Oops! Ridiculous CV Errors to Avoid #Awkward

Oops! Ridiculous CV Errors to Avoid #Awkward Okay, so putting together your CV is a hard task, we know this much. Regardless how long youve been in the workforce,  running through all your experience with a fine tooth comb to pick out the best bits, then condensing everything  down into a 1-2 page document is no mean feat. If youre sat there trying to make yours  read really well and need some kind of break, youve come to the right place. While Im a firm believer in being a nice person and not laughing at peoples mistakes, Im also a huge fan of harmless fun. CareerJourney.co.uk has put together an infographic (below) detailing some of the funniest Cv and resume mistakes. Dont worry, theres no naming and shaming here so you can digest completely guilt-free. Spelling mistakes typos Its amazing how much difference 1 or 2 letters can make in a word! Its always advised to have someone else proofread your CV before you send it off toa potential employer and for good reason. Im a little sceptical about whether someone actually put these into their resume, but either way, itll help you crack a smile! Speak English and Spinach Dear Sir or Madman Hope to hear from you shorty I held sex positions as a manager Managing steak-holders Graduated in 1882 Could you actually be any less  specific? Worked with employees Worked in hotels Managed projects Sorry, who are you? No name No contact details No personal profile Incorrect area code Only a first name Wrong email address (shortybabyluvsyou@gmail.com) Clutter noise! Too much text without spacing No paragraphing or bullet points Pictures everywhere (your dog is cute, but no) EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS Colourful CV why are the titles in pink? You like the colour, oh right Lies, lies, lies and completely irrelevant information! I for 15 years as a bank manager when you just turned 30 I earned 100k at McDonalds werent you there part time? Managed over 100 people when your company has 50 employees I hate spiders yeah me too actually, fair play Hair colour black congratulations! Youve got the role, black hair is exactly what were after in our new director! Can drink 100 beers without getting too drunk okay no one would put this in their CV, Im calling it! TMI TMI TMI: I left my last job because: Responsibility makes me nervous I am not smart enough to do the job My affair with the boss broke down Right, now get back to writing your CV! And DONT be guilty of the above ?? Created by Careerjourney CV Infographic

How to Master the Phone Screening

How to Master the Phone Screening The phone screening is a part of the interview process that can loosely be called the “first round of job interviews.” At times, an online application leads to a phone screening invitation. Other times, recruiters may get on a phone to screen a job candidate for opportunities they have on their plate.In general, phone screenings are used to make sure the job candidate should be called for an in-person job interview. Read how to master the phone screening. Make sure you are always asked to have an in-person job interview!1. Make Sure You Are in the Right PlaceWe live in a world where our phones are with us at all times. It does not give you, the job candidate, permission to treat the phone screening like it is just a distraction from your daily routine.What does this mean? It means:Do not do phone screenings while driving, waiting in line at a restaurant, or getting your haircut. Give the phone screening 100% attention in a nice quiet place without distracting background noises.Do ing this will also help your demeanor during the call. You will sound relaxed, and the interviewer will appreciate you making this phone call a #1 priority.2. Make Sure the Connection Is PerfectPhone services are still imperfect. People lose signals while talking on the phone. If you know your cell phone typically has problems, go to a more reliable phone for the call. Try using a landline if you do not trust your cell service.3. Have Your Resume out in Front of You and Take NotesThey will be asking questions about your resume. It only makes sense that you have your resume in front of you for the phone screening.Take notes during the interview, too. If this phone screening turns into an in-person interview, you will have plenty of notes to look over and questions to ask. It will surely make you look well-prepared for the job interview with an employer.4. Be an Amazing ListenerThe phone screening is happening to find out if they should bring you in. Let them ask you interview questio ns. Give them the answers they asked for, and you encourage them to call you in.It is not the time to tell boring stories or hammer the interviewer over the head with your knowledge. Use hints that show you are listening. For example:“Okay” “Interesting!” “I see”No rants or speeches are necessary. Keep it simple and just listen for when to respond. Say nothing more than what they need to hear.5. Nail Down the Deal Breaker Interview QuestionsQuestions like these are designed to eliminate you from the hiring process:“Why do you want to work here?” “What are your greatest weaknesses?” “What are your salary expectations?”They want to see if you answer aligned with what they are looking for, or in some cases if they can afford you. Each of these job interview questions helps employers find out on the phone if interviewing you further is a waste of time.6. Avoid Verbal Pauses and “Upspeak”You may use them all the time in your daily life. But during a phone inte rview verbal pauses can either put an employer to sleep or make the employer think you are ill-prepared for the phone screening.Over-usage of these verbal pauses include the following:“You know like” “Actually” “Basically” “Ummm” “Uhhhh”“Upspeak” is a way of talking in which every spoken sentence has the same vocal pitches of someone asking a question. For example: “I worked at this company for five years? And I have lots of job skills?” Speaking this way can be viewed as a sign someone is not confident or lacks professional experience.7. Express Appreciation and Set up the Next StepsSimply put, let the interviewer know you appreciate the phone call. Then, ask what steps are required to meet in-person. Even if you bombed the phone screening, asking about the next steps may lead to an employer calling you infor a job interview. Try this out: “I appreciate your time today on the call. Perhaps we can set up a time to meet in-person?” If the employer decl ines while on the phone, there is nothing you can do about it. However, if they set up a time and date, it will be your chance to make up for the failed phone screening. They may just bring you in because you had a positive mindset on the phone and they want to know more about you!

