We show you how to answer one of the trickiest questions that might come up in your interview: Why did you leave your previous job?
It’s one of the most feared questions in an interview: Why did you leave your last job?
But it doesn’t have to be something to worry about. We’ll help you through that potential interview minefield and show you how you can not only answer the question but also use it to your advantage. The interviewer might be seeing if they can trip you up. You’re going to show them you can smash through any obstacle.

Why do interviewers ask why you left your last job?
An interviewer will want to know why you’re leaving (or have left) your previous role for a number of reasons.

Do you have a good reason for leaving your job?
If you left without good cause, or just because you were in a bad mood that day, your interviewer might doubt they can trust you and suspect you’ll do something similar to them.

Were you fired?
If so, your interviewer will want to know whether this was for bad performance, behavioral issues or something out of your control like a business restructure.

Did you burn any bridges?
If you still speak to your old manager or better yet have them as a reference, it shows you were good at your job and didn’t leave by flipping your desk and smashing your computer.

Do your values match theirs?
If you left for ambitious reasons like a greater challenge or more responsibilities, that shows your values are good and can benefit your new employers. If you left because you were bored or felt underappreciated, you might need to word it in a smart way to show you’re not difficult to work with.

How do you explain your reasons for leaving a job?
There are three main reasons for leaving a job, and some of them are easier to explain than others.

1. You’re leaving for career progression
This reason is perhaps the one interviewers are happiest to hear. If you’re leaving your job to further your career, you can explain how your previous role has helped you develop the skills you need to take that next step, and how excited you are to show what you’re capable of in this new position.
It also plays into one of the key rules of a job interview: you’re looking to move into something better, not leave something bad.

This positive outlook shows you’re ambitious without bad-mouthing any previous employer. It tells people that you’re confident and up for a challenge, ready to develop and learn new skills, and capable of moving up, instead of sideways.

2. You left your last job with nowhere to go
This reason is a little tougher to talk about, but it can still be done in a positive way. Many people will leave their jobs with nowhere else lined up, and there could be several contributing factors as to why. You might not have fit into your old employer’s way of working, your values might not have aligned, or you might have left for personal reasons such as your family moving away.

Whatever it is, you can explain in a way that shows you in a good light:
• You knew you were capable of doing more than your old job allowed.
• You knew you would find something better with the skills you possess.
• You hold your values dearly and were unwilling to let them go for the sake of your work.
All these answers show you to be confident and capable. Even if the real reason you left is that your boss was driving you insane, you can say that you were looking for a better cultural fit where your strengths could be put to better use.
Don’t interview angry. Interview smart.

3. You were fired
Maybe the most challenging reason to explain in an interview is that you were fired. It’s happened to the best of us, and it’s never easy to show a sudden career change like that on your CV.
However, you can approach it creatively.
Being fired isn’t always a bad thing. It can take you out of a situation that wasn’t right for you and give you an opportunity to find somewhere you can thrive. Make sure you mention everything you learned at your old job, talking about how the experience helped you and showed you what you really wanted in your career.
Keep your answer positive. You were fired because the business and you were moving in different ways, and now you’re moving in a better direction.

10 GOOD reasons for leaving a job
Whatever your reason for leaving, there’s a way to make it work in your favor. Try using one of our examples the next time you interview for a role. You’ll see how easy it is to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive outcome.

Example 1. This job was too good to ignore
“It’s not so much about why I’m leaving my current role; it’s more that this is a role I couldn’t ignore. I’ve loved my time at <current company> and learned so much about <examples of what you’ve learned>, but now I’m ready to put those skills to use in a new challenge. When I saw this role, I knew now was the time for me to step up and prove what I was capable of.”

Why it works:
You show that you’re ambitious. You’ve studied the job posting and know you have what it takes to make it your own. You’re not bad-mouthing your former employers, and you are subtly praising your potential new ones.

Example 2. I’ve achieved all I can and I’m ready for a new challenge
“In my current role, I’ve achieved all that has been asked of me. I’ve won the business new work, earned them more money, and hit all my KPIs. There’s nothing left for me to prove, and I’m ready to take on a new challenge. This role represents new opportunities for me to test myself, using the skills I’ve learned in my current job to step up to the plate and do even more.”

Why it works:
You show how much you’ve already done and how you’re ready to do even more. You might be bored at your current job, but you don’t say that. Instead, you say you’re ready to push on and achieve great goals.

Example 3. I believe I can offer more to you than them
“I’ve enjoyed my time in my current role, but I believe the job description for this role better aligns with my skills and values. I’m capable of doing more than my current role requires, and this job would give me the room to grow.”

Why it works:
You demonstrate that you’re ready for the next step. You understand how your values match and how well you could work with a potential employer.

Example 4. The company was struggling
“Unfortunately, my old company lost one of its biggest clients and had to make structural changes. I was one of the last people in through the door, so I was also one of the first out. My former manager was sad to see me go, as they believed I would have been of huge benefit to the business in different circumstances.”

Why it works:
Your job loss was for business reasons, not personal ones. You’re still in touch with your former employer, which shows you build good relationships.

