Reentering the workforce after a career pause can seem overwhelming and daunting to someone who has been absent from their field for any number of months or years. It is important to acknowledge this break and devise a plan for return. Foremost you always want to be honest about the gap in your resume, and why you left the industry. Recruiters and companies want an understandable reason; child rearing or caring for a loved one certainly qualify. With that said, as a stay at home mom returning to work, you have to be prepared because the business world has changed since you left. You must organize your resume and sharpen your interview tactics accordingly to be seen as the top candidate among a pool of applicants.
How to Create a Winning Resume
In today’s global economy many recruiters and companies use automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to drive talent acquisition. To get noticed you need to embrace updated resume writing and job seeking strategies that capitalize on key business trends. Unless your resume has a 90% match to the stated job criteria, no human being will physically touch nor directly view your resume if you apply via the web, which is the leading point of entry for today’s job applicants.
The KEY to Keywords – Learn to recognize and use them!
Almost every job description or online posting you see will have keywords embedded throughout the narrative. You need to learn to recognize those terms used often in your career field or desired role and pepper them throughout your resume. Placing as many of these keywords as possible in your career objective at the top of your resume will improve your match criteria and enhance your chances of getting your resume prioritized by an actual person. Additionally, you have also made it very easy for the hiring manager to quickly determine exactly why you are the right fit for the position.
For an example of a powered up resume, check out our blog on “Power Up” the Career Objective and Experience/Employment Summary. You want to highlight your significant accomplishments without using “flowery” language, personal pronouns, abbreviations and/or environment-specific language.
Lastly, common pitfalls to avoid when writing your resume include spelling and grammatical errors, information overload, failing to include keywords, and including descriptions instead of accomplishments. Specifically, with professional resumes, hiring managers only want to fill these positions with candidates who present themselves as the consummate professional. While you may be the most detail-oriented, trustworthy worker on the market, a few common mistakes on your resume may be holding you back from landing a great job.
More Resume Tips From Sparks Group:
- Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid
- Create a Winning Resume in the Era of Applicant Tracking Systems
- Employment History in Resume: 5 Tips for Job Hoppers
Refine Your Interview Style
Connecting with your interviewer and making that lasting first impression takes preparation. In our blog on refining your interview style, we outline these five important tactics.
- Study the Company’s social presence
- Broaden your horizon
- Focus on the job description
- Customize your approach
- Find a common link
Breaking into your industry can take time. In a previous blog we talked about how to stay engaged during this time period because searching for a job is a full time job in itself. Consider scheduling a lunch with an old coworker or mentor. Networking with people in your field will provide insight on potential opportunities. Joining a group of like-minded individuals, whether it be a Meetup group, or a social media group like LinkedIn and Facebook. By doing this you are joining the conversation and learning the hottest topics in your industry. Which will help with all aspects of your job search.
As you begin your journey, know that Sparks Group is here to provide the knowledge necessary in guiding and couching you towards your new career goals. We will give you the edge needed to compete, contact Sparks Group today!
