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I'm currently a SAHM, have been for a little over 2 years. I want to get back into working to help with our income. I don't have an open, flexible schedule because DH is a Retail Store Manager and never has the same schedule.

 

I have put in numerous applications and resumes over the past year. I've had 4 interviews this year.

 

My main question is: What hurts my chances of getting a job/interview? Does being out of work that long affect things? The lack of flexible schedule?

 

I'm just wanting to know the realistic expectations, so I can keep my search in areas that better suit me and future employer.

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I am not a hiring manager, but I have worked many jobs and know these things affect your desirability: availability to work, lack of experience, long term unemployment. What is your educational background like? What are you experienced in?

 

Workplaces that often have flexible hours are usually retail, although the pay isn't much. You will need to have some idea of what your availability is like so the employer can work with you and to have some understanding of what your options for work are. If you need to work mornings/days, then an office environment would be best, if you need to work nights, you're most likely looking at retail environments.

 

If I were you I would speak to someone who can help put together a resume for you and get you back into the workforce since you have restricted work ability. Sign up with a temp agency. They can asses your qualifications and help find you matching jobs according to availability. If you do have some skills and/or an educational background, this can help you a lot.

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I am not a hiring manager, but I have worked many jobs and know these things affect your desirability: availability to work, lack of experience, long term unemployment. What is your educational background like? What are you experienced in?

4 years of College but didn't finish (financial aid was taken because the school thought I had been there too long; I had changed majors a couple of times.) Used financial aid to go to a Trade school and graduated with a diploma in Medical Coding and Billing. My previous experiences have been 4 years of food service, 5ish years in Retail/ Customer Service, 1 year as an Office Receptionist.

 

Workplaces that often have flexible hours are usually retail, although the pay isn't much. You will need to have some idea of what your availability is like so the employer can work with you and to have some understanding of what your options for work are. If you need to work mornings/days, then an office environment would be best, if you need to work nights, you're most likely looking at retail environments.

Morning/days would be ideal but in my last job as a Receptionist I was making 7.25/hr...that wasn't going to pay for daycare.

 

If I were you I would speak to someone who can help put together a resume for you and get you back into the workforce since you have restricted work ability. Sign up with a temp agency. They can asses your qualifications and help find you matching jobs according to availability. If you do have some skills and/or an educational background, this can help you a lot.

I'm planning to do something like this and get professional advice on revamping my resume. I'm not sure if I should explain reasons for gaps in employment on the resume or just list workdates and leave it showing my most recent work experience being two years ago.

 

Response in bold.

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I was making minimum wage but DH isn't. He makes too much for assistance.

 

On another note: Last job was minimum wage and I would have been working just to pay for daycare. Unfortunately, my position was not held for me during my maternity leave. Under FMLA in my state, the company would have to allow me maternity leave without loss of job if I was employed for at least a year and they had 50+ employees. I my case, the were not obligated to keep me.

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Here's what I would suggest, join as many temp agencies as you can during your job search. Also, how would your husband feel about you returning to school? If you are very close to finishing a 4 year degree, I would try and make it happen...even if it's only one class at a time. Colleges usually have all kinds of career assistance from placement to counseling and to job search assistance. You aren't required to explain an unemployment gap on a resume or application usually, it may come up in an interview and you can simply say you had family obligations. Also, if there is anything that can help bridge that gap...volunteer work, side work etc, add it to your resume. How long have you been unemployed? This is also an important factor. Sometimes employers can be hesitant to hire someone who's been out of the workforce for many years because they might feel that person might not be up to date with the newest technologies or etc. You can definitely find something if you stick to it.

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DH would support the idea of me finishing my degree, the only problem is being able to pay for it. We don't have a dime to put towards it and the school won't let me take anymore financial aid.

 

I've been unemployed since August 2011

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DH would support the idea of me finishing my degree, the only problem is being able to pay for it. We don't have a dime to put towards it and the school won't let me take anymore financial aid.

 

I've been unemployed since August 2011

 

A couple years out of the work force isn't that bad. On your resume, list your "relevant work experience" first, so it's applicable to what you're applying for. So many people list their experience chronologically and when I was a hiring manager, I didn't have time to sift through the irrelevant stuff.

 

If you're applying to retail, list all of your retail experience first- even if your last experience in retail was a decade ago.

 

I revamped my resume for every single job I applied to in order to highlight the skills and experience the job required.

 

I have a ton of management experience and a load of education behind me, but I wanted to take a break from the stress of management, so I dumbed down my resume and listed my education at the end. A good resume can and will get you an interview over someone with more experience than you if you have a better resume than they do. It's really about taking the time to alter your resume to fit what a potential employer is looking for.

 

 

 

 

 

I

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devilish innocent

Like, D-Lish said, you should show your relevant skills first. Not only will it help to highlight the skills, but it will also make it so that the employment gap isn't the first thing the hiring manager sees.

 

This webpage has a good example of what a functional-style resume that focuses on your experiences first can look like:

Resume Sample: Office Support and Bookkeeping

 

If you can get the book they show, "The Damn Good Resume Guide", I'd recommend that as well. Before I found this book, I'd purchased another resume book that had gotten a lot of five star reviews on Amazon. I wasn't getting very many responses when I was using the advice from the first book. Then I went to my local career center, and they recommended this book instead. I got about 10 times as many responses to sending out my resume once I switched to the method that this book suggests.

