Thursday 9 October 2014

Wading through Misinformation

As my friends and online followers know, I left the workforce when our daughter was born in order to stay home and raise her.  When she started school full time I polished my résumé and supporting documents in the hopes of getting employed again.  That was two years ago.  Two years of online searching, document tweaking, and sending applications, and getting nowhere.  Frustration has set in big time.

There are innumerable articles online about how to tailor your résumé, write a fantastic cover letter, and what to say in interviews.  I've researched many angles, and I have only questions.  How does one tell if such advice is helpful or not?  And is it really worth it?  With the large gap that I have in my professional experience, is there any amount of tweaking that I can do that will get me hired?

Larger companies often use keyword software to filter through applications, so the bulk of them aren't even seen by human eyes.  After that, there are HR people who don't usually take a second look at résumés that show work gaps of more than a year.  It's almost as if you need to know someone within the company in order to get your foot in the door - which explains the popularity of services like LinkedIn and BeKnown.  Still, it's practically impossible to get noticed when there are 400 qualified applicants for a single position.

Now, I'm aware that being a homemaker has given me a number of transferable skills, but how advantageous is it to put those on a résumé when companies appear to be looking for highly educated professionals with up-to-date knowledge of their field?  I'm a middle-aged woman who has been out of the workforce for eight years and I'm not fluently bilingual.  That's three strikes right there.

It's little wonder why many of my peers have chosen to start their own businesses in areas such as consulting, crafts, and artwork.  One could say that my chosen craft is writing, but even there the competition can be even more cut-throat as it is in the corporate world.

Perhaps it's time to rethink this whole business.

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