I need to find a job. My freelance stuff isn’t pulling in enough to account for the high cost of living in the Boston area and we’re going to be here for another year and a half, so I need to find a job. I was a stay at home mom for 10 years before my divorce, and then I had a period of job hunting followed by about six months of employment, after which I went back to school and finished my degree. Then we moved here and I’ve been doing freelance work for the last year and a half. So my resumé isn’t all that impressive in terms of job history.
I am also really rusty on the whole how-do-I-even-begin side of things. I’ve looked at Craigslist and I’m going to look at Monster.com today, but any advice anyone has is most welcome.
I don’t even know what I want to do except that I know I don’t want to be on my feet all day. I’m good at computer related stuff, design/art stuff, writing/editing, and I pick up new skills quickly so I could be trained to do lots of things.
I just sort of feel like I’m blindfolded and wandering right now, though, so I guess I’m really starting this thread in hopes that I can get some direction from people who’ve gone through this more recently/more often than I have.
Also, if anyone out there is good with resumés and wants to help me with mine you’d be my bestest friend for life.
What level position are you looking for? Is this a ‘any basic office job is better than none’ or are you looking to join an organisation at a professional level? Cos the advice will differ.
resumes for dummies has a great chapter on how to translate the multitude of things you do as a stay at home mom to corporate speak.
for example, domestic specialist or home management. time management for doing more in less time or tight schedules. budgeting experience for developing home budgets.
home based skills could include peer counseling, arranging social events, conflict resolution, problem solving, decorating, solid purchasing judgment, planning trips and relocation, communicating.
they suggest headings like a summary of experience at the top, then nonprofit/volunteer service, home management, and addional professional experience at the bottom for employment that was long ago.
I would have thought the opposite. You’re coming back into the workforce after a break. There’s not a lot of history or reference information. Having a friend put in a good word for you would seem to me to be paramount in this scenario.
That’s how my wife got back into it after a good number of years as a stay-at-home-mom.
Temp agencies are a great way to get started after an employment break.
As someone who has been on both sides of them - if you have a pulse, some motivation, the knowledge of the alphabet and a willingness to do whatever needs to be done you’ll probably be offered full time work after a few assignments.
Oddly however that doesn’t make it easier to get the first assignment. The agencies are notoriously bad at recognizing talent so go see a few of them and get on the books at them all. Once you get the first assignment everything will be a lot smoother.
No, I still don’t get it. Starter jobs don’t require references. They require somebody who shows up when they’re supposed to and doesn’t set fires or stain the furniture. Not that personal contacts wouldn’t help. I’m sure they do. Here’s a letter or reference for anyone who needs one:
Dear sir or madam,
I’m pretty my fellow message board poster will not set fire to your establishment or befoul your furniture.
Starter jobs absolutely require references as anyone who has looked for one will tell you. If there are 400 applicants for that entry-level position knowing the OpalCat won’t burn down the furniture, because your buddy Bob knows her and said she won’t, will put her up one over the others.
Thanks for your help so far, I’m still working on my resumé… I have a really newb question. sigh. When listing previous jobs, do I put the contact info for that company with the name of the company? Or do I put that in a references section?
I wouldn’t. On the resume, I’d list company name, city, state, position held and a description. Your list of references should contain actual contact info for the person acting as a reference.
I personally do not provide a list of references with the resume and cover letter. I include the line “references available on request”
I will bring a list of references with me to an interview, but I don’t like to hand out contact info for my references willy-nilly.
In fact, most resume professionals will tell you that nowadays there’s no reason to even put “References available upon request” on your resume at all; it’s understood.
And there’s really no need to bring them to an interview either. If they ask for them, you can forward by email.
Getting entry-level positions isn’t hard work, but it’s a lot of work.
Resumé: Shorter is better. The ability to write a succinct yet informative resumé is invaluable.
Applications: Consider if you want to hand in applications by hand or electronically. If you try to hand it in by hand, but get told that the company only handles applications delivered electronically, do not press the issue. Do not ask to speak to the supervisor, do not pass go, not not collect $200. Just go home and submit it. You want to be remembered as the polite, smiling person who took instruction, not the indignant or arrogant person who bypasses the receptionist to force him- or herself on the supervisor. I currently work at a reception; it’s amazing the amount of people who screw this part up.
Do not be tempted to cheat. Putting a ping-pong ball in your envelope so that it has to go on the top of the pile (since anything put on top of it slides off) will amuse the HR person the first time it happens to him. Rest assured, it won’t be the first time. Distinction is good, yes - by all means, use a fancy envelope and a private letterhead - unless it means being remembered as a distinguished asshole. (Unless it’s for a sales person. Those guys love dick moves.)
Before interviews, do research on the company - and not just from the company webpage. If you know what they do, how they do it and who their biggest customers are, you’ll definitely be able to use that in an interview.
“Getting a job” is now your 9-5 job. It took me the better part of two months last time, but then I turned down three positions where I’d heard bad things.