3 Tips for Finding a Job at the Right Startup

3 Tips for Finding a Job at the Right Startup Working for a startup is typically both exciting and challenging. And for someone who’s spent their entire career climbing the corporate ladder or sitting in a cubicle from nine to five, expanding a job search to include startups can be an excellent way to reinvigorate your career. However, you must make sure that you choose the right startup. For every successful new company, there are dozens of duds that you’ll want to avoid. Importance of Location Before delving into some of the specific tips for finding the right opportunity, it’s imperative that you take the time to understand the significance of what entrepreneurs call the “culture fit.” The culture fit essentially refers to how comfortable an entrepreneur feels in a particular startup. In most cases, finding the right culture fit requires you to move to an area with a high concentration of startups in order to expose yourself to enough opportunities. If you’re currently living and working in a town with only one or two startups, you have seriously limited options. Odds are, you’ll accept an opportunity based on proximity, not fit. For example, New York has a vibrant tech culture with lots of startup job opportunities. Your odds of finding a culture fit in New York are much greater than if you were looking for an opportunity to work with a startup in the middle of North Dakota. 3 Tips for Finding the Right Opportunity Once you hone in on a location that affords you many different opportunities to find the right culture fit, you’ll want to turn your attention towards the specifics of different startups. In particular, you’ll want to evaluate the following aspects to get an idea of whether or not you’re on the right track. 1) Consider the Strength of the Concept Start with the concept. As an objective individual looking at the startup, do you believe the concept is strong enough to succeed? Does the product solve a relevant pain point in the marketplace? What does the competition look like? These are questions you need to answer. The last thing you want to do is get involved with a startup that has a flawed concept. 2) Study the Founding Team You can tell a lot about the future of a startup by studying the founding team. Are the founders ambitious, experienced, and creative? Or, do they appear to lack passion and drive? A startup’s immediate success may depend on the product, but long term profitably is often tied to the determination of the founding team. 3) Understand Where You Fit In “I cannot stress enough on this point. You must share the same vision with other people in the startup,” writes one entrepreneur. In other words, there needs to be a snug fit. Don’t confuse this with finding a startup in which everyone is just like you, though. The most successful startups are the ones where every individual brings something different to the table. What it comes down to is passion. Do you have the same passion and intensity for the business as everyone else? Make the Right Choice Working for a startup is a risky proposition. It can set you back, leave you unemployed, and seriously hamper your earning potential for a number of years. However, if you choose the right startup, the reward can be enormous. Consider the fact that when Facebook’s IPO went live, more than 1,000 of the company’s original employees instantly became millionaires. When searching for the right startup job opportunity, leverage the tips mentioned in this article and take your time. If you align yourself with the right company, it could pay off in a big way. Author: Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on  Twitter  and  LinkedIn.

