Writing Your First Resume

Writing Your First ResumeA few years ago, I wrote my first resume, and it was really not easy to do. It was a simple, straightforward job opening and all of the information that was required on a resume was in the document. In the past five years, however, it has become more challenging to write a resume since the job markets have become more competitive.Writing a first resume has been all but impossible for me. I knew all of the information required but I had never before had to put it all together to produce an effective cover letter. When I started out in this profession, one of the first things that I did when interviewing for a job was to request an interview and then send in a resume. I did this for six months, including six days on-site, and then my resume was rejected every time.My first real job, when I got my degree, was a letter based, not an interview-based job. I got this job because a friend recommended me to a company in the industry and I got the job without a second thought. The owner told me that I was brilliant and the position just didn't exist and so he hired me on the spot.Once I was hired, I began to get rejection letters in the mail every single day. This continued for about six months, and eventually my luck changed, because a few weeks later, I received a job offer from the company that I interviewed with!During this time, I had to work very hard to make a short amount of money to support myself, but I did it. My time went by quickly and I was able to make quite a bit of money within a short amount of time. I was working at home and was able to give all of my efforts to making extra money for my family. This is a great way to keep your confidence level high if you are living in a situation where you can only work part time or no work at all.After three years of consistently working, it was time to start writing my first resume. I went back to college to get my Master's degree in Human Resources, so I was able to take a refresher course on resume writing. It took about a year, but I was finally able to complete my resume on my own. I really worked hard to make this process more successful than my first job, and once I did I was able to immediately begin receiving offers for new jobs.Since I am in a fast pace business, I am able to create resumes quickly. Even if you are not in a fast paced industry, like I am, creating a good resume can help you greatly.

Stay at Home Mom Resume and Cover Letter Tips (With Examples) - ZipJob

Stay at Home Mom Resume and Cover Letter Tips (With Examples) Spread the loveOne of the most difficult challenges facing any job-seeker is the challenge of trying to re-enter the workforce after any significant time away. Take your average stay at home mom, for example. She may have spent several months or even years out of the workforce as she devoted herself to caring for her small children. That same mom often finds it difficult to get back into the workforce once the children are a little older and no longer require that extra care. Fortunately, that difficulty can be minimized with the right resume. In this post, we’ll go over some important resume tips to help you craft a resume that can get you back to work.Stay at Home Mom Resume GapThere’s no denying the challenge that a stay at home mom can face. Even a few months away from the workplace can seem like an eternity. That becomes painfully obvious as soon as you start polishing up your resume to prepare for your job search. Women in this situation often find that there are a number o f concerns that they need to address:Any significant time away can leave a noticeable gap in your resume. How do you explain it?Homemaker skills differ dramatically from most skills needed in the workplace.While you were away, your industry probably continued to evolve. Are your skills still relevant?You may find yourself doubting your readiness to rejoin the workforce.(We wrote a good post here on dealing with employment gaps)Use Your Resume to Overcome these ChallengesThe good news is that your resume can be the perfect tool to overcome these challenges. The key is to understand that you’re not alone. As we noted in our post for stay at home parents, 9 Stay at Home Parent Resume Tips to Land a Job Fast, official estimates suggest that millions of Americans choose to be stay at home moms or dads. More importantly, thousands of those stay at homers successfully re-enter the workplace every year. If they did it, you can do it too!To accomplish that goal, however, you will need your resume to be on-point. Since that document will be the first thing most employers see, you need to ensure that it properly conveys your situation and potential value, in the most effective manner possible. The following tips can help you to better manage your resume-creation or tailoring process:Choose the right resume format. If the employment gap is significant, you may want to consider the functional format to better highlight your qualifications and skills.Use a powerful resume summary statement to emphasize the value that you can bring as a new employee.Don’t be afraid to include new skills that you’ve learned or developed during your time as a stay at home mom.Highlight continuing education to demonstrate that you’ve worked to stay current with industry changes.Include Volunteer work if it involved the use of skills that are easily transferrable to your desired job.Do not get cute with your resume. Don’t try to hide your stay at home experience by inventing novel titl es to describe your homemaker status.Be honest. Chances are that any deception will be discovered at some point, so lay all the facts out on the table as clearly as you can.Polish up your cover letter. It’s a great place to explain why you were out of the workforce and convey why you’ve decided to return.But What If You Have No Work Experience?It can be an even greater challenge if your time as a stay at home mom occurred right after you left school and before you had a chance to enter the workforce. In that instance, you will need to de-emphasize job experience and focus on your education and skills. Look carefully at the job description and craft a resume that focuses