Finding the right job
HOw do you tailor student resumes who have experience in many different areas?
Cesar G ,
I think this is a great idea; transferable skills are so critical and often overlooked. Emphasizing them with your students helps to remind them that even though their experience may not specifically be in the industry they're looking to get into, they are still valuable.
Elizabeth Kemler
Most of our students come from different industries. I normally tap into their transferable skills. Such as customer service, inventory control and basic skills like keeping their work area clean and organized. This will give them a sense of confidence that the skills they do possess will allow them to perform the job in the new field they've chosen.
Katie,
I do like the idea of emphasizing skills; one thing I've seen work nicely on resumes is have an overarching title like "Communications Professional" which may include a number of jobs in that area over a many year period-so it looks like the person has focused on one vs. many different things.
Elizabeth Kemler
A skills resume can be very helpful for students who have experience in many different areas. You can find the commonality and the most impressive skills that make the applicant stand out for what they are applying for. Its a great way for a student to say "here's all the awesome stuff I bring" instead of having a resume that makes an employer feel like they need a road map to follow. Many people follow a different road so gather life experience from many different places and occupations. It's also a great writing tool for career changes.
Thacha,
I like the idea of tailoring resumes though I find that often jobs that seems unrelated, have equipped students with skills that are relevant for their new career.
Elizabeth Kemler
One way that I help tailor a students resume that have experience in many different areas is by listing the ones that are most relevant to the job they are applying for. For insist if I have a student applying for front desk at a dental office I would tell them it would be best to include job history that shows off her customer service skills.
Deborah,
Your structure makes good sense..and as you know, even unrelated jobs can help to prepare applicants with the necessary skills to succeed in their new career.
Elizabeth Kemler
Most of our graduates have no experience in their fields of study so we do resumes that have a qualifications section with a list of all the things they can do. We also show their education section under qualifications then show an experience section with their externships listed first showing all the things they did at the site. At the bottom are 2-3 previous jobs non related to their fields. The resumes seem to work, our grads do get calls for interviews.
Nicole,
Yes, and I like to help students word their resume so it reflects the skills they've developed at whatever work they've had in the past-even if it doesn't relate specifically to the job they are currently seeking.
Elizabeth Kemler
Our school generally has students with a range of different expereicences in many different fields and I help students format their resumes so that their most relevent information like their education and externships are placed towards the top because it is what the employer sees first.
I think this information will help. Thank you. I am especially trying to show that a student who has had her job field experience in another state is planning to now live and work in this area.
Rhonda,
This is a very good question and one that comes up a lot. It would take a lot of room for me to offer my thoughts, so instead I've included two links that answer at least as well as I could. Please let me know if this helps.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8772340_explain-lapse-employment.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/a/resumegap.htm (go to Explaining a Gap During a Job Interview)
Elizabeth Kemler
When my students have job experience in many different areas I try to have them emphasize the skills from other jobs that will be useful in the career they are going into. For example, customer service is helpful whether you work in retail, food service, or the healthcare field. I also try to have them emphasize their teamwork abilities.
However, I am also interested in what to do if your student has prior experience in their field of study but it has been several years ago and you want to emphasize that experience but also explain what they have been doing those years in between.
Joshuah,
It makes a lot of sense to focus on those things any student can bring to the table where work is concerned. These are universal abilities.
Elizabeth Kemler
I try to have the graduates think of skills that can be used in the new job. Customer service, punctuality, team work, with examples. Also, externship. This usually inspires graduates to feel a bit more confident about themselves and thier ability.
Deborah,
Good idea-makes a lot of sense.
Elizabeth Kemler
I have the students create resumes with a section at toward the top that is titled Qualifications. Being fresh out of school most do not have employment in their fields of study so they need to a list of skills they gained in their education that they can utilize in their field. Our school is very hands-on so they actually bring a quite a bit of experience, they just don't realize it at first.
you have two diffrent areas one of experties and another area of employers by name and date.
Kathy,
I agree absolutely with your take on this. It is indeed critical for employers to see you have experience as an employee even if the job doesn't apply directly. As for the order of the information, typically the most recent job goes at the top and you work your way backwards/down vs having the most 'relevant' at the top. What you want to have students pay particular attention to is the wording they use, both on the resume and in the interview.
Elizabeth Kemler
