Make my flighty resume look more solid, please!
May 16, 2010 10:44 AM Subscribe
Help fix the resume of a slightly flighty person to make it look less flaky.
I work as a health professional in a field that is very much in demand. I would like to move and change jobs (again), but I need to dress up my resume a bit to make it look less flighty. Here is my work history for the past few years.
December 2007, graduated
April 2008 to February 2009 -- worked staff position at Major Fancy Hospital
March 2009 to June 2009 -- worked Travel Contract at Non-fancy Rural Facility
September 2009 to December 2009 -- worked Per Diem at same Major Fancy Hospital as above
August 2009 to December 2009 -- worked simultaneously at Non-Fancy Home Care Agency
January 2010 to present -- work staff position at same Major Fancy Hospital as above.
Currently, my resume lists my employment experience much as above, chronologically from present to past, although with nicer-looking, fancier formatting. Job interviews frequently require some explanation of the break in employment at Major Fancy Hospital. I am perfectly willing to explain it (I thought I wanted to move to another location, then decided against it), but I'd like to make it a little less obvious on the resume -- the current formatting just seems to make me look flighty. And I would like to have a shot at a position at another Major Fancy Hospital in the location I'm moving to.
Can you think of a way to set the resume up that would minimize the time periods worked at each of these positions? Bonus points if it would be possible to plausibly avoid the issue entirely.
I work as a health professional in a field that is very much in demand. I would like to move and change jobs (again), but I need to dress up my resume a bit to make it look less flighty. Here is my work history for the past few years.
December 2007, graduated
April 2008 to February 2009 -- worked staff position at Major Fancy Hospital
March 2009 to June 2009 -- worked Travel Contract at Non-fancy Rural Facility
September 2009 to December 2009 -- worked Per Diem at same Major Fancy Hospital as above
August 2009 to December 2009 -- worked simultaneously at Non-Fancy Home Care Agency
January 2010 to present -- work staff position at same Major Fancy Hospital as above.
Currently, my resume lists my employment experience much as above, chronologically from present to past, although with nicer-looking, fancier formatting. Job interviews frequently require some explanation of the break in employment at Major Fancy Hospital. I am perfectly willing to explain it (I thought I wanted to move to another location, then decided against it), but I'd like to make it a little less obvious on the resume -- the current formatting just seems to make me look flighty. And I would like to have a shot at a position at another Major Fancy Hospital in the location I'm moving to.
Can you think of a way to set the resume up that would minimize the time periods worked at each of these positions? Bonus points if it would be possible to plausibly avoid the issue entirely.
Lead each line with the names of the hospitals rather than the dates. Make the hospital names bold, with the dates afterward in non-bold. Remove the months altogether. You can talk in person about which roles you held simultaneously and which ones were consecutive.
Combine the Travel Contract and Per Diem jobs into a single line, again organizing the experience around workplace rather than other factors.
Describe your accomplishments and responsibilities in bullet point format beneath each workplace. Try for 5-7 bullets per workplace. It's harder to see the pattern of dates if they're placed spatially further apart, with other important content in between. Sure, they'll still see the pattern if they look for it, but they'll have to look for it.
Lastly, list everything in reverse chronological order, so that the most current (and probably most impressive) work is at the top of the page. Sometimes managers don't get all the way down the page, especially if they've got a pile of resumes to read through quickly.
Good luck!
posted by nadise at 11:05 AM on May 16, 2010
Combine the Travel Contract and Per Diem jobs into a single line, again organizing the experience around workplace rather than other factors.
Describe your accomplishments and responsibilities in bullet point format beneath each workplace. Try for 5-7 bullets per workplace. It's harder to see the pattern of dates if they're placed spatially further apart, with other important content in between. Sure, they'll still see the pattern if they look for it, but they'll have to look for it.
Lastly, list everything in reverse chronological order, so that the most current (and probably most impressive) work is at the top of the page. Sometimes managers don't get all the way down the page, especially if they've got a pile of resumes to read through quickly.
Good luck!
posted by nadise at 11:05 AM on May 16, 2010
Make it a functional, not chronological resume by focusing on your accomplishments, skills and responsibilities overall. You can probably find some templates for that online or in resume books from the library.
You don't look flighty to me at all. All your work is in the same field, and you've obviously only been working since the Great Recession began and have been holding your own in a shaky economy, going where the jobs are. I know some people who have been unemployed for two years. To me, though IANAHR person, you look quite hireable.
posted by xenophile at 11:09 AM on May 16, 2010
You don't look flighty to me at all. All your work is in the same field, and you've obviously only been working since the Great Recession began and have been holding your own in a shaky economy, going where the jobs are. I know some people who have been unemployed for two years. To me, though IANAHR person, you look quite hireable.
posted by xenophile at 11:09 AM on May 16, 2010
I heard people with diverse experiences end up being good managers. Good luck.
posted by Honkshu at 11:24 AM on May 16, 2010
posted by Honkshu at 11:24 AM on May 16, 2010
I like the ideas above about listing the facilities, then the dates.
The reality is, though, that you are new in your profession and exploring different opportunities available to you. Of which there are many. If your work pattern were to continue for 10 years it would make me worry as an employer.
But you have worked at Major Fancy in one capacity or another for a while now, solidifying your position there from per diem to staff. And you have picked up home health skills along the way, likely with some regulatory and utilization management experience included. Emphasize your professionalism and your growth in finding out what branch of your field interests you and you should be fine.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:53 AM on May 16, 2010
The reality is, though, that you are new in your profession and exploring different opportunities available to you. Of which there are many. If your work pattern were to continue for 10 years it would make me worry as an employer.
But you have worked at Major Fancy in one capacity or another for a while now, solidifying your position there from per diem to staff. And you have picked up home health skills along the way, likely with some regulatory and utilization management experience included. Emphasize your professionalism and your growth in finding out what branch of your field interests you and you should be fine.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:53 AM on May 16, 2010
murrey's answer is really elegant. The only thing I'd modify is you should probably order it by date descending (so, Major Fancy 1st, Home Care 2nd and finally Rural facilities 3rd).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:05 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:05 PM on May 16, 2010
…er, end date descending, in case that wasn't clear.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2010
Murrey's answer is what I came to explain. Saved me some typing, too.
Do what she says.
posted by rokusan at 2:26 PM on May 16, 2010
Do what she says.
posted by rokusan at 2:26 PM on May 16, 2010
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Major Fancy Hospital--describe duties and experience (dates: 4/08-2/09, 9/09-present)
Rural Facitlity-- describe duties and experience(dates: 3/09-6/09)
Home Care Facility--describe duties and experience (8/09-12/09)
posted by murrey at 11:02 AM on May 16, 2010 [6 favorites]