The Employment Gap

A lot of candidates have gaps in their employment, especially with the recent Great Recession. While this is very common, you should fill the gap if possible.  Did you volunteer or go back to school? Were you a stay at home mom/dad? Travel the world? Did you care for an ill family member? It is better to list these things on your resume than have a 1 year+ gap.

If you did freelance/contract work, be as specific as possible! If you were a freelance writer or contractor list the publications/companies you worked with and projects you worked on.  If you don't do this, employers will assume you just put that on the resume to fill the gap and didn't actually have any clients.

The cover letter is a great place to explain employment gaps.  If  you were laidoff, say so.  If you survived 3 rounds of layoffs but got let go on the 4th, say so.

Show that you made use of your time and did more than just sit at home during your gap in employment.

Do you have any helpful tips for how to pass the time when you're not working? Share them in the comment section below!

New Year, New Career?

The time for New Years Resolutions has come again, and one of the most popular resolutions is to find a better job/make more money/start a career.  It's a great resolution, but it often becomes one of those resolutions that die sometime between February and March.  So what do you do to make sure this resolution comes true?

Reflect.  What happened in 2013?  What do you like about your current/past job?  What do you hate? What are your biggest strengths?  Are you good with numbers, or do you prefer to talk to people?

Plan.  A popular interview question is where do you want to be in 5 years.  Most the time the answer is "I have no idea!", but if you stop and think about it, and dream big, you can find your career path.  Go on Indeed.com and search job titles that you'd like to have one day, and pay attention to the requirements.  Will you need more education for that job?  What kind of experience will you need to have in that job?  Then make it happen.

Take Action! Getting a job isn't easy, even if you're currently employed.  So increase your chances, make sure you have a strong resume and it's posted to job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Craigslist, and eBay Classifieds.  If you're not sure about your resume, have someone else look at it (like yours truly who revises resumes and cover letters insiderecruiter629@gmail.com)

Does your profession have a forum or network website that you can post your resume on?  Are there groups or organizations you can join to network? What are the job titles you're interested in?  Are there specific companies that you would like to work for?  You can usually attend a meeting or two as a guest to see if it's the right fit for you.

Check In.  Every month, see what progress you've made.  If you've received more call backs and gone on more interviews, then you're on the right track.  If not, reassess your strategy, and keep applying.  Make 2014 the year that you take a big step in your career.

End of Summer Sale!

Hi Everyone!  I'm having an end of summer sale now through September 30th.  Prices for all services start at $30 and you can get an additional 20% off if you refer a friend!

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• LinkedIn Profile
• Interview Prep

Email me at insiderecruiter629@gmail.com or call 213-290-3142 to get started! :)

The Two Most Important Things When Job Searching

Ever since the recession hit in 2008, the job market has been in the employer's favor.  While unemployment rates in the U.S. have improved overall, there are still far more applicants than there are jobs.  With the job market being so competitive, you need to be able to sell yourself to employers positively and with confidence.

Your cover letter and resume should highlight the skills and experience you bring to the table, not what you want out of a job.  You're not begging to be hired, you're telling employers why they need to hire you and what they'll get out of hiring you.

Confidence and positivity are two of the most important things you need when job searching.  It's easy to get discouraged and become jaded, but you have to catch yourself and switch back into positive thinking.  Go on Youtube and watch a clip of your favorite comedy skit, or search "funny animals".  Do something to laugh and the go back to applying for jobs, because no one wants to hire someone who seems negative or desperate.

What do you do to stay positive?  Let me know in the comments! :)

Applying for a Job: How to Stand Out On Paper

You have your resume and cover letter written and free of spelling and grammar mistakes, now what?  There are many things you should do to ensure you stand out compared to other applicants.

First, make sure you are specific about your skills and experience, and don't just include buzzwords on your resume.  If the content is on your resume, you should really look at the tone of your writing.  Read your resume and cover letter out loud.  Does it sound like you?  Are those words and phrases you would normally say?  If not, make some changes; you want your personality to shine through.

I am NOT suggesting to be unprofessional or crack jokes, but you don't want to sound like you're a robot or used a thesaurus for 80% of your resume.  This is one of the many reasons why I don't like the Objective Statement of a resume, because it doesn't sound like something a person would ever say in a normal conversation.  The point of a resume is to get a recruiter to call you, so make sure your resume is professional and full of content, however it is also beneficial to ensure you are not exceedingly verbose (see what I did there?).

What do you do to stand out in your resume or cover letter?  Let me know in the comments! :)

Applied Online, Why Haven't I Gotten a Call?!

Let's look at the bigger picture, there could be a thousand reasons why a company hasn't called you after receiving your application.  The applicant Black Hole is a real thing, and it's very possible that no one has actually seen your resume - so follow-up by calling or emailing a recruiter to ask if they've received your application and to let them know that you're very interested in the job.

Now, to increase your chances of getting a call-back there are several things you should do:

1. Apply to jobs that you're actually qualified for (Read the job description) - if the job is for a sales rep with 4+ years experience, and you've only worked at a fast food restaurant, I'm not going to call you.
2. See Resume Tips - Make sure your spelling and grammar is correct and your resume is formatted
3. K.I.S.S. - If your cover letter is a page long and your resume has paragraph descriptions, I'm probably not going to take the time to read it.
4. There's a ton of applicants right now - The job market is still down, so each job posting gets a lot of responses.  Unfortunately, that might just mean that there were more qualified candidates than you, but don't be discouraged and keep applying.
5. It's only been a week, calm down!  Sometimes it takes a month to get through all the applicants, so reach out and see if you can get the status of your application, that might just get someone to pull you our of the Black Hole of Applicant Tracking Systems, and in front of a decision maker. (Pro Tip - don't be a stalker.  If you call me everyday, or several times a day without leaving a message, I'm going to ignore you.  Once a week or every other week is good.)

The Infamous Cover Letter

Your cover letter is your first impression on a company and makes a big impact.  This is where you include your main skills and why you want to work at XYZ Company.  This is also where you can explain your resume – gaps, short tenure, etc .  The truth is, not every company requires a cover letter, and not every recruiter reads them.  If your cover letter is a page or longer in 10 point font, I guarantee you a recruiter will never read it.  The best cover letters are short sweet and to the point – no more than a quarter to half a page long.  Remember – K.I.S.S.

To Whom it May Concern:

I have over 6 years of customer service experience including retail and banking.  I’m able to handle my responsibilities, such as balancing my register and helping with the back-office or restocking, while taking care of customers.  I worked part-time while putting myself to school and have a short gap in 2011 while I was completing an average of 20 units a quarter.

I’d love the opportunity to work as a Team Lead at XYZ Company and think my experience helping customers and training new employees makes me a great fit.  I can be reached at 555-123-4567 or name@gmail.com if you have any questions.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Name