How to Show Recruiters You're Willing to Relocate on Your Resume
Pack your suitcases for an emotional rollercoaster. It's time to relocate! Moving to a new city (or even country) can be especially daunting for the next stages of your career. How do you convince employers that in spite of your Virginia “base”, you're quite serious about moving for that New York role? Here's how - with a clear and concise resume that addresses any potential location concerns, while aligning your experience to the job. Ultimately, your resume should play to your advantage, amongst the top picks of local candidates, with the unique value you’d bring to the company. As professionals, who are willing to relocate, bring about a variety of soft skills, like: flexibility and adaptability; organization and planning; forward-thinking and systematic approach. Improve your chances to land your next job away from home (even from abroad) with our guide on writing your relocation resume (and cover letter). What you’ll learn: Honesty is the best card you can play when addressing your relocation plans; Resume sections that could best describe your intentions to move; What address should you include in your relocation resume? How to let recruiters know about your relocation plans? Adding further value to your application with a relocation cover letter. How-to advice on writing your relocation resume and cover letter Relocation is a serious factor that recruiters consider when conducting any search. While their top choices (especially for non-senior roles) are local candidates - it's up to you to convince them otherwise. Your resume and cover letter should thus address: any potential concerns about your relocation; highlight your commitment to the role; and emphasize that you're actively seeking opportunities in the area. Here are four tips on how to include relocation on your resume. Optimize your resume for the job This one goes without saying but study the job advert in detail. Your resume should align role requirements with your expertise and achievements. Map out how you’d meet the company’s and team’s needs with your resume summary, achievements, and experience. Be honest The recruitment process is all about first impressions. Don't kick it off on the wrong foot with a fake address, claims that you're local, or other deceptions. You need to mention your location and intentions to relocate. This needs to be done clearly and specifically for the role you're applying to. Relocation in the top one-third of your resume It's common for your application to be assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) or the software that assigns points based on job advert criteria. Most ATS may actually disqualify your application if you're not at the role location (if it's specified in the advert). How do you go about mentioning your location in your resume header? We'll get into the specifics in the next part, but, for now, let’s say that it depends entirely on your moving plans. Note your interview availability Use your cover letter to let interviewers know when you'll be in town. Plan at least a week to attend any potential interviews. Otherwise, you could suggest your availability for an initial, over-the-phone interview. Noting your relocation plans in the resume header There are two sections of your header that are ideal for mentioning your relocation plans: the address and headline. Within the next part of this guide, we’ll show you how to mention your moving plans in the top one-third of your resume. Take these three situations into account. 1. If you've already made concrete plans to move Include your current address, followed by the specifics. 2. If your relocation depends on landing the job It’s important to include the location keyword from the job advert in your resume top one-third. 3. If you leave off the relocation specifics from your resume address Include your relocation details in the resume headline - a single sentence, filled with job-specific keywords. The headline could also state your unique value as a professional, alongside your relocation plans, like so: Relocation details in the resume summary Do you want to avoid mentioning your plans within your resume header? The next best section to include your willingness to relocate is your summary - those three to five sentences that showcase your unique value via achievements and skills. You could include your relocation plans either at the beginning of your summary: or, towards the end of it: The relocation cover letter: building your application further Cover letters are the perfect space to explain the nits and bits of your relocation plans. Especially if you've noted on your resume that you'll be moving, recruiters want an explanation why. Be genuine and honest about your relocation reason(s). Perhaps, you're moving to: be closer to your elderly parents; return to your hometown; look for more growth opportunities; due to your spouse's work; enjoy living in a new, specific location. Relevant relocation information includes the time frames of your plans and their permanence. Also, if you have any emotional or more solid ties to the area (e.g. you did your masters there, or you've brought a new home). Here's a basic outline of a relocation cover letter. Introduction - briefly convey your professional interest. Relocation - explain why you're moving and your estimated timeframes. Ties - mention if you've previously worked or studied in the area, or have family there. Relevant experience - showcasing you can adapt to new environments. Key skills and qualifications - revealing why you're the best candidate for the role. Summary - why your expertise aligns with the role and your commitment to relocating. Call to Action (CTA) - "Looking forward to meeting with you" and "Kind regards" Resume experience: from relocation to your unique professional value When describing your experience section, highlight your relocation skills, as they are valued by organizations. Select experience items that hint at your excellence in working abroad. You could have managed international teams, located in different locations, or traveled internationally for work assignments. This experience demonstrates your ability to quickly adapt to new environments. Within the one-line description of the company you worked for, highlight common factors between your past and potential employers. Like, if you've worked for companies: of the same size; in the same industry; offering similar types of services; with identical customer databases.Transferable relocation resume skills Another resume section to shift the focus from your location is the skills one. Create a resume skills section that highlights both relevant and transferrable skills, like your: hard skills - industry-specific, niche technical proficiencies; soft skills - people skills.Other sections for a relocation resume Education - perhaps you completed your higher education within the area you're planning to relocate to. Include all relevant higher education degrees, alongside ones that are "local" - showing you are familiar with the area. Projects - select the ones that are most relevant to the job and highlight your alignment with the job requirements. Also, consider curating projects that have been completed in the location you’re planning to move to or are local to the job you’re applying for. Volunteer - if you've supported communities that are similar to the one you’re planning to relocate to, dedicate a separate resume section to detail your volunteer work. Key takeaways Be honest with recruiters about your relocation plans: remember that the hiring process is all about first impressions. Include your current address, followed by the job location (which you’d be moving to). The resume summary is an excellent place to dive a little deeper into your relocation plans, but make sure the focus stays on your experience and achievements. Get into the details of your relocation plans within the cover letter - use it to provide information that is relevant to your application. Curate other resume sections to share with recruiters if you’ve lived, studied, or have had professional experience in the same location. This would hint that you won’t be starting from square zero when you move for the job.
