Career : Criminal Record: How to Address Your Background

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

According to the US Department of Justice, more than 64 million criminal-history records are on file at state repositories nationwide. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the number of prison releases is growing, with more than 500,000 ex-offenders rejoining the community each year.
Individuals with criminal histories face numerous obstacles when seeking employment, so it's important they make the one document that can open doors -- the resume -- as effective as possible. Follow these tips to ensure your resume is ready to go:
Don't Reference Your Criminal Background
The purpose of a resume is to help you secure a job interview. For your resume to work, it must highlight your top qualifications for the position and demonstrate that you would be an excellent employee. While it's important to be honest on your resume, revealing information about a criminal background is best handled in a face-to-face interview.
Many states prohibit employers from asking about an arrest record but allow them to inquire about past convictions. (Check with your state's attorney general's office to determine what employers can and cannot ask you.) If the employer asks a legal question regarding your criminal history, briefly explain what happened, but keep it positive and don't dwell on the past. Explain that you have learned from your mistakes and are currently interested in making a positive contribution to the employer's operation.
When completing job applications that ask about your conviction record, you must be honest. Select "yes" when asked if you have been arrested, and in the section that asks you to provide the details, write something like "will explain in interview."
Highlight Related Training/Work Experience
If your criminal background includes prison time and you took advantage of training or work opportunities during that time, you may include these experiences on your resume.
Write the name of the facility and your title (e.g., "Arthur Green Correctional Facility, Commissary Clerk") in your resume's Work Experience section. Treat this position as any other position and write about key skills you developed and any positive contributions you made. If you completed further education while in prison, write the name of the sponsoring institution along with the details of your training in your Education section.
Keep in mind that employers are less interested in your early career; prison-related activities from more than 10 years ago can be omitted.
Don't Emphasize Unrelated Experience
If your work or educational experiences from prison are unrelated to your careerjob goal, they should not be featured prominently on your resume. The most effective resumes are targeted to an objective; your related experience and training should be the focus of your resume. You may, however, add an Additional Experience section to your resume and briefly list your prison-related work or training if you need to cover a big time gap.
Use Available Job Search Resources
If you were recently released from prison and are in a work-release program, take advantage of job search services offered by your facility. A placement specialist may be able to help you find employment or offer guidance that will facilitate your search. Many states offer tax credits to employers as incentives to hire ex-offenders.

Career :Resume Dilemma: No Degree

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

Are your fellow job seekers leaving you in the dust, nabbing the great jobs because they have educational credentials that you lack? Follow these tips to put your best foot forward on your resume and compete with others who have more impressive educational backgrounds.

Emphasize Your Strongest Credentials

Think about why an employer should hire you out of all the applicants for the job. What do you offer that they don't? Perhaps you have practical work experience and skills that are relevant to the job. If your experience is stronger than your education, place your work history before education on your resume, and write about your career achievements, track record of results and industry knowledge.

Include a detailed listing of your accomplishments throughout your career. Prove that your work performance has been outstanding and you would be an asset to your future employer's operation. By the time hiring managers read the education section, they should be so impressed by the value you offer that educational shortcomings could be overlooked.

It's true that some employers will not be interested in you because you lack the job opening's educational requirement, but you will find other employers that welcome your experience, skills and expertise.

Highlight Alternative Education and Training

Maybe you lack a formal degree, but you've participated in ongoing training throughout your career. You can emphasize all of your continuing education by creating a Professional Development section within the Education section. Think about job-related training, certifications, conferences, in-service training, seminars, online learning and even self-directed study. For some professionals, this section can be quite impressive, and showing recent, up-to-date training can be more valuable than a dated degree.

Show In-Progress Education

Include partially completed or in-progress education.

Examples:

• If you are currently enrolled in a program:
ABC COLLEGE (City, ST) Enrolled in Bachelor of Arts program, major in < >, degree expected 5/05
• If you partially completed a program and don't intend to complete:
DEF COLLEGE (City, ST) Earned XX credits towards a Bachelor of Arts, 9/99 to 5/02

Apply Even If You Lack the Educational Credential

If you see a job opening that requires a certain level of education and feel you can do the job based on your experience or skills, send your resume anyway. The hiring manager might prefer to hire someone with the stated level of education, but your resume could stand out because of your other qualifications.

