|
Unemployed for a while?
You can overcome
this obstacle in your resume.
An Article by Sharon Graham, CRS, CIS, CPRW, CEIP
Graham Management Group
As a professional resume strategist, I often come across job seekers
who have been out of the workforce for a period of time. Many of
my clients are highly experienced professionals, who suddenly find
themselves unemployed and looking for work. With loads of qualifications,
most start their job search anticipating a quick shift into a new
organization. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months
drag into years. In the early days of the job search, the resume
produced a few interviews; now the same document is no longer working.
Something drastic needs to be done to jump-start the interview activity
again.
Whether you've been unemployed, raising your family, or in retirement,
the good news is that you can address the gap in your resume. The
key is to re-write your document thinking strategically to address
this obstacle. There are many things that you can do to minimize
this issue. First, let’s talk about some ideas that don’t
work. Then we’ll get into some proven strategies that will
start to produce some results.
It is alarming how many people falsify their resumes by changing
dates. This is an extremely unwise tactic. These days, be assured,
most reputable organizations do background checks – and they
will uncover this unethical move. Even if you aren’t caught
during the screening process, when you live a lie, you are forever
looking over your shoulder. We live in a small world and you will
eventually get found out. Always be honest in your resume, but think
carefully about what you disclose and how you position it in the
document.
Completely eliminating your dates of employment on the resume is
not a good option. Recruiters know that missing dates can only mean
one of two things – either you are trying to hide a poor career
history or you are just plain careless. Always include employment
dates to pass the detailed resume review. Think about extending
the longevity of your resume by listing your year of employment
only, instead of month and year. This will buy you some time –
at least until the end of this year. Also, when you do include the
dates, don’t call attention to them. In your formatting, don’t
highlight them or make them stand out in any way. To minimize them,
consider enclosing the dates in brackets and inserting them right
next to your job title.
As you write your resume, it is best to talk about your talents,
qualifications, and expertise before getting into the chronology.
Organize your resume so your key selling points are in the top third
of page one. Try creating a “power statement” outlining
your value proposition as a lead-in to the resume. Write a paragraph
that describes what you have to offer your potential employer. Rather
than talking only about some of your soft skills such as strong
communication, teamwork, and organizational skills, why not focus
on your unique offerings. Discuss your specific work and industry
related competencies. For example, you may offer “expert word
processing and proofing of corporate communications.” The
more specific you get, the better you will stand out. This is especially
important if you have been out of the workforce for a period of
time. It will show the employer that you still know your stuff.
An additional lead-in to your resume may be to list in bullet point
your tangible accomplishments. Write out in sentence format certain
things that you have achieved in your previous employment, which
will impress your next employer. Tell each story briefly, focusing
on your actions and then touching on the benefit to the employer.
Use dollars, percentages, and other numbers to add impact. If the
recruiter reads your accomplishments before getting to the dates,
he or she may be impressed enough to call you in for an interview.
The functional resume is designed so that your accomplishments
are separated from your employment list and placed upfront. The
idea is to group your accomplishments under separate skills headings,
so that the employer can see your actual competencies. Be careful,
if you use this technique. You can be sure a perceptive recruiter
will go directly to your career history to try to find what you
are hiding. Try using a combination of functional and reverse chronological
formats to strategically minimize your obstacles and meet your prospective
employer’s needs. Rather than just listing your positions
on page two, try adding a few more accomplishments to each job.
This will add value and make the dates less important.
If you have spent some time doing volunteer or freelance work during
your sabbatical, consider adding that to your employment history.
Write and format the section exactly as if it was your most recent
job. Include the name of the organization, responsibilities, accomplishments,
and dates. This will help to shrink gap in your experience.
Finally, if you have a lengthy break in employment, address it
in your cover letter. After your sales pitch, include a short sentence
or two explaining the reason. Be brief and close the statement by
adding that you are looking forward to getting back to work.
Even if you have not been working for a while, a well-thought out
approach, based on sound resume writing principles will generate
interviews. If you re-write your document strategically, you will
be well on your way to producing results. If you are unable to design
an outstanding strategic resume, hire a good resume writer. It is
money well spent. A professional resume writer is an objective third
party with the expertise to overcome your obstacles and make you
shine!
Sharon Graham is a certified professional resume writer, employment
interview strategist, and author of Best Canadian Resumes. She assists
job seekers though her consulting firm Graham Management Group,
www.GrahamManagement.com and is executive director of Career Professionals
of Canada. You can reach Sharon by e-mailing info@GrahamManagement.com
More Career Articles
|