The Stay-At-Home Parent Resume: Transferable Skills & Getting Your Career Back on Track
Over the past year-and-a-half, you've gone from a professional superstar to stay-at-home parent. And, in spite of what anyone may think, your new role is quite demanding, requiring: time management and commitment; patience and resilience; multitasking and delegation. It's not a 9-to-5 that you can quit. After a few years have gone by, there comes a time when you want to get back on track with your career. Yet, stay-at-home parents have many obstacles to face. But this is nothing a well-curated stay-at-home parent resume can't handle, as your experience gap has taught you many valuable skills. Our guide will help you to do so by translating your experience for hiring managers. We know you have a great story to tell, and your resume is the perfect opportunity to do so! What you’ll learn: Ensuring your stay-at-home parent experience is bold and enticing to recruiters How to showcase your unique value through your stay-at-home parent resume Best practices to put the spotlight on the skills you’ve learned while managing your household Where on your resume could you mention that you’re a stay-at-home parent The employment gap - how could you explain it with various resume sections How to write your stay-at-home parent resume? Align your resume to the role The resume is your quick summary, tailored to the organization or role. When applying for a job, pay attention to advert keywords and analyze the requirements. Consider how your previous roles (and stay-at-home parent) responsibilities could be relevant. Highlight your unique value What skills have the past few years of managing your home taught you? They are one of the unique values you'd bring about as a candidate. Select an appropriate resume format Your resume format should be based on whether you’d want to highlight your experience, skills, or both. Reverse chronological format - a timeline of your roles, starting with the latest. Select if your experience gap isn't for a very long time, and you want to highlight previous roles. Functional /Skills-based format - shifts recruiters' focus towards your skills and achievements. It's a very good format for professionals with less experience. Hybrid format - a combination of both formats. Highlights the skills you've gained, while showcasing traditional roles. Use active language Describe your skills and experience, achievements, and the overall lasting impact you made with action verbs. If possible, include numbers to quantify your results. Stay-at-home-parent resume summary Don't sell yourself short - your stay-at-home parent resume experience can be both bold and enticing. And it all starts with your resume summary - one of the most important instruments to ensure recruiters are interested. The resume summary is two-to-three sentences long and aligns your previous experience to the role with: notable career achievements that are industry-specific; relevant skills that'd contribute further to the organization; additional specializations or courses that help you stand out. You could also add a career objective to your summary. Think about what kind of job you hope to find and how it'd match your overall professional goals. Mentioning that you’re a stay-at-home parent in your resume summary isn't obligatory. Instead of kicking off with the whole, "I'm a stay-at-home dad looking for a role in operational management", leave this information for other resume sections. Or, you could hint at it as part of your experience and achievements: Stay-at-home-parent resume experience Is the experience section of your resume the place to talk about your stay-at-home "job"? This completely depends on the role, company, and industry you're applying for. Some recruiters and employers will appreciate your honesty. While employment gaps are never ideal, building a family is a perfectly valid reason. Your resume will most likely be scanned by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS): the software that assigns points based on job criteria. If you have employment gaps, the ATS could give you a lower score. On the other hand, there are recruiters out there, who'd see listing your stay-at-home experience as "unprofessional" and "childish". Still, confused about what you should do? It's your professional narrative - own up to your experience. If including your stay-at-home work makes sense to you (and the job) - include it as part of your history. Start off by selecting a catchy, like "House CEO/ COO", "Chief Home Officer", or "Career Sabbatical to Take Care of Children". Within your experience bullets, don't just copy-paste your chores list. Instead, focus on relevant transferrable skills and results. Emphasize just how productive you were with key skills and experience: What software helped you to stay on track with at-home tasks? If there were conflicts at home, how did you resolve them? Did you get to practice your Excel formulas with your household budget? A recruiter looking over your experience section should understand how this has helped you grow as a professional. What else should be a part of your stay-at-home parent experience section? While managing your household, did you complete any temp, contract, or freelance work? Or, perhaps, you volunteered? If it's relevant to the role and shows how you've put your skills into practice, definitely include these types of experiences in this resume section. Don't forget to list the jobs you had, before you became a parent. Use them to highlight your achievements, advert keywords, and just how valuable you were to past employers. Supplement your stay-at-home-parent experience with a cover letter Your stay-at-home parent resume may need a couple more details and explanations. The cover letter is precisely that instrument to complete your experience and fill in the blanks. By aiming to make a more personalized connection with the recruiter, the cover letter should ultimately answer why you're the perfect candidate and highlight: your skillset; the reason you’re applying; your career objectives. Your cover letter should be clear and concise, tailored to the job and company you’re applying for. Stay-at-home-parent resume skills It may come as a shock, but a lot of the skills you use in your day-to-day (to take care of your family) are incredibly transferrable to the workplace. But how do you market that, over the past few years, 20:30 bedtime has become the sole creed at your house? Skills can make your experience gap seem less glaring and, ultimately, show why you are a great candidate. So, first, review the job description for three-to-seven must-have skills that align with your experience. From there, you could build a skills section to include soft skills (or people skills) and hard skills (or technology and software proficiencies). Demonstrate how you've mastered your skills in the past with the Accomplishments, Strengths, and/or Dedicated Technical Skills Sections. Stay-at-home-parent resume education and courses Use your academic background to show you have the relevant know-how for the role. The education section should include all higher education degrees you have, the institutions that awarded them, and your start-graduation dates. If you're in the process of getting your diploma, list it with the expected graduation date. Prioritize the education section, if you've pursued a degree during your work “sabbatical”. This way, you'd explain that during your stay-at-home parenting experience, you've been busy. The same goes for courses, workshops, and certifications. They show your commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest trends. Stay-at-home-parent resume other sections Fill in the gap of your stay-at-home parent experience with additional resume sections. Always select the most relevant ones to the job and to your professional narrative. Volunteer - showcase how you have supported the community (e.g. fundraisers, charity drives). When talking about your volunteer experience, always note the outcomes. Projects - include self-projects you've done to learn a new skill (e.g. graphic design or debugging). Also, make sure to paste a link to them in the resume header. Interests and hobbies - select ones that are impressive and tie back to the job you're applying for. You could curate those via the My Time section or, if you're an ardent book reader, include your top literary picks. Key takeaways Your stay-at-home parent experience has taught you plenty of valuable, transferable skills - pinpoint them with your accomplishments. It’s entirely up to you whether you should note that you’re a stay-at-home parent. The best sections to do so are the experience or the summary. You could ultimately address that you’ve managed your household in the cover letter. Doing side projects, volunteer work, or being on a contract at this time should definitely make it a part of your stay-at-home parent experience. Don’t be ashamed of your employment gap - instead use every opportunity your resume presents you with to explain how you’ve grown during this time.