Whenever possible, follow up on resumes that you submit. Many employers using electronic resume-tracking systems automatically screen out applicants who don't meet the educational requirements. You will have a much better chance of convincing an employer that you are a strong candidate if you make a personal connection with a hiring manager.

Return to School

If you continue to hit roadblocks because of your educational background, it might be time to hit the books again. Do whatever it takes to reach your goal: Enroll in night classes, take online courses or start a distance-learning program. The fact that you are pursuing further education could make you more marketable to employers, plus you will be taking steps to ensure you have the credentials to succeed in a competitive job market.

Career :What's Your Objective?

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert.

The first step to creating a high-impact resume is determining what you're trying to accomplish. With a clearly defined career objective, you can write a resume that conveys the experience, skills and training that best serve your overall professional aspiration.

Hiring managers are busy folks who can't afford to waste any time trying to figure out what your career goals are. They won't take the time to do this; they'll just move on to the next resume.

Do You Need an Objective Section?

While it's important for your resume to include a clear career goal, you don't have to convey it through an Objective section. The majority of job seekers may incorporate their career goals into a Qualifications Summary instead.

For example, a candidate led her qualifications summary as follows:

Talented and dependable secretary, skilled in all aspects of office management within nonprofit environments.

Her summary continued to relay her key qualifications for an administrative position, but her introductory line enabled hiring managers to immediately recognize her goal. If you are on a steady career track, incorporating your objective into a summary sends the message "this is who I am," rather than "this is who I'd like to be when I grow up."

When you build your resume on Monster, you can use the Objective field to present your qualifications summary.

When Is a Formal Objective Required?

Career changers and entry-level workers should consider incorporating their objectives into their resumes, because their goals may not be clearly defined by their work history alone. If you're targeting a particular position, add a formal objective statement and reference the job opening. The hiring manager will see you took time to customize your resume and the opportunity is important to you.

Sample Objectives

For Career Changers: Accomplished administrator seeking to leverage extensive background in personnel management, recruitment, employee relations and benefits administration in an entry-level human resources position. Extremely motivated for career change goal and eager to contribute to a company's HR division.

Entry-level Workers: Dedicated CIS graduate pursuing a helpdesk-support position.

When Targeting a Specific Position: Elementary teacher for ABC School District.

Tips for Writing Your Own

• Focus on how you would benefit the employer, not on how the employer would benefit you. Stay away from objectives that state your working preferences, such as "seeking a team-oriented environment that fosters professional development."
• Don't be vague. Steer clear from statements that say nothing substantial about your career goal (e.g., "seeking a challenging position with potential for growth and advancement").
• Keep it concise and targeted. Hiring managers often sort through hundreds to thousands of resumes to fill one job opening. Make it easy on them by keeping your objective short and to the point. The best objectives contain a desired job title or target.
• If you have more than one career goal, create a different resume version for each objective. Remember, you can store up to five resumes on Monster.

Resume Dilemma: Handling a Work Hiatus on Your Resume

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

 

Whether it's been six months or 10 years, searching for a job after a workforce absence can be daunting. The work world somehow continued without you, and you may feel like you've been left behind.

The good news is that you can reenter the workforce armed with a dynamic resume and an aggressive job search plan. Whether you've been unemployed and looking for work, on sabbatical, raising a family, caring for an ill family member, attending school, on disability or in retirement, follow these tips to create your resume.

