[nabs-l] Dealing With Gaps In Resumes and Having Little to No Work Experience

Tue Sep 24 23:04:22 UTC 2013

Good advice; Listen to him!

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 6:32 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Dealing With Gaps In Resumes and Having Little to No Work Experience

Hi Misty,

There are a couple issues here. First there is the matter of the gaps in your resume. Then there is your family's general welfare. That sounds ridiculously obvious, but it's good to break down larger challenges into smaller ones so that you prevent yourself from becoming emotionally exhausted and/or desperate. I mention the desperation because it's at times that people feel the most inclined to take any job that presents itself. You take the job and run a risk of becoming even less happy than you were before, but it's hard to leave because a job, any job, starts feeling too secure to find something different.

First I suggest confronting the issues with the basic sustaining of you and your daughter. Look into nearby churches, food banks and similar places where you can get food and other assistance. In some cities there is assistance to help pay for utilities. I don't want you to think I'm recommending these types of resources because I think you fall into any particular category. I'm recommending these resources so you can save what money you do have for things like transportation and unexpected expenses. Also, if you feel less pressure to provide for basic necessities, you're going to get halfway toward feeling like you need to find any port in a storm.

As to the resume gaps, I wouldn't stress out about it too much. The gaps could be owed to any number of things, including full-time study. If you have a compelling resume with outstanding bullet points, you're going to make an impression no matter the gaps you think are holding you back. Yes, there is something to be said for the minimum wage jobs. I had a blind acquaintance in high school who found his way to working at Pizza Hut. That's not a job where blind people automatically think they can work. My little point is don't rule anything out, but my bigger point here is not so much the job but how you present yourself. You're a single mother raising a child, no easy feat. You're confident, and even if you may not feel that way sometimes, fake it till you make it. Half the battle is persuading an employer you would be a great asset to their business. So much of that is making a great impression when you meet in person. The Internet is great, but you may get to a point where you'll have to leave the house and do some cold visits.

If you do go online, put together a resume and submit it to Monster.com. The NFB made it more accessible. We may as well utilize it. Check in with your school's career services office. You seem like a good writer. Tap that talent to proofread papers for fellow students. There are a number of things you can do to earn a little income.

But, don't stress out too much about the gaps. They'll only be a hang-up if you allow them to be, and I know that sounds like mental therapy nonsense. I hate those little self-helpie tips, but remember every candidate has a weakness. The trick is putting that weakness in the context of a positive strength. You may have stayed home for several years, but as others have already pointed out, you probably have a lot more patience, can think better under pressure, can balance multiple priorities, etc.

I hope that helps. Reach out if you need me to clarify any of my babble.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Misty Dawn Bradley
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 11:05 AM
To: Jobs for the Blind; NABS List
Subject: [nabs-l] Dealing With Gaps In Resumes and Having Little to No Work Experience

Hi all, 
I am wondering how people deal with having gaps in their resumes? I have heard that many employers judge by whether the applicant has had a steady work history. Due to the fact that I had to stay home with my daughter as a single mother, I have a gap of about 4 or 5 years in my resume, although I have some volunteer work that I did toward the end of it with AmeriCorps which I did put on my resume. I am also now in school and have been since 2012 working toward my associates in elementary education in order to transfer to a university to complete my bachelor degree in education. I am trying to apply for jobs to make ends meet while in school, and I am trying to figure out how to deal with and account for the gaps in my resume since graduating from high school in 2006. 
I am also running into the problem that most of the jobs advertised for and geared toward college students are highly visual jobs that require you to either drive or do a lot of visual things, such as dealing with inventory, organizing it by product number and size/color, and inputting data on shipments, etc. Otherwise, all other jobs require a lot of experience that I don’t have. How did you list members get around all of this, and what types of work did you do to make a living and support yourself while attending college? How did you obtain jobs if you had little or no experience in low-level jobs such as customer service, office administration, retail, and other jobs of this nature? My classes are all online, so potentially, I could do part-time or full-time work. I have heard of people doing volunteer work to get experience, which I have done in the fields of education/tutoring with AmeriCorps, but right now I need a job to pay rent, bills, food, and other monthly expenses, so, although volunteer work is good, I need something that I can live on as well as support my daughter. 
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
Thank you in advance, 
Misty 
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