Example 5. Management changes
“A change in management meant my role was no longer best suited to my strengths. They brought in new people to deliver the kind of work they wanted. Ultimately, this taught me where my true passions lie, and when I saw your job ad I knew I could better express them here.”

Why it works:
You don’t sound negative or defensive. You explain the situation in a straightforward way.

Example 6. Relocation
“The business announced it would be merging with another company, meaning its head office would move to a new location. My family lives here, and I knew that leaving them behind wouldn’t be good for my professional or personal life. I chose to pursue a job I could thrive in closer to home.”

Why it works:
You care about your family and put your mental health before corporate restructures. This shows you have strong values.

Example 7. Our values are better aligned
“Looking at your website and the work you produce, I can see that our values are very closely aligned. My current company sees things in a different way than me, and I would love the chance to work somewhere I can be truly proud of.”

Why it works:
Values matter. Companies are keener than ever to promote their beliefs and hire people who share them.

Example 8. Family reasons
“My partner was offered an exciting role in a new area, and I chose to move with them to support their career goals. Unfortunately, this meant I could no longer work for my old company, so I am looking to bring all my knowledge and experience to a role in the area I now call home.”

Why it works:
Family comes first. This shows you’re loyal and committed, two traits any good employer would be happy to bring on board.

Example 9. It’s the right job at the right time
“I believe this role has come about at the perfect time for me. I’ve loved every second at my current company, but having worked there for a number of years, I know I need to step up in order to advance my career. I don’t want to wait around for the chance to come – I want to chase what I know is best for me.”

Why it works:
You’re not happy to sit and hope for the best. You’re pursuing the right job, which shows ambition and determination.

Example 10. You want better pay (but be careful)
“I’m motivated by achieving the best results for my clients, something I had a great track record of doing at my previous role. I’m also motivated by career growth, and being compensated fairly for the work I do.”

Why it works:
We all want to be paid more money. This shows people that you are willing to work for it. However, make sure money isn’t the only thing you talk about. Hiring managers will want to see your passion for the job and a commitment to the cause. If money is your only motivation, it might look like you’d be willing to jump ship if a better offer came along.

How NOT to explain your reasons for leaving a job
There are a few reasons for leaving a job that an interviewer just doesn’t want to hear (no matter how true they might be). If any of these are why you left your job, it might be best not to mention them. Use a more positive reason such as career progression or a new challenge, and leave the manager hate behind.

Bad example #1: You hate your boss
Lots of us have worked for people we just don’t like, but that hatred will only hold you back at an interview. Instead, say you’re looking to work somewhere that better fits with your values. It’s the same thing, just done in a smarter way.

Bad example #2: You’re bored
If we were all being honest, boredom would be the reason behind many job switches. But saying it out loud is a lot worse than just thinking it. Instead, say you’re looking for an exciting new opportunity.

Bad example #3: You thought the company was rubbish
Worked somewhere terrible? Join the club. But it sounds a bit unprofessional to slam your old employers in an interview. You never know, the interviewer might have friends who work there, so don’t burn any bridges you might still need to cross.

The post How to explain your reasons for leaving a job (and still get hired) appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

“Whitening the Resume.” That is what the headline of a 2009 New York Times article read. A gripping, three-word phrase that described the tactic of candidates altering elements of their resumes to appear less ethnically diverse: changing a name from “Tahani Tompkins” to “T. S. Tompkins”, scrubbing mentions of HBCUs or historically black colleges and universities, deleting professional organizations or racially-specific clubs from the bottom of a resume.

However, this strategy was nothing new.

In 1963, sociologist Erving Goffman coined the term “covering” to describe how individuals with known stigmatized identities made a “great effort” to alter those identities to be accepted by the mainstream. Fifty years later a Deloitte University study revealed eighty-three percent of LGBTQ individuals, 79 percent of Blacks, 67 percent of women of color, 66 percent of women, and 63 percent of Hispanics admitted to covering. Surprisingly the study exposed that 45 percent of straight White men — who have not been the focus of most inclusion efforts — reported covering.

As the NYTimes article had explored, “whitening” or “covering” had become commonplace among a new generation in the workplace. Some would argue that it is still a must-do for ethnic job seekers. Various studies have confirmed that Black candidates have a harder time than whites. A study published in The American Economic Review titled “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?” found that applicants with Black-sounding names received 50 percent fewer callbacks than those with white-sounding names. Another study looking just at academic science jobs found that application materials from female candidates received lower rankings and lower starting salaries than male candidates, even when a job application reviewer was female.

However, despite this implicit bias, industry experts contend that employers want job seekers to bring their entire selves to the job. From Glassdoor to GitHub, Pinterest to Proctor & Gamble, creating a diverse company culture has become a top priority. And for Salesforce, it’s not just about diversity—the goal is true equality.

“The word equality really sends a bigger message. We define equality in terms of four pillars: equal pay, equal opportunity, equal advancement and equal rights,” says Cindy Robbins, Executive Vice President of Global Employee Success at Salesforce. “Every leader in the company, every employee, is accountable for diversity and equality at Salesforce.”

