Writing a Resume - How To Fix A Bad Resume

1Writing a Resume - How To Fix A Bad Resume If your resume is prepared but there are one or more major blemishes on your document, it can seem like a panic situation. Maybe there's a hole in your work history, or maybe one of your previous jobs ended on bitter terms with your former employer. A bad spot in your resume isn't the end of the world, and it won't reduce your chances of getting the job you want to apply for. You just have to put a little spin on the blemish, meaning that you need to find a way to make the mistake seem less important, and thus less damning, or even turn the problem into seeming like a positive thing.Large, hard-to-explain gaps in your work history from periods in your life where you were unemployed can be corrected in a manner of ways. You certainly can minimize the damage gaps do to your chances of getting a job. The first thing to do with your resume is to measure time spent on a job in years, rather than months. When noting the length of time you spent at a company, show the year you began the job and the year you left, rather than showing the year and the month.Sometimes, people leave the workforce for a number of years, for a wide variety of reasons. Raising children is a good example of why many women tend to have years of no work history on their resume. Extensive travel is another, freelance ventures, or taking courses and getting some education are other reasons you may have gaps in your employment experience. Don't be afraid to explain the reasons that you weren't employed, and in fact, each of these reasons taught you certain skills or brought you qualifications and maturity that will be a bonus for any company. Even if you took time off work to do absolutely nothing, try to find some sort of explanation for the period of time, such as getting back on your feet and restructuring your life.The opposite situation that causes employers reading your resume to raise an eyebrow is having too many jobs, reflecting that you've been moving from one company to another at an accelerated pace. Going from company to company or touching on many types of jobs is known as job hopping, and potential employers get the impression you may not be around at their company for long. As with gaps in your work history, note the time spent on the job in years rather than months, to try and fool the eye into thinking you stayed at jobs longer than you really did. Noting things in years will also help to try and focus your resume on your skills rather than your experience and erase any jobs that were too short term to make any real impact on your work history.Limited qualifications, be they in training, education, or experience can also present a problem for your resume. In this situation, you'll want to emphasize your experiences other than conventional qualifications, along with whatever qualifications you do meet, while writing your resume and attending a job interview. Additionally, emphasizing skills over experience will also help your resume.Never lie about a situation or gloss over a bad past, such as leaving a previous employer's company on bitter terms. You're not obligated to let a potential employer contact a past one, but should you have a tarnished work history, be prepared to answer questions as to why you left the job and under what circumstances. Remember one thing, if this is your situation: You don't have to tell your employer the full reasons for leaving, and you can spin the happenings around, bringing out the positive things you learned in your previous job. Be subtle with anything you put on your resume that you're trying to spin into something attractive, and be as honest as you can, all the while giving out the best information possible and holding back what might cost you the job.

What is the Outline of a Basic Resume

1What is the Outline of a Basic Resume An outline of a resume should list all of the relevant information. Start your outline by gathering information on your previous education, work experience (employment), activities, and skills.If you are writing a chronological resume, as many people do, then you will want to list your relevant information in reverse chronological order; the most recent information goes first.Start by writing out notes for your objective. If you include this on your resume, it goes right below your contact information.Next, list all of your education information. This includes each school you've attended, the years you spend there, the degree(s) you earned, and your GPA. Order this information with the most recent school first, and the first school you attended last. If you have a degree beyond high school, do not list it here. If you are in the middle of college, you can list it, though it's not highly recommended. Employers assume that if you made it to college, you have a high school diploma or GED. If you don't have a college education, then list your high school or details about your GED.Then, list all of your previous work information. List the employer, your position(s) at the company, the years you worked there, and your responsibilities at each job. If you had multiple positions at one company, list each position separately (along with the responsibilities you had at that specific position).Next, list any organizations you are a part of or any activities you participate in, especially if you hold a leadership position (president or treasurer, for example). Include the years you've been a member.Finally, list any skills you have that you haven't already mentioned. This could include second languages, computer programs, or typing speed, to name a few.Your resume can list the sections in the same order as your outline: Objective, Education, Work Experience, Activities, and Skills. Or, you can switch up the order. You may want to list Work Experience first if it is more relevant to the position you are applying for. You may want to put Skills before Activities. You can also cut out the Skill or Activities sections if you don't have relevant information to put there. Work Experience and Education are the most important sections, so be sure they are well written and detailed.