Curating GitHub Links on Your Resume: Projects, Seniority, and How to Guide
GitHub isn't just the number one platform for software development and version control with Git. It's not only an open-source community for Computer Science (CS) professionals to manage, track, and make changes to their code. Describing it as "the leading online environment for developers" is the understatement of the century. GitHub is an almighty instrument - allowing for an entirely transparent (supposedly) showcase of your coding skills. That's what gets recruiters: if you've invested the time to structure and organize your GitHub portfolio, you've one foot in the interviewers' doors. Unlike your one- to two-page resume, GitHub offers 1 GB of free storage to include any code you've ever written. So, choose your projects wisely, and remember that your portfolio will be assessed by humans (recruiters). Those HR professionals without technical knowledge may just want to see the end product, rather than the source code. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves: here's some food for thought as to why having GitHub on your resume is important. Some companies use "have GitHub link" as a resume filter. They may even ask for a GitHub profile for professionals with over 10 years of experience. What is more, in startups and smaller companies your profile would most often be assessed by either the CEO or a technical lead, who will look at the work you've done before anything else. Including (or not) your GitHub link on your resume is entirely up to you, but we recommend it. With this guide, we'll obviously try to win you over why it's a good idea to curate your GitHub portfolio on your resume. So stick around to find out: +5 benefits of including your GitHub portfolio on your resume; Types of projects you could include: what recruiters expect to see; Checklist: how to include GitHub on your resume; 6 resume sections to showcase your GitHub; GitHub links and cover letters: a good idea or not?Why your GitHub portfolio and resume go together like coffee and cream When assessing your IT resume, there are two most common scenarios. Either, the recruiters would avoid clicking on any external links and skip your GitHub profile. Or, the hiring managers would glance over your GitHub. Without drilling too much into your source code, they'd expect to see your end products or projects. Also, if there's something interesting you've been working on. In that case, your GitHub portfolio can create numerous opportunities during the interview process to stand out. Here are six of the main reasons why. 1. Your GitHub provides an honest perspective, outside the interview process. Incorporating your side projects or portfolio adds depth to your application. Thus, hinting to recruiters at the programming languages you're apt at; how comfortable you are in using best-industry practices for a wide range of tools; the kinds of projects you'd like to work on. 2. Having a well-organized GitHub portfolio shows your competency and the projects you're most proud of. Think of it as an opportunity to highlight, something that makes you a good candidate, that recruiters need to check out. This can also sometimes even help you to skip the code sample request stage during the interview process. 3. GitHub is your alibi: to show that programming isn't just a job for you. Coding is something you look to excel in - you take every single free moment of your day to become better at it. 4. Speaking of, GitHub is your commitment to the CS industry. Using it, recruiters can easily understand just how engaged you're in the IT community and what your collaboration skills are like. 5. GitHub highlights skills you can't demonstrate otherwise during the application/ interview process. Do you have coding experience on real software projects? What was your role in them? What are all the programming languages you can use? How comfortable are you using each one? Are you able to use other revision control tools, apart from Git? 6. GitHub rockets your resume to the top of recruiters' "approved" checklists. Don't include your profile just for the sake of it. Make sure that you've updated your GitHub and have taken the time to organize it. The best filter you can use is: "What is the most impressive thing I've built in the past six months or so?" What types of projects could you include on your GitHub? Here are some of the most popular concerns about the types of projects to include on your GitHub portfolio. How recent should my portfolio of work be? To start off, recruiters feel that it's nice to see the most recent code you've written. That will ultimately be used to pinpoint your skills and technical capabilities. Include projects you've done in the past six months to best showcase your breadth of skills. What if I have just one big project complete on my GitHub? Even though it may be just one project, recruiters would much rather see something complete from beginning to end (hinting at an array of soft skills you have), instead of many incomplete, sloppy projects. What matters the most is the code quality and the role you've had in the whole project: how much have you written yourself? "What types of projects can I include with no experience?" Entry-level professionals (or those with no experience) could use their class projects as inspiration to build something new on their own. For example, unit testing and continuous integration (CI) into a pipeline can show recruiters how you're able to handle day-to-day work. The passion projects vs open-source projects' dilemma: which ones impress recruiters more? Small side projects show you've related interests outside your job or studies. They serve as excellent talking points during the interviews: with a focus on your ability to narrate your skills. On the other hand, contributions to open-source projects, widely used by companies, are sometimes better assessed than random, passion projects. For example, if you've fixed an open bug in a popular app - you'd definitely stand out. In some cases, your minor role in a widely used platform may score better than the elaborate work you've done on a niche project that nobody uses. What projects do other IT professionals tend to include on their GitHub?What your GitHub portfolio signifies about your proficiency level Entry-level roles Your GitHub is probably the most helpful instrument for landing your first job. Recruiters, previewing your GitHub, would look at your technical capabilities, but also your abilities to collaborate and communicate; accept feedback; and meet requirements. Intermediate professionals Your GitHub could be great to define how you deal with: complex problem-solving and decision-making; new languages and programming; adapting to the sounds of times. When you're trying to land a role amidst your career, it's important to remind recruiters that you have the wanted skill set, but at the same time - that you're adaptable to new schools of thought and ways of work. Experience professionals Your GitHub is your footprint on the whole IT community. Within your profile, you've curated expert-level knowledge; offered unique perspectives on problem-solving; supported the work of rising "stars" on the IT front. 