Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

How to Present Career Longevity on a Resume

Today's post is another question from a DailyWorth.com reader:

“I am 57 years old, and I'm concerned that my resume goes back too far and may be too long. When the high-tech company I worked for went under, I returned to school, got a master's degree in education and began teaching. I worked in the inner city for 10 years and finally burned out and left two years ago. Since then I have been working part-time in grant-funded positions, but want to go back to full-time work. How can I frame my varied experience on a resume and showcase my skills so it’s obvious that I will bring value to a new employer?”

Great question, and the first thing to understand is that you aren’t creating one resume, but many resumes. Especially if you are applying for jobs that involve different types of roles in different fields, you must customize your resume for each open position. The main way to do this is by including the language in the job description.

For instance, if an advertisement requests someone who uses “creative training methods,” make sure you incorporate that exact phrase on your resume for that job. The employer’s applicant tracking system is programmed to hunt for the words in the job description, so putting them in usually ensures your resume will be looked at by an actual human.

You don’t mention whether you’re trying to break into a new field or not; but, either way, look closely at the job description to determine how to list your experience. Since you’ve had a long career, presumably you’ve acquired critical transferable skills such as project management, client relations and sales. Note any skills mentioned in the ad, put those front and center on your resume and don’t forget to add bullets demonstrating how you applied those skills and how your efforts concretely affected the bottom line.

To address your first point, if you are listing every position you’ve held since you graduated from college, your resume may indeed be too long. Depending on the role you’re going after, remove jobs that are irrelevant — or only slightly relevant — to the new position. 

For example, if you are applying for a job in a Fortune 500 company as a VP of training and development, your teaching jobs may be a better fit than your grant-funded job. Your resume should be concise while also telling a coherent story. Your career, just like life in general, might be a bit muddled — but your job as a great resume writer is not to let that show. 

Finally, working well into your sixties and seventies is a reality for most employees today and organizations should feel lucky to get a seasoned Boomer, but nevertheless, age discrimination does exist. For this reason, I’d encourage you not to advertise your age on your resume. Don’t include the date you graduated from college, and if possible, highlight jobs from the last 15-20 years. Refer to sample resumes from your field(s) online to ensure that you are up-to-date with the most current presentation of information. 

 

How to Troubleshoot a Lateral Move

I recently contributed to the wonderful site, DailyWorth.com.  A reader there asked me this question:

I’ve been working at my current job for a year, am actively taking on extra projects and have put myself forward for consideration for two separate research positions, only to not be considered for either. I have a Master’s degree relevant to the research and am at least as qualified as the men they’re hiring for these roles. 

My supervisor knows I would like to go into a research role but keeps holding me back, and I have to constantly remind her (and our HR department) that I am almost 30 (I look very young), have an advanced degree and several years of experience. How can I get taken seriously? Are going back to school and/or finding a new job my only options? 
— Amelia, Idaho 
 
Here was my answer:

It sounds as if you are doing all of the right things to jostle your way into a new role that interests you. Unfortunately, for some reason there is a perception that you’re not a good fit for these jobs. You received a clue with the comment about your well-put-together appearance and terrific interpersonal skills. If you’re the best at your job, maybe your supervisor is concerned you’ll be hard, if not impossible, to replace. Bottom line: Your company has put you in a certain box and is now reluctant to let you out. 

 
I would combat all this by proactively incorporating research tasks into your current responsibilities so you can showcase concrete experience and results. Interview people who have the jobs you want and learn how their success is measured and the qualities that are necessary to hone. Build strong personal relationships within the research department so the next time a position opens up, you will naturally be considered. The idea, after all, is to be tapped before the HR department even gets involved. 
 
If you’ve done all of these things and you still feel blocked from the research position you desire, expand your horizons outside your current organization. Network prolifically in third-party research organizations and conferences and via individuals on LinkedIn. You may need to look elsewhere in order to fulfill your career dreams. 
 
Don’t worry about going back to school unless you can definitively determine that an advanced degree beyond a Master’s is essential for entry into this type of research job. Note the level of education held by individuals working in the roles you want. Focus on increasing your research-oriented skills and your knowledge of specific tasks rather than the degree itself.

 

Do You Need a Tech Refresher?