Top Career Web Sites for Children and Teens

1Top Career Web Sites for Children and Teens Career assessments and tests help you explore who you. Career books and web sites give you a glimpse of the world of work. Free career information is available on web sites. Some writers have written facts for children and teens. We would like to share some information with you. These web sites use graphics, multimedia presentation, activities, and other techniques to expand our knowledge of careers. We have written information on seventeen (17) web sites. Here are the four different types of exploring careers web sites:CurriculumGeneral Career InformationScience Career ClustersSpecific Science CareersCurriculum Web SitesCurriculum web sites provide activities, tests, guidelines, as well as career information.Resource One: Career CruiserSource: Florida Department of EducationThe Career Cruiser is a career exploration guidebook for middle school students. The Career Cruiser has self assessment activities to match personal interests to careers. The Career Cruiser has information on Holland Codes. Careers are grouped into 16 career clusters. The Career Cruiser has information on occupational descriptions, average earnings, and minimum educational level required for the job.Teacher's Guide is also available.Resource Two: Elementary Core Career ConnectionSource: Utah State Office of EducationThe Core Career Connections is a collection of instructional activities, K to 6, and 7 to 8, designed by teachers, counselors, and parents. Each grade level has instructional activities that align directly with the Utah State Core. This instructional resource provides a framework for teachers, counselors, and parents to integrate career awareness with the elementary and middle level grade students.Career Information Web SitesSome web sites provide excellent career information. Some web sites list facts about job tasks, wages, career outlook, interests, education, and more.Resource Three: Career VoyagesSource: U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of EducationThe Career Voyages web site is a Career Exploration web site for Elementary School students. The Career Voyages web site has information about the following industries:Advanced ManufacturingAutomotiveConstructionEnergyFinancial ServicesHealth CareHospitalityInformation TechnologyRetailTransportationAerospace and the "BioGeoNano" TechnologiesResource Four: Career ShipSource: New York State Department of LaborCareer Ship is a free online career exploration tool for middle and high school students. Career Ship uses Holland Codes and the O*NET Career Exploration Tools. For each career, Career Ship provides the following information:TasksWagesCareer outlookInterestsEducationKnowledgeSkillsSimilar careersCareer Ship is a product of Mapping Your Future, a public service web site providing career, college, financial aid, and financial literacy information and services.RESOURCE FIVE: Career ZoneSource: New York State Department of LaborCareer Zone is a career exploration and planning system. Career Zone has an assessment activity that identifies Holland Codes. Career Zone provides information on 900 careers from the new O*NET Database, the latest labor market information from the NYS Department of Labor and interactive career portfolios for middle and high school students that connect to the NYS Education Department Career Plan initiative. Career Zone has links to college exploration and planning resources, 300 career videos, resume builder, reference list maker, and cover letter application.Resource Six: Destination 2020Source: Canada Career ConsortiumDestination 2020 helps youth discover how everyday tasks can help them build skills they will need to face the many challenges of the workforce.Skills are linked to:School SubjectsOther School ActivitiesPlay Activities At HomeWork at HomeThrough quizzes, activities and articles, they might actually find some answers or, at least, a direction about their future. There are more than 200 profiles of real people who are describing what a day at work is like for them.Resource Seven: What Do You LikeSource: Bureau of Labor StatisticsWhat Do You Like is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Career web site for kids. The web site provides career information for students in Grades 4 to 8. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most of the material on the site has been adapted from the Bureau's Occupational Outlook Handbook,a career guidance publication for adults and upper level high school students that describes the job duties, working conditions, training requirements, earnings levels, and employment prospects of hundreds of occupations. Careers are matched to interests and hobbies. In the Teacher's Guide, there are twelve categories and their corresponding occupations.Science Career ClustersSome organizations have created web sites that feature science careers.Resource Eight: EEK! Get a Job Environmental Education for KidsSource: Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesEek! Get a Job Environmental Education for Kids is an electronic magazine for kids in grades 4 to 8. Eek! Get a Job provides information about:ForestryHydrogeologistEngineeringHerpetologistPark RangerWildlife BiologistPark NaturalistThere is a job description for each career, a list of job activities, suggested activities to begin exploring careers, and needed job skills.Resource Nine: GetTechSource: National Association of Manufacturers, Center for Workforce Success, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S Department of LaborGet Tech is a educational web site that provides CAREER EXPLORATION information. Get Tech has information about the following industries:New ManufacturingInformation TechnologyEngineering and Industrial TechnologyBiotechnology and ChemistryHealth and MedicineArts & DesignWithin each area, there are examples