on the skills needed for the job. Include both hard skills that you developed in school, as well as so-called soft skills. Remember, the key is to position yourself as the candidate who can offer the most value to the employer.Do You Mention Stay at Home Mom on Resume?No you do not include Stay at home mom on a resume. You can briefly mention it on the cover letter (example below).Remember that you can list volunteer work or  self employment on your resume to make up for these gaps.Did you do any freelance work? Run a business or do any remote work/consulting? If so, this can be listed as a position on your resume just like your other work experience.If you dont have anything to list its not the end of the world. Keep networking and apply to as many positions as youre qualified for. Hiring managers understand that people become parents and need some time off.Stay at Home Resume Example(Text version below)Stay At Home Mom  Cover Letter ExampleYou’ll notice that the example above includes a significant employment gap. Use your cover letter to explain why that gap exists. Here is an example of how you can accomplish that goal:I spent several years away from the workforce to care for my first child immediately after she was born. During that time, I continued to keep abreast of legal develo pments, and diligently pursued the continuing educational requirements needed to maintain my certification. In addition, I worked to develop new technology skills, while improving my professional writing and presentation skills. Finally, I served as a volunteer paralegal with the local public legal counsel’s office to keep my skills as sharp as possible. As a result, I am extremely confident that I can be an asset to your legal firm right away.As you can see, time away from the workforce doesn’t need to be an insurmountable challenge for your resume. With the right approach and emphasis, you can still present yourself as an asset to any company. And that should help to make your transition from stay at home mom to active participant in the workforce easier than you ever imagined it could be.Stay at Home Resume Text SampleLitigation Paralegal Administrative Support  Project ManagerCustomer/Client Service  Document Preparation  Executive/Director Level Support  A highly talent ed litigation paralegal with 11 years of experience supporting busy attorneys and ensuring fast-paced offices are running at top productivity.   Extremely accurate and organized with strong skills in legal office administration, document preparation, correspondence and pleadings, file management and providing exceptional client/customer service.   Strives in fast-paced environments performing regular and recurring duties independently without supervision.   Self-starter with excellent oral and written communication skills with extensive knowledge of legal terminology, scheduling and documentation. Outstanding in project management with the abilities to analyze, prioritize and multi-task efficiently to ensure projects are delivered timely and accurately. Strong academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University and an ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego.Core CompetenciesEmployme nt LitigationLegal Office AdministrationComplex SchedulingFile ManagementArbitration HearingsSoftware FluencyLegal CorrespondenceClient Billing Professional Experiencexxx San Diego, CA 2013 â€" 2017 Paralegal/Secretary â€" Insurance DefenseInvolved in all aspects of litigation support and case management for over 50 casesServed as a liaison between clients, opposing counsel, vendors and witnesses providing exceptional support at all timesEfficiently and accurately drafted, filed and served mediation briefs, pleadings, motions and discoveryMaintained busy schedules ensuring accurate calendaring and file management  xxxx  San Diego,  CA 2012 â€" 2013 Paralegal â€" Employment LawPrepared concise, issue-pertinent deposition and document summaries from voluminous document productions, deposition transcripts and multi-party discovery responsesMaintained strong relationships with clients in order to sustain updated client information and review, organize and summarize employment and medical recordsProvided exceptional customer service while handling client questions and providing supportParalegal â€" Insurance Defense and Empl oyment Law Promptly and meticulously prepared legal documents including discovery, motions, stipulations and declarationsPerformed extensive document reviews and produced numerous transcript summariesSupported attorneys by researching appropriate cases, laws and judicial decisionsGained a complete knowledge of state, federal and appellate court rules as well as arbitration proceedings, including the American Arbitration Association and JAMS/EndisputeEducationUniversity of San Diego, San Diego, CA: 2003ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate â€" General LitigationCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA: 2000Bachelor of Science in Business Administration â€" Management Human Resources Stay at Home Mom Resume and Cover Letter Tips (With Examples) Spread the loveOne of the most difficult challenges facing any job-seeker is the challenge of trying to re-enter the workforce after any significant time away. Take your average stay at home mom, for example. She may have spent several months or even years out of the workforce as she devoted herself to caring for her small children. That same mom often finds it difficult to get back into the workforce once the children are a little older and no longer require that extra care. Fortunately, that difficulty can be minimized with the right resume. In this post, we’ll go over some important resume tips to help you craft a resume that can get you back to work.Stay at Home Mom Resume GapThere’s no denying the challenge that a stay at home mom can face. Even a few months away from the workplace can seem like an eternity. That becomes painfully obvious as soon as you start polishing up your resume to prepare for your job search. Women in this situation often find that there are a number o f concerns that they need to address:Any significant time away can leave a noticeable gap in your resume. How do you explain it?Homemaker skills differ dramatically from most skills needed in the workplace.While you were away, your industry probably continued to evolve. Are your skills still relevant?You may find yourself doubting your readiness to rejoin the workforce.