Employment
Applications Employment
Applications
Everyone at some time has applied for employment, but in
today’s world, things have changed a little and there are developments you
should be aware of. First, elsewhere on this site you will find an article on
Pre-Employment Background Screening. Though it is aimed at employers, it would
be in your best interest to read it. Today’s employers can take no chances on
hiring someone who might turn out to be a convicted felon, a potential terrorist
or have a work history involving workplace violence or sexual harassment. Thus
employers hire companies, such as ESRcheck in California, to do a complete
applicant screening. Though such companies concentrate mostly on criminal
checks, they look for many other things as well. The bottom line? Do not even
try to lie on an employment application.
Resumes That Bite
Most people have a resume and use it to apply for a new
job. Typically, such a resume will first list work experience, including a
fairly detailed, though brief, description of your duties at each job. It then
might list important skills, such as computer programs you are familiar with,
and finally will list your educational background…and perhaps any important
affiliations, such as military service or membership in a benevolent or
professional organization. One thing you do not want on a resume is
“Objective.” An objective is a generalized statement of the type of work you
are seeking. You will have to change it for every position, and generally they
sound pretty stupid to begin with. “I am seeking a position that will enable
me to move into upper management.” Well gee, aren’t we all? Put your
“objective,” so to speak, in your cover letter instead. Now, do you know how
many ways that resume can go wrong and what employers look for?
First, check your employment listings on your resume.
It’s common practice to post jobs from current position to the earliest, but
employers generally aren’t interested in resumes longer than one page, two at
most (unless you’re an educator). You should provide dates, both month and
year, the company name, address, your position title and some details about your
job. This doesn’t have to be long and drawn out. State the facts as succinctly
as possible. When that’s all done, review the employment section. Employers
will look for several things: (1) They will check dates to see if there are any
large gaps between jobs and probably will ask you why that is. This never should
be a problem unless you have something to hide, and if you are not forthright
about any employment gaps, you probably will not be hired. Let’s say, for
example, that you list your current position as Oct 2002 to present, and you
list your next position as Feb 1998 to April 2002. You will be questioned about
the period between April and October 2002. In most cases, employees are laid off
without a great deal of warning, are collecting unemployment while seeking a new
position. This is not a problem, but the employer should be told that. If there
is a serious gap between jobs, be truthful…even if you were in prison. Just
because you were convicted of some offense, if it has no impact on potential
employment, it will not necessarily keep you from being hired. Do not lie. They
will find out.
(2) Employers will review your skills listed under each job
and any other “special” skills, usually computer knowledge, that you
present. Don’t try to make something up. For example, I am familiar with Word
and Excel, but I would not list that on my resume. I am not intimately familiar
with either one, and the first time someone asked me to design an Excel
spreadsheet, I would quickly be found out. (3) Education is a common problem. Do
NOT, under any circumstances, falsify your educational background. First, it’s
lying. Second, it’s lying that will quickly and easily be detected. It
doesn’t take a background screening firm to check your educational
credentials. A call from an HR employee to your college will quickly determine
if you have the degrees you say you do. Lying on an application is cause for
immediate dismissal if you have been hired, or elimination from consideration
for a position. (4) Don’t make up affiliations with groups, and don’t put
groups on that list that are meaningless. For example, when I was actively
working in security, I was a member of the American Society for Industrial
Security, the premier security association in the world. This is a highly
professional organization, and it’s the type of affiliation you want to list.
Your membership in the local Rotary Club might be of some use also, but no one
really cares what church you belong to. Stick to professional and benevolent
organizations and relevant military information.
Online Applications
It’s one thing to send your resume, either by e-mail or
snail mail, to an employer for a specific job opening. It’s an entirely
different procedure to post your resume online at one of the many such sites
provided for that. I had always advised those who asked me to prepare two
resumes. One would be your standard resume, which includes your name, address,
phone and e-mail address at the top. The second would be an online resume, which
would include only your name and e-mail address. That was fine for quite some
time, but now online job sites are asking for complete resumes, not just for
your name and e-mail address. And that poses a whole new problem. The bad guys
can go to those sites and gather up all the resumes they want and learn all
about you, maybe even try to steal your identity. I don’t like that concept,
but if you want to post your resume online today, you have to comply with their
requirements.
Based on that, wherever you consider posting a resume, read
everything about confidentiality, how employers can obtain that resume, privacy
and especially security concerns. Being well informed will protect you. If you
are concerned, then just don’t do it.
Happy Job Hunting!
Blackdog 