Question:

Three years ago my company downsized and went from 15,000 to 1,500 employees . I was one of those who lost their job. Rather than trying to find a new job, I decided to finish my education. I'm now applying for jobs. My resume starts with my objective statement, then my education and then my job experience. My fear is that the education area is being scanned and the date of my last job is being focused on more.

First Answer:

Your situation is certainly a common one, given today's economy. You are correct when you assume that your resume will get only a few seconds, and someone is naturally likely to read, starting at the top. You didn't say how long you had been in the workforce prior to your layoff. Normally, I'd put work experience first, then education, then other skills and affiliations.

If your work experience exceeds your educational experience by a significant amount, I would certainly put work experience first. An employer who likes what s/he sees is then more likely to run down the rest of the resume to see your academic qualifications. Having that new degree will certainly help!

If your work experience is marginal, however, and your degree is not that of a generalist or it is in a field where that degree is essential, I might suggest that you put your education first.

You might also want to consider a functional resume, where skills are grouped but not by job or in chronological order.

Finally, the most important piece of advice I can offer is to be confident in yourself and your abilities on the phone and when you interview. As I say in my book You Are The Product - How To Sell Yourself To Employers, you need to research prospective employers, get a view of their "corporate culture" and then make a pitch that sells you as a holistic person, not just a degree or a repository of skills.

-- Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Second Answer:

This is one of those facts over which you have no control. You are right to put the education first IF it prepared you for a different field or higher-level job, and it also covers the time since the last job, so logic dictates it be there. Employers' preference to hire someone currently doing the exact job they are trying to fill, for a competitor down the street, who has an excellent industry-wide reputation is not going to fade away. Someone who doesn't want to hire someone out of the market for three years isn't going to. You are hunting for those who see that education as an asset. Your counter is three years of current education which hopefully supplied you with cutting edge theory and approaches to solving problems that other candidates may lack.

Because only 10% of jobs are filled through want ads, it isn't as important as you think that the scanner or even a human eye focuses on your three years out of the workforce; the people who get seen first are those who are INTRODUCED. 70-80% of jobs are consistently found through introductions gained through relationship building (networking, to use a term some professionals in the field are trying hard to retire because of its connotation of "use me, abuse me, forget me"). This is not to say that "it's who you know that gets you hired," but it is true that "it's who you know that gets you SEEN." You still have to sell yourself into the job as the best qualified candidate throughout the interviewing and selection process.

Introductions trump résumés every time. When making the "networking" phone calls, or even emailing, to say "Dave Green suggested you might be able to give me good advice on my job search" you don't send a résumé in advance of an in-person meeting (you bring one with you marked DRAFT and invite critiques about how it does or doesn't sell you into the role you seek) because the minute you show a finished résumé the reader suspects you are going to ask her or him for a job. The goal is not to wallpaper your environment with résumés but to widen your spheres of influence by building relationships-your lifetime Palm Pilot®/Roladex® of contacts-that you will use to find a job now and as professional resources and colleagues in the future.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City

Third Answer:

You're probably right that employers are checking the employment history to see if you're presently working and how much of a gap there is between jobs. Recruiting thought leaders say the most attractive candidates are the passive ones who are still working. The fact that they are still working is an indicator of their present value. There are a few things you can do to overcome this situational, economy-driven bias.

In the recruiting industry, it is a well-known fact that we went into an economic depression when the Internet went bust -- around the second half of 2000. Even highly-valued employees were let go in order for what remnants of the company there were to survive. Some of those employers are staying in touch with those employees so that when things pick up or when the need for an outsourced or consultant situation arises, they can re-recruit or enlist the services of a known performer.

Keep your past employer contacts up to date. Make your availability known in the right places.

Some people work full-time and complete their academic studies through evening classes at university. There are times when the last several required classes for graduation simply are not offered in the evening or only once per year. It's necessary to find approved substitutes, ask for flex time to attend and complete the courses, or else take a leave of absence in order to finally graduate. As to the latter, a sentence or so in your cover letter stating that fact should be sufficient.

In your cover letter, talk about taking a break from employment in order to complete your degree. Discuss in a sentence or two that you took the initiative to increase your expertise and earn your credentials.

May all of your Entrances be through the doors of success!

-- Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

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