7 Elements that really make a difference to your GitHub profile We’ve now come to the how-to section of our guide, where we’ll first discuss seven of the most important elements you need to think about while creating your GitHub. We’ve also included a bonus checklist to help you stay even more focused. Formatting Before we get into the other six elements, here's one thing you need to do asap - clean up your GitHub work area. That means you need to sort and rank your projects in the way you'd like to have them reviewed by recruiters. Pin to the top of your GitHub profile, your: favorite projects popular code folders best repositories (repos). Structure Your GitHub portfolio is your elevator pitch to your potential employers. That's why investing time to make sure it's professional is a definite must. Say goodbye to your "LoneR@nger*" username and hello to "github.io/Dick Murphy". An organized GitHub profile also includes codes that are well-commented easily readable clean and running. It's a good idea to include ReadMe notes for different sections of your GitHub portfolio, like your: Profile - write something that is similar to your resume summary and briefly outlines your projects. Don't forget to include links to both your LinkedIn profile and resume, if possible. Most impressive projects - within the note, describe the nature of the projects: why they exist and how they impact other users. Also, think about the type of testing the project has - whether it’s unit or integration. Open-source contributions - be honest about your role in the big picture of things. What did you actually do as part of the whole project? Code Quality As mentioned in the previous part of this guide, your code quality is what matters the most to recruiters. They don't care if you have an infinite amount of repos with half-finished coursework and random, off-script projects. Your one high-quality project (which took the desirable amount of time and is relatively completed) would help you catch hiring managers’ eyes. But what if you happen to have one high-quality app and many different projects you think would be impressive? Think about the role and company you're interviewing for. Recruiters are always looking for candidates with problem-solving and accountability soft skills. At the same time, organizations want to hire candidates with the same professional interests as the rest of the team. Community This one is pretty obvious, but to have a complete GitHub profile, you need to get stars. Ask developers you've worked with before to give you recommendations. This in fact would show your wider impact on the GitHub community and how you work within a team environment. Job alignment The information on your GitHub portfolio, professional resume, and the role you're applying for should all align. It's a good idea to include relevant projects at the top of your profile - so that recruiters could easily find them. As for other side projects, that may showcase extra technical and soft skills, you can create a sub-folder, specially curated for the hiring managers. Storytelling If recruiters are to dive deep into your GitHub portfolio, what story would they find? Use your profile as a storytelling instrument to win them over. Whether it's to show how far you've come as a professional to land this particular job. Or, perhaps, your diverse GitHub portfolio hints that you're a jack of all trades with a broad skill set in different types of projects. Consider the self-narrative you're trying to sell with your application. Questions When curating your GitHub portfolio, put yourself in the recruiters' shoes to take into account the types of questions they may have about your work. Start simple with: What was the project scope? Why did you build this project the way you did? If you could change something about the code right now, what would it be? What would you do to make it even better? If you can find a way to integrate the answers to all or some of these in your GitHub, you'd surely make interviewers' lives way easier. As a bonus, you'd be highlighting even further your presentation skills. Where on your resume can you include details about your GitHub profile? Header This one is the most obvious choice, but make sure you’ve included a link to your GitHub profile within your resume header. It’s often that recruiters print our resumes and if the formatting is as a hyperlink - it may be lost. Instead of including the long link, make it simple, yet professional with this format: “github.io/FirstName-LastName” Alternatively, you could also use a link shortener. Projects The projects section of your resume allows recruiters a more in-depth dive into how you define your professional success. That's why you should choose projects that: have taught you a new technology or skill; are cutting-edge or carry weight within the IT industry; you are able to explain thoroughly, during the interview stage. This would definitely save some time for the hiring managers, who are assessing your resume. Summary While including a hyperlink within your resume summary might not be the best idea (as some recruiters tend to assess printed resumes) and pasting the full link may hurt your Applicant Tracker Systems (ATS) Score, there is a subtle way of mentioning your GitHub portfolio. Select one (or two) of your most prominent projects and include a call to action, for those interested in finding out more. Experience For 99% of your work projects, you’ve probably signed some form of an NDA - meaning you can’t just copy-paste the code on your GitHub. What you should do instead is to use the knowledge you’ve attained to build and test something, entirely on your own. That particular repo could demonstrate even further your hunger for knowledge within the experience section of your resume. Education Entry-level professionals - this resume section may be the best shot you have to demonstrate the sort of side projects you’ve done, all thanks to your higher degree and education. Again, don’t just copy-paste the work you’ve done for your coursework or projects. Rather, use the knowledge you’ve gained as a base to experiment on your own. Technical skills Within your dedicated technical skills section, list all the job-specific technologies you’re apt at. Don’t forget to add your Git/ GitHub skills to it. GitHub and cover letters: a strategic decision Cover letters serve to support your application in why you're the best candidate for the role. So, if you happen to have some pretty impressive projects on your GitHub, why not mention them in your cover letter with a "find out more" call to action? It is a strategic decision, but incorporating in some form your GitHub work may make a memorable impression. What is more… …if you're either telling a succinct, structured narrative or focusing on your best technical qualities and soft skills (specifically for roles in IT) in your cover letter, this would certainly intrigue recruiters. Key takeaways Including your GitHub link on your resume shouldn't be just to complete some random recruiters' checklist, but rather to show the breadth of your skills and experience. You should include recent projects (within the past six months or so) that are the most impressive, complete, and well-structured. If you don't have much experience, use university projects as a base to develop your own code: the idea here would be to show your unique problem-solving approach. Recruiters care about seeing the end product above all; more technical hiring managers may dive into your source code, so always make sure that this is the highest quality of your work. Various resume sections allow opportunities to hint at your GitHub capabilities: use the limited space you have to always highlight why you're the best candidate for the role.
Expert Advice: How To Handle Layoffs And Downsizing On Your Resume?
