5 Tips for Finding Work after an Extended Period of Unemployment

5 Tips for Finding Work after an Extended Period of Unemployment5 Tips for Finding Work after an Extended Period of UnemploymentWhile its certainly not an ideal scenario, the reality is that nearly all job-seekers will find themselves unemployed at some point in their career. Many are able to pick up quickly and find the latest and greatest position. Others, however, may have a harder time scoring a new gig, leading to periods of extended unemployment on the resume. mucksmuschenstill other job-seekers have unemployment gaps due to personal, medical or family reasons. Whatever the case, if you find yourself with a less than continuous track record, weve got five tips for finding work after an extended period of unemployment. Explaining Work GapsThe first and toughest hurdle to conquer when returning to the workforce after an extended absence is explaining to potential employers the reasons for your temporary exit. An explanation, while not mandatory, will be useful in convincing new e mployers that youre ready, willing, and able to pick up a new position. Its important to remember that time off or a bad economy are typically not going to be sufficient explanations to appease your employer. In order to qualm any fears over a large gap on your resume, be koranvers to offer a thorough, concise and professional explanation for your work gap. To help you get started, weve suggested ways to address some of the fruchtwein common scenarios, belowIf youve spent some time freelancing or working in areas outside of your primary career field, be sure to list those along with a reason for the change. Taking time to explore new options along another path typically isnt going to be an issue as long as you provide your employer with assurances youre committed to the position youre applying for.Want to focus more on your qualifications and less on your actual work timeline? Consider using a functional resume format. This style of resume highlights your skills and relevant experie nce while glossing over dates which can help emphasize your suitability for a given position.If youve spent time working for yourself, be sure to include a broad title of self-employment on your resume to account for your time outside of corporate America. Most employers will understand and even appreciate the decision of self-employment. Working on your own brings a unique set of job skills including independence, initiative, and all-important drive. Opportunistic applicants can use a period of self-employment as a positive and spin the career gap into a strength to help land a new 9-5.As a final note for explanation of any job gap, whatever you do, avoid lying or being less than forthright about your time away from the career force. An explanation up front will go much further than trying to backtrack when caught in a little white lie. Own the reason for your career gap and move on to your relevant experience and the reasons youre the best candidate for the position.Plan AheadIf w eve said it once weve said it a million times. Before applying for a position or heading into the interview room, be sure to do your basic due diligence on the prospective employer. A quick perusal of the company website or a Google search for the employer name can provide a wealth of valuable information to help carefully craft your job gap response. Does the company focus on family values and a commitment to work/life balance? Your time off to raise your family or help out your ailing elderly relative will be completely understandable. While in many cases you may want to play coy with how much information you offer up if it looks like the employer would be open to your specific scenario, feel free to share in either your resume or in the interview room.Job Hunting CostsHaving an extended absence from the job market will often mean a bit of a larger investment in your initial search. From travel to professional fees to even relocation expenses, these extra expenses can add up quick , especially when you dont have an ongoing gig lined up. Keep in mind that many of these expenses can be deductible from your income come tax season. Track all expenses and keep receipts in a central location where youll be able to consult, document and deduct if you qualify down the line.Dealing with Money ProblemsBeing without a job isnt most peoples preferred state. Rent, food, entertainment and those pesky student loans can all wrack up big bills fast. Whatever you do, avoid taking out additional lines of credit if youre already strapped. Extra debt not only impacts your credit score, it can exponentially up the pressure to find a job, any job, which can seriously hinder efforts to find a great professional fit for yourself and career happiness.Stay PositiveWhile it may seem a bit simplistic and obvious, it still needs to be said that the single best thing you can do to support yourself during an extended job gap is to stay positive. You likely had great reasons for exiting the workforce to begin. Focus on these rather than berating yourself in hindsight and keep on plugging away at your attempts to find a new, better position. Develop a routine and submit resumes and applications regularly to help feel accomplished and on task. Before you know it youll find yourself back in the interview room and back up in the saddle, landing a position that will help make your job gap a distant and educational memory.

