Explaining Your Unemployment Status

One of my first posts on Stepping Up to a Better Career was “Does Unemployment Belong on Your Resume?“.  This post focused on people who chose to leave their jobs and do life-altering things such as taking a year hiatus to travel across the country or volunteering in a third-world country for six months.  But what if your unemployment experience is not as enlightened?

What if one day you showed up for work and was just fired?  Or laid off?

When unemployment is forced on you through an employer’s analysis, whether budgetary or personal, it can still have an effect on your self-esteem and thus have an effect on your job search. One of the biggest problems many people face is blaming themselves.  Unless you have done something deserving of being fired, such as excessive tardiness, lewd behavior, or mismanagement of company resources, it is not your fault!  And even if you were fired due to one of the aforementioned reasons, there is no reason to feel as if you cannot find new employment.  Of course if you were fired due to negative circumstances, you will need to do some self-reflection prior to taking on a new job so that you do not repeat the same mistakes twice.  The point is, that regardless of circumstances, you can still find a new job!

How?

Well, here’s the thing.   Your unemployment and the reasons for your unemployment do NOT belong on your resume or cover letter!  Therefore, if you are honest about your dates of employment, your career accomplishments, and highlight all of your qualifications, you will be seen as a viable candidate just like any other employee.

You do not need to explain the circumstances for leaving any job, unless it is voluntary and you have used that time to build your professional skills.  Then this is interesting information you can choose to put in the cover letter if the skills gained are applicable to the position at hand.  Otherwise, unemployment DOES NOT belong on any of your career documents.

The time to explain your unemployment is when you are standing in front of an employer and having your interview.  Then when the employer asks why you left your previous job, you can answer as honestly and professionally as possible.  The best response is brief, honest, and avoids criticizing the company, coworkers, or anyone else.

If you were laid-off, simply explain the company’s choices, such as budgetary cuts or departmental closings and then explain what you accomplished prior to being laid-off.  If you were fired, make sure you emphasize that the event leading up to your firing was an isolated event, you have evaluated your choices, and you will ensure that it will not happen again.

Being unemployed is not the end of your world.  You can always bounce back from setbacks such as being laid-off or fired, just be sure to be honest and professional as you go out on your career search.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
*** Also be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can take advantage of our Summer Discount and get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

Five Tips to Creating a Job-Winning Resume

Okay, I know I’m a little late with my post.  Normally I write my posts very early in the morning, but I had the one problem that is the antithesis of writers block – too many ideas at once.  I was looking at two sample resumes on a website (will not mention the name) and was shocked at how many resume writing rules had been broken.

So I decided now is the time to do a refresher on how to make your resume a success.  Here are five little tricks you can try on your own resume:

• Be active. There is nothing worse than a list of job descriptions.  The truth is that if you work in sales, teaching, or any other industry, your employer knows what you did.  No one wants to hear what you’ve been responsible for or delegated to do.  Instead explain what you managed, alleviated, or increased and how.
• Stay anonymous. Your name, phone number, email, and address is all that is needed.  I’ve seen resumes where people have not only put their pictures, but also included their relationship status, number or kids, and charitable contributions.  While this is all great information for your personal development, it actually counts as distractions to an employer.  “Oh he has five children, that means that he probably won’t be as eager to do overtime as this other guy who has no kids.”
• Have an objective. An objective shows that you have focus and are not just sifting through the internet ads and applying to everything out there.  However, an objective is also not a list of things you are looking for as an employee (See Catch an Employers Eye Immediately )
• Think simple. Graphics, overuse of borders and too many fonts are all reasons for an employer to skip past your resume.  Yes, to you it seems catchy.  But to an employer it screams gimmicky and makes the employer think that either you are not professional or are using this extra flash to hide flaws in your professional skills.  Otherwise, why would someone who is a real asset need to resort to such tricks?
• Proofread. I always laugh whenever I type this one.  I think about the clients who have put incorrect e-mail addresses or phone numbers and then complain that no one is calling them in for interviews.  Let’s be honest, if you are not Kwame Jackson, no employer is going to go beyond one phone call to try to interview you.  So if they call and your number is incorrect, you might as well have never sent your resume.

Above all else, be professional.  There are dozens more tips that can be added – such as using the right type of paper, having a cover letter accompany your resume, or not including your picture.  I’d love to hear if anyone has any other tips that they think have made their resume a success.  Please share your comments below!