At the beginning of the new year or new quarter, one word is whispered; foreshadowed in the air all around you. And as much as you may dread it, layoffs continue to be the reality of many industries and will continue to happen through 2023. Just in Q4 of 2022 Amazon decided to make redundant 10,000 jobs worldwide; Netflix laid off 2% of its workforce; Twitter laid off nearly half of its global employees; Facebook (or Meta) accounted for losing 13% of its workforce. The thing to remember is that layoffs are a business decision based on budget cuts and downsizing. It may not necessarily reflect upon your performance. And you may not want to get into it straight away, but sooner or later, you'll have to start writing your resume. Consider your resume as a clean slate to focus on the future. It has to be equally accurate, forward-facing, and optimistic. And recruiters, assessing it, would like to find out: How your experience will help you and the company you're applying for progress in the future? What have you learned from past roles? Ultimately, should potential, new employers take a chance on you? Read on to find out: How to handle layoffs in different sections of your resume? Basic resume formatting to stay concise, goal-oriented, and clear about your purpose. How to make the most out of each experience item you have? Where to substitute experience with skills and achievements? How do the lessons learned from your past mistakes make you an ideal candidate?How to write your resume after you’ve been laid off? Within the next section of this guide, we'll provide a couple of tips and ideas on how to think about your resume after being laid off. The first thing to remember is this: you've now gained the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present the most exciting "product" or "service" in the world. Your experience. You want to generate healthy expectations from the get-go of the application process. That's why complaining about the past - and having the "why me?" mindset - won't set a good tone. Instead, focus on the skills and the experience you've gained, proving your potential as a new employee. Here comes the tricky part, should, or shouldn't you mention that you've been laid off when writing about your experience? There are a couple of indications to take into account. 1. You can leave out any experience items that have ended up in redundancy due to layoffs if: they're not crucial to the role you're applying for; your experience gap is less than six months; carry no weight as to your skill set and accomplishments. 2. There are some industries that have constant job cuts (e.g. hospitality, creatives, etc.). Writing your resume within this space, you could mention that you've been laid off, either during the interview process or in your cover letter. Wording matters, so you can use any of the following phrases: "position was made redundant" "company is downsizing" "budget cuts". 3. Never, ever lie on your resume - especially about end dates. Because recruiters always have a way to find out. Your past seniors or HR departments are just a phone call away. There's no need to turn the perfectly pleasant recruitment process into a sticky situation. 4. Check how previous employees in similar situations have dealt with layoffs. LinkedIn is a good place to start. Perhaps the most important step you can take is to find as many job adverts as possible and discover what's important for the new roles. Enhancv six simple steps to formatting your resume Step 1: Keep it simple Find a good template for your resume that's Applicant Tracker System (ATS)-friendly. Usually, a good resume is one-page long. Step 2: Tailor Target potential employers by integrating as many crucial keywords from the job advert that are relevant to your experience. Step 3: Formatting You could use: Reverse chronological format to highlight your experience; Functional skill-based to emphasize your skills; Hybrid format to balance experience, skills, and accomplishments. Step 4: Proofread Always proofread for typos and to ensure that your resume is consistent. Step 5: What You Do Matters! Dedicate a section to how you've constructively used the time after you've been laid off. This could entail dedicated volunteering, learning new languages, or other relevant sections. Step 6: Behavioral Interviews During these, you'd have to answer questions using stories to narrate your experience. Use your resume bullets as prompts for these stories to show you in the best light possible. With a one-story-per-bullet approach. Trust us, you'll thank us later, as preparation is always halfway to success. A good resume summary marks for an exciting narrative Your resume summary has to be between three and five sentences long. It should highlight what makes you attractive to potential employers. Basically, the summary previews your experience so that recruiters are excited to read on. The resume summary may not be the best area to mention that you've been laid off. It could serve to show your accomplishments; job-specific expertise and knowledge. A little confidence from the very start goes a long way. How to note layoffs in the experience section Yes, you can list that you've been laid off within the description of your most recent experience item. But recruiters don't want you to go into details about why your role has been made redundant. Instead, they'd like to see what you've learned from your whole experience. Consider each bullet to mark transferable skills that use accomplishments as proof of your aptitude. Relevant experience bullets could hence include: Details about leading or managing a team; Awards and reasons why you've won them; How did your work impact the big picture for the business? There's no need to list all your experience items (entry-level jobs and internships) from decades ago. Remember to always select only the most relevant ones to the role you're applying for. Each bullet item can be listed as so: Clear, Actionable Verb (e.g. improved, reduced, etc.) + Result Achievement + Tool or Technology Used STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result You could also dedicate a separate section to go into curated items of your experience within… Project section: adding more depth to your experience We are sure that within your experience, you probably have a project or two that's very noteworthy. One that can not only showcase you're able to achieve outcomes, but also use various technical and soft skills. And as a cherry on top - your project covers all the buzzwords used within the job advert. Dedicate a separate section on your resume for precisely those projects that show you can plan ahead by evaluating your work. Thus, shifting your resume focus from “desperately looking for a job” to a “go-getter” mindset that can bring organizations added value. Hiring candidates with transferable resume skills Recruiters are well aware that introducing new technology to employees - and having them become comfortable at using these on a day-to-day basis - could take up to six months at a time. Even though, you’ve been laid off, your resume carries all the technical and people knowledge you’ve gained from previous experience. Those transferable skills are actually a golden mine for recruiters, as this would save up so much company time. So, dedicate a separate section to list both your: Hard or technical skills, focusing on the technology you’re good at using; Soft skills - the personal traits you bring about to each role Education and other resume sections to focus on While your current work engagements may be on hold, this provides you with plenty of time to master additional skills and gain new knowledge. You can curate this on your resume by listing all relevant: Workshops Online Courses Certifications Degrees… …you’ve attained during this time period. Just remember to always filter these with relevancy to the role you’re applying for. It’s all about perspectives You may have applied to 100+ jobs at the moment and still haven't heard any feedback. Don't lose hope. Yes, the market may at times be tough, recruitment may be slowing down or freezing completely. But this won't always be the case. Consider that in five months or five weeks or even five days, the job market could be completely altered. Professionals are getting job offers out every single day. Companies have always and will always hire people who have been laid off. It's all about what you bring to the role as experience, qualities, and mindset. And your resume is the sole opportunity to prove that you're the ideal candidate for the job.