The bottom line: As employers seek to find new ways of recruiting and engaging employees, the focus has turned to women and Millennials. With women at half the U.S. population and millennials about one-quarter, addressing the needs of a more diverse workforce is essential for all employers.

With that, how do you best represent your full self in a job application? Here are some things to consider:

1. Don’t Shy Away From Your Diversity

“If you have a foreign-sounding name, don’t assume that this is going to work against you,” advises Elizabeth Garone, a contributor to the Wall Street Journal. “Employers are keen to hire minorities in order to satisfy federal requirements and employ a diverse workforce. Business Mentors’ Al Stewart says he encourages his clients to ‘play up’ foreign surnames or maiden names in order to attract more employers. He recently worked with a Latin American client with a very American-sounding married name. Her résumé reflected that name, and she was seeing very little activity in the job market. Stewart encouraged her to include her maiden name. Once she did, her interview activity increased substantially, he says.”

2. Culture Fit Is Not Exclusive

“Don’t get so caught up in tailoring your resume to fit a job posting that you forget to communicate what makes you special,” says Anish Majumdar, CEO of ResumeOrbit.com. “Yes, you should probably have most of the ‘must have’ qualifications mentioned in a job posting to be competitive. But once that’s established, it’s all about winning people over through your unique perspective and value-added skills. If you’re an amazing coach/mentor, or write an influential industry blog, or regularly volunteer your time to help out in the community, highlight them within the resume! It’s this x-factor that can mean the difference between ‘Thanks for coming in’ and ‘When can you start?’”

3. Lying Doesn’t Pay Off

Immigration status and the job search are stressful enough, but lying on an application or resume can spell trouble in the long run. According to the Center for International Education at Loyola University New Orleans, a job seeker should never lie on a resume or application. “Your visa status should not be included on your resume. Your educational background and work history will display that you are an international student. Hiring managers will ask the appropriate questions during the recruitment process.” However, they point out one caveat. “If your name ‘sounds’ international and you are a green card holder or U.S. citizen, you may want to include your visa status on your resume to indicate that you are already legally authorized to work in the U.S.”

4. Include Professional Affiliations and Cultural Organizations

While explicitly listing age, sexual orientation or race on an application may be tricky, you should recognize that companies are excited and encouraged by applications from diverse candidates. Are you a member of a civil rights organization or a volunteer group? “Don’t be shy! Let employers know where your leadership and passions lie,” advises career counselor Shira Concool. “Do you volunteer at your Korean Church or translate Spanish to English at a health clinic? Put that into your Leadership Experience section. Perhaps as a first-generation American, you travel back to visit your grandparents in Nigeria every year. You can add that as an international travel experience.”

5. Social Media Posts & Photos Matter

With more recruiters and hiring managers browsing Facebook or the social media accounts of applicants, there is a temptation to scrub or sanitize photos that show your identity, sexuality, religion or race. However, there’s a difference between taking down a party pic and hiding who you are. Wardah Khalid, a foreign policy analyst regularly consulted on Middle East issues told Fast Company, “Putting myself out there as a result of wearing the hijab has definitely made me more confident in who I am. Like it or not, when I put it on, I represent a lot of different things. The best thing to do is to own that.” That goes for when you land the job as well. “Walking into the halls of Congress, it’s very white-male dominated. I definitely felt that I stood out,” she said. But over time those feelings of unease were replaced with confidence. “Once I open my mouth, show that I’m competent, and know what I’m talking about,” she explained, “any issues I might have go away.”

6. Highlight The Skills Only You Possess

While protected by law, people with disabilities can face a lot of barriers to employment. However, they can also have skills that able-bodied candidates do not. “Rather than focusing on what you cannot do, focus on what you can do. You learn so many valuable skills from being disabled such as communication, logistics, and adaptability to setbacks,” says visually-impaired Newton Nguyen, Climate Modeling Research Assistant at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “Use these unique skills to your advantage, and do not let your disability be your defining characteristic. Rather, you are a multidimensional person with diverse abilities. You are unique, you have experienced things many people are deathly afraid of and you came out on top. Remember that.”

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We’ve all been trained to avoid giving out too much personal information when we’re on the job hunt. But according new research from Vanderbilt University, it’s better to get real about gaps in your resume – and being honest could actually land you the job.

“Our study provides the first-ever evidence that women who conceal personal information dramatically lower their hiring prospects,” says Joni Hersch, professor of law and economics at Vanderbilt Law School, about women who take time away from their careers to raise kids. In other words, being forthright about stepping away from work in favor of family actually works – refreshingly – in women’s favor.

Hersch and assistant professor Jennifer Bennet Shinall had 3,022 subjects act as potential employers and asked them to choose between two female job candidates. Each resume had a 10-year gap in job history. A personal explanation – taking time off to have a child or a get through a divorce – was given for some of the candidates. No explanation was given on the other resumes.

The job-searchers who gave the personal info had a 30-to-40 percent increased chance of being hired, according to the findings.

“I was shocked by the results,” says Hersch. “The personal information gave no indication whether the woman would be a more or less productive employee. This was entirely neutral information. Yet the number of people who preferred the woman who explained her resume; gap was staggering.”