The Perfect Recruiting Email

The Perfect Recruiting Email The Perfect Recruiting Email Not everyone is receptive to random emails from strangers about open job opportunities (you may even hope they arent too interested). Some professionals in hot fields may just get a high volume of such solicitations and others are often just too busy to even read through a long email from a recruiter.So how do you quickly get the candidates interest and response? What makes for the perfect recruiting email? Here are some quick tips for writing great emails that attract candidate attentionCatchy Subject Line A lot has been written about commercial email subject lines, but there is a lot less written about the semi-personal world of job recruiting emails. Some of the same rules apply. Make your subject line instantly connect with the individual personalize and localize your message. For instance, you may get less response from New job near NYC than Mike, quick notenzeichen about a job in Bronxville. Make your subject line spe cific and entirely crafted to the individual. Reference locations exactly near them, exact skills or projects from their profile, or someone in particular that gave you their name.Guess their Motivation If youre a recruiting pro, there is a good chance that you can guess a lot about a person just from their resume or social media profile. Are they climbing the corporate ladder and emphasize job titles on their resume? Ill bet they would be motivated by including verbiage about the seniority and management focus of that open position you have. Do they work at an employer and team that you know works their employees to death with long hours? Emphasize the flexibility of your position or if they would work for a friendly management team, write that. Try to figure out what would make the candidate want your job chances are its simple logistics like location, money, company environment, or management team.Portray your Competence People get emailed all the time from recruiters that spend one second looking at their resume. They get emailed for the wrong jobs and even for positions that are in the wrong location. Make sure that you take special care to determine exactly what the candidate does, and only email them if you have a good match. Your communications should portray a competent recruiter that really took the time to understand their experience. Including simple, personal notes like I saw you worked with SAP ABAP back at IBM and was wondering if you would like to again do more than entice the candidate they demonstrate your recruiting abilities and make the candidate comfortable.Highlight Connections Do you have any personal or professional connection with the candidate you are trying to recruit? Have you recruited for one of the companies for which the candidate worked? Did you get their name from a reference? Did you have a friend at their college? Do you know some hiring managers from their current employer? Anything personal helps. Thoughtful notes like B TW, I binnensee you studied math at Tufts, I spent a summer there myself and know how hard you must have worked go a long way with people. Optimally, a recruiting email should be less like a commercial email and more like a note from a friend about a great job they heard about.Recruiters, have any secret email tips that you dont want to keep secret? Whats worked well for you? Wed love to hear in the comments.

John Staehlin, Hoover Medal

John Staehlin, Hoover Medal John Staehlin, Hoover Medal John Staehlin, 2017 Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal commemorates civic and humanitarian achievements of engineers who have advanced the well-being of humankind. It is administered by a board representing five engineering organizations: ASME; the American Society of Civil Engineers; the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers; and IEEE. John Staehlin, P.E., president emeritus of Volunteers for Medical Engineering (now V-LINC) in Baltimore, Md., is honored for founding a not-for-profit volunteer organization to create special-purpose assistive devices that enable physically-disabled persons to achieve greater independence and an improved quality of life. Mr. Staehlin has been an inventor throughout his long engineering career. He has over 400 invention disclosures and 33 patents. His early inventions were primarily for radar systems for the defense industry, including the F-16, AWACS (the airborne warning and control system) and the B-1B. In 1982 Mr. Staehlin founded Volunteers for Medical Engineering (VME) in Baltimore. He and his co-workers at Westinghouse and Northrop Grumman developed antenna systems by day and assistive devices in the evenings and on weekends. VME grew and merged with Learning Independence Through Computers (LINC) in 2010 to form V-LINC. Mr. Staehlin has inspired thousands of engineers, high school and college students, and friends, to create life-changing, customized devices to help people with disabilities. He remains active with V-LINC and within his retirement community, chairing regular meetings of local volunteers and designing solutions to obstacles faced by disabled children and fellow seniors. Mr. Staehlin earned his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and his masters degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland. Video profile produced and written by Roger Torda, ASME Public Information. The copyright of this program is owned by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.