Before You Write Your Resume

• Assess Your Skills and Experience: Research your job target to learn what hiring managers now find desirable in ideal candidates. Write a list of your matching skills, experience, training and personal attributes. How would an employer benefit from hiring you?
• Refresh Your Skills: Your research might have shown that some of your skills need to be updated. Because you are competing with job seekers who have been on steady career tracks, do what is necessary to compete successfully. Enroll in courses, study independently and practice your skills whenever possible. This will boost your confidence and get you back in the game.
• Maintain Ties to the Working World: Besides being a great opportunity to network, immersing yourself in professional activities will give you relevant, recent experience to add to your resume. Do volunteer work, join a professional organization, attend conferences, complete freelance and consulting projects, and accept temporary assignments.

When Writing Your Resume

• Pick the Right Format: Many people returning to work assume they need a functional resume to hide the gap. But be careful about selecting this format, because hiring managers might suspect you're trying to hide something. You might do better with a combination resume, which is a reverse-chronological resume that leads with a Qualifications Summary. The summary emphasizes your most related credentials so hiring managers readily see your qualifications. Consider a functional format only if you've been out of work for many years and you need to emphasize your functional skill set.
• Accentuate the Positive: Organize your resume so your key selling points are immediately evident. The top third of page one is the most important part of your resume, so include your most marketable skills and experience there. If you are concerned about your time gap, think about creative ways to obscure it. Maybe you traveled internationally and can mention your exposure to different cultures and languages. Perhaps you led or participated in a fund-raising event for a charity. Continuing education, volunteer work, professional development and independent study are all valid uses of your time while out of the workforce. Try to tie in how your experience relates to your career goal. Convince employers that you still have what it takes to contribute to organizational goals despite your workforce absence.
• Don't Call Attention to Dates: Try not to emphasize dates when formatting your resume. Avoid surrounding dates with white space, which will draw the eye. Instead, place them in parentheses next to your job titles.
• Put Your Cover Letter to Work: Use your cover letter to explain why you temporarily stepped away from your career job,  emphasizing that you're now available and excited about pursuing employment job. Let your enthusiasm for reentering the workforce shine through your letter.

Remember, you will need to work harder at job searching than colleagues with recent work experience do. Keep an open mind and positive attitude. You might need to take a pay cut or accept a position at a lower level than the one you had before you left. It might be a blow to the ego, but the reality is that employers like to hire workers with a recent track record. If you accept a position at a lower level than desired, use it as an opportunity to prove yourself and you'll soon work your way back up the ladder.

Career : Resume Dilemma: Not Enough Experience

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

It's a catch-22: You want a job to gain experience, but you can't find a job because previous experience is required.

Don't be discouraged. You can still put your best foot forward and have a shot at the job. Follow these steps to create a winning resume:

Select the Right Format

The two most effective resume formats for entry-level workers are functional and combination. Steer clear of strictly chronological resumes, which place emphasis on your work history.

Functional resumes emphasize your related skills while downplaying your work chronology. Rather than citing dates of employment, this format uses categories to highlight your aptitudes. For example, if you're seeking a secretarial position but don't have any related experience, you may create the following categories: "Computer Skills," "Interpersonal Communications" and "Office Management Abilities." The latter may refer to managing your own home office, for example.

A combination resume is a chronological resume that leads with a Qualifications Summary, in which you emphasize the credentials that most qualify you for the job you're trying to land. Strategically order the sections in your resume to best suit your qualifications, placing more relevant categories, such as Education, Key Skills, Volunteer Work, etc., before your work history.

Assess What You Offer

What you lack in real-world experience you may make up for in your motivation to excel. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes and ask, "Why should I hire this person when there are 100 other applicants with more experience?"

Before you revamp your resume, research your target job on Monster and review the job descriptions. What skills, abilities and credentials are listed as desirable? Do you offer competencies, personal attributes or unpaid experience that compensate for your lack of work history? How would the employer benefit if you were hired?

Think of the top five reasons you should be selected for an interview. These will help you differentiate yourself from your peers.

Weave Your Unique Credentials into Your Resume

Whether you've chosen a functional or combination resume, you need compelling content to convince hiring managers to give you a chance. Consider these areas when developing your resume:

Experience: Part-time positions, temporary employment, volunteer work and related hobbies are all valid forms of experience. Focus on your achievements and contributions to show you are a results-oriented worker. Key Skills and Abilities: Incorporate the skills that would be valuable to employers, such as foreign languages, technical capabilities, organizational ability, interpersonal and written communication aptitude, creative problem solving, research ability, customer relations, the ability to rapidly master new concepts, the ability to work independently or as part of a team and leadership potential.