It makes sense when you think about it: Employers would rather know the full story than to take a gamble on an unknown risk. So be proud of all the work you’ve done – in an office or otherwise.

The post The Totally Counterintuitive Thing Science Says You Should Do to Your Résumé appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Do you need to include every job you ever had on a job application? What if there’s not enough room to list them all? How about when some of the jobs you have held aren’t relevant to the positions that you are applying for now?

When job applications are online, there may be space to list an unlimited number of past positions. On other applications, you may only be able to list a certain number of jobs. How many positions should you list? And, what’s more important: quality or quantity?

Which Jobs to Include on a Job Application

There are strategic reasons to include – or exclude – certain past jobs. As a general guideline, you should focus on crafting your work history to best support the specific position you are applying to.

If you have an extensive work history, it will be more difficult to represent your experience in an easily digestible form. At the same time, you’ll have more options as to which positions you choose to include. Candidates with limited experience will not have as much leeway since they’ll need to present at least some evidence of past employment.

The exact number of jobs to include on your applications will depend on your personal situation, but here are some suggestions to help you to decide on how to best represent your unique work history in a job application.

Tips for Deciding How Many Jobs to Include on Job Applications

Read the directions very carefully. Look for indications of whether employers make statements like “list all past jobs.” In these cases, you will be limited to following directions and should include all positions that fit within the available space. Leaving out jobs, particularly during your recent work history, could be grounds for rejecting your application.

In the case where you have many jobs in your distant past that are not relevant to the job for which you are applying, you could summarize your employment during that period.

Example: For positions more than 10 – 15 years in the past you could say, “Worked in a variety of retail services positions from 1990 – 1995, details available upon request.”

Some applications will specify that you list all positions for a certain time frame, like the past 5 or 10 years. In a case like this, you should cover all positions in that segment of time, but you can be selective about what you include in years prior. Regardless, make sure you find a way to incorporate all jobs that show evidence of critical skills or knowledge bases.

Example: If you’ve left out jobs that you had outside of the employer’s timeframe and that are irrelevant to the current position, you can write something like, “Highlights of additional employment provided below. Complete work history available upon request.” if there is a place on the online application for additional information or notes.

3. Keep it short. Be brief when describing irrelevant jobs that you are forced to include, or jobs that are from the very distant past. Instead of detailing duties that aren’t impressive, make other points.

Example: If you held an evening job at a restaurant, you might say “Worked extra hours to expedite the repayment of college loans.” If applicable, you should also highlight promotions, awards or key successes. That way, even if the work isn’t relevant, you can at least make a point about other aspects of your candidacy.

4. Pick and choose which jobs to include. If you aren’t directed to provide your entire work history or all positions within a certain time period, limit the number of positions to those jobs most relevant to the position you’re applying for. However, be sure that you aren’t creating gaps in your work history.

5. You can list more than your work history. Applicants with a limited number of non-related experiences should try to incorporate volunteer and co-curricular roles. If the employer doesn’t have a special category on their application for volunteer experiences or activities, then include these experiences within the employment section. Label them appropriately, so it is clear that the positions were unpaid.

Example: You could list volunteer activity as “Volunteer Event Coordinator, PTA” or “Fundraising Volunteer, American Cancer Society.”

6. Don’t create an employment gap. Some candidates are reluctant to leave off less pertinent positions because it would create gaps in employment, but don’t want to include less impressive jobs. In this situation, one option is to leave these jobs off and use the comments or additional information section to provide an explanation.

This approach will make the most sense if you have an easily understandable rationale for taking time away from your career or downshifting to a less relevant, or impressive position. Perhaps you were taking courses, raising a child, or caring for a family member. Keep in mind that your cover letter might also be a place where you can account for any disturbances in your work history.

Keep it Honest

It’s important to portray your employment history in the best possible manner. If you can closely match your experience to the employer’s requirements, you’ll have the best chance of getting hired.

However, it’s even more important to keep your job applications honest. When you sign (on paper or online) a job application, you are attesting to the fact that what you have listed is accurate and truthful. Employers can, and do, verify the information that job applicants give them. If your application isn’t honest, it can cost you a job – either now or at any point in the future.

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If you’re paying attention to the epochal shift were sitting through right now, you’ll know that the so-called taboo on job hopping is exactly that: imaginary. At least, it is to anyone under 40 right now.

In the last decade, Western and post-industrial countries have witnessed a large inception-like shift to knowledge economies and there’s a new “creative class” burgeoning, according to thinkers like Richard Florida. The workplace landscape is experiencing a fault zone where the twin tectonic plates of technology and business are colliding more fervently than ever before.

Well, those are the broader winds. On an individual level, what does this mean for the millennial today? Is job-hopping a career killer? One has to make one’s own way through this Brave New World that consists of multiple iterations and versions of the creative jobs fueled by the technocrats of Silicon Valley, a morning’s catch worth of fresh opportunities and yet fierce competition among 20- and 30-year-olds today.

Instead of viewing job-hopping as an occupational hazard of the young and halfway-experienced, a liability that mimics the short attention spans social media seems to promote, millennials instead re-frame job-hopping as the linchpin in securing meaningful and fulfilling work, the very thing, in fact, that gives them a competitive edge.

