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Resume Help/Feedback
Are you an HR person that can offer me feedback on my resume? I am hearing crickets and I get why (resume, lack of network, my age, length of unemployment)...but I am unsure what to do to overcome these barriers.
I have been unemployed 4 years. I recently took a certificate and got certified in a new career path. Although this certificate requires at least 5 years of on the job experience and a written exam - therefore certifying that I have at least a minimum of 5 years experience and a professional/working knowledge of understanding in the field - I am still not getting any interviews.
On my current resume: a few of the jobs are a year or less (3 in a row). None of my job titles support my new career path, nor my previous degrees and licenses. However, there is some cross over with the skills, duties, and projects.
With ATS - it appears I am not getting picked at all because my job titles do not match the job title I am applying for, my education does not match the education they are looking for...and I have been unemployed so long.
How can I re-work my resume?
Yes - I am networking, taking full advantage of my LinkedIn Premium, and all other opportunities that I have. I am still not getting anywhere.
Feedback appreciated!
Azra H.
15
02/17/20 at 4:33PM UTC
I have heard time and time again that resumes and cover letters are the smallest fraction of your application. Networking is your biggest asset. Everyone I have done informational interviews with who I admire professionally has landed ALL their good jobs this way. It will take time but you need to get on it asap. When you have someone on the inside vouch for you, then they'll look at your resume and cover letter. This is true for mid to big size companies. Smaller companies cold applying is probably fine. For informational interviews, ask your friends if they know any professionals in your field that are successful and if they can make an introduction. Ask this of your former colleagues as well. You can also go to the blog and social media sections of a company you like and see if they feature any staff in your field (many companies do profiles on their staff or shout outs). Find that person on LinkedIn and message them, citing what struck you about their skills/accomplishments and asking if they'd be willing to have a phone call or meet at a coffee shop. Say you're simply looking to learn. You can also contact professional organizations in your field (many have state chapters if they're a national organization) and see if they have a formalized system to connect folks through mentorship programs or the like; otherwise, go to their events and talk to as many people as you can and later follow up with those you liked and ask for an informational interview then. Best of luck!
Lynne CoganCareer Coach for Realizing Professional Dreams
871
02/13/20 at 5:56PM UTC
Hi LT.
Without looking at your resume, I would suggest:
● Do not include your duties/responsibilities on your resume. Instead include only the accomplishments and their results supporting your new career path and relevant to the position you are seeking.
● Show how you used your transferable skills to get those results.
● As far as the job titles not matching. Here's a neat little trick: Put the real job title first; next to it in parenthesis add a job title that conveys what you did and is in alignment with what the position requires.
● As far as the suggestion to use a functional resumes. Personally, I like them and my clients have had success with them. However, recruiters are not very fond of them. And they only work if you include a list of positions with dates either above or below the experience section. I don't know if the screening software (ATS) will pass it along to a human being or not.
● Cover letters are great, when they are read, which might be 50 percent of the time. There was a discussion in a career professionals group a couple of days ago, where there was near consensus on uploading the cover letter and resume as one document so it will have a better chance of being read.
Next. I am confused. You just got a certificate for your new career path. Congratulations. It confirms that you have five years' experience. But you seem to indicate that there is only some crossover between what you did at your previous jobs and what you want to do now. I am not sure that I understand. These seem to be almost (but not quite) contradicting each other.
And your issues very well may be other than or in addition to your resume. You have been out of work for four years. A lot has changed in four years. Employers want to know what you have done lately. Yesterday, I posted a mini article (short enough to fit on a LinkedIn post), "Preparing To Return to the Workforce After A Long Break": http://bit.ly/38mZ5l9.
Although this is a lot of information, it might not be enough. Please, feel free to ask questions here or connect with me for a more private conversation online or by phone. Thank you.