of careers.Each career profile gives:General descriptionSalaryNumber of people employed to jobNumber of jobs available in the futurePlace of workLevel of education requiredLocation of training programs: University Pharmacy Programs.Courses neededThere is a Get Tech Teacher's Guide.Resource Ten: LifeWorksSource: National Institutes of Health, Office of Science EducationLifeWorks is a career exploration web site for middle and high school students. LifeWorks has information on more than 100 medical science and health careers. For each career, LifeWorks has the following information:TitleEducation requiredInterest areaMedian salaryTrue stories of people who do the different jobsLifeWorks has a Career Finder that allows you to search by Name of Job, Interest Area, Education Required, or Salary.Resource Eleven: San Diego Zoo Job Profiles for KidsSource: San Diego ZooSan Diego Zoo Job Profiles discussed jobs for people who:Work with animalsWork with plantsWork with science and conservationWork with peopleWork that helps run the Zoo and ParkThere are activities listed under each area, for example:What we doWhat is cool about this jobJob challengesHow this job helps animalsHow to get a job like thisPractice Being a ...How to Become a ...Resource Twelve: Scientists in Action!Source: U.S. Department of the InteriorScientists in Action features summaries of the lives of people involved in careers in the natural sciences:Mapping the planetsSampling the ocean floorProtecting wildlifeForecasting volcanic eruptionsResource Twelve: Want To Be a Scientist?Source: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of the AgricultureWant To Be a Scientist is a career exploration web site for kids about 8 to 13 years old. Want To Be a Scientist has a series of job descriptions, stories, and other resources about what scientists do here at the ARS.These stories include information about:Plant PathologistChemistSoil ScientistEntomologistAnimal ScientistMicroscopistPlant PhysiologistSpecific Science CareersThe last group of web sites is dedicated to providing information on specific science careers, for example veterinarians,Resource Thirteen: About VeterinariansSource: American Veterinary Medical AssociationAbout Veterinarians has facts about:What is a Veterinarian?Becoming a VeterinarianMaking a Career DecisionWhat Personal Abilities Does a Veterinarian Need?What Are the Pluses and Minuses of a Veterinary Career?Veterinary EducationGeneral InformationAfter Graduation From Veterinary SchoolGeneral InformationSchool StatisticsPreparation AdvicePreveterinary CourseworkWhere Most Schools Are LocatedAbout School AccreditationThe Phases of Professional StudyThe Clinical CurriculumThe Academic ExperienceRoles of VeterinariansPrivate PracticeTeaching and ResearchRegulatory MedicinePublic HealthUniformed ServicesPrivate IndustryEmployment OutlookEmployment ForecastThe Advantage of SpecializingStatisticsGreatest Potential Growth AreasOther Professional DirectionsAVMA Veterinary Career CenterBecoming a Veterinary TechnicianYour Career in Veterinary TechnologyDuties and ResponsibilitiesCareer OpportunitiesEducation RequiredDistance LearningSalaryProfessional RegulationsOrganizationsFurther InformationResource Fourteen: Aquarium CareersSource: Monterey Bay AquariumAquarium Careers features careers information. For each Staff Profiles, there is Educational Background and Skills Needed. The Staff Profiles include:AquaristEducation SpecialistExhibits CoordinatorExhibit DesignerResearch BiologistScience WriterThe Aquarium Careers web site answers the following questions:What should I do now to prepare for a career in marine biology?Where can I find a good college for marine biology?What should be my college major?How do I pick a graduate school?I'm not sure of my area of interest. What should I do?Marine Science Career Resources include information on:Marine Advanced Technology EducationMarine Mammal Center, CaliforniaScripps Institution of Oceanography, CaliforniaScripps LibrarySea GrantStanford University's Hopkins Marine StationState University of New York at Stony BrookResource Fifteen: Engineering The Stealth ProfessionSource: Discover EngineeringEngineering The Stealth Profession has a lot of information about engineers:Types of EngineersAerospace EngineeringCeramic/Materials EngineeringChemical EngineeringCivil EngineeringElectrical/Computer EngineeringEnvironmental EngineeringIndustrial EngineeringManufacturing EngineeringMechanical EngineeringOther EngineersTrue StoriesSalariesEducation RequiredWork SchedulesEquipment UsedResource Sixteen: Sea Grant Marine CareersSource: Marine CareersSea Grant Marine Careers gives you facts about marine career fields and to people working in those fields. Sea Grant Marine Careers outlines information on:Marine BiologyOceanographyOcean EngineeringRelated FieldsIn each area, there is a detailed description of the type of the work that the scientists do. There are feature stories for different scientists in the career field.The career profiles include information on:What is your current job and what does it entail?What was the key factor in your career decision?What do you like most about your career?What do you like least about your career?What do you do to relax?Who are your heroes/heroines?What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in your field?Are career opportunities in your field increasing or decreasing and why?What will you be doing 10 years from today?What is the salary range?Resource Seventeen: Do You Want to Become a Volcanologist?Source: Volcano WorldDo You Want to Become a Volcanologist? provides the following descriptions:The Word VolcanologistDaily workTraits for successEducationSalariesCareer web sites help you build awareness of the different aspects of careers: the tasks, wages, career outlook, interests, education, knowledge, and skills. We know that you will be fun exploring careers.