blueskyresumesblog

Selling Yourself When You Lack Experience

A reader writes:

I'm a single stay at home mom trying to return to work post-divorce. I've been searching the internet for advice on how best to draw up a resume, and i've been having a hard time finding information that would relate to my particular situation.

I'm 21 and have been out of work for 3 years raising my toddler son. My husband and I have recently divorced and I need to return to work to care for my son. Because I've been home caring for my son, I don't have much job experience to utilize in my resume and i'm left with a giant gap in my already short work history. Also, because of my age, i haven't had time to build up multiple certifications and specialty course completions in my field to concentrate my resume on. I'm currently in school earning my professional certification in Medical Claims and Billing and will be trying to return to work in a few months when i finish school. Also, i did take computer literacy and typing courses in high school and have been practicing on Mavis Beacon at home and have succeeding in bringing my average wpm to a higher then average rate. But I'm worried that it won't be enough to help me find a respectable job because of my short job history and lack of experience. Do you have any advice that could help me improve my resume to give me a better edge when looking for a job?

Actually, the advice I would give to this reader is the same advice I would give to a recent graduate ... show how you will add value.

Work experience is not the only thing you have to sell. Your personal characteristics are equally important, as is your enthusiasm and work ethic.

Focus your entire resume on communicating how you can add value to an employer - and don't assume you can't add value just because you don't have a lot of work experience.

For example, one thing that jumps out at me from this email is the fact that this person is proactively working to improve her skills. She isn't just sitting around applying for jobs and hoping for the best - she is studying in her own time, despite the fact she is also a single parent. That's impressive and should be highlighted in the resume introduction.

That tells me that my reader is a proactive person with a desire to learn and a strong work ethic. Hey! There's a sentence for the resume introduction!

When it comes to dealing with a gap in employment history, I like to be honest and upfront. It's by no means unusual for a woman to take a few years off to raise a child, so why not just include that in your career history. I don't recommend giving details, just write a sentence at the start of the career history section that says:

'Took a break from career to raise new baby between 2005 and 2008'

This addresses the issue and ensures that employers don't view the woman as having been involuntarily unemployed for 3 years.

In the end, a resume that conveys personality, enthusiasm and value will always gets results, whether you have 2 years of work experience or 30.

What Does Google Say About You?

I'm working on a short ebook teaching people how to build a positive online presence, so I was interested to see this post at JobMob ("4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name"). According to a recent survey, these are

Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
Poor communication skills (29%)
Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
Unprofessional screen names (22%)
Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
Confidential information about past employers (19%)

The post goes on to explain how you can start to clean up your profile if need be. Read the whole thing.

I am giving similar advice in my eBook because it's amazing how many people don't know what their online profile currently says about them.

Google yourself and see what comes up. Is it all positive? Are there things that your friends would find amusing but an employer less so? Or maybe worse ... is there no mention of you?

It's no longer enough to describe yourself in glowing terms in your resume and make a great impression at the interview. Now employers are able to check for themselves just by typing your name into a search engine. Even a series of great references can't innoculate you from the power of a Google search.

So first, clean up anything that might hurt your chances of an interview. And second, start to build a strong web presence that demonstrates all the good things about you.

(If you'd like to be alerted when my eBook is available, just sign up for my newsletter. I never send spam. Alternately, subscribe to email alerts from this blog by filling in the box on the top right of the page.)

Don't Get Mad, Rewrite Your Resume!

Over on Job Mob, Jacob wants recruiters to start responding to job seekers. Having been in the same boat, I know the frustration of not receiving a response to your resume, but honestly, I think the focus is all wrong in this case.

If recruiters don't want to interview you having looked at your resume, would a standard email auto-response really make you feel any better?

If you've written a great resume and sent it to the right people, you will get responses. If you're not getting responses then either your resume or your job search strategy are defective (possibly both).

Focus on fixing those and the responses will come.

If you'd like resume and job search help, sign up for my free email course. I'll teach you everything you need to transform your resume and I'll throw in some great job search tips too - all free of charge!

Resume Advice for Moms Returning to Work

This morning I received this question from a reader:

I've been doing a lot of research on the internet on resume writing. I can not seem to find much information about my particular situation.

I am a stay at home mom for 10 years. I have helped a little bit in a family construction business in those years. I even ran a trucking company for about 1-2 years.

My true love and passion is graphic design. I want to re-enter that field as my youngest child has begun school this year. I haven't a clue where to begin. I am in a panic and very confused as to what to say in my resume or what format would work best. I've read some contradicting information on this. What is your professional opinion?

Well, there is definitely a lot of contradictory advice out there, but all I can tell you is what has worked for my clients.

First of all, be honest. You're not going to fool anyone about your history so don't try. That's why I hate functional resumes - they exist only to try and pull the wool over employers' eyes. It doesn't work so there's no point in trying.

Instead, write about your career using the principles I outline in my free resume writing course. Highlight your accomplishments and skills as best you can (in each of the positions you have held.)

But as your work history is a little different, you will need to also take a few extra steps to make sure your value is clear.

Number One: Make your goal clear in the resume title. I like to use something like 'Experienced graphic designer returning to workforce.'

Number Two: Summarize your graphic design skills and experience in a short profile upfront. (You can see resume samples here), but also stress that you offer a broader business understanding that informs your design work, and the way you work with clients. That's a key selling point that many designers lack and you should make the most of it.

Number Three: If your design experience is long ago in your history and will therefore wind up on page 2 of your resume, be sure to highlight some key design accomplishments on page 1. You can do this by creating a resume section called 'Design Highlights' right after the profile and before you get into your career history.

Number Four: Start your career history with a quick summary of the last few years so that readers immediately know why your experience stops at a certain point. Just say something short and sweet such as 'Since (year) I have been raising my children as a full-time mom.'

Number Five: Number four always applies UNLESS you have been working on design projects as a part-time consultant while also raising kids. If this is the case, present those years as work experience but note that you were working part-time while raising a family.

The key thing is not to feel panicked or concerned that you won't be able to compete. It's true that there are some jobs for which you won't be a good fit. For example, if an employer wants someone who has been working on cutting-edge design projects for the last few years, they probably won't consider you.

But that's OK because there are lots of other opportunities for which you will be perfect. For example, a family-owned business with a small staff might need a designer who can also cover for the office manager and the accountant when those two people take vacation. Your business experience would be very valuable to them. Other companies may need a mature professional who can understand the business issues of their clients. They're not going to get that with a recent graduate.

So don't be discouraged when one job isn't right for you. Don't focus on what you don't have - focus instead on what you do have. There are plenty of opportunities for you if you structure your resume effectively.