Finding a job in today’s market can present quite the dilemma. It can be even harder for job seekers without a college degree or with a questionable work history. Roadblocks like these are all it takes in today’s highly competitive job market to screen job seekers right out of the running for a job and this is before they’ve ever even scored an interview. It’s pertinent for job seekers to know what their personal roadblocks are and learn how to downplay them on their résumé.
Roadblock
Look at your résumé as a personal marketing piece. You get to select the information that you will use to “sell yourself” to your next employer. You’re not required to reveal every little blip in your background or bend over backwards to make sure a potential employer knows about your weaknesses. Don’t ever lie!…but approach these challenging areas with creativity and keep your focus on the employer’s needs and interests rather than on any problems you see in your own background.
Below are some potential roadblocks and some suggestions of how to handle them.
No. 1: I’m afraid the employer will think I’m too old.
The current economic situation has caused many older workers to delay retirement or seek lower-level jobs than the ones they previously had. These particular job seekers often worry they’ll be eliminated immediately because employers think they’re too old for the job. To avoid broadcasting your age on your résumé try:
- · Eliminating dates of college/high school graduation.
- · Avoid any dates in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
- · Shorten your experience by leaving off early jobs (eliminate the first five to 15 years of experience).
- · Provide the last 10 years of experience, with dates, and then summarize prior experience under a subheading such as “Prior Professional Experience.”
No. 2: I don’t have a college degree.
Certainly, a college degree gives job seekers an advantage, but it’s not everything! The key is to emphasize work history, skills and confidence and downplay lack of a degree. Some ways to downplay the lack of a degree are:
- · Eliminate the education section of your résumé altogether or
- -List the education you do have, including high school and any college courses taken. Some college is viewed more positively than no college at all. So if you’ve taken some college courses, here are a few examples for listing your education on your résumé:
1. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA — Studies in Business and Economics (full-time 3 years).
2. COLORADO COLLEGE OF MINES — Completed 50% of requirements toward Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
- Add a section under the Education section called “Professional Development” and list any professional seminars you attended, licenses and certifications you have received through past jobs, and computer software programs you are proficient in using.
No. 3: I’m worried employers will suspect I’m a job hopper.
A “job hopper” is someone who has had a series of short-term jobs with a handful of employers. Job-hopping tends to make employers doubt everything from the candidate’s behavior on the job to their ability to make a long-haul commitment to an employer. In today’s highly competitive job market, these doubts are all it takes to cause an employer to reject a job seeker before he or she has ever scored an interview. The following are tips for presenting a more positive appearance:
- · Consider eliminating one or more of your jobs, but make sure that doing this doesn’t leave a big enough gap in employment history that it will cause questioning. If the gap is too large, you will end up spotlighting exactly what you are trying to downplay.
- · If there were circumstances out of your control that caused to your short tenure, consider adding a brief explanation, such as “Corporate merger with XXXX eliminated all regional sales offices in spring 2009,” or “Sales unit dissolved when software was discovered to be unready for market.” Normally you shouldn’t explain reasons for leaving a company in a résumé, but sometimes a brief statement such as these can immediately eliminate a negative reaction.
- · Concentrate on finding job opportunities by networking, where a personal referral can get you in the door. Then you can “Wow” the interviewer with your capabilities and provide reasons for the short tenure of your recent jobs.
No. 4: I performed poorly in my last job.
For those job seekers who made a complete mess of their previous job, or weren’t in it long enough to make an impact on the company, creating a powerful résumé may seem impossible. To sidestep this problem, job seekers need to skip their excuses and try to find one or two success stories, and include them without a lot of elaboration. Point out what you did accomplish and learn. For instance: “Laid the groundwork for a successful career in real-estate sales through intensive prospecting and community relationship-building.” Don’t mention that you didn’t sell a single piece of property.
Keep in mind that certain issues might come back to haunt you after the initial résumé screening. You have to be prepared to answer questions about these situations on the first phone screen. Prepare and practice your explanations so that they are short, non-defensive and as positive as possible.
*Excerpts from “Sales and Marketing Résumés for $100,000 Careers, Third Edition” by Louise Kursmark.
