unemployment | Robin's Resumes (r)

Geography and Your Job Hunt

Jan 04 2015

Robin’s Resumes® is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but I work on resumes for individuals from every region and state. Many of them face geographic challenges: relocation within the United States, high regional unemployment, relocation to another country, and applying to an international company.

Relocation resumes require special consideration because you will be competing with job applicants who already live in the company’s vicinity. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, you should strive to acquire a local address and even a cell phone with a local phone number to give you an edge in finding a job in another location.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor, the jobless rate has fallen in about half of the states and is continuing to fall; that’s great news. But if you live in a region or state with high unemployment, a professional resume writer can help you target your resume toward the healthiest industries in your region.

If you are applying for a position overseas, or if you are moving to the United States from a foreign country, you should know that there are major differences in resumes from country to country. For example, many foreign countries expect a resume to contain a picture or personal information (such as date of birth) which are discouraged or actually prohibited on US resumes. Moreover, clarification may be needed about the meaning of degrees from US institutions versus foreign institutions.

International companies may have teams dispersed over several countries. If you are applying to work at an international company at any level, it helps if you know a foreign language, have traveled to foreign countries, have worked with individuals from different countries, or have worked for another international company. Your experiences and skills may not be deep or broad, but any international background or skill gives your resume a boost.

Please contact Robin’s Resumes® if your job search involves a geographic challenge.

Grasping the Opportunity of Unemployment: Your Dream Job

Oct 06 2013

While it is hard to think of it that way, losing your job can morph into an opportunity—an opportunity to find a company and career that is a better match for your personality, goals and interests. How do you go about finding that dream job?

First, you need to know what your dream job looks like:

What industry is it in?
What type and size of company is it? Is it a startup, a multinational corporation, a medium sized company, a nonprofit, a family owned company?
Where is it located? Does it need to allow telecommuting?
What type of culture does it have? Does its philosophy of corporate giving and community participation match yours? Do employees show up in suits or in dungarees? Does it give employees a lot of freedom or expect manager to run a tight ship?
What type of job would you like in that industry and that type of company? What would give you the most satisfaction and best match your skills, education, experience and accomplishments?
Does the company have openings matching the description for the job you want (remembering that the same sort of job often masquerades under different titles and at different levels depending on the size of the company)?
How would you like to spend a typical work day: alone in an office, as a member or leader of a team, going to meetings, handling emergencies?
How much would you want to make? What sort of benefits would you want?

Once you know the answers to those questions, you can better target your resume. At Robin’s Resumes®, we help our clients fit their experience, education, accomplishments and skills to the jobs of their dreams.

Volunteering Increases Your Chances of Getting a Job by 27%

Jun 23 2013

Out of work does not mean that “out of opportunities to shine.” At Robin’s Resumes®, I’ve always encouraged job hunters to consider volunteer work for very practical reasons—which have just been confirmed by a national study.

This June, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) reported on the results of their survey of more than 70,000 individuals over age 16 to determine if volunteering would help them find a new job. Overall, the survey found that volunteers have a 27% higher likelihood than non-volunteers of finding a job after being out of work. For people who are already volunteering when they lose their jobs, their chances of finding a new job increase a whopping 30%. For those who first start volunteering after they lose their jobs, their chances increase 21%.

The advantages of volunteering are especially pronounced for those without a high school diploma (they have a 51% higher likelihood than non-volunteers of finding employment) and for those in rural areas (a 55% higher likelihood). Another interesting statistic: the increased likelihood of finding a job for volunteers holds up regardless of the overall level of unemployment in the country—that is, regardless of whether unemployment is at a low or a high.

Volunteering is not only an opportunity to keep your current skills sharp but to add skills to your resume, whether in the areas of leadership, fund raising, donor and community relationship management, or even technical areas like web design. The contacts made through volunteering may enable you to apply for job openings that have not been advertised yet and open up career paths you may not have considered.