As always, good luck with your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
*** Also be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can take advantage of our Summer Discount and get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

How to Get Your Resume to Stand Out – Professionally

Why do I need a resume writer?

This is the number one question asked by job seekers when looking at professional resume services.  They read, and wonder…

“I graduated High School and have found plenty of jobs before, so why do I need a resume writer?”

“My dad works for Human Resources, I’m sure he can do my resume for me.”

“I was an English major in college, I’m sure I could put together a little one page summary highlighting my best achievements.”

These are all actual statements told to me by people who eventually hired me to write their resumes.  Their response?

“Wow, I didn’t know a resume could look so good.”

“Oh my God!  I sent out my resume three days ago and have already gotten two interviews and one job offer right over the phone.”

“That resume is awesome – I would hire myself.”

So what is it that a resume writer does that is different from the ordinary job seeker?  Why are people with exceptional qualifications getting looked over by people who are less adept and less skilled?

The answer is simple – it’s all in the packaging.  It takes an employer less than thirty seconds to look at your resume and scrap it.  A resume writer, who has been professionally trained, knows how to catch the employers attention before it wanes.  Then she knows how to keep that attention so that by the time he has finished reviewing it, he is already on the phone calling you.

So how do you know if the resume writer you select is right for you?  How can you be certain that you are not being hoodwinked into believing that this company is professional, when it really isn’t?

You have to do your research.

Before submitting any contact information, you should look for the following information either on the company’s website, by talking directly to the writer, or using google:

Is the company a part of any of the resume writing associations such as The Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW) or The National Association of Resume Writers (NARW)?

These associations qualify it’s members, by ensuring that they are legitimate businesses.  They also provide additional workshops, seminars, and conferences to maintain the integrity of the resume writers and keep them current on trends in resume writing and human resources.

Does the company have testimonials?

A company is only as good as its brand.  You want to make sure that the company you choose not only has shining testimonials, but that they are legitimate.  Be sure to ask for references and to actually check the references.

Are there samples?

Before purchasing any product or service, you want to make sure that the company will deliver on its promise.  Asking for samples allows you to see the quality of the resume writers work and test it against other resumes you may have seen on websites or in resume books.  If it seems like the resume writer is just copying the same formats, then you can rest assured that your resume will lack the flair necessary to capture an employer’s eye.

What is their guarantee?

Never choose a resume writing company that lacks a guarantee.  You deserve to know that you are going to get what you paid for.  A resume writing company is not meant to guarantee you a job and any company that does is lying.  A resume is meant to get you in the door and get you an interview.  If you are offered a job (which more than likely you will be), that is just icing on the cake.  So what kind of guarantees should you expect?  Typically, a resume writer will give you a thirty day limit to get an interview and if you fail to get an interview, they will rewrite the resume for free, customize the cover letters for your next job, give you your money back, or apply directly to the jobs for you for an additonal fee.  Whichever option the company chooses is okay because you at least know that the company stands behind its work and is confident that they will deliver.

So if you are on the market for a job and your resume fails to get you results, your next step may be to hire a resume writer.  Then be sure to test them and make sure they meet all the qualifications to be an upstanding writer willing to deliver on his promise to get you ajob.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Sincerely,

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Stepping Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services

*** Be sure to go to Ayesha Writes 4 You’s website and schedule your Free Resume Consultation. From now until August 15th, you can get 15% off any resume package. So go to www.AyeshaWrites4u.com to get started now!

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Does Ethnicity Belong on Your Resume?

We’ve all heard the stereotypes. Blacks are lazy. They are loud. They intimidate their coworkers. They have no respect of time and they don’t earn their keep. We’ve seen it featured on CNN’s “Black in America”.

Some of us may have experienced the effects of such stereotypes firsthand. That quiet knowing that even though the employer is saying, “Currently we are not hiring,” what he really means is, “We are not hiring you or anyone like you”.  Yet, it is an unspoken statement – one that you can only know by experiencing.

If you go through this experience often enough, you tend to lose a part of yourself.  As a resume writer, I have met a few disillusioned job searchers who have went through this experience so often that they are either apathetic to their job search or they have decided to eliminate all factors of their racial identity.  I have even seen some resumes where the applicant wants to use their initials in the hopes that the employer will not recognize their identity from their ethnic first names (i.e. a name like Ayesha).

