Overcoming Liabilities: Periods of Unemployment and Your Age Periods of Unemployment
Short gaps in employment are easy to conceal, in both the chronological and functional-chronological formats. Instead of stating employment dates in months and years, cite years only. In the event that you have a period of unemployment that lasts several years, you can mask this by not providing dates of employment, and, instead, stating the number of years you have worked for an employer. Granted, this second approach will arouse suspicion among potential employers since they're used to seeing dates of employment on a resume. However, you'll have a better chance of generating interviews using this approach versus leaving no doubt about your periods of unemployment.
Age
If you prefer not to reveal your age, use the functional-chronological format, and in the "Employment History" section cite the number of years you have worked for each company.
This approach won't work, however, if you have a degree, since your date of graduation will indicate your age (unless you received your degree well after you began your career). In this instance, put your educational background after your work experience and leave out the graduation date. With your qualifications clearly established, some employers might not be disturbed by the fact that this date is missing. Some will be suspicious, though.
Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do in a resume to cover up job-hopping. If you try to achieve this by omitting dates altogether, or the amount of time you worked for companies, you will cause so much concern that the likelihood of developing interviews will be practically nil.
Once you're meeting with an employer, the above liabilities will invariably surface during the course of conversation. However, because you're now face-to-face with an interviewer, you have the opportunity to offer good explanations for periods of unemployment as well as your reasons for having left certain companies. (This information should never appear in a resume.) If these liabilities were visible on your resume, you might never have been able to set up the interview in the first place.
Reviewing Your Resume
Once you have finished the first draft of your resume, review what you have written and ask yourself the following questions: "Does this resume highlight my strengths and accomplishments and demonstrate my ability to perform my job objective?" "What negatives are brought out?" "What changes can I make to minimize their impact?" and "What changes can I make to strengthen my qualifications?"
For each piece of information you've offered, ask yourself: "What does this say about me?" "What does this not say about me?" and, "What does this imply?" Make the required changes. Rewrite your resume as many times as necessary. Always check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Once you're satisfied with your resume, show it to your friends. Ask for their comments and suggestions for improvement. The document may not read to others as it does to you. You will get the most useful feedback from people who are knowledgeable about your field.
Resume Appearance
The appearance of your resume is as important as its content. If the document is overrun with words or has a poor visual effect, it might not be read at all.
So that your resume will be attractive to the eye, make sure there's a good deal of "white space." There should be one inch from the top and from the bottom, as well as at the left and right margins. There should also be ample spacing between the different sections.
Cover Letters
Never fail to send a cover letter along with a resume. There are three instances when it's acceptable, but not recommended, to send an organization a resume without a cover letter: (1) when you're on close terms with someone at a company and he's expecting to receive your background (here, a handwritten note will suffice); (2) when contacting an employment agency; and (3) when answering a blind box ad.
