Kelly Simants, Senior HR Consultant at Nevada HR Team, discussed the best tips for revamping your resume and managing your digital presence. Kelly has over 20 years of experience in the Human Resources field and has a true passion for people.
HIGH PROFILE’S KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Resume Writing: Use 3rd person and include keywords from the job description, keep it to a maximum of two pages.
Social Media: Remove controversial or inappropriate verbiage or images; Google your name to see what comes up.
Interview Tips: Study everything you can about the company and industry, ask thoughtful questions, and prepare five examples of different challenges you can draw on to answer their questions.
Q&A with Kelly Simants:
Q. If you have had many years of work experience and the most relevant has been the last 15 years or so, what do you do with the less relevant positions that are important, but much less important than the last few?
- For positions that are greater than 15 years, I recommend having a section right after the main jobs you’re highlighting where you can list your title and the company. Due to possible age discrimination, I wouldn’t worry about the years, but sometimes people want to show their tenure. It’s a personal choice!
Q. How do you manage the education section if you did not attend college?
- That happens quite often. I would recommend if you’ve had any training sessions you’ve taken or certifications, those are education related. So even if you don’t have a degree, you can still have a section that is education and certifications and talk about the trainings you’ve attended. You can tweak it to make a broader definition of education.
Q. How would you instruct someone to fill space if they have worked for the same company for 21 years, a few different positions, and is now possibly being forced into early retirement? Would one page be sufficient if it covers all relative experience?
- A lot of people have progressed in their careers within the same company through job titles and different job functions, and that’s where you would break out different sections based on the jobs and the time period – all underneath the same company.
Q. Would you recommend including jobs that filled time while searching for full-time employment?
- I recommend including jobs that could’ve been freelance work that could be related to the career you are pursuing. If it’s an odd job or something you’ve done to supplement your income, I might suggest leaving it off. It really depends on how long that position lasted. Typically, my rule of thumb is to leave off anything shorter than six months.
Q. With formatting, can you use lines/bars for headers, etc.? Do you have a particular resume template that you recommend? Can I use Word, and does the version matter?
- With formatting, you can use lines and bars (as an underline or to separate the header from the body), but I would leave out charts or tables. Tables are not always welcome with Applicant Tracking Systems. In regards to a template, if you google “Applicant Tracking friendly resume template,” that’s a great way to find different documents you might be able to leverage. I highly recommend doing it that way! Unfortunately, with Microsoft Word, a lot of the templates are not ATS friendly, so a Google search is usually best. Of course, my team at Nevada HR Team offers Applicant Tracking friendly templates as well.
Q. Can you address how to handle updates on your LinkedIn profile so that you don’t blast your network every time you make an update?
- This is done in the settings tab on your LinkedIn profile! Click here to access the download from a previous High Profile Webinar, “Top Tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile”.
Q. If you want to transition from one role to another and you have transferable skills, how would you suggest doing that on your resume and cover letter?
- In your resume, you want to make sure you have the skills that the new position is looking for. You don’t want to embellish or talk about things you haven’t actually done, but there are many skills that are transferrable between roles and industries. As an example, if someone wants to pursue project management or project assistant and they’ve been an Executive Assistant. The transferrable skills they’ve learned and experienced over their career as an EA (like calendar/travel management, fast-paced deadlines, partnering with leadership teams, etc.) are needed in the desired role as well. Take what you’ve done and merge that with what they are looking for, and you can leverage examples and experiences you’ve had in previous roles and adapt them to the desired role. You can also discuss in your cover letter.
Q. My last job was 22 years, and the current role is five years. Should I include the 22-year job? I’m over 50 years old, so I don’t want to look too old but want more than the 5-year role on the resume.
- You should definitely include your previous job. You had the job for a significant period of time, and you should definitely include that experience. It won’t make you look too old! It’s totally appropriate to include a job you had for 20-25 years.
Q. Any specific suggestions candidates ages 60+?
- I think that the most important thing to understand is that technology has changed with the recruiting process, which can be very daunting, but it can also be easy to learn. Take some time to understand how LinkedIn and different job sites work. Candidates in this age range have so much they can bring to the table in terms of resources, knowledge, and expertise. I would display that as a benefit on your resume. Show that you are a candidate that is a seasoned veteran in your industry or that your expertise in the field comes with 30 years of experience.
Q. What if you have been out of your desired area for 4 or 5 years?
- You can talk about that gap in your cover letter, or you can even put on your resume “career pause to focus on travel” or “took early retirement before re-entering the workforce.”
Kelly Simants has over 20 years of experience in the Human Resources field. Her clients comment that what sets her apart from others is her ability to drive change and move a business forward, while simultaneously taking great care of the people contributing to the business. Her expertise lies in Training and Development, Talent Management, and Organizational Development. Kelly’s greatest strengths are her positive attitude, her results-oriented approach, and her entrepreneurial mindset. Please connect with her on LinkedIn or contact her at kelly@hrnevadateam.com!