 

I think the summary they show at the top of that resume is one of the keys to it's success. Hiring managers mostly skim over the resumes really quickly. So if you can show four or so bulleted points that summarize work experience you have that's relevant to the job you're seeking this will grab the hiring managers attention.

 

You can also use bullets to grab the hiring manager's attention in the cover letter. You should use some bullets to show how your background, qualifications match the things listed in the job ad. Here's a good example:

http://www.iseek.org/iseek/static/JobMatchCoverLetter.pdf

 

Don't be afraid to check out your local career center for advice as well. The cities I've lived in have had career centers where anybody could go to get free advice on how to find a job, and I've found the services to be really valuable. The college you went to should have someone you can meet with who will offer you advice as well.

 

The large majority of people also end up getting their jobs through networking, so if you can work that angle that's much better than finding jobs that have already been posted. Don't be afraid to contact former co-workers or classmates, join professional organizations, talk to friends and relatives, etc. Let everyone know you're searching for a job and ask them if people they know are hiring. Even better, you can try calling the places you're interested in working at and ask about any job openings.

 

Good luck with your search!

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A couple years out of the work force isn't that bad. On your resume, list your "relevant work experience" first, so it's applicable to what you're applying for. So many people list their experience chronologically and when I was a hiring manager, I didn't have time to sift through the irrelevant stuff.

This info helps, I've always wondered what makes a resume stand out above the rest.

 

If you're applying to retail, list all of your retail experience first- even if your last experience in retail was a decade ago.

 

I revamped my resume for every single job I applied to in order to highlight the skills and experience the job required.

I think this will be the best approach.

 

I have a ton of management experience and a load of education behind me, but I wanted to take a break from the stress of management, so I dumbed down my resume and listed my education at the end. A good resume can and will get you an interview over someone with more experience than you if you have a better resume than they do. It's really about taking the time to alter your resume to fit what a potential employer is looking for.

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

Thank you for you insight. I like to know what Managers look for in applicants.

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Like, D-Lish said, you should show your relevant skills first. Not only will it help to highlight the skills, but it will also make it so that the employment gap isn't the first thing the hiring manager sees.

Great Idea.

 

This webpage has a good example of what a functional-style resume that focuses on your experiences first can look like:

Resume Sample: Office Support and Bookkeeping

 

If you can get the book they show, "The Damn Good Resume Guide", I'd recommend that as well. Before I found this book, I'd purchased another resume book that had gotten a lot of five star reviews on Amazon. I wasn't getting very many responses when I was using the advice from the first book. Then I went to my local career center, and they recommended this book instead. I got about 10 times as many responses to sending out my resume once I switched to the method that this book suggests.

I'll check it out!

 

I think the summary they show at the top of that resume is one of the keys to it's success. Hiring managers mostly skim over the resumes really quickly. So if you can show four or so bulleted points that summarize work experience you have that's relevant to the job you're seeking this will grab the hiring managers attention.

I've heard this also. I will tailor each resume to each job.

 

You can also use bullets to grab the hiring manager's attention in the cover letter. You should use some bullets to show how your background, qualifications match the things listed in the job ad. Here's a good example:

http://www.iseek.org/iseek/static/JobMatchCoverLetter.pdf

Cover letters are my weakest, I need to work on it.

 

Don't be afraid to check out your local career center for advice as well. The cities I've lived in have had career centers where anybody could go to get free advice on how to find a job, and I've found the services to be really valuable. The college you went to should have someone you can meet with who will offer you advice as well.

This is my next step!

 

The large majority of people also end up getting their jobs through networking, so if you can work that angle that's much better than finding jobs that have already been posted. Don't be afraid to contact former co-workers or classmates, join professional organizations, talk to friends and relatives, etc. Let everyone know you're searching for a job and ask them if people they know are hiring. Even better, you can try calling the places you're interested in working at and ask about any job openings.

I have tried networking and have not come across anything but I will ask people to keep me in mind if an opportunity arises.

 

Good luck with your search!

 

Thanks for the info!

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I forgot to mention, I do have a networking type lead. A friend of mine works for a company that's about 1.5 hours away. This company has recently started hiring At Home Customer Service Representatives. I will be looking into this also.

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Networking is a great idea! Also finding a job where you can telecommute at least part of the time is very beneficial. Just be careful that there are scams out there also that say you can work from home 100% and make tons of money. Usually you can identify those right away. 2011 isn't that bad, a 2 year gap can easily be explainable if you have valid reasons. I have a few small gaps here and there on my resume, but they can easily be justified since I was also going to school at the time. It's not like you're returning to work 5-10 years later.

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Networking is a great idea! Also finding a job where you can telecommute at least part of the time is very beneficial. Just be careful that there are scams out there also that say you can work from home 100% and make tons of money. Usually you can identify those right away. 2011 isn't that bad, a 2 year gap can easily be explainable if you have valid reasons. I have a few small gaps here and there on my resume, but they can easily be justified since I was also going to school at the time. It's not like you're returning to work 5-10 years later.

 

That's why I contacted the friend, to verify it was the real deal. I doubt I will make a lot of money doing it but every little bit helps right now.

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