This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Rajan writes:
I have a resume that has large employment gaps. This may be OK for females, but for males, it is a no-no. I have tried different types of resume styles. Nothing.
I don’t get interviews. Is there any way to increase the number of interviews?
How should I explain my resume? At one time I stopped looking for work for about 1.5 years, the biggest gap to explain.
Then I did telemarketing and took a course in it. Telemarketing is not for me. I have stopped again for about 10 months. I don’t want to sit around. Right now I am looking for work as a network administrator. I have a background in hardware and software development, but I can’t move. In this area there is not much call for tech work.
The first rule of job-hunting is never expose a weakness to the employer — and never do it before you’ve had a chance to have an interview and build a case for yourself. Yes, employers do worry about employment gaps — for both genders — but you can do some things to make the gaps less obvious and to project yourself in a better light.
First, I would recommend you experiment with a chrono-functional resume that focuses on your technical achievements and skills. If you already have one, then I suggest you ask a professional colleague, mentor, or resume professional to evaluate and critique it for you. My guess is that you are so focused on these gaps that this weakness comes through on your resume.
Second, plan a strategy for explaining these gaps. Were you doing volunteer work? Were you taking classes? Were you working part-time or as a consultant? You will need to fill these gaps with something so that it doesn’t seem as though you were just sitting home all that time (even if you were).
Third, are your technical skills current? If not, you might want to take a course or two to make you more marketable.
Fourth, once you have a professional resume and feel more confident about yourself, you need to go back into the job market. And don’t worry so much about location, as there are definitely high-tech jobs where people work from home at least some of the time. Use all the tools available to you to find a job — your network, the Internet, etc.
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:
Delia writes:
I am planning to move back to California from Utah to be closer to my family. How do I address that relocation in the cover letter without it seeming as though there are professional problems?
The Career Doctor responds:
Why do you need to say anything? In your cover letter — or in the interview — you simply need to say you are relocating for personal reasons. But with people on the move all the time, changing geographic locations should not be an issue.
Now, get focused on the more important issue: your strategy for finding a new job before you relocate. Start contacting those in your network — especially back in California — and let them know you are relocating and looking for a new job back in California. Then, get on the Web and do some research on the types of jobs, companies, industries where you want to work.
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:
Rajan writes:
I have a resume that has large employment gaps. This may be OK for females, but for males, it is a no-no. I have tried different types of resume styles. Nothing.
I don’t get interviews. Is there any way to increase the number of interviews?
How should I explain my resume? At one time I stopped looking for work for about 1.5 years, the biggest gap to explain.
Then I did telemarketing and took a course in it. Telemarketing is not for me. I have stopped again for about 10 months. I don’t want to sit around. Right now I am looking for work as a network administrator. I have a background in hardware and software development, but I can’t move. In this area there is not much call for tech work.
The first rule of job-hunting is never expose a weakness to the employer — and never do it before you’ve had a chance to have an interview and build a case for yourself. Yes, employers do worry about employment gaps — for both genders — but you can do some things to make the gaps less obvious and to project yourself in a better light.
First, I would recommend you experiment with a chrono-functional resume that focuses on your technical achievements and skills. If you already have one, then I suggest you ask a professional colleague, mentor, or resume professional to evaluate and critique it for you. My guess is that you are so focused on these gaps that this weakness comes through on your resume.
Second, plan a strategy for explaining these gaps. Were you doing volunteer work? Were you taking classes? Were you working part-time or as a consultant? You will need to fill these gaps with something so that it doesn’t seem as though you were just sitting home all that time (even if you were).
Third, are your technical skills current? If not, you might want to take a course or two to make you more marketable.
Fourth, once you have a professional resume and feel more confident about yourself, you need to go back into the job market. And don’t worry so much about location, as there are definitely high-tech jobs where people work from home at least some of the time. Use all the tools available to you to find a job — your network, the Internet, etc.
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:
Delia writes:
I am planning to move back to California from Utah to be closer to my family. How do I address that relocation in the cover letter without it seeming as though there are professional problems?
The Career Doctor responds:
Why do you need to say anything? In your cover letter — or in the interview — you simply need to say you are relocating for personal reasons. But with people on the move all the time, changing geographic locations should not be an issue.
Now, get focused on the more important issue: your strategy for finding a new job before you relocate. Start contacting those in your network — especially back in California — and let them know you are relocating and looking for a new job back in California. Then, get on the Web and do some research on the types of jobs, companies, industries where you want to work.
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.
Each cover letter you send out should be a little different according to the intended recipient and strategy. Cover letters should be customized according to each of the four basic job-search strategies:
- Responding to job postings.
- Resume distribution to employers of your target market.
- Contacting recruiters or headhunters.
- Networking among your professional contacts.
Learn more in Deborah Walker’s article, Four Cover Letters for Four Job-Search Strategies.
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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