| Most employers don't like to take hiring risks, especially in today's
litigious society where employment laws are loosely interpreted.
Any one of the following red flags on a resume spells "risk"
for an employer and could cause him or her to toss a resume:
- Gaps in
employment
- Dates that
trigger age discrimination
- Job hopping
- Appearing
overqualified
The solutions
to these problems vary, depending on the situation. Here are some
suggestions for resolving your red flag.
Gaps in Employment
All employment gaps must be filled so as not to make the prospective
employer wonder if you had or have a serious problem such as substance
abuse, incarceration, chronic illness, or just plain laziness. In
the Work History section of your resume, explain any employment
gaps by inserting a "job title" (full-time parent, volunteer,
student, independent study, travel abroad) that is relevant to your
job objective, or at least says something positive about your character.
For example, aspiring receptionist Sophia Ricardo was unemployed
for 15 years while she raised a family. In her Work History section,
she listed the relevant volunteer positions she held during that
time.
Dates that
Trigger Age Discrimination
Here's a great way to understand how the dates on your resume create
an impression of your age. It's called the EPT formula (Experience
Plus Twenty): Subtract the earliest work history date on your resume
from today's date (years only, not months). Add that number of years
to 20 (used as a ballpark figure for how old you probably were when
you started working) to get a total of "x," meaning that
you are at least x years old. For example, a resume written in 2010
with a work history that starts in 1995 tells the reader that the
job seeker is at least 35 years old (15 years of experience + 20
= 35).
A well-crafted
resume uses dates to lead the employer to deduce that you are within
the ideal age range for the position you are seeking, regardless
of your actual age. For example, Lillian Smith is older than the
"ideal" candidate the employer is hoping to hire for an
administrative assistant position. Knowing that, she did not put
dates next to her degrees under Education and she went back only
15 years in her Work History, indicating that she is at least 35
years old, an age she believes the employer will deem appropriate.
Job Hopping
On average, workers change jobs once every two to three years. In
many industries, employers find this rate of job change acceptable.
Less than two years between jobs raises the question, "If I
hire this person, how quickly will he leave me for his next opportunity?"
If you have
short terms of employment in your history, here are some ways to
put a prospective employer's mind at ease. One or more of these
suggestions might work for you:
- Use a functional
format. This format takes the spotlight off your Work History
section by placing it at the bottom of the resume, thereby shining
the light on the skill headings in the body of the resume.
- Present similar
short-term jobs under one job title, such as:
Information Analyst assignments: XYZ Inc., ABC Corp., and JFK
Co., 2002-2004
This technique
works in both the chronological and functional formats.
- If you're
a new grad, include wording such as "concurrent with education"
in the heading of your Employment section. This technique may
be used in either a chronological or functional format.
- If you worked
as a temp, state the employment agency as your employer, or call
yourself a contractor and create a list of selected companies
where you worked. For example:
Information Analyst, ABC Temp Agency, 2001-2003
or
Information Analyst Contractor, 2001-2003
Selected clients: DEF Corp., HIJ Inc., and KLM Co.
Overqualified
If you're worried that something on your resume might make you look
overqualified for your job objective, consider placing that information
in an inconspicuous place on your resume, or leave it off completely.
For instance, if you're applying for an entry-level job as a pastry
chef, you might not put your Ph.D. in Chemistry on your resume for
fear that the employer would assume you want too much salary or
would become bored in an entry-level position.
© Copyright Susan Ireland, 2003-10. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
---------------------------------------------
About this author:
Susan
Ireland is the author of four job search books including The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect
Resume, now in its 5th edition. For more information
about writing your resume, read Susan's books or visit Susan's Website SusanIreland.com. For immediate help with your resume and cover letter, check out Susan's Ready
Made Resumes and Cover Letters, a downloadable product to help job seekers quickly create an effective resume. Follow Susan on Twitter @SusanIreland, visit her JobLounge blog, and interact with her on the LinkedIn's JOBS Group (Job Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections!) in her ** Let's Talk Resumes ** featured discussion.
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