Friends, it’s time for some real talk. The divorce process is hard. Filing, all the paperwork, the litigation, court appearances, depositions, meetings, possible mediations and the settlement. But during the process, you think about the After. What’s going to happen when this is all final? Where am I going to live? How am I going to make a living, because now the household is cut in half?
For many women (like me), they spent the majority of their marriage in a stay-at-home role, their household relied on one traditional income while they maintained the home (which is a HUGE job in and of itself) and raised and cared for the children. Now, facing divorce, they also face the obstacle of going back to the traditional work force, or even venturing into that space for the very first time. It can be daunting, some time may have passed since they last worked and things change quickly. There may be a feeling of fear and insecurity, but guess what – there are expert answers out there. Thank goodness, because help, I need a job!
So I reached out to an expert in career building. Shea Jefferson (let me make sure I include ALL of her credentials – MPS, CPCC, CPRW, CEIP) and her company Career Construction, help their clients “accomplish their education and career goals through training and self-marketing.” Shea is the perfect brain to pick about résumés, and she was kind enough to give us a few tips when it comes to creating or updating your résumé!
When thinking about the construction of your résumé, there are items that MUST be included. So make sure you have your contact information, work experience (at least ten years at least – if applicable), plus your education and training.
Experience, doesn’t always mean paid experience. Volunteer experience, freelance activities, and/or hobbies that are relevant to the position in which you are applying can be applied to your résumé. – Shea Jefferson, MPS, CPCC, CPRW, CEIP
I cringe whenever I think about the “work experience” portion – because I was one of the women that got married to a man with a job that presented itself with a lot of location changes. We moved to three different states within 9 years AND only stayed half of each year there, and the other half of each year at our home base. Needless to say, I didn’t really get the chance to establish a career. So I have the education and the training (which now, is kind of outdated, ugh), but I don’t have the “work experience”. So what do I put there? Leaving it blank is not an option. So here’s the deal. “Experience, doesn’t always mean paid experience. Volunteer experience, freelance activities, and/or hobbies that are relevant to the position in which you are applying can be applied to your résumé.” Thank goodness. *wipes sweat from brow*
I also asked Shea what are 5 things that can make your résumé stand out. She delivered big time, read below for the Top 5…
- You have about 20 seconds to grab the reader’s attention, make the introductory section count.
- Never be afraid to use color, if you can’t decide on a color go with the color of the company’s logo in which you are applying.
- The product must be appealing to the eye. Don’t just throw words on the page, line things up nicely and be sure to leave enough white space. Be consistent with your formatting.
- Don’t just list duties or responsibilities, write about your accomplishments and successes; be quantitative.
- Be mindful of dating yourself. Don’t include dates on education or certifications unless they are required by the employer. Also by mindful of your email carrier, Hotmail and Yahoo are older hosts; Gmail is the most popular and won’t date you.
If you thought that information was valuable, imagine what you could learn working personally with Shea Jefferson and her company Career Construction. Thank you so much to Shea for giving us these jewels of wisdom! To contact her, you can head to her company’s website, www.mycareerconstruction.com, email her at info@mycareerconstruction.com, and find her on Instagram under @mycareerconstruction.
Now go get that career!