In my 16-year career, I’ve learned two truths about job hunting. The first truth is that job hunting is an art, not a science. The second truth is that everyone and their mother is more than eager (whether or not we ask for it) to provide advice when it comes to job hunting.
Do you keep short term jobs on the resume or do you remove them? Do you keep the specific dates that you were at a job or do you just put the year? Do you apply to a job via the link on the ad or do you bypass the link and apply directly to company via email or physical mail? The answer to these questions often depends on whom you ask.
Since graduating from college in 2003, I’ve had a few short blips of unemployment. During those times, I have looked to career coaches or career experts for guidance as I have looked for a new job. The problem is that every career coach or career expert has their own opinion as to how one goes about getting a new job. If I am to be honest, it is completely and utterly confusing. The advice that one career coach may give is likely to be the complete opposite of the advice that another career coach may give.
One of the issues that has come up recently is the question of whether or not to have gaps on my resume. For the last few years, I have adhered to the idea that my resume must be gap free. Recently, I was advised that gaps in my resume were acceptable, especially given the golden rule that resumes (unless one is applying for a CEO or CFO position), must be no more than one page long.
Due to restructuring, I am currently looking for a full-time job. Once more, I have had to wrestle with the question of what advice to follow in regards my resume and job-hunting methods. After a lot of soul searching and reading, I have come to the same conclusion that I came to the last time I was looking for a job: do what is right for you. The information a job seeker receives is not akin to a set meal that one must eat. It is akin to a buffet in which the job seeker has the ability to choose what advice and tactics works for them and their job search.
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