Employment Spot

The recent closure of America’s Job Bank has prompted some confusion and question about job banks and job search services in general. Job banks are tools used by job seekers to find employment listings online. The convenience of the online search allows job seekers to spend less time rummaging through want ads and more time updating resumes or tailoring their cover letters to specific employers. Job banks have become very popular in recent years as technology becomes an increasingly valuable tool to employers and employees alike. In fact, almost three in four employees are now hired via an online job bank and this number is only expected to increase. Employers have dedicated more resources in recent years to online recruiting and posting open positions in job banks, which can be accessed via newspapers like ChicagoTribune or through Internet sites like Employmentspot.com.

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Focus on the Needs of the Decision Maker

All too often the job seeker is focused on what he or she is looking for in a job (i.e. income, benefits, location, function, responsibilities, title, stature, drive time, industry, and corporate culture). On the other hand, hiring executives have an entirely different set of standards for what they are seeking in candidates. If you, as a job seeker, fail to recognize the difference, you will be history in terms of being the candidate of choice.

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Though technology now permits resumes to be submitted quickly and easily online, the need for high quality resume paper is hardly lessened. People today need resume paper more than ever as they compete for jobs both online and via traditional sources. When you go to an office supplies store you may be surprised to find a wide variety of resume papers to choose from.

Many job seekers have a variety of questions regarding which resume paper to choose. More traditional job seekers continue to prefer the classic white resume paper with the watermark of the resume paper maker. Another classic option is a cream or ivory resume paper, which can help to distinguish your resume when it is in a pile with others.

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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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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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