So many questions
Hi,
I hope some one out there sees this and responds, I can really use the imput. Two years ago after having worked as a retail assistant manager for eight years I decided to use the store being sold as an opportunity to change job fields. I went through a training program in my county and decided to complete my community hours(free work labor in exchange for on the job training) at a company that I could be possibly hired at. I was hired in two weeks and it was great! I worked there for a year and was layed off due to downsizing. Four months later I went to work at a self storage facility in an office for a job and to keep my clerical experience going, but after about 8 months of how can I say it continual conflict with my bosses I quit. it was the first time in over twenty years that I quit a job and I have excellent recommendations from my previous employers, So now I am looking for another job and I have a few questions regarding applications. Here they go:
1) How do I answer the question "Reason for leaving?"
2) In the expected salary space what do I put if the job announcement does not state the salary?
3) I attend college, but am not quite finished with neither my degree or certificate. Do I mention the fact that I am a college student?
4) and final. Most of my jobs were either in the retail or cleaning(homes, offices, hotels ect..) so do I list them on the application. I have used alot of what I did in retail on my job applications before, but I'm not sure.
Thanks for the response!
The first three are easy to answer. The multiple job on your resume is a little more difficult. Everyone has there own opinion. I live in NC and there are people at the Employment Security Commision and the Community College System that have people that can help job seekers free of cost. My suggestion is to put a resume together and show it to people that have the knowledge to give advice, and then make changes as needed. Rule of thumb is keep it to one page unless you have a lot of valuable work experience you need to present. And try never to go over two pages.
- On reason for leaving: put "will discuss at interview". If they are interested in the other parts of your resume, they will ask it as a footnote to be filled in by the HR dept. However at interview, be very clear about why you left without being mean or arrogant about your previous employer. They will ask, so be sure to come up with your talking points well before hand and be well practiced on your response. They will want to see a thoughtful person who is not likely to fly off the handle and quite suddenly. Stress that the job was important and you tried to make the situation tolerable, but could not. Hopefully you left the company with proper notice. If they press you for more information, be prepared to be blunt without being emotional.
- For salary: again, I would put "will discuss at interview" or leave blank. Because you do not have a job now, you do not want to be knocked out of a possible job interview. On the other hand, if you had a good job but were looking for a better one, you could be picky. But at this point, you might take less money to get a "dream job". Besides, the job may not be exactly what the posting said it was. Once the interviewer has discussed the job with you, then you can make a determination of what the job is worth.
- My personal feeling is that the more education or training the better. Put that you are attending and when you expect to finish or graduate. Also include the degree or certification.
- The biggest point is not to leave any holes in your resume. If the work is more than 10 or 15 years ago, there is some debate on whether it is even relevant to todays market. I would put some generic job description and some of the tasks associated with each, and not put each of 8 jobs in 6 years. Most of the time, if you left the job more than 3 years ago, no one will remember you to give you a recommendation. Just be prepared to give a good explanation of the description in your resume when you get to the interview.
GOOD LUCK!!
Thank you so much Hendo143!
I appreciate the response and the suggestions. There are a couple of agencies in my community that will assist me with resume writing that I will make sure to access. Resumes are critical in themselves, but can make the difference between an unemployment check versus a payroll check in the small town that I live where atleast 50+ applicants are applying for the same clerical position. I will let you know how things turn out. Have a fabulous day!!
Elaine