Employment Spot

Not getting that dream job? It could be because of a stain on your record.

As companies face huge lawsuits for their employees’ criminal actions, major changes have occurred within the hiring community. Now more than ever, background checks have become one of the most important parts of the hiring process in firms of all sizes. Pre-checking your background before a potential employer does will give you a major advantage over other candidates.

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First of all, never lie when giving your employment history to a potential employer. Employers ask about employment history specifically because it provides very important information about a potential employee. There are many accurate ways to verify someone’s employment history. It is therefore unwise to lie about your employment history.

There are many common reasons for gaps in someone’s employment history. For example, some parents take time off to raise their children. Many employers expect some gaps in employment history and will accept most reasonable explanations. Read the rest of this entry »

As most job seekers know, there are two basic types of resumes: chronological and functional. Students, with few exceptions, should always use functional resume. It is much easier to highlight one’s skills and related experience on a functional résumé. Chronological résumés are better for older workers who can list their employment histories and experiences in order, starting with the most recent.

Students, who usually do not have lots of work experience, do not have long employment histories to list. Even if students do have work experience and a long employment history, a chronological resume filled with odd jobs like babysitting and lifeguarding will not be as impressive to potential employers. Students should focus on using what experience they do have from all areas of their lives to create focused and tailored functional resume.

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Many people assume that the job they have currently will not be the job they have when they retire. Many employees assume that they will be promoted within a company or take a more lucrative or challenging position outside of it.

One of the easiest ways to find a better job is to look around you at one of the open positions within your current company. Employers often like to fill open positions with current employees for several reasons. First, open positions can be expensive to fill. Advertising the position or paying for a headhunter may be an expense employers do not want to pay. Second, employees within a company have a known history. It is easier to ask an employee’s supervisor about his or her employment history than to conduct a background check upon a potential candidate whom no one knows. Finally, training new people to fill open positions may also be expensive and time consuming. It is much easier to adapt someone who already knows company policy and standards into an open position than it is to train an outsider from scratch.

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By Peter Newfield

Did you try your hand at consulting after a layoff? Take time off after the birth of a child? Have a disability that lasted several months?

Life would certainly be easier if your employment history could be perfectly presented on a resume. But for many job seekers, a few missing years can haunt you when sending these critical documents to recruiters and prospective employers. How do you tactfully and accurately address the missing years in your resume and cover letters?

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