Breadth vs. Depth

The number one casualty of job-hopping, ironically, is not the millennial herself, it’s the seeming sacrifice of depth in favor of breadth.

Conventional thinking would have us believe that the two are mutually exclusive because of the logical and essential limits of time. In a short span of 50 solid working years, one can either build mastery (a popular idea, underscored by writer’s like Malcolm Gladwell or experience a range of diverse situations — but not both.

Except that those who read breadth vs. depth in job-hopping as a kind of zero-sum game are forgetting a very key presence: technology. It might not have been possible to move laterally as well as horizontally in a company. Yet millennials who move jobs today are not only shifting vertically, they’re also moving horizontally, between industries.

Think of it like the difference between starting as an intern and ending up as the CEO versus stepping into the role of community manager in a fitness company and moving to social media manager, which might encompass many of the same duties, in a fashion publication.

The Project Economy

There is a sense that millennials are an impatient and entitled group. That they simply lack the patience to put in the hours required to prove loyalty to a company or make a move up.

Yet much of the workplace ecosystem has been fragmented into several types of workers including virtual assistants, remote and contract workers, one-time project managers and sub-contractors.

Part of the allure of working as a remote worker or a contractor or a freelancer is, of course, functioning independently. But, of course, it started out as a necessity for many millennials who were crushed by student debt, walking into an economic collapse and recession.

But, for millennials, job-hopping often means not moving from company to company but from project to project, which fits into their economic needs as well as their career needs.

Experience counts

It all started (arguably) with the “unpaid internship.” At the outset, in the late ’80s, this was more of an “informal apprenticeship.” Fast forward 4 decades and it’s a staple, a precursor to any job worth having and a necessary gatekeeper that keeps young people honest and “paying their dues.”

Yet experience counts more than ever before. Journalism, marketing and even business grads are finding, more than ever before, it is one’s own initiative to get one’s foot in the door as well as a stellar portfolio that makes a candidate viable.

In fact, many companies such as Shopify openly state that qualifications are not as interesting to them as a well-rounded and experienced candidate. So is job-hopping a career killer in this case? Not so much.

Specialization through multiple jobs

Instead of asking, “Is job-hopping a career killer,” millennials today are asking, “can job-hopping help me narrow in and niche down in a focused way?”

The truth is that holding down multiple jobs can actually produce a diverse skill set in a specific niche. This means that individuals who frequently switch jobs can experience all aspects of a particular industry and build knowledge while still maintaining a focus.

The popular term for this is going “full-stack,” which connotes the breadth of expertise one gains while specializing in a discipline such as marketing, programming or filmmaking.

Building a Narrative

While job-hopping can be incredibly beneficial, then, one thing that millennials do have be prepared for is crafting a narrative around their movements, whether physical or proverbial. While it is certainly true that HR departments are now filling up fast with 20- and 30-year-olds in charge of the hiring process, and so questions are not framed as viewing job-hopping as a liability, candidates still need to be able to explain good reasons for their moves.

Essentially, what job-hopping requires is not a justification, per se, but rather a purpose and an indication that moves were made by the candidate with intention and strategically.

Being able to switch jobs after a short period of time can actually help build the seemingly elusive “unicorn” candidate every company seems to be looking for. If you’re ever in doubt, take time to reflect upon where the choice to move is coming from.

If you’re ever coming against the trifecta of boredom, avoiding challenges or pursuing money, those are red flags and they’ll certainly come up as such in any recruiter’s eyes. If you can demonstrate continuity between multiple jobs in a short period of time, chances are, you’ll be even more invaluable than the “loyal” employee.

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Telling you that it’s “tough out there” is a bit like saying the sun’s hot or that the Kardashians love attention—it’s self-evident, particularly if you’ve been hunting for a job and are tired of the endless rounds of leads and interviews that never seem to go anywhere.

Like Elmer Fudd tracking Bugs Bunny or Wile E. Coyote chasing down that sneaky Road Runner, always being the pursuer and never getting your mitts on the prize is pretty exhausting. How do you keep going in the face of constant rejection?

Here are a handful of ways to keep yourself together during even the cruelest job hunt.

It’s Only Personal When You Make it Personal

Get told “no” enough times, and it’s only natural to start thinking that something’s wrong with you. You wonder what others have that you don’t. You wonder what you’re lacking that others aren’t. You wonder what you need to fix that others don’t. In other words, you make it personal.

There are all kinds of reasons you might not get a job. Maybe someone else ticked more boxes than you. Maybe the position was filled by an internal candidate. Maybe your interviewer had an off day, which tainted his or her opinion of you during the interview.

After experiencing rejection, it’s tempting to answer the question “why?” by blaming yourself. But that only serves to diminish your self-confidence and make you second-guess your next move. That kind of judgment ignores the fact that, as humans, we’re all works in progress with all kinds of strengths and weaknesses, and we’re all continually developing and learning. Long may that continue.

Hearing “no” isn’t a judgment about who you are. It’s just something that happens. What really matters and what shapes your experience is how you respond when it happens.

It’s a Process

You don’t get to the end of your street without leaving your front door first. You don’t write a novel without first writing “chapter one” at the top of a blank page. And you don’t land a new job without going through the process of landing a new job.

