I started writing this while I'm getting ready to file my last unemployment claim before starting a new job. To me, this implies that I did something right, though I'm not sure I can define exactly what that was.
I've written before here about how I spent months sending out resumes, applying for jobs and not only not getting called for interview, but often never even getting any sort of response whatsoever. I refer to this as "radio" silence.
I didn't know exactly what I needed to do but I knew something had changed. I have a lot of good solid experience. I never used to have trouble getting called in for interviews for the jobs I wanted, so I knew something was different.
This piece is just a presentation of my own experience, as well as some thoughts about the state of being unemployed and some of what I think of as emotional issues that can play into it. I hope it helps, in some small fashion.
I want to be clear: I was in an incredibly good position compared to most unemployed people. I still had (and continue to have) part-time work. I have taught part-time for the past decade, and even though it is part time, it is continuous employment for a full decade. I also have been doing web design and development since 1995, so the two most recent items on my resume are solid and current employment.
I should also note that I spent years as a private contractor. Contract work is a lot more self-reliant and self-driven than traditional employment, so I'm used to working on my own and playing with ideas and processes for solving problems without worrying about someone wasting anyone's time but my own, so my nature is to play in order to discover and learn.
Those last two paragraphs also combine into one fairly important notion: contractors don't tend to get unemployment, so I got into a habit of making sure that when I was paid well, I had a safety net for myself. Therefore, I developed a habit of trying to ensure that I always had half a year's salary in the bank just in case. I know this might be impossible for some people so I'm not saying you should do it, and if you have a traditional job, you probably can get unemployment so you don't need that, but even when I'm doing more traditional work, I've kept this habit. It was very valuable to me to have that buffer, because even when I was despondent about finding work, I knew had enough money in the bank to handle an emergency if it came along.
Since this most recent underemployment situation did include unemployment insurance, I was able to keep most of that savings intact, only reducing it by a couple thousand dollars between jobs. I kept a specific goal of not falling below 1/3rd of what used to be my annual salary. I was below that goal for precisely three weeks.
Like I said, I'm fortunate-- I was fortunate enough to have a strong baseline of income to begin with, to not have any major catastrophes which would cost me considerably, and to not be in constant fear of what the next week would bring. I've lived like that in my life. It's a horrible place to be.
So all this is prelude... what I'm really here to talk about is what my resume used to be, how I changed it and what I did that seems to have suddenly started getting me callbacks.
For all I know, this is coincidence. The job I eventually got didn't even involve a resume. Instead, I had to fill out an application through their system, get copies of my transcripts sent to them (and that was pretty damned complicated, let me tell you), and it was about five weeks before I got interviewed.
But before that happened, I switched from an old style chronological resume to a "functional" resume.
Chronological resumes generally fit a specific pattern: Employment history; Educational Background; References, (or the phrase "references are available upon request.")
So I set it up in sections where I displayed both my employment experience (in reverse chronological order based on when I left the job). I.e., any job I currently hold goes first, then the last job I left goes after that, etc.
Same goes for education-- last degree obtained goes first. I never mention high school, since I've got a Master's degree, I assume they can figure out I completed high school :).
Now the thing is-- this format served me well. I got interviews from it whenever I wanted them, and this lasted me about 15 years. And then, suddenly, it just stopped working. I mean, like I said before, radio silence.
Someone suggested a "functional resume," and I'd never actually heard of that before. I looked at one online and thought "well, it can't go any worse than what I've been doing.
It was one of two things that made a huge difference for me.
The Functional Resume still includes work experience, but it's not 1st on the list, and it doesn't include job descriptions. All the work experience in the Functional Resume includes is dates of employment, job title, and employer. The job description stuff is actually included on top, in what's called the "Qualification Summary." In that, you list everything about you, in as simple terms as possible, that makes you well qualified for the position you're hoping to get. I'm going to repeat that: qualified for the position you're hoping to get. I'll explain that more in a minute, but I want to highlight it. In my case, for a job as a web developer, I included these as part of my "qualifications Summary:"
More than a decade of experience working with websites, databases and web-based databases, including MS Access, Microsoft SQL, MySQL, Oracle SQL, dBase III+ and FoxFile;
familiarity with several scripting languages including html, php, Javascript, Java, ASP, Visual Basic;
talented designer with a visual sense and an understanding of Photoshop and Illustrator;
fluent with Drupal and Joomla;
high degree of comfort with emerging technology;
However, when I applied for a position working specifically with databases, I removed a couple of the above and made sure to mention:
More than a decade of experience working with databases, including MS Access, Microsoft SQL, MySQL, Oracle SQL, Dbase and FoxFile;
Have worked at administrative level with database servers on several platforms;
Experience training and conveying complex aspects of database development and design.
