Jobs And Over Aged Applicants
As of November 2016, the unemployment rate in the United States is 4.6% (or 7.4 million people). This statistic reflects a shrinking population and an increase in retirement age, which means that more people are looking for work and aging out of their industries. When you're a millennial or Generation Z-er, it can be hard to get your foot on the ladder when all the positions have been usurped by older folks who have more experience and less energy to go through training programs or find better opportunities elsewhere. This has left many professionals, especially those of us who are still in school for an undergraduate or Master's degree, scrambling for jobs that don't require a lot of experience and only require a college education. This is why it's important for us to have a resume that stands out from the crowd, especially if we're trying to get into fields where older applicants have an edge.
Your Professional Development
One thing I've come to realize has been the hardest part of my job search is separating my job search from my professional progress. I kind of feel this way even outside of work. I'm constantly monitoring everything that I do and what my hobbies are. I feel like I'm always watching my grades slip and thinking about what I could've done to improve them, and I haven't really made time to take a break and just relax since school started back up. It's been so tempting to stay up all night writing up a new resume or applying for jobs that are my best shots at getting hired, but then the next day when I wake up, those dreams of getting a job are gone. But with that being said, I've learned there's no better time to take breaks from everything than when you're looking for work. Staying active, being "on," staying updated on all the latest information about your industry and much, much more are all things that will help you in the long run. There's nothing more painful than experiencing a year of not learning a new skill or something else new, when you're applying for jobs. Staying active and taking "breaks" from work is always the best way to improve yourself in whatever field you're working towards.
Resume Analysis
I did a little resume analysis for myself when I was trying to figure out what my weaknesses were. The area that I felt like I needed the most work in was my experience section. Looking at the rest of my resume, it's clear that I still have a lot of ground to cover in terms of experience and the amount of work that has been put in by me. But once I started looking at the skills listed on my resume (and after contacting a few people), it seems like it's necessary for me to begin adding more technology related skills, which will make up most of the skills section on my resume. I think this is more important than ever, as technology and social media are now more important than ever, and there's now a huge demand for professionals in this area. As far as professional development, it seems like a lot of the skills I am lacking have to do with "soft" skills. This means the stuff that's not fancy: being good at time management, having good communication skills, etc.
What To Expect
When you're looking for work, you never know what to expect. Sometimes the job posting will ask for experience in a certain area, and other times it'll ask what you're looking for. I think it's important to have both, especially if you're going into a field that requires experience. It's always possible to find jobs in your field of interest and begin building a resume by getting your foot in the door at a small company. Remember that even if you don't have any experience, it's okay to apply for those positions too (I've even applied for jobs where they said they aren't hiring). If you can gain some experience doing something real or from another internship, then go out there and make it happen!
It's important to remember that when you apply for a job, it's highly likely that other applicants are just as qualified as you are. While it's always recommended that you write a killer cover letter, resume and thank-you notes, it's also important to remember that there will always be someone else who is up for the job as well. However, if you do well in your interview, you're sure to come out on top. Good luck on your journey!
The first thing I did when I was trying to figure out what was missing from my resume was review the jobs I've applied for and the ones that I've been offered. Looking at these positions and comparing them to my current one let me see what could have been improved with my application or even with myself as an applicant. When I was applying for the two positions I was offered, I didn't want to get too specific about what my experience was. While writing my resume, I could've listed every role that I've worked with in the past, but that wouldn't have given a very clear picture of my skills. What I did instead is focused on what specifically they were asking for in an applicant. Since these were both product management roles (mainly marketing), it made me more aware of what was already displayed in my resume and what wasn't listed.
Before I even started writing my resume, I knew that my experience section was going to be very short because it's the one area where I felt like my application could have been better. Instead of just focusing on what I've done in the past, it would've been better if I focused on the more interesting things that were my strengths. Since product management is something new for me, this section of my resume would be focused on telling a story about myself and what makes me want to work in this field.
My Experience Section
This is an example of what was included under my experience section. At first glance, it's nothing more than a simple list of positions where I've worked in the past. The key thing to remember here is that when you're writing your resume, don't focus on what your duties were or how much experience you have but rather what impact you had while you were at each of those positions. The one key thing I remember doing that was a huge mistake was not putting my job titles in bold or underlined. Even though some of them were pretty cool, I feel like they went completely unnoticed.
I tried updating this section by adding a bit more detail about the roles and what I learned while I was there. This helped add some personality to my resume and make it feel more like me, instead of just being a list of things I've done in the past.
Conclusion
Through my analysis, I've realized that I haven't put enough thought into my resume. This is something that I need to work on in the future. An important thing to keep in mind is that when you're making a resume, no matter what field you're going into, it's extremely important to spend time on every single aspect of it. Focusing on one area at a time will never improve your chances of getting a job.