That might mean getting a hundred rejections, or it might mean getting three. You may need you to widen your search or get creative about how you sell yourself. You may need to take advantage of your network or even take a leap of faith and apply for something completely out of the box.

The point is, you’ll never get to 100% without going all the way from zero to 99% first. Know that searching for a job is a process, and commit to taking meaningful steps to guide you through that process.

People Do Extraordinary Things

Things might be tough right now, but the fact that you’ve come this far counts for something. It means you’ve encountered tough times and grappled with difficult circumstances, and you’ve found a way through. It means you’ve been low, but you’ve survived.

Consider this just another test that the universe has put in front of you to see what you’re made of. That means you have a choice to make—a choice to either stand tall and embrace the challenge in front of you (even if you’d rather be anywhere else), or to hang your head and stop trying.

People do extraordinary things every single day, but perhaps the most extraordinary is the choice to continue putting one foot in front of the other because the alternative isn’t who you want to be.

Take Care of the Basics

A long job search can take its toll. You get tired. Sometimes sick and tired. Your finances take a hit—sometimes severely so. You lose faith. Sometimes hope goes missing, too.

It’s easy to let things slide when you’re worn down, but you have to take care of the basics.

Keep your head nourished with continual learning that sparks your mind and bends your thinking. Nourish your body by prioritizing proper rest, exercise, and healthy eating. And nourish your heart by doing things that make you feel like you—like spending time with loved ones, laughing with friends, being in nature, listening to your favorite music, or offering help to someone in need.

Equally important is being responsible enough to stop your finances from hemorrhaging. Don’t ignore a worsening financial situation; suck it up and deal with it. Look at how you can downsize or consider getting a short-term job to keep your finances ticking while you keep looking for something long-term.

You’re responsible for these basics, and owning them will only serve you well.

Don’t Do it Alone

An unexpected impact of a long, tough job hunt can be isolation—feeling distant and alone in your struggles while your friends and family go on with their regular lives.

An important part of finding your way through the job hunt is realizing that you don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s confiding in a friend, venting to your partner, or letting someone help you out, it’s vital to not make yourself an island.

This could be as simple as asking for a hug. Or maybe you can get some outside input on your resume. You might want to bounce some cover letter ideas around with a couple of friends or an old colleague. Maybe ask someone to facilitate an introduction. Try seeing a career advisor, or if you’re feeling really low, make an appointment with a professional who may be able to help you.

There are people willing to support you and help you and want to see you soar. Whatever you do, don’t cut yourself off from them.

If you’re in the middle of what feels like a cruel job hunt, I have one last thought to leave you with: When you wake up each morning, ask yourself, “What’s my intention today?”

It’s a deceptively simple question on the surface, but asking yourself this at the start of the day can help you dig deep, hang on a while longer, and, perhaps most importantly, go easy on yourself.

The post How to Survive an Endless Job Hunt Without Losing It appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

From time to time I have a question come from job seekers along the lines of…

If I take this job, how will it look on my resume for the next time around?

It’s certainly a valid question to ask… but one that usually has no easy answer!

When making decisions regarding job offers and career paths, the choices are very personal and often driven by immediate circumstances. There are a number of things to consider….

What are your career goals?

In order to know whether a particular job will help or hurt you in obtaining the next job you want, you have to know what next job you want! If you have no direction in mind for your career, then it’s not possible to know whether taking this job will help or not.

I had a conversation with someone that is young in their career in accounting. They had risen to an Accounting Manager role in their last position before being caught in a massive corporate lay-off. They now have an opportunity at a staff accounting role in a smaller organization, however, it would pay even better than their last leadership role. Their concern is whether taking that kind of position would help or hurt in the move they may choose to make after this one.

A very high percentage of people don’t really have a plan or goal for their career, and rather simply view their work as something to show up to and perform each day in some vague hope that it will lead to better things. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with that approach, and many people ultimately end up in positions of great responsibility or prestige without really having aimed to get there. If that’s your approach, any one particular job may help or hurt in that process, but that can’t necessarily be figured out in advance.

If, however, you have a distinct objective for your career, planning and choosing carefully how to get there is imperative.

What are your current circumstances?

One obvious consideration always has to be your current circumstances. Regardless of your career goals, thought has to be given to your immediate needs. Ask yourself several questions, including…

• How desperate is my current financial situation?
• What is the financial risk of not accepting this position now?
• What are the prospects of a more attractive opportunity surfacing in an acceptable period of time?
• …and others.

Other questions to contemplate…

• What would my resume look like with a longer gap vs. a position that’s a step backward?
• How does an extended time unemployed affect my skills and employability?
• Could I make a credible case to a future employer of why this position is an asset rather than a diversion to my goal?
• Would I be content doing this position on a daily basis?
• Is my career a major consideration for me or do I work primarily for a paycheck?
• …and others.

No one should make a decision whether you should take a particular job or not. It’s a personal choice based on your goals, preferences, and circumstances. However, asking yourself a number of key questions can make the decision clearer.

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You’re a leader, right? Doesn’t that mean you’re fearless?