Sleep On the Offer Not The Job! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Sleep On the Offer â€" Not The Job! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Compensation negotiations are expected and are your responsibility. In a poll of a thousand human resource professionals, the Society for Human Resources Managers found the following: · Ninety-two percent said salaries are generally negotiable. · Eighty-two percent admitted that the first salary offer they make is just a starting point. · Seventy percent of HR people said they are comfortable negotiating salary. · Only twenty-one percent of job candidates are equally comfortable negotiating salary. Whenever you receive a compensation offer, slow down, take a deep breath, and ask for time to think about it. Sleeping on the offer before you accept, decline, or reopen negotiations will benefit you in several ways; it gives you the opportunity to think about the deal and consider each aspect of the package in relation to the whole; it gives you a chance to think of new and creative ways of bridging whatever gap may exist between you and your prospective employer; and it permits you to discuss the offer with your spouse, partner, best friend, or career mentor. In addition, acting a little hard to get rather than overly eager has a way of increasing your value in the company’s eyes, thereby enhancing whatever leverage you already enjoy. Don’t let anyone pressure you to decide immediately, but set a reasonable deadline for responding. Twenty-four hours is minimal; forty-eight hours to seventy-two hours is fairly common.

Resume Writing Services Can Help You With Your Resume

Resume Writing Services Can Help You With Your ResumeIf you have done the homework and created a very compelling resume, it is possible that you will be asked to do more resume writing. You will find yourself asked to create a cover letter to accompany your resume. It is also possible that you will be required to do a follow up interview to explain why you were hired for the position. No matter what the circumstances are, you will find that your resume and letter are going to be used to make an impact in order to get you hired.The question is whether you should just send your resume off to get thrown into the trash. After all, many companies send out hundreds of resumes per day. They do not have time to spend on reading your resume. They can spend that time on other things.However, it is important to not only get your resume read by a prospective employer, but it is important to send a resume that is appealing and is going to make a good impression. A resume that is well done will de finitely impress the prospective employer. You can create a very attractive resume using resume writing services.If you send your resume off to a potential employer, the chances are that they will want to have a look at it. On the other hand, if you send a resume to a recruiter, it is not going to get reviewed unless they feel that you have something worth looking at. Therefore, it is critical that you take your time when you are creating your resume. You do not want to rush through the process. The more time you spend the better your resume will turn out to be.It is possible that you might find that there are few companies that are interested in reading your resume. You may be surprised to find that it is the first or second company that you will contact after you send your resume off. This is because it took them some time to review your resume and they are going to want to spend some time on your resume as well. It is important to give them the opportunity to decide whether or no t they want to work with you.While you are sending your resume off to a few companies, you might want to begin contacting a few recruiters to see if you are going to be contacted. If you are fortunate enough to get a call from a recruiter, be sure to ask them about their particular positions. You need to know what position they are hiring for. You will want to be able to provide them with some details about your resume so that they will be able to make an evaluation of your skills.It is very important to show a prospective employer your resume and that you take the time to do your research. They will have plenty of information on the company in which you are interviewing for and they will be in a position to tell you about that company. They will want to know if you are comfortable in that environment and if you will be able to meet the expectations of the employer that you are interviewing for.Resume writing services can help you with the resume you need to present to your prospect ive employer. Using these services can allow you to put together a professional resume. You will find that you will be able to get your resume reviewed before you go live on the market. Once you get a couple of interviews with prospective employers, you will know what questions to ask in order to find out if you are going to be hired.