(We wrote a good post here on dealing with employment gaps)Use Your Resume to Overcome these ChallengesThe good news is that your resume can be the perfect tool to overcome these challenges. The key is to understand that you’re not alone. As we noted in our post for stay at home parents, 9 Stay at Home Parent Resume Tips to Land a Job Fast, official estimates suggest that millions of Americans choose to be stay at home moms or dads. More importantly, thousands of those stay at homers successfully re-enter the workplace every year. If they did it, you can do it too!To accomplish that goal, however, you will need your resume to be on-point. Since that document will be the first thing most employers see, you need to ensure that it properly conveys your situation and potential value, in the most effective manner possible. The following tips can help you to better manage your resume-creation or tailoring process:Choose the right resume format. If the employment gap is significant, you may want to consider the functional format to better highlight your qualifications and skills.Use a powerful resume summary statement to emphasize the value that you can bring as a new employee.Don’t be afraid to include new skills that you’ve learned or developed during your time as a stay at home mom.Highlight continuing education to demonstrate that you’ve worked to stay current with industry changes.Include Volunteer work if it involved the use of skills that are easily transferrable to your desired job.Do not get cute with your resume. Don’t try to hide your stay at home experience by inventing novel titl es to describe your homemaker status.Be honest. Chances are that any deception will be discovered at some point, so lay all the facts out on the table as clearly as you can.Polish up your cover letter. It’s a great place to explain why you were out of the workforce and convey why you’ve decided to return.But What If You Have No Work Experience?It can be an even greater challenge if your time as a stay at home mom occurred right after you left school and before you had a chance to enter the workforce. In that instance, you will need to de-emphasize job experience and focus on your education and skills. Look carefully at the job description and craft a resume that focuses on the skills needed for the job. Include both hard skills that you developed in school, as well as so-called soft skills. Remember, the key is to position yourself as the candidate who can offer the most value to the employer.Do You Mention Stay at Home Mom on Resume?No you do not include Stay at home mom on a resume. You can briefly mention it on the cover letter (example below).Remember that you can list volunteer work or  self employment on your resume to make up for these gaps.Did you do any freelance work? Run a business or do any remote work/consulting? If so, this can be listed as a position on your resume just like your other work experience.If you dont have anything to list its not the end of the world. Keep networking and apply to as many positions as youre qualified for. Hiring managers understand that people become parents and need some time off.Stay at Home Resume Example(Text version below)Stay At Home Mom  Cover Letter ExampleYou’ll notice that the example above includes a significant employment gap. Use your cover letter to explain why that gap exists. Here is an example of how you can accomplish that goal:I spent several years away from the workforce to care for my first child immediately after she was born. During that time, I continued to keep abreast of legal develo pments, and diligently pursued the continuing educational requirements needed to maintain my certification. In addition, I worked to develop new technology skills, while improving my professional writing and presentation skills. Finally, I served as a volunteer paralegal with the local public legal counsel’s office to keep my skills as sharp as possible. As a result, I am extremely confident that I can be an asset to your legal firm right away.As you can see, time away from the workforce doesn’t need to be an insurmountable challenge for your resume. With the right approach and emphasis, you can still present yourself as an asset to any company. And that should help to make your transition from stay at home mom to active participant in the workforce easier than you ever imagined it could be.Stay at Home Resume Text SampleLitigation Paralegal Administrative Support  Project ManagerCustomer/Client Service  Document Preparation  Executive/Director Level Support  A highly talent ed litigation paralegal with 11 years of experience supporting busy attorneys and ensuring fast-paced offices are running at top productivity.   Extremely accurate and organized with strong skills in legal office administration, document preparation, correspondence and pleadings, file management and providing exceptional client/customer service.   Strives in fast-paced environments performing regular and recurring duties independently without supervision.   