subject: What to Do with a Sketchy Work History [print this page] What to Do with a Sketchy Work History What to Do with a Sketchy Work History
What to Do With a Sketchy Work History
D. Wayne Bogue
Pro Resume Writer
A client of minea truly nice personhappens to have a rather "up and down" work history. Maybe that's you, too. You have skills, lots of skills, but when you put your resume together in standard resume formatting, a chronological list, it just doesn't look good.
You see a gap in employment here, a short term job there. The "holes" loom large. And maybe one job was so miserable they showed you the door. There you were, out looking for work again. Remember, you're not alone. More working folks than you might imagine have gaps in their employment, and they found solid jobs that they enjoy. You can too.
So when it's time to prepare a resume, what do you do?
First, realize that the purposethe sole purposeof your resume is to get an interview with a company you'd like to work for. That's it. Your resume should help you get a face-to-face meeting.
That means you don't need to explain every detail of your working life in your resume. That's the mistake many people make. They feel as though they're obligated to include everything. But they're not, and neither are you.
Second, treat your resume like a sales letter, a one to two page advertisement of a very special product: You! You must be honest, of course. Dishonesty, besides being wrong on its face, will soon be uncovered and will only lead to more disappointment and pain. Stay honest. Eventually you'll have to explain your work history, but that's always done more effectively during an interview.
Third, select the resume format that helps you the most. The standard chronological format is fine and works well if you have a relatively seamless work history. But for others, a Functional Format may work best.
The Function Format highlights your strengths, skills, capabilities and accomplishments before presenting your work history. The goal is to impress the employer with all that you have done, and can and will do for them, and then present your work history in an abbreviated format.
Here's the outline:
Objective
Strengths
Accomplishments and Capabilities
Employment History
Education
This approach has been effective in helping people with employment gaps and special challenges get face-to-face with prospective employers.
If you don't think you can do this resume yourself, hire a professional resume writer. It can make a huge difference.
