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.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Reena writes:
I got my PhD degree in microbiology a year ago. Since I am an international scholar, I had to wait for my immigration papers to get processed for my permanent-resident status (that I got through marriage to an American citizen) for a year. I was not legally allowed to work (earn any money) for a year. Now that I have got my permanent-resident status I have started sending out job applications, and I keep getting asked what work I did for a year since I got my PhD. I did do some volunteer work off and on during my year off, and I also did a lot of traveling. Do I need to explain my year off in the applications that I send out? How do I explain it? I am just afraid that potential employers will not understand this explanation since none of them had to go through this themselves (some of them are really rude when they demand an explanation).
The Career Doctor responds:
While yours is a very specific question, I include it in the blog because there are some lessons here that all job-seekers should learn.
Employers want to hire productive employees, and so any unexplained gaps on a resume or vitae send out a large caution flag to hiring managers. As a job-seeker, your goal is to show that you were productive during any and all gaps — pursing further education or credentials, volunteering or freelancing, in some way staying active in your career field.
In your situation, newly minted PhDs are supposed to be at one of their most productive peaks, so appearing to take a year off of research would be very worrisome to prospective employers who want to hire a research workhorse. And those that don’t go to work right after the degree often to some post-doctoral work.
I would avoid the whole immigration issue — mainly because employers never want to hear complications… they simply want workers who will show and work.
So, I think you do need to show that you were somehow working during that year… perhaps through the volunteering, perhaps through some pending research or publications.
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:
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?
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? 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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