Entries Tagged with career

Saturday February 6th, 2010
Will a 6-month resume gap ruin your career?

The other day, Melanie Benwell of Poly Placements tweeted:

What do you think of candidates who take 6-12 months off to travel or re-energize before starting their job search?  Does it question drive?

and 

1 or 2 months I can understand but anything over 6 months I see as a red flag = lack of focus/drive etc.

I was surprised by Mel's take on work gaps, and since I know her to be a successful, experienced recruiter, it got me thinking.

Are resume gaps a red flag?

A couple of years ago I read an article which said that one of the ways in which Gen Ys will transform the workforce is that over their working lifetimes, they'll take on average 6-12 months off every 7 years.  (Of course I can't find this article now, but here's an interesting one about the 7-year sabbatical cycle.)

In other words, I've always thought that, as long as you had a good explanation for the gap, there was nothing wrong with having a 6-12 month gap in your resume -I mean,  what employer wouldn't want to hire someone who said they took 6 months to work in an elephant sanctuary in Kenya or finish their novel or go to cooking school?

(I myself have an almost 12-month gap circa 1996-97 - I got engaged to this guy from the States, so I moved to Philadelphia for a year, during which time my visa status precluded me from working.)

According to the New York Times, sabbaticals are more popular than you think, especially in an economic downturn:  With companies looking for ways to reduce their full-time salary obligations without losing their best and brightest employees, sabbaticals are a great way to hang on to talent while improving the bottom line.

But I think what Mel was getting at was:  If you say you took/are taking 6 months off to 'recharge your batteries', does it make you look like a milquetoast who can't handle the pressure? 

As always, your two cents are invited...

Permalink  Comments (2)

Monday August 11th, 2008
Older Workers: Forget the Hair Dye and Botox

Are you a baby boomer looking for a new job? If so, don't open this bottle of hair dye just yet.

If you're worried about competing with younger workers, forget about the facelift, the hair color and even the botox treatment you've scheduled. According to a new study, your time will be better spent dusting off your dimploma, not trying to look younger.

New research from the Urban Institute says the fastest-growing occupations that already draw most of their employees from workers over the age of 55 rely on brains, not brawn.

Jobs are less physically demanding now than they were just three decades ago and less likely to entail difficult working conditions. Between 1971 and 2007 the percentage of jobs with great physical demands declined from 8.0 to 6.6 percent. The percentage of jobs requiring skills that show a high cognitive ability grew from 26.5 to 36 percent.

Since people working in these "high cognitative" professions have to inspire trust in the community and among customers, wrinkles and grey hair might even be a benefit.

Consider the list of these fast-growing professions for older workers: personal financial advisors, veterinarians, social and community service managers, surveyors, environmental scientists and geoscientists, registered nurses, and instructional coordinators. The list also includes postsecondary teachers, archivists and curators, social workers, management analysts, pharmacists, counselors, and business operation specialists.

Of all professions, the fastest-growing area that is friendliest to older workers are personal and home care aides. Other categories that require less education include ushers, animal trainers, locksmiths, and brokerage clerks.

According to the institute, each of these fields is expected to see its workforce grow by least 20 percent by 2016. The portion of older workers filling these jobs will surpass the 17 per cent of all workers.

The study,“Will Employers Want Aging Boomers?” by Gordon B.T. Mermin, Richard W. Johnson, and Eric J. Toder, uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Training Administration, and Census Bureau.

Permalink  Comments (2)

Monday June 16th, 2008
When in Doubt, Take a Quiz

There are already a ton of job search-related quizzes on the Internet. What career will suit your personality? What careers suit your interests? Does my career suit your life? If not, can you change it?

What we needed was a career quiz just for recruiters. Enjoy the clickiness!

Permalink  Comments (0)

Thursday May 29th, 2008
Career Advice

There is one funny thing about recruitment: recruitment professionals have to be hired too. And yet, so much of the advice we give to others doesn't seem to apply to our own industry. Still, something must work. I've got a great gig and, if you're reading this, chances are you do too.

So, stop holding out on us already. What's the best piece of job search advice you've ever been given?

Permalink

About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

Links

Archives

Tags

Tag Cloud

RSS Feed

RSS Feed