Age Discrimination - Ultimate Fight-Back Guide - Pathfinder Careers

Age Discrimination - Ultimate Fight-Back Guide - Pathfinder Careers Age Discrimination Ultimate Fight-Back Guide Age discrimination quick test:  What do these words all have in common? “Fit, vibrant, energetic, stamina, enthusiastic, ambitious, progressive, forward-thinking, adopter of new technology, recent graduate, passionate, motivated, growth, willing to learn, dynamic, adaptable, fresh, inspired, quick-reacting, ability to think on feet, bring a new rejuvenation…” Hint: For more mature workers, it’s meant to not describe you. In essence, this is just a sample of random “code words” used by employers in job announcements to try and deter more mature professionals from applying by using terms usually reserved to describe younger workers. Read between the lines, and these jobs are screaming out loud that only “young” people should apply. Age discrimination? You betcha. It is heartbreaking for so many veteran workers to suddenly encounter this bias, especially when we put so much of how we value ourselves into our careers. Writing off someone’s value simply because they are getting older (and therefore more disposable) is not only short-sighted, but also illegal. But proving it is difficult â€" are you willing to risk getting a bad reputation as a “litigator” by suing a potential employer? Not many people are willing to do this, as they are fearful about having a dark cloud following them throughout their job search. But you can fight back. The key is understand where and when to pick your battles. The very roots of this vile practice of age discrimination take hold in multiple levels in a job search. Let’s break it down: Job announcements. Reviewing the aforementioned code words, does the job description include anything like these terms? If so, move on. THIS IS A BATTLE YOU CANNOT WIN. The company already has a HR problem as someone let a clearly biased announcement slip through and actually be published. Age discrimination is endemic in the organization, and its not your job to take it on. So you need to move on. What that should tell you is that even if you made it to the interview, once they see you walk through the door, it would be game over already. The company culture only values youth, and you can’t change that. Résumés. Does your résumé reveal anything about your age? Key areas to pay attention to include: Your email address (does it include a birth year, year you graduated, or your age?) When you graduated? You do not need to include this on your résumé. Just say you graduated. Work history. Keep it current â€" stay within the last 10-15 years. Anything more than 15 years starts to trend towards you being at least 50+. Employers also don’t care as much about what you did 20+ years ago as they do about your most recent accomplishments. That’s more reflective of what you are capable of doing in the current moment. The Interview. Let’s say you weeded out the job announcements, fine-tuned your résumé to be age-neutral, and now you are proudly walking in the door with a fine head of gray hair and some wrinkles (I call them battle / wisdom stripes).   Now what? It’s clear that you aren’t a new college graduate. This is where the hard work begins.  Let’s break down the interview into similar layers, and examine the best strategies you can use fight age discrimination while in the interview: When you first walk in. Appearances matter, so you can take the initiative to color your hair, shave a beard, get Botox, lose weight, apply moisturizers, etc. etc. and all the other so-called youth remedies. Does that really work? Possibly. That’s a pre-emptive strike to make yourself physically appear as young as possible and to fight back against  age discrimination. The next step is to SHAPE THE PERCEPTION of the interviewer when you first meet them and walk into the interview room. Be energetic.   (But not too much) Smile. Make eye contact. Talk about the weather then tie that into a physical activity you recently completed. Ask the person as you are walking to the interview room whether they had tried __(new thing)_ and that you had tried it and thought it had some exciting possibilities for the company. Discuss how excited you are about talking with the company as you took a class learning about ____. The goal with these types of strategies is to subliminally communicate that you embody the values that embody what society accepts as youthful. Simply put: you are using reverse psychology on them â€" you are defeating their first-step impressions of you being older by immediately demonstrating what is seen as stereotyped youthful characteristics. This is how you combat age discrimination. It begins here. During the interview â€" PROACTIVE APPROACH. Dealing with core issues that are on the minds of interviewers BEFORE they start dancing around them can again be an assertive way to shape their perceptions of you while addressing those unarticulated concerns. How you do this is by proactively inserting little bits and pieces addressing the following concerns BEFORE they ask you about it or comment about it. You are taking control of