Happy Halloween!

Bridging The Gaps On Your Resume

Erin Joyce, provided by

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

If you are one of 14.8 million Americans who are unemployed, you may be dealing with how to explain your absence from the working world to potential employers. No hiring manager likes to see big gaps between jobs, but there are several good explanations that you can offer to minimize the job-gaps on your resume. Follow these tips to avoid gaping holes in your resume.
Formatting
You can adjust the formatting of dates to eliminate the appearance of obvious unemployment streaks. For example, change any "Month/Year" references to state only the year.
For example:

Server: June 2003 - April 2005 Sales Associate: February 2006 - May 2007

Changes to:

Server: 2003 - 2005 Sales Associate: 2006 - 2007

Suddenly, that 10-month period of unemployment doesn't seem so obvious. Of course, if you're asked for particular dates, you're busted, but this method reduces the chance of having to explain prolonged unemployment.
Fill In the Blanks
If you do have significant gaps in your resume, it isn't the end of the world. Consider what you did spend your time doing during those periods. Did you volunteer, learn new skills or were there extenuating circumstances that kept you out of the workplace? This can all have a place on your resume if it adequately explains/justifies a prolonged absence.
For example, upon graduating, you may not have been able to get a job right away, but if you volunteered in a position related to your desired field, the mention of it turns a negative gap into a positive sign of devotion to your career path. If you were downsized but spent your time out of work taking classes or freelancing to update your skills, that's another great attribute. Listing these activities helps to paint you as a proactive person who, even if down on your luck job-wise, continues to actively seek ways to improve.
Streamlined Resumes
Don't feel like you have to account for 100% of your time from your childhood on. It is perfectly acceptable (and in many cases, in your best interest) to keep your listed work experience to only those jobs which are relevant to the position you are applying for. If you were out of work for a year during high school, this isn't going to be a big strike against you. Just be sure to include any activities, such as education, that would keep you from working.
Answer Honestly...
If you were let go because of a problem with your performance, and your interviewer asks for specifics, be honest. Explain what the problem was, but focus on what you did to resolve the issue or to ensure it didn't happen again. If you were out of work because of health or personal issues or because of a personal crisis (a parent taking ill or passing away, for example), mention it succinctly and again, focus on what you have done to remedy the problem (or how you are keeping it under control) and how the experience has improved you. Don't feel like you have to volunteer this information, unless it is an extremely obvious gap on your resume and even then, be concise - your employer can always ask if they need more details.
...But Don't Play the Blame Game
Always answer questions concerning sensitive issues diplomatically - no bad-mouthing former employers! Doing so will make your interviewer wonder if you'll do the same thing to them in the future. Before you even submit your resume, make a list of all the gaps you are concerned about and write out what happened, how you resolved it and why it won't happen again. If there was an issue with a former co-worker or boss, don't name names. If there was a personal issue, don't go into detail - simply state the basic facts of what happened and when.
Remember, employers are looking for stable employees, but that doesn't mean issues won't arise. A stable employee is one who can handle the hurdles life puts up and learn from the challenges they presented.
The Bottom Line
Be upfront and confident - life happens. Employers aren't looking for someone who never experiences challenges; rather, they want someone who is capable of handling them. More often than not, the gaps in your resume are nothing to be ashamed of. Just make sure you highlight the positive from every situation.

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

The exceptional manager hand writes personal notes to his or her staff.  Whether a scrawl on a memo or report, a fold over note or on executive monarch statonery, the manager express praise, encouragement and gratitude.

"Your hard work paid off on that presentation -- thank you for all of your efforts." 

"Nice job on the event -- we could not have done it without you."

"We all have those days when everything seems to go wrong -- keep your chin up, you are doing a great job." 

"I am proud of the progress you have made with the team!"

If the thought enters your head, "I can just do that by email. It would be faster."  Stop.  Step away from the keyboard, take your finger off the mouse and pick up a pen.  Remember the pen?  There should be one on your desk somewhere. Write the note BY HAND.  This, of course means the exceptional manager will also have to work on handwriting skills.

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

11/1-3	Mentor Interviews
	YGCU 210
11/1	Nursing Employment Fair
	YGCU 221-222 10:30-1
11/2	Etiquette Dinner
	Embassy Suites 6-8
11/3	The Employment Guide’s 2010 Job Fair
	NKC Community Center 10-3
11/15	AAF-KC Career Day
	Uptown Theater 8-5

Almost Fall Break

Tips on Following Up After You Send a Resume

By Lindsay Olson

Posted: October 7, 2010

One of the most frequent questions I get from job seekers is about follow-up timing after submitting a resume. Who do I contact and how long should I wait?
The answer depends on how you were introduced to the company. If you respond to a job posting online, it's important to remember that some ads generate hundreds of responses a day. Many companies have tools to automate processing your application into their applicant tracking systems. A real person may not be looking at the responses sent and many times, the hiring manager isn't even involved at this stage.
The best way to make sure your resume gains the attention it deserves is to tweak it to fit the job description. It sounds like obvious advice, but job seekers often don't do it. Integrate the keywords that a recruiter might use to find a qualified candidate in their database. Your goal is to make sure your resume will be found and put on the short-list. If you have done this and haven't heard back, give it a week and follow-up.
The best-case scenario is when you know someone within the company. An internal recommendation almost always holds more weight (as long as you are qualified). If your contact presents your resume to the hiring manager or the HR department directly, your chances getting an interview improve immensely. Ask your contact to let you know when your resume has been received, and follow-up directly with the hiring contact in a day or two by phone or E-mail.
In both cases, your follow-up should be concise, polite, and reiterate your interest in the position. Highlight how your qualifications make you a good fit. Be specific and don′t assume that the company will recognize your name or for which position you applied.
A few key points about following up:

