Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job by Ellen Gordon Reeves Page A
Authors: Ellen Gordon Reeves
Tags: Self-Help, Non-Fiction
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typically create a great deal of anxiety for résumé writers.
1. You Were Fired
D O YOU LIST THE JOB OR NOT?
If the job was short-term or not relevant to the position you’re applying for, you may simply be able to leave it off your résumé and list other activities—such as volunteer work or community service—you were engaged in during that time. A long-term job should appear on your résumé, though.
In an interview, you don’t need to advertise the fact that you were fired, but if asked, you should be direct. Were you fired as part of a general layoff or downsizing? If so, try to offer a plausible explanation for why you were let go—you were the most recently hired, most junior person, and so on. A personality conflict? Be careful not to criticize your previous employer, sound like you carry a grudge, or appear vindictive—even if these things are all true.
Focus on the transferable skills you acquired, and discuss the issue of your firing calmly, matter-of-factly, and practically. While it was a difficult situation for you, you quickly picked yourself back up, polished your résumé, and began a new job search. You consider yourself stronger for the experience, and you realize firing someone can be as unpleasant as being fired.
2. You Worked in a Family Business
Y OU WORKED IN A FAMILY BUSINESS OR FOR A RELATIVE ? So do thousands of people. Some job-seekers feel that listing a family job on a résumésmacks of nepotism. Don’t worry about it. Nepotism rules! If you’re lucky enough to have a family business to go into or a relative to hire you, great! Acknowledge the uniqueness of the situation in a way that reflects positively on you. Prepare some anecdotes about the pleasures and perils of working with and for relatives. If your direct boss was a relative, list a coworker or client as a reference. I don’t want to call a reference you’ve listed with a different last name than yours and find out I’m actually talking to your dad—I’ll feel you tried to dupe me.
3. You Have a Major Chronological Gap, for a Complicated or Personal Reason
Y OU HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN . You were depressed. You were sick, or someone in your family was sick or died. You were recovering from an addiction. You were hanging out with a boyfriend. You were bumming around Europe or surfing in Hawaii.
You are not alone. All of these scenarios—and many others—are more common than you think. The key is in how you present them. Some résumé readers are highly focused on chronology, so you must be able to matter-of-factly explain gaps; others won’t even notice, but you should be prepared.
If you were dealing with a chronic illness or death in the family and chose to make this a priority, people generally understand. If you were dealing with something like substance abuse or a nervous breakdown, be discreet—you don’t want to raise red flags: “I took time off from an unsatisfying job to rethink my options.” “I spent time with my family, reconsidering my priorities and researching career options.” (More on these situations in chapter 6 , Getting Through the Interview.)
Proofreading Your Résumé
Once you’ve got your résumé drafted, proofread it. Use spell-check, then read it through again. Then, have it read and proofread by someone meticulous; if possible, get someone in a hiring position to look at it as well—it doesn’t have to be someone in your field.
Do not trust spell-check alone. The program doesn’t truly understand grammar, and it sometimes creates errors—a reference to the book
Madame Ovary
was one memorable example. Don’t take this risk. Youcan’t afford to have a single typo, spelling, grammatical, or punctuation mistake on your résumé.
Proofread every time you make a change, no matter how minor. Cutting and pasting often leads to formatting errors.
If you must proofread your résumé on your own, read it through at least three times, with a night of sleep in between readings for
1. You Were Fired
D O YOU LIST THE JOB OR NOT?
If the job was short-term or not relevant to the position you’re applying for, you may simply be able to leave it off your résumé and list other activities—such as volunteer work or community service—you were engaged in during that time. A long-term job should appear on your résumé, though.
In an interview, you don’t need to advertise the fact that you were fired, but if asked, you should be direct. Were you fired as part of a general layoff or downsizing? If so, try to offer a plausible explanation for why you were let go—you were the most recently hired, most junior person, and so on. A personality conflict? Be careful not to criticize your previous employer, sound like you carry a grudge, or appear vindictive—even if these things are all true.
Focus on the transferable skills you acquired, and discuss the issue of your firing calmly, matter-of-factly, and practically. While it was a difficult situation for you, you quickly picked yourself back up, polished your résumé, and began a new job search. You consider yourself stronger for the experience, and you realize firing someone can be as unpleasant as being fired.
2. You Worked in a Family Business
Y OU WORKED IN A FAMILY BUSINESS OR FOR A RELATIVE ? So do thousands of people. Some job-seekers feel that listing a family job on a résumésmacks of nepotism. Don’t worry about it. Nepotism rules! If you’re lucky enough to have a family business to go into or a relative to hire you, great! Acknowledge the uniqueness of the situation in a way that reflects positively on you. Prepare some anecdotes about the pleasures and perils of working with and for relatives. If your direct boss was a relative, list a coworker or client as a reference. I don’t want to call a reference you’ve listed with a different last name than yours and find out I’m actually talking to your dad—I’ll feel you tried to dupe me.
3. You Have a Major Chronological Gap, for a Complicated or Personal Reason
Y OU HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN . You were depressed. You were sick, or someone in your family was sick or died. You were recovering from an addiction. You were hanging out with a boyfriend. You were bumming around Europe or surfing in Hawaii.
You are not alone. All of these scenarios—and many others—are more common than you think. The key is in how you present them. Some résumé readers are highly focused on chronology, so you must be able to matter-of-factly explain gaps; others won’t even notice, but you should be prepared.
If you were dealing with a chronic illness or death in the family and chose to make this a priority, people generally understand. If you were dealing with something like substance abuse or a nervous breakdown, be discreet—you don’t want to raise red flags: “I took time off from an unsatisfying job to rethink my options.” “I spent time with my family, reconsidering my priorities and researching career options.” (More on these situations in chapter 6 , Getting Through the Interview.)
Proofreading Your Résumé
Once you’ve got your résumé drafted, proofread it. Use spell-check, then read it through again. Then, have it read and proofread by someone meticulous; if possible, get someone in a hiring position to look at it as well—it doesn’t have to be someone in your field.
Do not trust spell-check alone. The program doesn’t truly understand grammar, and it sometimes creates errors—a reference to the book
Madame Ovary
was one memorable example. Don’t take this risk. Youcan’t afford to have a single typo, spelling, grammatical, or punctuation mistake on your résumé.
Proofread every time you make a change, no matter how minor. Cutting and pasting often leads to formatting errors.
If you must proofread your résumé on your own, read it through at least three times, with a night of sleep in between readings for
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