the conversation: You want too much salary. “After conducting extensive salary research, I am confident that your company offers a competitive package. I’m ok with that, and would like to spend more time learning about this incredible job.” You are overqualified. “I am fully in charge of my career destiny and your company seems to be the best positioned to benefit from my skills.” You don’t want to try new experiences. “One of the things I really enjoy doing is pushing the envelope and trying new things. When I grow, so does the company where I work.” You aren’t a cultural fit. “As someone who enjoys a wide array of friends at all ages, I find that I get along best in melting-pot environments that play of the unique strengths and perspectives of all staff. It’s fun to create sounding boards and brainstorm from different angles to open up companies to ALL potential possibilities and beat out the competition! You aren’t adaptable. “That’s really funny… I actually have earned a reputation as an early adopter because when you have the opportunity to test drive new ideas or technology, that’s where the real magic begins when a useful application is discovered which can put the company ahead and drive profit.” You have expired in your usefulness and reputation. “As a board member of ____ association, I have had the opportunity to mentor ____ and also contribute to the vision that has shaped ____ industry.” You aren’t energetic. “I love getting in and tackling the complicated tasks… the more complex, the more fired up I am. It is inspiring and invigorating, actually!” You aren’t up to code. “When I was at XYZ conference earlier this year, I gained some very good insights that most companies haven’t been able to obtain.” â€"or- “Since I am such a quality-driven person, I recently completed my certification in _____.” During the interview â€" REACTIVE APPROACH. This will require you to read through the lines and be able to see when they may be expressing veiled doubt about your ability to do the job. So therefore, you must be completely vigilant about any implied concerns, then be ready to respond with a proactive response that combats those latent biases. If they are bold enough to make a blatantly biased comment related to your age, then address it directly. “I’d like to offer a different perspective. Here’s how I ___” â€" that way you aren’t calling them out that they were wrong (and illegal) but you are also REDIRECTING them towards what does matter. At the end of interview. So you made it this far and you have successfully batted away all age discrimination concerns from a potential employer. Now is the time to make your business case as to why employers should hire you.  But before you even repeat these words to an employer, YOU NEED TO TAKE THEM TO HEART, because this is what every mature worker has to offer companies. Basically, this is what your true competitive advantage is over younger workers, and how you can really fight age discrimination: Your ROI. You have a track record, where a newly minted college grad does not. With that in mind, prove to them that you are a profit center, not a cost center. Younger employees are much more of a risk to employers because they are unknown quantities and therefore untested. Established connections. You already know the movers and shakers in the industry, and have trusted networks that reach much further than those of a newer hire. Think about how this can play out to a prospective employer’s advantage,and reverse their age discrimination bias! Organizational / industry knowledge. A lifetime of connections and experiences that provide perspective of how the industry has evolved is worth its weight in gold. You have insider knowledge regarding relationships and history. That can help companies steer clear of unwanted connections OR leap into new partnerships that quickly reap gains. You offer a longer history of “school of hard knocks.” Having “been there, done that” can provide better handling of difficult, complicated situations than a lesser experienced worker. This can be especially valuable when situations require diplomacy, tact, and confidentiality. Writing skills. Need I say any more? People who have a longer timeline in the workforce grew up in a pretty unforgiving era of professional writing skills, and as a result, theirs are much better than younger people who tend to corrupt words into easy acronyms and/or leave spellchecking to be checked by software. Companies struggle constantly with trying to project a polished, clean image, and clutter caused by inattentive staff cause headaches for senior managers aghast at how poorly these employees write. Critical thinking skills. This is your SECRET WEAPON. Ask any employer, and they will usually bemoan the lack of critical thinking skills in younger employees. Many attribute this to helicopter parents who do everything to isolate their precious children from having to ever think.   Guess what? Your advantage. Keeping in mind all of these tips, you have a much better game plan for addressing age discrimination â€" the answer is always bigger than ourselves, so this is the part that YOU can control!