But have they made the right decision?  Should you hide your ethnicity from your resume in the hopes that your accomplishments can stand on their own when not being policed by racial shutters?  Or do you proudly proclaim your heritage and let the chips fall where they may?

The answer is simple.  Your race, gender, and ethnicity are all unique parts of your identity and should never have to be hidden.  You should be proud and never fall to such desperate measures as hiding your name.

Yet there are limits.  Should you hide your ethnic name?  No.  Should you do the exact opposite and list all of the racial organizations in which you are a member? Of course not.

If you are applying to a job that is in the nonprofit sector, caters to your demographic, or  actively promotes their racial diversity, then you can list some of these organizations proudly.  If your volunteer activities are less popular and have a reputation for being militant, then they should be left off completely.  Also, if your prospective company does not boast about their diversity initiatives, then all of your extracurricular activities pertaining to race should be left off of your resume.  Similar to religion, you do not want to give the employer any additional reasons to eliminate you from the candidate pool.

If you feel that you are the victim of employment discrimination, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission site to find out how you can file a complaint.

As an African American female, I believe that my race and gender are a part of my identity – but in no way should they limit me or my capabilities.  Those of you who are the catalyst for this blog post, hold strong and know that you will find the job of your dreams.

As always, good luck on your job search.

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services

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Most Common Resume Writing Mistake

It takes an employer thirty-seconds or less to scan a resume before it hits the trash pile.  It takes forty seconds for it to hit the cycle pile, which means it stays in the system, but never gets used.  It takes less than ten seconds for him to look at your resume and know that you are the perfect fit.  So why isn’t it happening to you?

The answer is simple.  Most employees create one resume and send it out to every job opening available.  Employers can easily spot a generic resume and are turned off by lazy job seekers.  If you couldn’t take the time out to create a customized resume, why should they take the time out to interview you?  So if you are looking to get hired, but don’t want to spend the time creating a new resume for every new job opening, here are three options for you to try.

Option 1 – Use your transitional skills.

If you want to change careers, but haven’t found a career that best suits your personality, then you can create a typical functional resume.  In a functional resume, you start off with your transitional skills, as opposed to your work history.

You take a look at your highest skill sets or the skills needed for most of your jobs of interest and group them into categories.  For example, a customer service professional looking to transition into the IT profession can clump her skills into: Technology, Communication, and Collaboration.  Then under each subfield, she would show explicit examples demonstrating that skill utilization during her work or educational experiences.

If an IT hiring manager is looking for those three categories, she will definitely stop to look at this person’s resume.  However, be forewarned, that many employees are leery of resumes that are only functional (see Chronological? Functional? Or Combination?).

Option 2 – Lead with your job sets.

If your current job is less than satisfactory and you want to return to an old career, you can use a career-styled functional resume.  In this functional resume, you group your work history into career sets.

Similar to a standard functional resume, you will have a different section on your resume for each career field.  So someone who has been a medical assistant, nursing assistant, and phlebotomist and is willing to work in either field again could have three sub-sections for their work experience – Nursing Assistant Experience, Professional Medical Assistant Experience, Phlebotomy Technician Work Experience.

Then for each job he applies to, he can lead with the section that best applies. If it’s a medical assistant position, then the Professional Medical Assistant Experience section would be the first section in the work history, followed by the other two career sets.  If it’s a nursing assistant position, he’d lead with the Nursing Assistant Experience.

Option 3 – Create a new resume for every job.

If you have the time and energy to recreate a new resume for every job posting, then this is the best option.  However, this option is the most time-consuming and is generally meant for employees who are looking for positions within the same industry.

For example, an elementary school teacher trying to become a math coach or social studies cluster teacher can use the same resume and add bits and pieces to the objective, summary of qualifications, and job history to highlight her experience and expertise in each field.

This resume will still look like a chronological resume and will include the work history listed in the dates of descending order, but it will highlight the skills necessary for each position.

Using, Ayesha Long’s tips, your job search should be more proactive.  If you need assistance or are still not getting the results you like, Contact, AyeshaWrites4u at (866) 620-2741 or visit the site at www.AyeshaWrites4u.com.

As always, good luck with your job search.

Sincerely,

Ayesha Long

www.AyeshaWrites4u.com

Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services

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