Finding the right job
HOw do you tailor student resumes who have experience in many different areas?
Juan ,
The most important thing to do is find a few common threads in the various jobs; for instance, were there certain skills or abilities they utilized at all the jobs? If there is nothing obvious you may have to get a little creative-but you can almost always find a couple of things.
Elizabeth Kemler
I think that it is necessary to create specific resumes targeted to the different skills that they possess. Grouping skills such as graphic design, journalism and related computer skills can make sense; however, adding janitor and short order cook to that list may not be appropriate.
That said, the tag line on my own resume use to say "...and I've flipped my share of hamburgers." Many times during interviews I was told that I got the interview because of that line. I suppose it demonstrated a willingness to work my way thru the ranks, and also a sense of humor.
Robert,
I'm sure it's a welcome relief for employers (assuming they themselves have a sense of humor)to come across a resume like yours. And I relate-I have myself flipped my share of hamburgers :)
Elizabeth Kemler
I work for a trade school in which we have a very wide range of student demographics. Some are fresh out of high school and some as young as 70 year old!
The resume is always a challenge for them as many do have a very diverse background and they seem to think that because they are entering a new profession, they should not mention anything that isn't relevant to the new trade they are applying for. I disagree. All job experience is vaulable and can help a potential employer understand the depth of your knowledge by the variety of skills you have gained during your employment history.
The secret is to briefly highlight those skills without writing a book.
It also tells the employer that you are not a complete novice as an employee. You've learned the ropes as an employee before and technically, will / should require less formal training and overall supervision. The other thing is to put the most relevant info for the job you are applying for close to the top of the resume. The rest becomes supportive information.
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
you have two diffrent areas one of experties and another area of employers by name and date.
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.
Deborah,
Good idea-makes a lot of sense.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