Maybe on some things but the prospect of changing careers has stopped you cold. You probably don’t admit this to very many people.

Is this you?

It would seem we are more comfortable seeking divorce from our spouse than divorce from our job. The divorce rate is much higher than voluntary turnover (when you leave by your own choice).

If this is the year you are finally going to make this important, life changing decision, here are some reasons for your fear and what to do about it. You don’t have to wait any longer.

#1: Fear of the unknown. At this point, you have no clue what you would go do. As a result, you are left inside your own head conjuring up a thousand possible things that could go wrong.

Fix: You control your thinking. When these thoughts enter your head, simply tell yourself you don’t yet know enough to have anything to fear. Brush off this unknown boogieman.

#2: Fear you won’t like where you’re headed. You might not like where you’ve been and even if you do, we grow very fond of our job situation simply because we, at least, know what we’re dealing with.

Fix: Vow that your new career exploration will include plenty of investigation so you know exactly what to expect. Far too many people don’t do the work they need to in order to fully understand the career they are headed to. This is an easy fix, as long as you do the work.

#3: Fear of lost income. You’d be starting over again, right? You couldn’t possibly take a pay cut, you have too many things dependent on your income. Besides, you’d feel personally deflated by a loss of income.

Fix: Figure out the very least you could live on for a few years and make that your cut off point. Not all career changes imply that you have to take a pay cut. Don’t make assumptions until you’ve done your homework and research.

#4: You’d have to retool yourself. As you are looking out the window, you’re making the assumption that to make a change, you need to go back to school. You might feel like that it’s too late or you don’t want to invest your time at this point.

Fix: When you are on the journey to decide your new career, you can pick and whole list of criteria for what would constitute a good, next step. Just like income, if you know you’re not equipped for school any more, make that part of your criteria for selection. Most jobs don’t require a specific degree. Certification programs exist which are usually short in duration, if that makes sense for the direction you’re taking.

#5: You don’t know what you’d do. You don’t really even know the first step you’d take to figure out what to do next. Do you go apply for jobs that sound good?

Fix: First, step away from the resume. Changing careers by doing a job search usually results in massive disappointment. You might “find” something but usually you don’t find something you love. Deciding on a career is a journey of investigation, research and exploration. You won’t figure out a new career by sitting on the couch our in your office. You also need to possess a good measure of patience as this won’t be an overnight discovery.

Make a career change this year and start the exploration now. You deserve to have a career you love.

The post Introvert Leadership: Five Reasons You Might Fear Career Change and What To Do About It appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

At 20, I was gaining valuable experience and building my portfolio, which was going well until my father said “No more unpaid internships.”

In other words, I needed a job – and fast.

For a few days, I applied to hundreds of open marketing positions, many of which I totally did not qualify for (hey, worth a shot, right?).

I waited and waited. Not one phone call or email, aside from the automatic replies, saying the company had decided to interview other candidates. Finally, I landed one interview. During the meeting, the hiring manager mentioned Constant Contact, an email marketing client I admitted to never having used.

As soon as I arrived home, I hopped on my laptop, registered for a free trial of Constant Contact, and sent my thank you follow-up email to the hiring manager through the platform. The great thing, I realized, was that I was able to track how many times she opened the email and whether she clicked on any of the links.

While I did not land a job, I did have an epiphany: There might be a better way to do this whole job search thing.

As a young professional in a competitive field, I needed to find a way to stand out to hiring managers. I needed to showcase my marketable skills and to present those skills in a unique and compelling way, but I also needed people to take a chance on me. And I needed to uniquely apply to a vast number of jobs in an extremely short amount of time.

So, I decided to create an email marketing campaign. My promotion? “Get a one-week free trial of Lauren.”

And the result? I landed 15 job interviews – for less than 30 minutes of work. And within days, I had gone from unpaid intern to paid marketing director.

Here’s what I did – and how you can do it, too.

Build an Email List

My first step was registering for a free account on email service provider Mailchimp. Then, I built a list of people who could potentially hire me (or pass me along to those who could).

I had a small network of people I had worked with or interviewed in my work as a journalist, so I exported them from Google Contacts and LinkedIn and imported them into MailChimp. I also collected interesting job postings and scraped them for hiring managers’ email addresses. (If there was not an email listed, I did some research, and in most cases, was able to add someone from the company to the list.)

My email list maxed out at 162 people, but you could easily add a lot more if you scraped more postings and had a bigger network than I did at the time.

Create the Eblast

MailChimp is awesome because it walks you through the email process step-by-step – from the subject line and body to the call to action to the custom footer. Below is my advice on each portion of the email.

The Subject Line

This is the most crucial part of your email, because you need to capture busy people’s attention quickly. I settled on “Hire Lauren Holliday,” but if I was sending the email today, I’d write something along the lines of:

• Hire a journalist with a marketing mindset (i.e., sharing my personal tagline and brand)
• Learn how I increased X for company Y (i.e., giving a highlight of my proven results)

After all, people wouldn’t have any idea who I was, but they would know the type of person they need or the metrics they want to see improved for their company.

