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Sparkle (1)
I usually don't like to take my work home, but since I have some experience in this field I figured I would share some of my expertise! I am a vocational/educational counselor, or an employment/rehabilitation specialist. (yes, I have 4 job titles) It's slightly annoying because I don't know what to call myself.
In today's job market, some may feel that they are "stuck" in their current job, some are laid off and looking for work, and some are just graduating college and fighting harder than ever to find somewhere to start their career. Whatever the case, persistence is key to finding a job. I would like to offer some tips to help people along their journey.
RESUMES
Don't ever leave dates off of your resume. This is one big red flag to employers. It makes you look as if you are trying to hide something. Big gaps in employment don't look appealing to employers. They want to know why you haven't worked in over a year. Makes them wonder if you were out hustling on the streets, or incarcerated for those 2 years that you didn't work. But, in this economy, with many people laid off for long periods of time, employers are a little more understanding when it comes to gaps and less suspicious. And sure, age discrimination does happen so you might be a little less inclined to put that you graduated high school in 1965 or 2010, but unless you are living in a retirement home, put your graduation date.
Make sure to always add an email address on your resume. Chances are you have one already, but some recruiters prefer to communicate through email, so make sure you also check your email regularly. AND, make sure your email address is appropriate. Do not add your email address if it includes things like "booty", "420", "mobster", you get what I'm saying. You may laugh, but I have seen this more times than I would have liked! gmail and yahoo are great places for free email accounts.
Surf the web. There is nothing wrong with finding a sample resume on the internet and working off of it. That's what they are there for! If you're an electrician, just go to a search engine website like google and bing, and type in "sample resume for electrician" you will find plenty to chose from!
You do not need to add every job that you have had! If you have had 4 jobs in the past 10 years, list them all, but if you've had 8 jobs in the past 10 years, just list the last 4. a 3 page resume is not functional. There is too much to read. Employers are going through hundreds of resumes and don't have time to read them all, they may skip right by yours if it resembles something like War and Peace.
Not enough job history? Make sure to add a summary of qualifications. This usually goes first, under your header and should include your skills and interests. Also, pull some qualifications that you have from the job description that you are applying for and add them in here. That will fill up a quarter of the page and not make it look so empty, but everyone should have this on their resume.
Get rid of the unnecessary stuff. You do not need to add "references available upon request" at the bottom of your resume. Also, if you were president of your fraternity in 1995, no one cares.
Ultimately this is what recruiters look for: qualifications, jobs held, where, and for how long, education and any other certifications or skills that are transferable. So keep your resume clean, simple, and focus on making those areas looking good.
COVER LETTERS
First impressions are HUGE! Some job postings won't ask for a cover letter, but send one anyway. They can be bothersome since they have to be changed for almost every job you apply for, but worth it. Here are some ways to get that perfect cover letter
Always make sure to add the name and address of the contact person on the job posting. You then want to start the letter off, as if you were writing a letter! Dear Ms. or Mr. Smith (always use Ms. if you are addressing a female, believe it or not, you can turn someone off if you start with Mrs. and she is not married!) and it's just more appropriate.
Be sure to add in the first paragraph, what position you are applying for, where you saw the posting, and try to
