Readers: Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis. If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Katie writes:
Hi, my name is Katie, and I am currently a high school student who desperately
wants a part-time job for after school and weekends. My mom says it’s okay, as
long as I keep my grades up. I want to impress people when I apply for jobs, so
even though I don’t think I need one, I want to develop a resume. Can you give
me some pointers?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I think it’s great that you are seeking a part-time job, and I’m glad your mom gave you
permission to do so. There is a lot of evidence that shows teens gain a greater perspective
on working, on careers, and on time management skills by working part-time while
attending school. But I also agree that school should be your main focus, so don’t let
your work interfere with school or attaining the grades you need.
While you do not technically need a resume to find a part-time job, it is helpful to do so
for two reasons. First, you will stand out from all the other teens who apply for the
same jobs because the vast majority of them will NOT have resumes. Second, a resume
is a document you will need the rest of your working life, so you might as well learn
some good habits now on how to develop a resume.
The basic elements of a teen resume include: contact information, job objective, education,
and experience. If your resume is not a full page with these elements, you can also include
these optional elements: skills and community service.
Do not use a template to develop your resume unless you are just not comfortable starting
with a blank page.
Remember to keep your resume focused on your objective (obtaining the part-time job),
and always, always spell-check it and have at least one other person proofread it for errors.
It might also be useful to have a parent or other adult critique your resume and make
suggestions for improving it.
Anonymous writes:
Here’s my situation: New CFO wanted to make changes and was also unhappy
that I had retained a poor performing employee. The CFO told me I could leave
or move to a smaller role in the company. I have been in that role for 2 years and
would like to leave for another company in a mgmt. role similar to the role that I
had initially. How should I address the termination/demotion in a resume and
during interviews? Also, my compensation was reduced when I was moved to
the lesser role.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Anytime you take a lateral or backward step in your career -- and many do, you
have to be prepared with a story to explain your logic in making that move. So,
your first step is to develop that story. Why did you choose not to leave back then?
What have you gained from staying these two years? You do not need to be brutally
honest with your story, but you do need to have a positive spin on the outcome.
Just remember to never say bad things about the CFO in your story. You can say you
had a difference of opinion, but you never want to go any further. Any job-seeker who
says something negative about a former boss or company is often pretty quickly
eliminated from consideration.
Second, focus on your accomplishments from all your previous work experiences. One of the
weaknesses of many resumes I see is a lack of results. And whenever possible, quantify
those accomplishments.
Third, sharpen the focus of your resume. All resumes need to clearly define what the job-seeker
can do as well as what s/he wants to do. And especially for someone in your position, where
you are now seeking the position from which you were previously demoted, it becomes critical
to show you are ready for the job again.
Q:
Marcey writes:
I've heard that writing a summary of qualifications or summary of skills section on the
resume is important, but I can find almost no in-depth, informative information on why
this is so or how to do it. The sources I have been able to find seem to have contradictory
information -- bullets vs. paragraph, etc. Can you provide some information and some
clarification?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
First, remember that there are very few agreed upon rules of resume writing. Just
about everyone has a pet thing they love or hate related to resumes. Thus, your best
bet is to follow the generally agreed-upon rules of resume development -- and these are
the rules I talk about in this column and on my Website.
The qualifications summary -- sometimes also referred to as your professional profile
or summary of accomplishments -- has become a pretty widely accepted element for
resumes. I love them because it sharpens the focus of the resume and gives the reader
a quick overview of your most important qualities. I think of the qualifications summary
as the executive summary of your resume. And when employers only have 10 seconds
(or less) to make a decision about your resume, a well-written qualifications summary
can be your edge.
The qualifications summary should include the three or four attributes that make you
unique and best qualified for the job you seek– your key selling points.
I personally prefer a bulleted list in the qualifications summary because the bullets
make it much easier (and faster) to read. However, it is not wrong to have it as a short
and concise paragraph.
Finally, you can use a job objective and qualifications summary together to give your
resume an even sharper focus.
Aldon writes:
I read your website with great interest and was thinking you could help me in my situation.
I've resigned my job of 2.5 years looking for a better opportunities and prospects. I
found a new job about 2 months ago. However, I feel that the way the management
manages the company is very unprofessional and I was never paid for my very first
month. (Basically, this company has cash flow problem, so I can forget about my
bonus!) I have decided to resign during my probation period. I need to look for a new
job, however, I don’t know how I should indicate this job of 2 months on my resume.
(I like this job scope but I do not see my long term growth and prospects in this
company.)
If I do include the job, how should I do it such a way that I do not reduce my chances
of securing an interview? And, during interview, how should I explain to prospective
employer of my plight?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Remember when developing your resume that the resume is not a depositary
of all your experiences and accomplishments -- just the ones that will help you
attain your next position. Note: I am not advocating adding material that is not
true to your resume, but rather editing it to contain only the most important and
relevant information to the position you seek.
That said, in most cases, I would be tempted to not include the most recent job.
Your time there is too short and it sounds like you only have negative things to say
about the company -- and you never want to say those things when you are trying to
explain why you only stayed with the company for 2 months.
In today’s job market, many people go much longer than 2 months between jobs, so
keep it off your resume. If you do decide not to include it, you may need a story about
what you have been doing since you resigned your previous job.
Your situation is also a good lesson for other job-seekers to understand: when job-hunting
you must learn as much as you can about the companies where you interview -- including
the corporate culture, management style, financial stability, and growth prospects.