Notice the difference? It's subtle, but this one is much more focused specifically on data and tasks which deal with the nature of data. My resume for teaching is very different from both of these, and focuses more on specific courses I've taught, my ten years as college faculty and the five years of tutoring that took place prior to that.
There are a few ways to do this. One way is to just create a "master" resume with everything you'd want to include and then delete as needed. Every resume I sent out, even for similar jobs, was slightly different because I would look it over and think of new things to add or a way to link to something I put in the cover letter. Important note: if you want them to call you, write a new cover letter each time. You can draw from the prior one, but you need to write something original in every cover letter you submit.
The next section, "Experience Highlights" is one I approach similarly. The main difference between experience highlights and qualifications is that qualifications is what you're capable of and highlights are a place to tell them something about how long you've been doing the work or what sort of projects you've done. My experience highlights for that database job were simple:
Have designed and built multiple high-level web-based databases designed to work with the general public as well as for small groups;
Have built custom scripts for routine tasks on multiple database platforms for a variety of purposes;
Have been working with computers since they had punch cards.
I probably could have easily moved some of my qualifications summary into the experience highlights or vice versa. I worried about that for a bit until I figured out that it didn't matter that much-- it was mostly a way to break the flow of information so it didn't seem like one huge list. But once again, I would vary those highlights depending on the job. If I were applying for a teaching position, I'd mention that I've taught over 40 courses at the college level.
One of the best advantages to a functional resume to me is that I can put the information most relevant to the job I'm looking for on top-- in a chronological resume, I don't have that option. I put the database experience in the job where I had the database experience, so it may be later on the list than the chronological experience. But with this format, I can put everything where it fits best.
I don't have great advice on the cover letter. My cover letters generally say "I'm writing to apply for the position of..." and then spend a paragraph or two highlighting what's on the resume, and when I can pull it off, explaining why I'd love to work for them. If it's a non-profit, I talk about how much I value service in the public good. If it's a for-profit, well, they probably won't hire me anyway because they never do, but if it's a for-profit I'll focus on skills and creativity and probably mention something about the emerging marketplace or whatever term is in vogue at the time.
But the key thing is that every job I apply for, whether it's web developer, teaching assistant for a music program, database designer, it support, etc. (and I've been called in for interviews for all of these) involved a variation on my resume to highlight the relevant history. Oh, and it's important to keep those variations on your resume. If you find yourself getting callbacks on some resumes and not others, take a look at them and see what's different about the ones that got you callbacks. It's worthwhile to do even if a bit cumbersome.
So that's my spiel on resumes.
Next to my spiel on being unemployed: I had a lot of plans when I lost my last job. The first two weeks after were extremely productive. I redesigned one of my personal websites from scratch. I did a lot of self-teaching of new system architectures. I worked like crazy on a database project for our local CSA ("will work for food," literally. I did the database for him and we got free food for the summer :-) ). But a lot of what I wanted to didn't happen-- I kind of ran out of steam and spent more time than I should have feeling really bad about myself, my situation, etc. It happens. It's natural. I also was dealing with a physical injury that was a real nightmare for me-- a rotator cuff injury that's much better than it was, but has a long way to go before it's fully healed, which limited my exercise, and caused me to gain back some of the weight I'd worked really hard at losing the previous year, which just didn't do anything for my mood.
I don't have great advice for that either-- I withdrew from some friends in ways I probably shouldn't have, and fell into self-pity for a bit. None of this was good, but it wasn't catastrophic. If I'd gone into an interview in that mood, it might have hurt me, but fortunately by the time I was back into being interviewed, I just was past that. The mere fact that I was getting contact from people again, even if it was a rejection, made a huge difference to me and made me more optimistic than I'd been in ages.
One of the best things I did, by the way, while unemployed, was to volunteer. I did a benefit show for our local warming shelter. This wasn't just valuable in terms of self-esteem (though it was great in terms of that), or for the benefit it provided (marginal, since we got thwarted by thundersleet), but since I was the organizer of the show, my name was in the paper quite a lot for the few weeks prior to the show, and my callbacks started happening around the same time. I don't know if there is a connection there or not, but I figure name recognition is good-- if people see 30 resumes for a single job and they, whether they realize it or not, remember your name for a reason that has nothing to do with the job, they still remember your name. I also did a bit of volunteering for the Vermont Workers Center's "Healthcare is a Human Right" campaign and did some web development and some volunteer work for the effort to unionize child care workers in Vermont. None of those got me work, but I could have used them as experience for the right kind of job.
