I have been looking for a job for the last 5 months — to no avail. I am just about to sign up with a resume-blasting service. Because I have heard it is so much of a “numbers” game, I thought this service might not hurt. I am, however, quite ambivalent. Any advice?
The Career Doctor responds:
There is a growing number of resume distribution firms on the Web, and Quintessential Careers partners with the one we feel offers job-seekers the best opportunities…so I’m a bit biased in my response.
My opinion is consistent throughout every issue of this blog, however. And that opinion
states that you need to conduct a thorough job search — one that includes multiple methods of tracking down job leads…and one that always includes networking. Whether it’s posting your resume on a couple of Web sites or using a blasting service, you need to avail yourself of every avenue of job searching.
Certainly blasting your resume to a number of recruiters and employers is one method. Where can you find more information about the various services? Go to Quintessential Careers and our resume distribution services.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Carol writes:
I have read your Quintessential Careers article
Moving Up the Ladder:
10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted with great interest because of my situation.
It has been recommended I write a proposal to create a new position for myself to move into.
I am having a difficulty finding a template as to how to create such a document. Can you
make any suggestions.
The Career Doctor responds:
If I am reading between the lines correctly, I am guessing that someone within your
organization has suggested that you create this proposal, but even if I am mistaken,
the advice I am suggesting will be useful.
One caveat: If you have not been encouraged to create such a proposal from
someone higher in the organization, tread lightly, because management could
view such a proposal as you being unhappy with your current job.
There are several keys to success here.
First, you need to conduct research. Try and determine if other similar organizations
have the type of position you are proposing. If so, gather as much data as possible
to build your case. And even if your search is fruitless, by conducting the research,
you are building your network — and perhaps other more interesting opportunities
may arise from it.
Second, you need to do a detailed (as possible) cost/benefit analysis. You have to
show for the added costs of the position (including salary, benefits, etc.) that there i
s also an added benefit — such as increased efficiencies, reduced costs, more revenue, etc.
The more numbers you have to support your proposal, the better.
Third, you really need a champion of the new position in upper management.
Someone who is going to sing your praises and push for the new position. This person
could be your mentor — or anyone else in your internal network.
How likely it is to be approved depends on the strength of your proposal and
how flexible the organization is to new ideas.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Christie writes:
I’m looking to change my career. Do you know of any links where a person may find help with writing a cover letter?
The Career Doctor responds:
Every once in a while when I get an email like yours, I wonder if you’re pulling my leg, but because cover letters are my first love — and for the sake of other visitors — let me answer your question.
My site, Quintessential Careers, has a plethora of resources on cover letters. My partner and I wrote the book on cover letters — literally — in Dynamic Cover Letters (third edition).
For everything you ever wanted to know about cover letters — from writing them to seeing sample letters — including original articles and a detailed tutorial on cover letters, please visit Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Brian writes:
I came across Quintessential Careers last night as I was trying
to unearth the answer to a question which was plaguing me all night.
I’d be most grateful if you could tell me whether or not one should
include a resume with a broadcast letter.
I’ve heard conflicting opinions on the subject. What’s your advice?
The Career Doctor responds:
The answer is: it depends.
Although not talked about as much compared to networking and online job-hunting, a broadcast cover letter is part of a direct marketing
campaign by the job-seeker —in which you identify a list of prospective employers, research the names of the hiring managers at each
employer, and send an unsolicited letter to tap into what has been
called “the hidden job market.”
The strength of this strategy is that you can sometimes catch a hiring
manager just as an opening is occurring, giving you sort of a first-strike
advantage over other job-seekers before the position is even advertised —
internally or externally. Because turnover happens frequently, a broadcast
letter is still a good job-seeker strategy.
But I never liked using the term broadcast letter because it carries the
implication that the job-seeker can write one cover letter and broadcast it
to a large number of employers — and that strategy will just not work.
If you want to effectively use a direct-marketing approach, you will need to
target (customize) each letter for each prospective employer. While parts of
the letters can be the same, you will need to adjust other parts to showcase
your knowledge of the company.
Should you include a resume with your cover letter? My view is yes —
always. But again, as with the cover letter, you will need to customize
each resume to each employer. You’ll want to use some of the keywords
that each employer uses in describing themselves in describing yourself.
Other experts, such as Jeffrey Fox, author of Don’t Send a Resume,
say that job-seekers should send resume after first winning over the hiring manager
with a dazzling cover letter. In fact, Fox says a job-seeker should not send a resume
to the employer until after the job interview — so that the resume can be as narrowly
targeted to the position and employer as possible.
Read more about cover letters —
and resumes — in these sections
of Quintessential Careers.