Students and New Graduates: Describe courses, school projects, internships and extracurricular activities that are relevant to your career  job goal.

Other Benefits: On your resume or cover letter, indicate whether you are willing to work the graveyard shift, accept a low salary or take classes at your own expense to get up to speed. Any of these benefits could tip the scales in your favor.

Resume Dilemma: Employment Gaps and Job-Hopping How to Handle a Spotty Work History.Parts 2

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

What About a Functional Resume?
Many hiring professionals say they prefer chronological resume presentations to the functional format. They are often suspicious of functional resumes, which are usually used to hide something. Only select this format if you have an extremely poor work background with extended gaps or a terrible history of job-hopping.
Accentuate the Positive
There's nothing you can do to change your work experience, so the best strategy is to develop a forward-looking resume that shows the value you offer potential employers. If you are sticking with a chronological resume format, lead with a Qualifications Summary, a narrative profile summing up your key qualifications for the position. This will draw attention to your strengths.
Layoffs and Downsizing: Quick Tips to Improve Your Resume

• Update your resume right away and be sure to showcase your recent achievements no matter how you may feel about your employer.
• Ask your former employer or colleagues to supply you with written reference letters. Consider including a positive quote from a reference letter in the Qualifications Summary or Experience section.
• Read as many job openings as possible to evaluate the skills and experience employers find desirable. Incorporate your matching credentials into your resume.
• Don't misrepresent your employment job status by indicating "to present" on your resume.
• Don't write the reason for leaving on your resume, but do use the cover letter to explain your circumstances.

Resume Dilemma: Employment Gaps and Job-Hopping How to Handle a Spotty Work History.Parts 1

  

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

by Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

In today's economy, you need to carefully present your experience to avoid being seen as unstable. Start by evaluating your situation and determining how bad it really is. If you are panicking about two months of unemployment back in 1984, your job search will probably not be affected. However, if you are dealing with recent periods of unemployment extending for months or even years, you will need to start strategizing.

If You're Concerned About Employment Gaps:

• Think about other activities you can use to fill that time period. You might have experience relevant to your job target, regardless of whether you were paid. Volunteer activities, community involvement, special projects, consulting engagements and continuing education can be used in the Experience section.
• Short gaps might not be apparent if you eliminate months from your traditional resume. Use the Objective statement to summarize your goal as well as your top qualifications. This will draw attention to your selling points and downplay your work chronology.
• If you're returning to the workforce after an extended absence, show how you've kept up-to-date with changes in your industry.
• If you've been out of work because you raised a family, continued your education, cared for a sick family member or recovered from an injury, be sure your tone is not apologetic. There's nothing wrong with being out of work for whatever reason, and a negative attitude might affect your resume's quality.

If You're Concerned About Job-Hopping:

• Some fields are prone to short periods of employment, and job-hopping might not be a concern. For many other occupations, there is less of a stigma regarding job-hopping than in the past.
• The best way to handle job-hopping on your resume depends on your specific job titles and companies. You may be able to lump two or more similar positions under one heading (for example, Sales Representative, ABC Company and DEF Company, 2/94-4/96). You can list your combined work experience's highlights. Independent contractors and temporary workers should consider grouping their experience under one time period (such as IT Consultant/Network Specialist, 4/95-present) with project highlights.
• You don't need to include every job you've ever held. Short-term positions that don't do anything for you can certainly be omitted. Keep in mind: A resume is a marketing piece, but you will need to provide a complete work history if you are asked to fill out a job application, which is a signed legal document.
• Employers might be leery of hiring candidates with a history of job-hopping due to recruiting and training expenses. Use your cover letter to explain your work history and put a positive spin on your circumstances. Also, indicate your interest in a long-term position.