Area of Expertise: A Smart Way to Curate Resume Experience and Skills
Are you a jack of all trades on the way to creating your first-ever professional resume? We're sorry to say, but you've definitely hit the wall with this guide. It's definitely not for you. Resume area of expertise, please take the center stage! Areas of expertise (AoE) allow for skilled professionals within both hi-tech and creative industries (especially managers, leaders, and c-level executives) to showcase what makes their experience unique. Imagine AoE as a further key selling point to highlight your prominent skills through niche-specific experience. When curating your resume via your professional AoE, you'd ultimately focus on answering some of the most important questions for your potential employers, as listed below. 1. Why should recruiters care about this experience item and your skills? Use AoE to hash out each experience item even more so, while focusing on niche-specific skills attained and results. 2. What impact did your accomplishments make on the organization, team, or your skill set? Highlighting something you did that was above and beyond, using the precise skills within your AoE. 3. Who you are as a professional: what's it like to work with you? Your area of expertise certainly hints at a couple of personal skills, including how you'd ultimately define success. Also focusing on your future-facing abilities: your goals, vision, and dreams for growth within the industry. Area of expertise resumes shows recruiters that you can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. This Enhancv guide will show you: Best practices when curating your resume using your area of expertise; Why the top one-third of your resume sets the whole tone for your AoE? Filling in the whole story: how to decide on which industry-specific skills to include? AoE keywords in the professional experience and those nitty-gritty details; Interests and hobbies: other resume sections to fill in the blanks and show the depth of your area of expertise. How to show your area of expertise using your resume? Before we get into the how-to, here's the biggest red flag about your professional area of expertise. AoE resumes are most relevant for professionals with many years of experience or at a more senior level. Ones that have become subject experts, thought-leaders, and/or can boast a high level of competency in using a specific skill set. AoE-tailored resumes shine a better light on what makes you a unique asset to a given organization and ultimately help you to stand out against competitors. But why isn't having an area of expertise recommended for entry-level roles? Junior professionals may not be that well-versed within a specific niche or may not have practical experience. Professional areas of expertise show recruiters your capabilities and interests. But how should you go about narrowing down your skills to be more focused on your expertise? Here's what you can do to ensure you get your AoE resume right from the very start. Help recruiters understand how you'd be the right person to fill the shoes by aligning your area of expertise (and skills) with job keywords (requirements). Determine your level of proficiency within each skill requirement and select only the ones you excel in. Provide specific examples for each skill item, focused on the big picture, results attained, and your level of expertise. Curate a job-specific portfolio that includes your publications, home labs, and projects that best answer the needs of the role. Include client-success stories to show your previous achievements using both hard and soft skills. Wondering what else you could do to highlight even further your resume AoE? Don't forget these three rules 1. Tailor your application for each job you apply to, always using active, specific language to highlight your achievements. 2. If you've basic knowledge of a specific job requirement or skill, leave it out of your resume. If the skill is a must-have, use your cover letter to highlight your determination in investing your time (both on and off the job) to attain this skill. 3. Use various resume sections as proof of your area of expertise by highlighting the specific field and skill set you've mastered. Now for the part, you've all been waiting for: let's look at how professional areas of expertise apply to your resume. Area of expertise and the top one-third of your resume Did you know that the top one-third of your resume is the break-it or make-it moment at the assessment stage? It's when rejection rates by recruiters and the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) are the highest. This is as candidates have listed irrelevant experience, missed keywords, or presented a generic headline and/or summary. If your resume focuses on your area of expertise, seize the moment from the get-go! Use both your resume headline and summary to showcase your industry knowledge. The headline is the first sentence that could be either keyword-heavy or focused on the problems you solve within your work. Make sure that it hints at what your area of expertise is. Your professional summary may be just up to five sentences, yet it has to entice recruiters with your professional story by using job-specific buzzwords; demonstrating your ability to excel in your line of work; highlighting impressive projects for your niche. Need more examples? Check out how the area of expertise is integrated within the industry leader's resume headline and summary: Skills-heavy resumes showcasing area of expertise There is one final section within the top one-third of your resume, which most professionals tend to underestimate. That's the skills section, which allows you to embed as many relevant job advert keywords as possible. Choose wisely when curating your: technical skills - your capability to use specific software/technologies; soft skills - personal and character traits you've gained thanks to your whole work-life experience. Enhancv allows you to build up your AoE with dedicated strengths or achievements sections. Whether you decide to choose either resume section, remember to include a healthy mix of hard and soft skills; how you've applied those skills; outcomes with numbers, percentages, etc. Want to take your skills section to the next level with your area of expertise? Select the crucial skills to the role you're applying for and build a skills section in which you also include: the number of years you've practiced the skill; most recent use of the skill; level of comfort with the particular software (for technical skills). Apart from dedicating these few sections, remember that your resume should focus on your skills all through. Just make sure that all the information you include is relevant and shows your expertise in that particular skill. Resume experience: how to highlight your area of expertise When assessing resumes, recruiters should immediately be able to understand your area of expertise, subtly hinted at in your experience. Have you ever wondered how to master the art of selecting the correct roles to shine the best light on your experience? If you'd like to position yourself as a niche expert, it's important to establish which most recent roles have helped you build your unique skill set. We'd recommend that within this brainstorming stage, you select the most important (and possibly specialized) skills for your industry and then match them up with each experience item. Continue on to write each experience bullet item using active and concise sentences that portray: how you've applied hard and soft skills in a particular role; the immediate results of your actions; what you've actually achieved in the big picture for the organization. You have to get down to the nitty-gritty details of your role, while sticking to the one sentence-per-achievement format. Need more help with writing your niche experience section? Hope the example below helps. AoE portfolio, projects, and publications The best way to highlight your area of expertise is by showing what you're capable of. At the top of your resume, make sure you've included a link to either your blog, GitHub, home lab(s), or LinkedIn profile. Your portfolio should showcase relevant projects that follow the latest industry trends. A well-curated portfolio for the job goes a long way. If you want to take your resume a step further, include a concise projects or publications section with noteworthy achievements. Resume education and certification sections - further proof of your area of expertise Many professionals often tend to underestimate the value of education and certifications on their resumes. These two sections are a chance you don't want to miss out on, especially if you're trying to position yourself as an expert within a particular niche. Of course, you don't need to list all of your degrees and certificates, rather tailor them to your area of expertise. Include on your resume the degrees that: are relevant to the job (e.g. your degrees in AI/ ML, etc.); showcase your determination to learn and progress (e.g. at M.A./Ph.D. level) When it comes down to your training and certifications, once again, select ones that match the job advert and carry some sort of weight in the industry. Other resume sections to position you as an expert Your resume (that hints at your area of expertise) doesn't have to just be limited to the few sections, listed above. Sometimes, it's a good idea to think outside the box in curating what would carry the most value for recruiters and your potential employers. This would lead to integrating a more personal approach to show your values, interests, and hobbies. Use: My Time - to show what you care about in your day-to-day. Don't forget to highlight your daily dedication to perfecting your niche skill set. Passions - people always have and will always want to work with people. This section can provide recruiters with great conversation points during the interview process. Get inspired with these 10 resumes from different areas of expertise To get you further thinking about your area of expertise, we’ve selected 10 niche guides to show you how experts have integrated their experience: Chief Financial Officer VP Business Development Chief Technical Officer IT Director Chief Marketing Officer IT Project Manager Agile Scrum Master Product Manager Program Manager Software Architect Key takeaways Areas of expertise are the perfect resume solutions for senior professionals or subject-matter experts, who wish to shine a better light on their skill set. Select the key skills you'd like to focus your resume on by considering job advert keywords and your proficiency level. Integrate skills that hint at the area of your expertise in the top one-third of your resume to get noticed by recruiters. Curate your project portfolio to be specific to the role you're applying for, while showing your unique know-how. Include various other sections as proof of your area of expertise, but also to hint at what it's like to work with you.