Self-starter with excellent oral and written communication skills with extensive knowledge of legal terminology, scheduling and documentation. Outstanding in project management with the abilities to analyze, prioritize and multi-task efficiently to ensure projects are delivered timely and accurately. Strong academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University and an ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego.Core CompetenciesEmployme nt LitigationLegal Office AdministrationComplex SchedulingFile ManagementArbitration HearingsSoftware FluencyLegal CorrespondenceClient Billing Professional Experiencexxx San Diego, CA 2013 â€" 2017 Paralegal/Secretary â€" Insurance DefenseInvolved in all aspects of litigation support and case management for over 50 casesServed as a liaison between clients, opposing counsel, vendors and witnesses providing exceptional support at all timesEfficiently and accurately drafted, filed and served mediation briefs, pleadings, motions and discoveryMaintained busy schedules ensuring accurate calendaring and file management  xxxx  San Diego,  CA 2012 â€" 2013 Paralegal â€" Employment LawPrepared concise, issue-pertinent deposition and document summaries from voluminous document productions, deposition transcripts and multi-party discovery responsesMaintained strong relationships with clients in order to sustain updated client information and review, organize and summarize employment and medical recordsProvided exceptional customer service while handling client questions and providing supportParalegal â€" Insurance Defense and Empl oyment Law Promptly and meticulously prepared legal documents including discovery, motions, stipulations and declarationsPerformed extensive document reviews and produced numerous transcript summariesSupported attorneys by researching appropriate cases, laws and judicial decisionsGained a complete knowledge of state, federal and appellate court rules as well as arbitration proceedings, including the American Arbitration Association and JAMS/EndisputeEducationUniversity of San Diego, San Diego, CA: 2003ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate â€" General LitigationCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA: 2000Bachelor of Science in Business Administration â€" Management Human Resources

How To Answer 5 Tricky Job Interview Questions - Work It Daily

How To Answer 5 Tricky Job Interview Questions - Work It Daily Why do hiring managers ask tricky job interview questions? They ask because for them, hiring you is a risk. They try to minimize the risk by asking questions designed to uncover problems with you or your qualifications. Answer them well, and they will feel comfortable offering you the job. Related: 4 Tips To Answer Tough Interview Questions Correctly Here are five tricky job interview questions you should be ready to answer: Tricky Question #1 â€" Tell Me About Yourself This is commonly asked in social settings, so many people respond with a social answerâ€"this is a big mistake. Always answer this question as if you were answering “Why should we hire you?” because that’s what they’re really asking. What will matter most to them? Your education or experience? Your skills? Maybe you’re a great communicator, a fast problem-solver or a skilled motivator. Your achievements or awards? So your answer may be something like, “My background is in X, I am known for Y, and I have accomplished Z.” Everything you mention should be a reason why they should offer you the job. Tricky Question #2 â€" What Bothers You Most About Co-Workers Or Bosses? Everyone has things that bother them, so it sounds false to say that you don’t. At the same time, you don’t want to seem negative, easily angered, or quick to embrace conflict. Choose something very general that probably bothers most people, and be sure to speak about it calmly. For instance: “I don’t like negative attitudes. It doesn’t help anyone, even the person who’s being negative. If there’s a problem, they should focus on how to fix it.” That says you’re someone who’s focused on solutions rather than problems. Tricky Question #3 â€" Why Have You Been Out Of Work For So Long? Why haven’t you been snapped upâ€"is there something wrong with you? Alleviate their fears by being positive and helping them see that is YOUR choice: you haven’t found the right fit yet. If it’s true, tell them you took personal time before you hit the job search (maybe because you had a nice severance package), so you really haven’t been looking that long. Say that you’ve been on some interviews, but nothing that was a really great fit. As soon as you say that, say something like: “But it’s REALLY picked up lately, so I don’t think that I’m going to be in the search for much longer.” That’s an important psychological tactic: everybody wants what someone else wants, so give yourself a little bit of that aura of unattainability by pointing out that you are going to be snapped up soon. Tricky Question #4 â€" Why Weren’t You Promoted In Your Last Job? Not getting promoted isn’t as bad as getting fired, but it still leaves the hiring manager wondering if there’s a problem with you. The best answer indicates that it was YOUR choice: “I was offered a promotion, but I didn’t want to take on that additional responsibility.” Give them the reasonâ€"maybe you had small children, family obligations, or something else that may not be a factor now. “I was offered a promotion, but I wasn’t interested in moving in that direction in my career.” If that promotion wasn’t a good stop on your career path, that’s OK. Maybe the lack of promotion opportunities in your old company is exactly why you’re in the job searchâ€"so it makes perfect sense that you’re looking for advancement in another organization. One thing that will help you any time there’s some question about your background: your references. Cultivate good references and prep them before your interview. Tricky Question #5 â€" What Are You Most Proud Of? The worst mistake job seekers make is answering this question with something personal: they completed the Ironman competition, or they’re proud of their kids. Your answer to this MUST be work-relatedâ€"and not only that, it must be specifically related to this job. Think about your proudest accomplishments at work and choose one that would be especially impressive to this company, for this position (this is not necessarily the one YOU are the most proud of). Read over the job description and think about what may match up with those requirements. In your story, provide detailsâ€"quantified if possible. Don’t be afraid to brag, and show your enthusiasm. That’s what this question is for. In all your answers, be strategicâ€"everything you say in a job interview should give them another reason to hire you. The best thing you can do for yourself is to prepare answers to as many interview questions as you can. Start by downloading my free eBook - How to Answer Interview Questions - 50 Tough Questions â€" Answered! This post was originally published at an earlier date. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!