Last week we shared 4 tips for writing or updating your resume. But what happens when you’re a first-time job seeker or you’re returning to work? Maybe your job path has some curves or gaps? The tips below can help you address these special circumstances.
1-What happens if you are a bit light on experience or you don’t meet every requirement of the job? That’s OK. Everyone has to start somewhere. You’ll just need to be creative in finding your experience. You may not have much (paid) job experience but have you volunteered? Have you donated your time and skills in your community? Perhaps you worked on (or led) the annual spaghetti feed/fundraiser for your church or PTA, which required communication skills, marketing, organizational skills, problem-solving, event planning, cooking, serving, money-handling, etc. Maybe you donated your time to the local animal shelter helping them set up their website and you used your communication, creative and tech skills. For new graduates, have you babysat, cared for your neighbor’s home while they were away, had a paper route, organized the canned-food drive? What skills did you use to do this work? You may have donated your time but you used skills and gained great experience that will help you in a (paying) job.
2-Create your career story. When writing your resume, organize your job history information so that it briefly, yet clearly, explains your career path. In reverse chronological order, list your current job first, then go backwards. Indicate the name of the company, dates of employment (month and year) and your job title. Then, list your most relevant job responsibilities and accomplishments. The person reading your resume should be able to easily understand where you worked, how long you were there, and what you did.
But what happens if your career path has some curves and gaps? Perfectly fine, but be prepared to explain them. To the recruiter it may look like you jump around from job to job without a clear goal. Connect the dots (and make the hiring team’s job easier) by showing on your resume that you have a plan, even if the path has some twists and turns. You have to be clear about your career story before you can make it clear to someone else.
The same applies to job gaps. If there are times when you were unemployed, be able to explain the reason. On your resume, you can include any activities that you participated in or any education you received while unemployed. Include how you kept up with industry news or took a class to improve your skills (or gain new ones). During an interview, most recruiters will ask about job gaps, so be prepared.
Review your resume. Is it organized and professional? Does it make sense? Does it tell your career story by showing increasing levels of responsibility and growth in each new position? Does your resume show a history of success? If there are gaps and curves in the path, can you explain them? Review each piece of information and ask yourself if it proves you are the right person for the job. Make is easy for the hiring team to see that you are.