The Header Image

In the header, I wanted to get across right away who I was, what I could offer, and why I was reaching out. I created an image that included a witty intro, my personal logo, and the slogan, “All I want to do is change the world.” I chose this phrase because I wanted to share my passion and differentiate myself from other candidates – and because I knew hiring managers love that kind of motivation.

OK, I’m a little ashamed of how shoddy my first email campaign looked (fair warning, it’s ugly), but back in 2012, I had not picked up the design skills I have now. The lesson? Done is better than perfect.

The Body

The goal of marketing – or any form of communication, really, is to get people to take a desired action. Which means, you have to keep writing interesting in order to drive hiring managers to keep reading your email until the end, where your CTA (call to action) is located.

Copying the brilliant tactic of membership websites – which lure interested users to buy its software or tool by getting them to sign up, use it, fall in love with it, and eventually get attached to it and pay for it – I settled on a headline of “Try Before You Buy.”

I went on to explain exactly what I was offering:

Lauren Holliday is so confident your company will love her passion, positive attitude, and diverse skill set that she is willing to let your company utilize her services at no cost for one week.

I also included three of my best portfolio pieces, to show employers exactly what to offer them, a link to my resume, and my contact information, including social media profiles. (Hey, 70% of hiring managers are going to Google you before they ask you in for an interview, so why not direct them to positive results easily?)

The Results

After creating my email blast and sending it off (I scheduled it for at 11 PM, so that it would be the first thing people saw in their inboxes in the morning), I refreshed my MailChimp statistics page religiously.

The results? In total, 74 people opened the email, and my click-through rate was 15.1%. Some people opened my email 39 times, others opened it only once, but regardless, I had 15 interview offers within days of sending the email.

These hiring managers, they told me, loved the creativity, originality, and initiative of my approach. They especially loved the “Try Before You Buy” tactic. It made them laugh, which made them like me – and as you know, being likable plays a huge part in a successful job search.

Ultimately, my email marketing campaign resulted in a salaried position. At 20, I transformed from unpaid intern to paid marketing director all because of one email, which took me half an hour to create.

Your Turn!

Creating a similar email marketing campaign may be most valuable to those in the creative fields, such as marketing, PR, communications, and advertising – it showcases your design skills and your ability to sell. But that’s not to say that people in other sectors can’t utilize this tactic, or a similar one. Create a contest, invent your own holiday, offer a VIP Day, whatever creative approach makes sense for you, and find an interesting way to present it to hiring managers. As I learned, in this job market, it often pays to think outside the box.

The post How I Landed 15 Job Interviews in 30 Minutes appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

I have been involved in the Career Services field in various capacities for the past 3 decades and I can tell you that there are a great many myths out there that are just that – myths – an idea that is believed by many people but that is not true.

Here are four I find egregious and why.

1: Age discrimination is rampant and is the main reason most people over 45 can’t get an interview or a job.

Personally I think this is a crutch for many 45+ y/o job seekers to commiserate, stop trying and accept defeat rather than change. We know the dynamics of the work world are ever changing, but are older job seekers changing with the times. In many cases they have not and therefore are not being selected; not based on age but based on a lack of adaptability.

They think and work exactly like they have in the past and many live on past glories when what they should be doing is whatever it takes to keep up with the times in their profession. At every age you need to keep up with new technologies, new means of communication, and new and more efficient ways of doing what you did in the past. You need to keep an open mind for strategic changes in your profession’s methods of operation and the subtle and not so subtle changes in the culture in your workplace and the workplaces you are applying to be employed in.

If my resume got me interviews and job offers in the past all I need to do is update it now.

Resume writing is an evolving art in this millennium and what worked in the past is not getting the same results as it did in the past. Therefore just updating your resume will not work. In the past resumes followed a set format and were more fact oriented. Similar to the auto industry which discovered the value of hybrids over the past decade and resume writing has followed suit. Unless the resume you are updating is 2-3 years old, was well written and designed at that time, and the job you’re seeking is similar to the one you have or just left, a simple update is going to set you back a lot more than the time, effort or cost it will take to totally revamp it so you get it right the first time out of the shoot.

3: A resume can be One-Size-Fits-All even for different jobs because l customize a cover letter for every submission.

I cannot believe how often I hear this inverted logic from seemingly intelligent people. Research shows that over 95% of all resumes submitted are read but less that 65% are read along with them, and the percentage of times the cover letter is forwarded upstream along with the resume decreases exponentially with each new person who receives it. So by the time it gets to the ultimate decision maker the odds are 25% or less that he or she will ever read your cover letter and they will be judging you strictly on what they read in your resume. Cover letters have a purpose but customizing it for a job search is not its main one.

4: The most qualified candidate always gets the job.

This myth is built around a truism. Most people equate the most qualified man or woman as the one who has the best combination of skills and experience. In theory this is true, however if the person’s personality is not a culture match they drop off the list and the next most qualified candidate moves up the ladder. As I’ve said many times before, “Companies will make interview decisions based on who has the best resume but job offers are made to the person who is the best cultural fit.” So do your homework and due diligence as thoroughly as possible on the company and the people you’ll be meeting before you walk through the door for an interview to know how to dress, act and what to say to fit in.

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