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- broadcast cover letter,
- cover letter,
- direct marketing campaign,
- direct-marketing approach,
- Don't Send a Resume,
- employers,
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- hiring managers,
- Jeffrey Fox,
- job interview,
- job-seeker,
- job-seeker strategy,
- keywords,
- networking,
- online job-hunting,
- prospective employers,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen writes:
I am a “non-traditional” recent college graduate. My work experience does not coincide with my degree at all. I have followed all the cover-letter and resume tips and guidelines from multiple sources and sent out close to 100 resumes. I can’t even get an interview! I know I have a lot to offer these companies but they don’t even give me a chance. Can you help????
The Career Doctor responds:
Karen, what you need to do is build a resume around your recent degree and the transferable skills you have from your previous experiences (work and school).
I assume you want to enter the field that relates to your degree. If this assumption is correct, then you need to examine the skills that employers in that field are looking for in job candidates and see if you used many of those skills in your previous jobs —regardless of the field. You can read more about how to do this analysis by going to
Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique. Then you need to rebuild your resume around those skills, possibly experimenting with a chrono-functional
resume. You can find the best sources of information at Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.
Now onto a possible second problem with your situation: Are you doing anything besides sending out resumes? Are you calling these companies where you sent your resumes and asking for an interview? You cannot wait by the phone expecting these employers to call you — you need to be proactive and call them! Are you taking advantage of your network of friends, colleagues, and family by trying to get job leads from them? Are you using the career services office of your college? The alumni network of your college? Are you looking online for jobs?
I think if you redo your resume to focus on your transferable skills, become more proactive in your job search, and take advantage of networking opportunities, you should find your job searching much more productive.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michelle writes:
I recently was let go from my position at my office due to financial reasons.
How do I start off a cover letter letting the employer know this information in
a positive manner? I just need some advice on how to construct the first part
of the cover letter and I did not see that on the website. Hope you can help
and thank you for your time.
The Career Doctor responds:
Repeat after me — again and again — never ever put any kind of negative information
in your cover letter, resume, or any other job-search materials. The time to address
any of these negative issues — such as being fired — is in the job interview ONLY
after the employer raises the issue.
Your cover letter is the job-search tool that sets the tone for you as a job-seeker and
provides the critical first impression for the employer. How positive an impression is the
prospective employer going to have if your opening paragraph states, “although I was
recently let go from my previous job because the company was having financial difficulties… ”
The employer is going to stop reading before he/she even gets to the end of your sentence.
But you are not alone. In the thousands of cover letters I have seen over the years, it
is absolutely amazing the kind of negative information job-seekers put in their cover letters.
Perhaps they mistakenly think that full disclosure is necessary. Or perhaps because
professionals stress being truthful, they think this means they need to fess up to all prior
mistakes.
Please remember a cover letter is a marketing document. Its sole purpose is to entice the
hiring manager just enough to review your resume. It’s then the resume’s job to verify that
you are worthy of getting an interview for the open position.
If your cover letter is not focused, if it provides negative information, if it has typos or spelling
errors, or if it has too little or too much detail, your resume will simply not get a look
and your job prospects for the position are officially over.
Finally, let me once again stress that I am not saying to lie. I am simply saying do NOT
disclose negative information (or even too much information) until the employer asks you
about it. And at that point you need to put a positive spin on the negative information —
but only then.
I believe you need to review two key resources. First, read my article about moving beyond after
getting laid off: Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth.
Second, take advantage of the all the tools and resources we offer in this section of Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Eugene writes:
I am a student studying law, and I recently decided to apply for a position as a
paralegal with some law firms. I spent some time looking at your Quintessential
Careers website. Now, I do not doubt for a minute that much research is able to
substantiate the information that you have presented, but I find it difficult to
imagine that some of the techniques you mention do work. What immediately
springs to mind is the section on closing paragraphs: “I will call your office in
the next week to schedule an appointment.”
To me, that sounds quite unorthodox, and perhaps even pushy and rude. I
actually incorporated a line to the same effect in my cover letters after
reading your website, but now I am wondering whether it was the best thing
to do. Could you please explain to me why this works?
The Career Doctor responds:
In any job market, but especially in this job market, job-seekers need to know
how to best market themselves to prospective employers. This self-marketing strategy has several components when writing cover letters.
First, rather than saying something like “I hope you’ll find my qualifications a good
match with what you’re looking for,” you need to show — and tell — the employer that
you are a good match for the position. Describe how your accomplishments, skills, and training are a perfect match for the employer’s needs.
Second, you do need to end your letter with an aggressive stance. If you do not want
to be so aggressive as to say you will call for an interview, you can simply say you
will call to discuss the job. Employers want go-getters, not passive employees.
Third, as I have stated numerous other times, you MUST follow-up all your cover
letters and job applications. Saying you are going to call is the easy part; the hard
part is actually making the phone call. And in the phone call, you need to still be
aggressive in not taking no for an answer — just remember to stay professional
at all times — while showcasing why you are the perfect person for the job.
Find lots more helpful information and resources in the
cover letter resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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As a result of the current recession, Sacramento-based Jerome Young was laid-off from his job at Hewlett-Packard, along with 12,000 other employees.