Ahead Of The Trend: How Quiet Hiring Could Affect Your Career In 2023
If you thought that the 1920s were roaring, well, hold on to your hats for the dynamic 2020s. At first, there was work from home, which evolved into hybrid work. When we asked to come back to the office, the Great Resignation commenced. Which was unfortunately followed by the MAANG layoffs. The TikTok born-and-bred term, quiet quitting, started to make a wave roughly at this time. And now 2023 is starting with yet another workplace trend - quiet hiring. Gartner experts predict that Quiet hiring - a method even applied at Google - will play a crucial role in our workplace climate. Towards the end of 2022, Gartner experts predicted nine trends that would affect the workplace in 2023. One of these - the "quiet hiring" method, is said to be even used by Google executives. That's why we've dedicated this article to help you to understand better: What is quiet hiring and how it may affect your work responsibilities? Resume writing advice to answer the new, quiet hiring requirements. If you've received a "quiet hiring offer", how to handle it professionally? How to turn this trend into an opportunity to rocket your career? So make sure you stick around because Enhancv will never quiet quit on you in helping you understand the recruitment environment and dynamics. Quiet hiring has already stirred the ground among employers, recruiters, and employees. Proponents of quiet hiring hail its ingenuity as a short-term strategic solution to the talent shortage. Then there are those that view it with a grain of salt. Asking whether this is yet another tactic for the "exploitation of employees". Without getting on either side of the debates, which sparked all over Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn, we'll let you make up your own mind about this trend. Let's first start with a little bit of the 2023 workplace landscape. With the cost of living crisis and high inflation across the globe, companies are starting to reconsider their recruitment needs. And even though many departments are in desperate need of new talent, organizations are slowing down or freezing their hiring. Here is where quiet hiring comes in. The method adds new skills to organizations, without actually hiring new, full-time employees. Employers are thus forced to reassess their talent and prioritize immediate needs in crucial business functions. Quiet hiring is when current employees are reassigned to different departments, tasks, or responsibilities for a limited period of time. Or when short-term contractors are recruited to take on specific assignments. Now, there's plenty of gray area about quiet hiring. In an ideal worldÎ scenario, it'd be a short-term solution to keep things afloat and used to boost internal promotions. Where employees, recognized with various senior executive qualities, gain in-house training, skills, and abilities. Within this period of time, they shouldn't just be filling in somebody's shoes, but also be compensated for taking on the heavier workload. It would be a short-term win-win situation where organizations ethically patch up their talent gaps, while employees get a chance to do more, but at a fair price. Without getting too political into the topic, let's look at Quiet hiring and internal recruitment Perhaps you've felt it in the air. Your job and department are being made redundant. And you may not want to get quiet hired or change companies, but instead - opt to take things into your own hands. After you have reviewed the basic organization-wide policies and have had your one-on-one with your supervisor, it's time... ... to get your resume ready for that internal role. These five quick steps will help you start the ball rolling in writing your successful internal resume. 1. Target the resume to who's reading it. Here's one of the big assets you'll have: you know the recruitment process, as you've already gone once through it successfully. You may have even had your morning coffee with your HR colleagues at one point or another. Whatever the case, remember that you'll be writing for these people or the ATS (applicant tracking system). So your resume needs to be simple and easy to read. You could choose to list your experience following one of these formats: Reverse chronological - detailing your most recent (and relevant) roles. It's the most standardized format out there. Functional - with a focus on the skills you've attained, rather than the multitude of roles. Select this format if this is your first job or don't have enough experience items. Hybrid - mixes reverse chronological and functional format to let both your skills and experience take center stage.2. Why you're the right choice? You're already on the inside and have specific knowledge about workloads domains structure and organization. This is your trump card. Start your resume off with precisely that strength within the header and headline. Answering not just what you do, but an achievement within these categories: technological innovation: familiarity with internal systems; strategic maps: influence on organization-wide processes; ROI: solutions, affecting profit margins and the business side. 3. Specifics of the summary A rule of thumb, when writing your summary, is that it has to be specific to the role you're applying for. But what if you took this a step further and made it also specific for the people, who'd assess your resume? Think about which of your achievements would impress your future supervisors, hiring managers, or colleagues within the actual department. Use three-to-five sentences to highlight these greatest accomplishments in your resume. 4. What makes you stand out? Most often, colleagues who apply for internal roles may come from a similar department. Their roles may be intertwined and quite similar: with almost the exact level of success. So, what should you do in this case? Use these three resume sections to help you stand out: Skills: include a healthy mix of hard (or technical) and soft skills. Showcasing that you not only know the technologies of the organization, but have all the necessary (and important) personal capacities to succeed. Be as specific as possible. Certifications: curate both mandatory and extracurricular certifications you have within the field. This way, you'd show your interest in the field and that you're willing to go above and beyond to progress your career. Education: most candidates forget that sometimes your higher education may be just that winning factor. So make sure you include that impressive Master’s degree or Ph.D on your resume. 