According to the 2014 Udemy Skills Index, an analysis of trends in American skills development based on data from Udemy’s top 100 paid online courses, technology courses have the highest enrollment numbers of any subject. We get that we need them, and so we’re signing up in droves. But how do you know if you need to upgrade your technical skills, and where do you start? Here are some potential scenarios.

Reason #1:  You’re competing with younger candidates for the same jobs

Let’s face it. If you’re 40+, you grew up – and came into the workplace – mostly tech-free. The speed with which people adopt new technology can seem intimidating, but you can’t allow more comfortable (and usually younger) candidates to steal your edge when you in fact have more experience. You don’t, however, have to become a whiz at everything overnight. The pros at Udemy suggest that you start with a single new device, site, or software program. Expect that it won’t be immediately intuitive: there will be a learning curve. Fortunately, there are plenty of online forums, courses, sites, and even live people eager to help.

Reason #2: Your resume still lists Microsoft Office as the only technical skill

While Microsoft Office might give the impression that you’re still working in the 20th century, there’s no need to get an additional degree to upgrade your tech skills. Experience in coding, HTML, InDesign and other programs can set you apart, and these are easy to learn in an online environment such as Udemy. Want to show more in-depth expertise? Start a blog about something you’re passionate about – preferably but not necessarily related to your field. The process will open up new tech frontiers and show employers you’re not afraid to experiment and can manage change.Do 

For more reasons to upgrade your tech skills, head over to the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

The Real Reasons Employers Aren't Responding to Your Resume

If you’ve applied to dozens of jobs but haven’t received any interviews, a warning signal should be going off. There are a number of reasons why employers don’t respond to your resume, and most of them can be easily fixed. Increase your chances that employers will respond to your resume positively by fixing these potential gaffes.

You Submitted It Online

Sending your resume to an organization with no context whatsoever is a surefire way to get lost in the black hole that is the applicant tracking system. You can apply online if it’s mandatory, but try to route your resume through a personal contact in the organization.

You Didn’t Customize It to the Open Position

In today’s tough job market, every resume should be crafted in response to the requested experience and responsibilities listed in the job description. If your resume is off target, it will quickly be put aside. So yes, this means you must have multiple versions of your resume.

For more reasons, head over to the full post at the FlexJobs blog.

 

How to Easily Customize Your Resume

In an era in which you can send off 100 resumes in just a few minutes, I’m always getting the question, “Do I have to customize my resume to each job application?” Sorry folks, but the answer is yes. Here are three ways to customize your resume each and every time.

Hiring managers get so many resumes that they will easily discard the resumes that don’t meet their specifications exactly. Fortunately, though, you don’t have to reinvent the resume wheel every time you apply for a new position. Follow these simple tips for a perfectly targeted resume.

#1: Match the language in the job description

Pluck out the keywords in the job description such as “initiative,” “teamwork,” and “creativity,” and intersperse these throughout a new version of your resume. The hiring organization’s applicant tracking system will zero in on your resume because it contains the words and phrases the system was instructed to look for.

For the other two essential tips, head over to the FlexJobs blog.

Should You Ask for Flexibility Upfront?

The first question to address on this topic is—should you bring up work flexibility in an initial job interview?  And in general, the answer is no.

Here’s the thing. Hiring managers want to believe that you’re a candidate who is enthusiastic about the job and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. They don’t know you from Adam, so immediately broaching the perfectly legitimate question of flexible hours and benefits may portray you as a slacker in some old-school employers’ eyes.

You will also be in a better negotiating position if you bring up work flexibility after they’ve already decided they want to hire you. This means that you don’t discuss the issue until after you have an offer in hand.

But what if it’s a deal-breaker?

Let’s say you don’t want to waste your time with a company that doesn’t give a little in the work flexibility department. In this case, first check out their website to try and find information about flexwork benefits. If the organization is touting flexwork arrangements as a reason it’s a great place to work, then you may be in luck.

For the rest of my advice, have a look at the full post on the FlexJobs blog.

Yes, You Should Show Freelance Work on Your Resume!

By 2030, nearly 50 percent of the American workforce will consist of contract employees. In other words, freelancers. Indeed, we’ve come a long way since a freelancer was a writer who wrote and edited corporate publications. Today, freelancers encompass nearly every role in every industry.

Given this trend of legitimacy and the modern pace of career change, why would it be weird for a freelancer to pursue a full-time, more traditional opportunity? I don’t have the answer, but I do have a suggestion for how you can make your recent roster of freelance jobs make you appear less like an aimless job jumper and more like a serious-minded careerist.

