Remedial Resume Resources.

I can help you, I write resumes and I've done a couple for some other mefites. First of all, what kind of job are you targeting? Secondly, are you on LinkedIn? If not, get an awesome profile going there. Here's an example of what a resume can look like: PROFILE X Years of administrative and office management experience in the non-profit sector. -BA Underwater Basket Weaving -Project Management (EVERYONE does this in their job) -Calendar maintenance -Expense reporting -Event planning -Financial analysis and Reporting -Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint -Typing WPM 100 EXPERIENCE Name of Agency, City State Dates Title-(Office Admistrator is a good catch-all that will describe general office duties) Managed administrative duties in a non-profit agency with the mission to bring art to underserved, urban areas (you can usually get a one line blurb directly from the agency website mission statement) -Quarterly financial reporting -In conjunction with the Director of Fundraising, planned and executed the annual Artists Ball, an event attended by 300 community leaders and artists, raising over $1m. -Redesigned archival system (Filing, everyone who files, does a better job of it than his or her predecessor) ABC Company, City, State Dates Title-Customer Service Representative Built relationships with 100 customers daily in a call-center environment, resolving issues with products and answering service inquiries, for a Fortune 500 High Technology company. -Consistantly exceeded standard satisfaction ratings with an average 98.8%. -Employee of the month-June 2008 -Served on the process improvement committee. You get the idea. You don't have to do every single thing you've ever done, 3 or 4 jobs should suffice. Also, don't list stuff that's completely obvious in the title. Everyone knows you answer phones in a customer service job, what did you do above and beyond? THAT'S what you list in the bullet points. EDUCATION BA, Underwater Basketweaving, Slippery Rock State Teachers College, Anytown, State. ACHIEVEMENTS List any awards or recognition you may have received from agencies here. Employee of the month-ABC Company, June 2008 (You can safely get away with putting this on a resume, who keeps a record of such things?) Then do a cover letter that encapsulates your amazing qualifications and glosses over any gaps. I am applying for the X position posted on the X website. I have worked as an Administrative and Customer Service professional for X years. I believe that my experience coupled with my knowledge makes me credible; my friendly and helpful nature makes me approachable. In the end it is this combination that makes me successful. Most recently my experience has been working with non-profit organizations in an administrative capacity. Although circumstances have dictated movement, I have been able to forge excellent working relationships with managers and co-workers alike. I am seeking a position that will utilize my administrative skills in an environment that allows for growth. I believe that my skills and experience would be a good match for the XXX position. I’d love an opportunity to discuss how I can fit into your organization. I can be reached via email at [email protected] or at 555-555-5555 Memail me if you'd like more, specific help.

General tip regarding framing this whole thing: I was a homemaker and full time mom for many years, during which time I also did volunteer work and went to college intermittently. I didn't even complete my bachelor's in underwater basketweaving, though I did complete a more advanced certificate in knitting in zero gees. I got my first full time paid job at age forty with a Fortune 500 company, which impressed a lot of people. The truth is, my previously undiagnosed medical condition meant I had been unemployable for most of my adult life. I didn't get a job until I stopped saying stupid stuff like that in interviews. Repeat after me: "I had the privilege of being a homemaker for a few years, during which time I got to do some interesting volunteer work." Do not mention the depressive breakdowns or halfhearted creative endeavors (unless you can characterize them more positively). Do emphasize you are staying in place for the foreseeable future. Best of luck.

Having a customer service background is good for many kinds of job. I talked about my experience as a grocery clerk when I interviewed for my first IT job. No matter what kind of job you have, there is almost always a customer, even if it's someone else in the same company. Also, no matter how much you hate customer service (I hated it) talk the talk at least. They should think you like nothing better than solving people's problems.

One thing that I found really successful when I was applying for lots of different kinds of jobs was to make a sort of ur-resume that included all my accomplishments (remember, focus on accomplishments, not job duties) from all the jobs I had had in recent memory. That way, when I applied to, say, a job at an animal shelter or whatever, I could just delete the irrelevant entries and leave the ones that best spoke to the qualifications of what I was applying for. Ask A Manager is so, so helpful. She's super sassy and straight-talking, and has actually done tons of hiring, so she's got know-how that a lot of internet sources might be lacking. The best way I found to apply for lots of jobs was to make a spreadsheet, and put down every single job I found I wanted to apply for. Where it was, anything special I needed for it (like an essay or a work sample), what industry it was from, and the closing date. I could easily sort the list to see what jobs were closing soon, or which ones only required a cover letter and resume and would be faster to apply for. When I applied for something, I made sure to save the job description/listing either on the sheet or separately, if it was long. A lot of times they take down the job listing when they move to interviewing, and it really, really helps to have a copy to look at before your interviews and think about what kinds of questions might be asked. Good luck!

For general resources, http://www.askamanager.org/ is a great resource - I'd start with her resume and volunteering tags and branch out from there. (She also takes reader questions, and this is one she's addressed in the past, but with some elements that make me think it might also be worth asking her.) Her book is also excellent (and made such a huge difference during my own job hunt), but you can find a lot of the material scattered through her website. She also has excellent commenters with useful advice.

Oh, no worries, Ms. In California, I have no intention of saying any of that to Actual Job-Interview People. I plan to emphasize the fact that we were moving so much for my husband's career, which makes it seem a lot more reasonable. That was only for explanation here. And, I will admit, light self-mocking. But I agree that nobody needs to know about the depression stuff, especially not in an interview! Ruthless Bunny: I am probably going to take you up on that. Thank you immensely. colin_l: Hmmmm. It's a little nebulous, because my interest is more in the purpose the job will serve than the specific type of job. I am already aware that I am going to have to write multiple resumes, or at least tweak significantly, for different possibilities. Which I guess I also should have mentioned, eh? But so far there's some education and outreach possibilities, and some admin stuff possibilities, and the general thrust is in the direction of animal welfare (NOT animal rights, those people are definitely Part Of The Problem). I'm still gathering ideas as to the specifics, but after the past couple of years, I am quite certain that what I am working toward is more important sometimes than the specific kind of work I am doing. Because I've done some pretty boring stuff in the course of this volunteering, and I have done it gladly. Thank you all so much, and more advice is so very, VERY welcome!

Sign up with some temp agencies. You will be tested on MS Office applications - the ones you really need to know are Word and Excel. They are mostly looking for basic skills like ability to type a letter and set up a spreadsheet. If you are pleasant and professional in your demeanor and can do basic Word and Excel tasks you will be a good temp-agency applicant. Apply to several agencies, not just one. Temp jobs will help build up your experience, give you a chance to check out various companies and career fields, and often are a foot in the door to a more permanent job.