5. History in the company: your chapter The experience section of your resume should show your personal take on your current role. Describe with complete honesty the years of experience in the relevant departments/-s with a focus on: The experience section of your resume also provides you with the opportunity to show exactly the specifics of why you love your job. You can select items that show your in-depth knowledge of the organization, and at the same time highlight the changes you've made in shaping the workplace environment. Here’s how this candidate prepared her resume, going from an administrator to a recruiter: Quiet hiring: calling all short-term contractors! Is expanding your portfolio within a specific niche part of your 2023 goals? Or perhaps you've dreamed about contracting a "big league" company? Well, quiet hiring may just be the "trampoline" you need to blast your career at full speed. As in an effort to diversify their talent, companies will look to outside contractors to fill in the talent gap. Making those unfathomable big names more easily accessible to anyone. All you need is the relevant experience, a little bit of luck, and a targeted, well-curated resume that represents your talents and strengths. Thinking about your resume, we've prepared some of the three vital criteria, via which recruiters and the ATS will assess it. So, dive into your experience's: 1. Portfolio The top one-third of your resume is the section that, most of the time, is crucial for decision-making. That's why a link to your updated and relevant portfolio of work (whether it's on a website, LinkedIn, or GitHub) should be featured. This way, your potential employers will actually get to see what your skills and technical capabilities are. 2. Projects Do you want to showcase your portfolio on a whole new level? Dedicate a separate section on your resume, detailing between one-and-three relevant projects, which you're most proud of. Select these projects to not only highlight your most prominent work, but to: match organizational culture align with the job description show what you'd like to work on in the future. 3. Skills We can't talk enough about the importance of both hard and soft skills. Hard or technical skills pertain to the technologies you are apt at using. Soft skills have more to do with your communication, thinking, problem-solving, or personal skills. Your added value as a professional. Your resume should include a mix of both, weaved into various sections. Here's how we'd suggest you include various skills through your resume: Between one-and-three complementary skills in the headline; Writing your summary and experience sections via this formula: skill + how you've used it + outcomes; Three crucial skills with accomplishments in the strengths or achievements section. This will pay off way more in your application strategy for contactor roles. If you’re looking for more inspiration on how to write your contractor resume, check out this example: What to do if recruiters or your employers decide to quiet hire you? You suddenly find yourself in a very clandestine meeting with the organization's HR department. Sitting down across the table, you see them holding a folded paper napkin. Prepared just for you. It's slipped right across the table to where you're sitting. An offer you can't refuse. Okay, so take out the Godfather references and imagery away, and congratulations! You have just been quiet hired. At first, you may approach this situation a bit skeptically with the "Why me?!" mindset. Yet, quiet hiring is an opportunity for you as an employee to gain new skills, perspectives, and abilities. Even though your role may evolve to more challenges and responsibilities, you'll also get to network with colleagues from different departments. And ultimately shift your career to, perhaps, a more profitable business unit. But before you make up your mind, with a "Yes" or "No" you need to fill in all the details to see for yourself the big picture. Here are four things you can prepare in advance for your quiet hiring discussion. It's in the fine print! After you've had your discussion, you'll need to have gained clear and concise answers to these questions: What your new responsibilities are going to be? For how long you're expected to continue to carry them out? End dates and deadlines should be mapped out. What will happen to your current workload? Which of your tasks will you have to carry over? Would you have training or mentorship to be able to complete your new responsibilities? Who will be in charge of checking the quality of your work? Which department will you be a part of? Gain Perspective This is something that's important to you. Yes, quiet hiring is an opportunity to learn and gain new skills. But you need to know how this "slight" career shift would align with your professional growth and development goals. As, for example, not all code developers want to become team leads. Tracking Performance What are the KPIs to show you succeed in your new role? How will your performance be assessed? Once you have the metrics of your new responsibilities, imagine what you'll need to achieve those. If you can see it in your head, and have the willpower, you can do it. As a nota bene to this item, always remember to keep track of your achievements and performance within your resume. You never know when new opportunities may arise. Negotiation and The Ethics of Quiet Hiring Okay, so you have the basics of your new role outlined. And if you agree to take them on, what personal gain would you be getting out of it all? This is where the question of ethics kicks into the process or quid pro quo. Will your pay be increased? Or you'll receive flexible hours and additional time off? Perhaps, this may qualify you for a monthly bonus? Ultimately, will your new responsibilities amount to the annual assessment reviews and an end-of-the-year promotion? At the end of your negotiation, always make sure to get things in writing, so that both parties are accountable. One final thing to keep in mind about quiet hiring… Before you take this vital decision, consider how this would impact your work-life balance. A few months from now, you may have accepted to take on one more plate to your already full stack of responsibilities. You suddenly find you can't keep all the plates spinning at the same time. Exhausted by the many “to-dos”, and feeling burnout, you may ultimately decide it’s time for a job change. This is something that happens much too often in the workplace. Remember to always have your resume ready to go. Because by closing one door, you may find a job that makes you happier and more fulfilled. Without those extra tasks. Key takeaways Quiet hiring is the latest recruitment trend within which - in an ideal-world scenario - employees are able to gain new skills and knowledge, while being remunerated fairly for the extra work they do. Ultimately, bridging the talent gaps for a period of time. You may decide to ultimately explore other roles within the organization - focus on building a resume that is easy to read, yet details your current organization in the department and niche company-knowledge. Quiet hiring would create many opportunities for short-term contractors. Make sure your resume showcases your recent projects and noteworthy accomplishments. If you’re being quiet hired, get the full scope of the work and map out how this would affect your career in the long-term. Job mobility will continue to persevere through 2023, so make sure you have your resume ready to go for the next chapter of your career,
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