Create your company.

When putting together your resume, come up with a name for your own company the way other self-employed individuals do. Mine, for instance, is Inspiration at Work, and I am the president and CEO. List your company as you would any other, and include quantifiable results from your key projects. These can be organized chronologically or by skill—just be consistent.

For the full post, check out the FlexJobs blog.

The Right Way to Make Connections on LinkedIn

LinkedIn, which years ago was known as Facebook for old people, is now the top social network for professionals. It boasts more than 200 million users and is used by the majority of the Fortune 100. If you’re not on it every day, you need to be. And there are some tricks to making connections on LinkedIn.

When I was new to the business world, you had to attend in-person networking events to meet anyone. But then, along came the marvelous invention of LinkedIn, and suddenly you can interface with an exponentially larger number of contacts in a fraction of the time.

There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to meet new contacts on LinkedIn. Here are a few dos and don’ts.

Don’t wait for people to find you.

Although this will happen eventually, it’s much more efficient to proactively connect with people by searching for former colleagues and business associates (the search function is on the top of every page). When you start typing a person’s name, a list of potential connections appears. You can also find connections by perusing the “People You May Know” section, as well as your current connections’ profiles.

For more where this came from, have a look at the full post at the FlexJobs blog.

How to Love What You Do

Although my friends sometimes accuse me of being unromantic, I don’t believe in the concept of soulmates. I just don’t think that there is one person out there with whom we are destined to spend our lives. Rather, I feel that there are a number of people out there who could make us happy.

It’s the same thing with careers. Far too often, I see people putting unimaginable pressure on themselves as they struggle to find their one true passion. But in fact, it’s likely that they could be satisfied doing a variety of jobs. A better solution is often to love what you do instead of endlessly striving to do what you love.

Marty Nemko is a friend of mine and a pioneer in the advice space. I have been reading his work for years, and I’ll never forget one article he wrote for Kiplinger.com. In the piece, Nemko agrees with me that finding career contentment is often a matter of diving in wholeheartedly into the job you have, or the best job that’s available to you. He suggests that the best path for most people is to pick a practical career with the following characteristics:

• Moderately challenging
• Meaningful work
• A kind, competent boss
• Pleasant co-workers
• Learning opportunities
• Reasonable pay
• Reasonable work hours
• A short commute

Nemko says that a job with even half of these will make you more likely to love your job than if you had pursued a long shot career. He illustrates the idea with the story of Gary, a mentee who recently graduated from Michigan State with no clue what he wanted to do. His cousin told him that a job was open in a dashboard manufacturing plant. Gary wasn’t passionate about dashboards; who is? But he was tired of living on his parents’ sofa, so he took the job.

Because Gary was bright and curious, he asked lots of questions and soon became the go-to guy on the factory floor. Soon after that, Gary got a promotion and a raise and felt genuinely excited about his future in the industry.

Apparently, feeling expert at something – even something as mundane as dashboards – and being recognized for that expertise, is more likely to create career passion than going after a pipe-dream career.Here are some tips for loving what you do and creating a more meaningful work experience where you are.

Jumpstart your engagement

Imagine you are one of the hundreds of people who apply for jobs with your organization every day. What is going through these candidates’ minds? What do they view about your job as desirable? Think back to when you first started your job. Pretend it’s your first day and echo your initial enthusiasm for your work. -

For more tips, check out the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

How to Spot a Job Scam

There are a lot of online job scams out there, but none are more pervasive than the infamous work-from-home scam. If you’ve ever seen these words in front of a job advertisement, you are probably looking at a job scam:

• Earn $25/hr at home!
• Earnings deposited daily to your bank account
• Work from home – thousands per day and no sales required

The best way to judge if a job ad is a scam is to consider what you have to do to get the money promised. If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Think about it: If you were a legitimate organization, would you pay an employee to sit at home and do little or no work? Also, any company that requires you to pay money upfront is a scammer. Employers are supposed to pay you, not the other way around.

Because some job scammers are savvier than others, you should always do a thorough background check on any organization proposing to employ you from home. This includes reviewing records with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and Scam.com. It’s also a good idea to Google search “company name” + “scam” to uncover unsavory activity.

For more where this came from, head over to the full post at the FlexJobs blog.