I gave a resume preparation and interviewing class this past Saturday in a local community center. It was the first nice day this area has seen in weeks and sure enough the rains came back on Sunday. I didn’t think that too many people would come because it was a beautiful day and it was a free class. Given those odds, it would have been me and the program organizer sharing the platter of a dozen sandwiches. Much to my surprise, a nice sized group came in and they ranged in age from 15 through the mid-forties. They were all ready to either start or get back into the job market and wanted to know what to do. My time with them flew and I was humbled by their stories. Some were just getting started (the 15 year old) and others had been affected by serious illness or another disabilities and were concerned that they would be turned away because of the number of years between them and their last jobs. It seems that the average time away from work with this group was around four years and they were surprised to learn how dramatically the job search scene had changed in that short time. Here are some of their questions. How would you answer them?
1. How do I explain being a stay at home mom?
2. Will a company lose interest in me because I left my former job on disability?
3. How do I explain that I left my former company on bad terms?
4. Most companies want experience but I can’t get it unless someone hires me. How or where can I get it?
5. As a high school student I like to write. Other than school work, where can I get more practice writing?
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