10 Bullet-Proof Job Search Strategy Tips - Pathfinder Careers

10 Bullet-Proof Job Search Strategy Tips - Pathfinder Careers 10 Bullet-Proof Job Search Strategy Tips Well-known fact: Job searching and being unemployed can be one of the most discouraging and ego-smashing things a person could ever experience. Rejection is common, and there is a tendency to end up in a very unhappy place. Then, there’s the chaos. If you’ve previously been working for most of your career in a full-time position, you’re used to have the structure and routine to each day. Being out of work, you find yourself in a drifting miasma of what do I do today? And with summer around the corner, it’s very tempting to blow off the job search and spend your day lounging in the sun. Unless you are planning on landing a swimsuit model job or applying for a lifeguard position, this isn’t an approach with a high rate of guaranteed success. Someone once told me: Looking for a job IS a full-time job. You need to adopt that mentality. And to help you create a sense of direction to your search activities, you need to develop a specific job search plan. Here are some suggestions on how to chart your course, add some structure to your day, and give yourself definable goals to give you that sense of order that you had within the workplace: 1) Appoint a Job Search ‘Buddy’ This person will be someone you report to on a weekly basis. It’s going to be a lot more compelling for you to get off the sofa when you know you need to call this person on Friday and report back on your weekly activities. This person will hold you accountable and be your ‘cheerleader’ at the same time. NOTE: Make sure that this person is someone who is a friend, mentor or colleague. Don’t rely on someone in your household… this could be a potential sticky wicket with family relationships if you somehow fall off the bandwagon and could lead to arguments! 2) Number of Articles to Be Read Weekly When you are unemployed or out of work, it is easy to feel that you are getting left behind on industry trends and issues. It makes sense to keep yourself informed and abreast of current events â€" not just so you can interject a useful bit of information in an interview, but also to have something to talk about when networking. It’s amazing when you have a clear command of what’s going on in the world how easy it is to find opportunities to talk about what you’ve read or learned. Plus, the added bonus is that people will see you as a great resource! 3) Number of Networking Events to Be Attended Weekly Shy? Get over it. The ocean is full of sharks right now, and you need to be one of them. That means getting out of the house, and getting out to networking events. But the key isn’t to think of one of these opportunities as a horrible exercise in doing something you hate. Take a completely different approach: my friend Cleon Cox, who is the founder of the Portland Job Finders Support Group has this mantra which is perfect: Meet people, learn something, and have fun. If you go into a networking or business meeting with that attitude, the pressure is off and you are just there to find out about the world. Think of yourself as an explorer… you never know what you might uncover! 4) Number of Educational Events to Go to Monthly When you are not working, again, there is the fear that you are getting ‘off the merry-go-round’ and losing ground to competitors. But smart job searchers realize that there is a huge opportunity to be gained during this time: go take classes. This could be a great way to help catapult you into a new career, enhance your professional credentials, or hone your skills. No matter how you look at it, employers will be impressed that you didn’t let the moss grow! And, if there ever was a time while working you wish you had a certain educational training for your career, this could be a great time to make it a reality. 5) Number of Volunteer Hours Per Month Volunteering can provide exceptional opportunities to network, learn new skills, become a known quantity within an organization and even find out about industry or company job openings before they are even posted. Plus, you’ll feel good while doing it! 6) Number of Member Organizations To Belong To If you have a target industry, chances are that there is some kind of related trade association or membership organization that you could join. The benefit of these organizations is that it can add to your professional credentials, you can add it to your resume, and then you can take advantage of industry events to either volunteer, attend educational sessions, gain industry certifications, and network to meet other people. You never know where this might take you! 7) Number of Informational Interviews Per Week Part of the ‘getting out of the house’ aspect of this job search plan is to meet people… one-on-one in informational interviews. Many people mistakenly believe and take the approach that informational interviews are all about finding jobs. WRONG! Informational interviews are precisely about finding INFORMATION. Tap into your network, and see if your friends and colleagues can connect you to people that they know. Ask open-ended questions, like, “What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the past five years in this position?” “What were some of the steps you’ve taken in your career?” the goal is to learn things, not use this as a persuasive opportunity to try and get hired. The best part about informational interviews is that if you treat the person right who took the time to meet with you, they can become a great internal advocate for you. They might pick up the phone if a position comes open and they think you would be a good fit. Or, conversely, if you develop rapport with them, and a position does come open, they could be a good person to talk to about that position. Inside information is always a huge asset to your job search. ALWAYS thank interviewees for their time by mailing a hand-written note. Email is too easy and conventional â€" you want to show personal touch. And remember, 90% of all interviewees FAIL to send a thank you note. Don’t you want to be in the top 10% that gets noticed? 8) Number of Friends To Talk To Per Week Who do friends know? People. Employed people. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your entire network (What the heck- you have time on your hands, right?) You want to circle back to the people in the farthest reaches- maybe that close friend that dropped off a few years ago. (But be careful about contacting that guy that you played football with on the high school team twenty years ago. That’s too far!) The key is to tap into your social circle and ‘refresh’ your connections. You never know what might happen. 9) Follow Up On Sent Applications One of the biggest failures of job seekers is that they are constantly looking forward for the next job opening to apply for that they don’t go back and follow up on the positions for which they’ve already applied. You’ll want to start a separate job search diary, where you create a spreadsheet to track the positions you applied for, when the closing date was, the company name, any contact information and when you sent in your application. Wait about one week after the closing date, then call the employer to politely follow up. Sometimes, the position opening didn’t turn out to be the right fit for your skills. But if you treat the hiring manager or the human resource representative right, you could impress them in a very good way. That could put you on the “A” list for other jobs that come open. 10) Focus Your Resume on Key Themes You probably have several different theme areas that you could develop separate resumes for based on your background. My own background encompasses being a meeting planner, television producer, sales and marketing director, instructor and resume writer. I have separate resumes that are focused on each of these areas. During this down-time, explore how you might have different incarnations of your resume, and take the time to develop these fully. You might be pleasantly surprised at how you can reinvent yourself and create new flexibility in your employment search. This blog seems like, wow, a whole lot of homework, but the goal is to provide structure, stability and goals to you in a time where there is a lot of chaos, unclear objectives and confusion. By structuring yourself and your time while unemployed, this will give you the sense of purpose you need and also a boost to feeling productive.