But volunteering, especially when you have time, is a great way to keep yourself from feeling sorry for yourself, from feeling pathetic, and feeling overwhelmed.
Another thing I will mention is that not everyone who works in the unemployment office is kind, patient or helpful. Some are very much so, but some are rude, belittling and kind of mean. I mention this because you will encounter these people and they can very easily make your life more complicated. I didn't engage with them beyond what I was required to do and I didn't start a fight. I did wait until I got home and called the supervisor. People have a right to get frustrated at work. They have a right to be in a bad mood. They don't have a right to be mean to you and they don't have a right to belittle you in public. I've had this happen to me and I've seen it happen to other people. It's inappropriate but letting it get to you doesn't help you. In general, I'm in favor of dealing with people directly, but I have no patience for people who use positions of power to bully others and there's only so much you can do from that position. I didn't write about any of this while I was still on unemployment. I honestly didn't think it was safe to do. It may still come back to cause me trouble, but I'm friends with lawyers so I think I'm probably going to be fine :).
Sidenote on this, while I'm talking about UI: the new extended benefits were passed? They come with some fairly annoying hoops you have to jump through. You're required to submit three job contacts per week. That's fine. But they make them needlessly complicated: you have to submit the names of three different people you've contacted during the week. Your contacts must be on at least two different days, and they must be at least two different forms of contact, one of which includes an in-person contact.
Now-- the sort of work I do? I had to apply for some jobs in person that I was sure they would never hire me for, because there's no such thing, for example, as a walk-in job contact for people looking to be database administrators. I did manage to fulfill their requirements during my short period on extended benefits, even with an extremely slim job market, but it was complicated.
Oh, and those 1st and 2nd interviews? They don't count. Why not? Because you can't repeat the same job. I.e., once I've sent my resume and used that as a contact for a week, I can't use that same contact again down the line when I have an in-person interview. So even though I was doing a lot of job searching, I could only count some of it as relevant to continuing to receive unemployment.
I also applied for quite a few jobs I didn't want but would take if I had no other choice. I was rather surprised to be called in to interview for one of them. I decided I'd try something in that-- usually in interviews, I'm reserved and cautious about what I say- friendly but careful. So when I got called in this one, I saw this as an opportunity to try something different. So I just let myself say whatever I felt like saying, telling way more about myself than I normally would, making jokes. It was a good lesson and I'm glad I did it-- he called me a week later to let me know that I wasn't coming in for a 2nd interview, which was fine. Useful to know that particular approach wasn't so effective, but I'll also say that I think only once the entire time I've been employed, have I ever been hired by a man for a traditional job. Web projects, yes, but regular employment, not so much so. I don't know what that means. I just figured I'd note it.
One more thing I'll note, about the job I did get. I had two interviews for that job. I paused a bit during both of them, because I wanted to make sure I knew what I was answering, and I asked questions. When I was done responding, I would ask "does that answer your question?" I was particularly pleased to hear one of them say "no, it really doesn't" and explain why-- it gave me the opportunity to think about it more and get where they were going and do better. This was possibly one of the best interviews I've ever done, because I didn't get flustered a single time, even when I made mistakes. It helps that it was in an area I know extremely well and I knew what I was talking about. In short, I was confident, without being cocky and I enjoyed myself in the interview, without being silly.
I should also say that I hate group interviews. I always find myself focusing on just one person and ignoring the others and doing poorly. For whatever reason, this didn't happen this time. I forced myself when answering to make eye contact with multiple people. I'm not sure what worked. The 2nd interview was with just one person and I was really distracted by the way we were seated-- it felt like an awkward angle so I felt like I was constantly trying to shift position (though I really only did it twice) and I thought a few times that I completely blew it, but clearly it worked out fine. I did what I had done in the last interview-- I thought about my answers, paused and was quite honest about some of my strengths and weaknesses-- talking about where I need some work in terms of interactions, but also about how good I am at conflict resolution and active listening, and all of it seemed to work out.
It's hard doing this. It's a lot like a blind date; any number of things can go wrong. I was one of close to 40 people who applied for this job, and I'm a little intimidated by the fact that they chose me over anyone else, but I do think I'm extremely well qualified and I'm looking forward do doing a great job with this. It's a big, complicated job with a lot of moving parts. I do well with moving parts. I don't know how to do simple jobs. I get bored and lose interest. This will keep me going.
So that's it-- I wrote a lot more than I'd intended to here, but I start my new job tomorrow and don't know if I'll have as much time to write soon.