ElizAnn07SW OK artist -craft, diy, photo, paint
17
02/13/20 at 5:27PM UTC
Well I write & rewrite & different people tell me to change my resume and all are different views. I think it's worse than it originally was. I've been unemployed off and on over the past 5 years. I'm told my skills are outdated; I went to school 4x and never could get hired to gain the experience needed, so yaes, now they seem old - but it shows I have capabilities. I feel your pain. My location has some to do with my dilemma - most jobs here are part-time and low pay. Preference is given to certain people. I can't afford to move and more than once had to help my parents. I started looking at remote, but I still don't have the experience needed. I managed to get a few projects, but still going nowhere fast & at my age that is frustrating. That is another problem - my age.
Shayna McDonoughPeople & Culture leader disrupting legacy HR.
53
02/13/20 at 4:44PM UTC
I am experiencing something similar, though I am not unemployed. I am operating a thriving consulting practice and I am an adjunct instructor for a university. However, I am tired of the constant hustling for business so I am eager to go back into a stable, full-time role. I can tell you I have applied to literally hundreds of jobs. Of those I do hear from, it is typically a rejection at the resume phase. I am actually skilled at writing resumes and have had it reviewed and adjusted a billion times, still nothing materializes. All of that said, the most progress I have made is through personal connections. I think with ATS steering the ship and a pervasive outdated approach to developing candidate profiles, many employers and recruiters are just not open to considering candidates outside of the rigid framework they have set for a particular role. I know it feels like we tap our networks to death, but I just keep reminding mine to connect me with people that have influence in materializing job opportunities. Building those relationships (even when they don't yield a job offer) is paramount to getting your foot in the door. Admittedly, it is a very slow and sometimes defeating process but I am certain that those referrals are our best bet for circumventing the ever-present challenges of under-employment, self-employment and archaic ways of recruiting and hiring :)
Courtney LaTurner
39
02/13/20 at 1:51PM UTC
My biggest suggestion is to right a cover letter to explain some of the potential "concerns" on your resume and why you are choosing this new career path. Make sure it's targeted towards the company you are applying to. I would also connect with HR or recruiters on LinkedIN and let them know you applied to their opening. It's sometimes hard to avoid the auto-rejection that comes from an ATS - but typically only large companies do that. Most smaller companies are more open minded about the types of background and education they accept. Hope this helps!
Shelley MunroHR Professional
218
02/13/20 at 1:18PM UTC
My suggestions without seeing your resume are to use a functional format, and tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying to (use keywords/phrases in the job description that you can back up with your experience). This may mean you end up with multiple resumes saved on your computer. Also, you will need a strong cover letter in your situation that conveys your reason for career change and how it relates to the position you are applying for.
Lisa Holmes HR ExpertHR Expert | Consultant | Speaker | Author
114
02/13/20 at 12:46PM UTC (Edited)
I understand your frustration. You're not alone and the reason I wrote the career book, Job Hunting. Now What? Keeping it Real in the Modern Career Search by Lisa A. Holmes.
There I uncover the root issue and solutions. Many of my HR insider tips too. Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble online and many indie booksellers.
User deleted comment on 02/11/20 at 4:20PM UTC
Erin Howard-ReidCareer Counselor
318
02/04/20 at 2:56AM UTC
Hi,
I sent a connection with a message for you. Feel free to email me (it's in the message) :)
KATHELLEEN PARSONSBachelor's degree for healthcare admin.
172
02/12/20 at 12:59PM UTC
why not share. That is what this forum is about yes?
Erin Howard-ReidCareer Counselor
318
02/12/20 at 2:14PM UTC
Hi Kathleen,
Since she requested a resume review it was the easiest way I could request to see it. I wouldn't recommend posting a link to someone's resume on the forum just for the sake of privacy.
It's too difficult to judge what may or may not be working without seeing it. Everyone's resume is so different, I didn't think it would be helpful to write a list of generic guidelines.
Anonymous
02/13/20 at 1:52PM UTC
Erin, I believe that Kathleen's comment was directed to you. Erin, why don't YOU share your contact info so that the rest of us who are also seeing resumé advice can contact you via email (or whatever method works for you)?
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