Re Entering the WorkplaceI have several questions, about references, qualifications, and re-entry strategy: I am trying to return to work after eight years of being a homemaker and volunteer. Eight years ago I was laid off from my job as a human resources director. The company went out of business a year or so later, and I am no longer in contact with any of my co-workers. I only have one reference left related to my human resources career, and the rest are all related to my personal and volunteer life. Does that matter? During the past eight years I have done a lot of volunteerism, including board of trustee leadership for a non-profit . I have also successfully chaired some committees. I haven't been able to figure out how to include the volunteerism. Do I add it to my "work experience" with the paid jobs, or to "interests" at the bottom? Or, leave it off the resume and mention it in the cover letter? Here is the tough part - I worked my way into management from a clerical position, without a college degree. I do have three certifications and nine years of experience. I've noticed that I don't have the requested qualifications for jobs similar to what I used to do, (usually they ask for a bachelor's degree minimum,) and have been told that I am overqualified for assistant and support positions. For this reason, I'm wondering if I need to change careers completely, even though I love human resources. Also, since it's been 8 years since I've worked for a paycheck, would it be better if I start with a clerical position and work my way up again, or hang in there and keep trying for the job I know I am capable of? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Have you considered going back to school? It is unlikely that you're going to get the job you want in HR without a BA or BS. There are lots of programs for adults, many that will fast track you and get you completed in just a couple of years. There is also lots of financial aid out there. Why don't you investigate a bit in your local area. Look for "real" brick and mortar schools with adult programs first, go in and talk to the counselors about options. Also, I'd look at HR jobs with non-profits. That may be the formal HR position with their paid staff as well as the Volunteer Coordinator type positions. They're more willing to overlook gaps and lack of experience and that could help to get your foot back into the working world door while you're going to school. Good luck! Tess You can list you positions with the companys you volunteered at in your resume beause they are work experiences. Make sure you list these in a seperate category and not with your paid positions. If you had gone directly from one job to another without a break, your lack of an actual degree would probably not have made a whole lot of difference because your recent experience could have been substituted. Since this is not your situation, you would probably fare better if you began in a clerical position slightly higher than entry level, if possible. For example: if you wanted to stick with human resources, you could inquire about an assistant human resource position. Or a receptionist for the human resource department. Provide all of the available references you can. If you can't provide any for the job that went out of business, then you just can't. It is how you have acted in your positions recently that will count the highest. Ummm, is "volunterrism" a word? I can't find that particular word or tense in the dictionary. Voluntarism is a word. I know the spelling looks odd, but it's correct. It's not used correctly in the original post. Volunteering is a better choice. Voluntarism - 1 : the principle or system of doing something by or relying on voluntary action or volunteers 2 : a theory that conceives will to be the dominant factor in experience or in the worldI think you're looking forvolunteerism
1 : voluntarism 1 2 : the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service Although Voluntarism is a word, it isn't the word that people use for this concept. The overall principle or system of doing something by relying on voluntary action is not what you're talking about. You're talking about the art or practice of doing volunteer work in the community. Tess | |
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Career Tips
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