• Don't re-send the same resume and cover letter multiple times for the same position. Sending the same E-mail over and over lessens your chance of getting an interview because it seems desperate and disorganized. Make it obvious that you are following up on a specific position for your applications sent on a specific dates.
• Keep a positive tone in your follow-up message. A job search can be frustrating, especially when you feel that you are qualified and don't receive a response. A negative or an accusatory tone will kill your chance of getting a response as well as any future opportunities with the company.
• It would be wonderful to hear back from every employer, but it's not realistic. If you have followed up three times and have not heard back, it's time to move on. Don't take it personally.

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

No one wants to have what's known as "a Peter Brady party" where no one shows up.  Once you commit to attend an event, honor that commitment.  Do not throw over your host/hostess for a better offer or assume there will be plenty of people there without you.

R.S.V.P. on an invitation means, "Respond please."  Inform the invitee whether you will attend or not attend the event.  "I think I might be able to be there…" is not the right answer. When you answer an invitation, you are responding or replying.  There is no such thing as "RSVPing."  (It would not exactly have a nice ring to it, in any case.) 

If you decline an invite, it is not necessary to state a reason why.  Gifts for an event which you will not be attending, such as a graduation party, birthday, shower or wedding, are optional.

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Happy Homecoming!

Give Yourself A Resume Makeover
Susan Adams, 09.16.10, 4:20 PM ET

I've just discovered the toughest thing about putting together a résumé. To write a really good one, you have to figure out what's special about yourself. What is your personal brand?
I'm a journalist with 30 years of experience. So what? How are my skills different from those of countless other 50-something media folk toiling in the editorial trenches?
It had been 10 years since I'd fixed up my résumé, past time for an update. I wrote an article back in December that surveyed some of the latest thinking on topics like video résumés and keywords, but readers and friends have been asking for more basic advice. So I decided to do a résumé fix-up story, using myself as a guinea pig.
My first step was to find a couple of sources who have worked extensively with professionals in my field. I turned to James Borland, a New York career coach affiliated with the Five O'Clock Club, who has done outplacement for clients at The New York Times, Newsday and Time magazine. I vetted Borland's advice with Eileen Wolkstein, a veteran coach I greatly respect and whom I've quoted numerous times.
Borland started out by confirming my suspicion that it makes sense to seek help from a coach who's worked with others in your field. If you're going for a job in financial services, for instance, use someone who's critiqued lots of Wall Street résumés. Do not let a coach write your résumé, however; you have to do it yourself. "An H.R. person or a recruiter will immediately pick it up if a résumé has been written for someone," Borland says. "All they have to do is spend five minutes with the person, and they can tell the words on the page are not words the candidate would use."
Both Borland and Wolkstein agree that your résumé should not be a mere list of jobs you've had, followed by brisk summaries of the work you did and your college and graduate degrees. That was problem No. 1 with my old version. It wasn't a marketing document. "Your résumé should entice the reader to want to see you," he says. "It should be designed to sell you as an interesting person to talk to."
Wolkstein agrees. She also thinks a résumé should tell a story about the résumé-writer, a story that captures the reader and makes one want to know more.
Borland told me I had to figure out three reasons someone should hire me, and put that at the top of the page in the form of a summary. That was another element my old version lacked. I just had the word "Experience" underneath my name and contact info, and under that, my current job title and responsibilities.

---

Borland criticized my old version as too dense. Break up the Forbes section into bullet points, he advised. Pick four to six accomplishments during my tenure, and pull them out, using details and active verbs. I took a stab at that, and Wolkstein pushed me further. I had used the words "write," "edit" and "create" too many times. I felt mortified, given that I make my living as an editor, when she suggested, "What about other verbs?"
At least Borland liked the fact that I'd mentioned a couple of cover stories I'd written that piqued his interest, including a piece on South Africa's first black billionaire. That line did what both Borland and Wolkstein wanted me to do: It invited the reader to be interested in me, and it sold me as someone who could produce a substantial piece of work on an intriguing topic.
Borland also exhorted me to describe the reach of the media companies I'd worked for. My old résumé simply said, "Senior Editor, Forbes." He insisted I include the circulation (900,000 for the magazine, and Forbes.com reaches 18 million people a month). I should do the same with the other places I'd worked.
Still, when I showed Wolkstein my rewritten draft, she pronounced it "essentially good," but not quite there yet. "What is your place in the world of journalism that makes you special?" she challenged me. Which brought me back to Borland's point: I should write a marketing document. I'm still working on it.

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

Ogden Nash said, "I don't mind eels, except at meals."

If you are at a dinner party in someone's home and you are served something you do not like, do not say anything. This might sound wasteful, but cut it up (whatever IT is), push it around the plate and pretend you are enjoying it, while keeping up with the lively conversation at the table. Telling people you find their food distasteful is like telling them their baby is ugly.

Thank your hosts for a lovely evening before you leave.  There's always fast food on the way home.

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

10/1	Mentor Blitz
	10-7 Union
10/4	Nursing Resume Workshop
	10:15-11:05 306 Marston