Is Too Many Jobs On The Resume Bad?

Many recruiters won't tell you this, but if you have too many jobs on a resume, they won't hire you. Why? Because they feel you're a disloyal job hopper, that's why. Those were all layoffs? Guess what? They don't care! So what can be done about it? Absolutely nothing. You might be lucky enough to catch an offer from a company that's doing a mass hiring, as waves like that are less likely to be too critical.

"To The Point" Free Premium Resume Template Download

Due to the overwhelming response to our free resume help tweet, we have decided to start a free resume template series. This will give people looking for premium resume templates a free alternative.

This week's template "Guaranteed Call" is a format that will live up to it's name. This is one of our most successful formats we have used in our experiments on Craigslist, Careerbuilder, Monster, Etc. 

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10 Things You MUST DO When Unemployed

So you're unemployed, now what? Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Everything happened so suddenly. 

You start to go through periods of shifting blame from your previous employer to the the unshaven character in the mirror. You start to get depressed, and at no ones fault but your own. You need a plan, not just any plan - A PLAN OF ACTION.

Since something in your life has been destroyed, what is the appropriate reaction? 

- TO CREATE!

These are the 10 things you must do when Unemployed 

5 Working Ways To Deal With Work Related Stress

Is stress getting to you at work? Are you losing sleep? Your appetite? Your sex drive? Or maybe your hair? Then it might be time to explore your options in dealing with it. 

5.  Schedule Time Off -  Sometimes we need time away from something to prevent mental illness. What was that you say? There is a light at the end of the tunnel? The truth is you deserve time away, you've accumulated that PTO (if you're a permanent employee of course), and now you should reap what benefits you've sown. A little road trip? A cruise? An out of state flight? or maybe just some bum time staying inside your house without shaving? 

For the love of god stop calling off sick would you? Everyone knows you hate your job. In fact, the boss is already working on your replacement. Most people would agree that calling off sick is a scary thing to do. To this day I have employees who text when they are not going to be in that day. Schedule the time off! Not only will you not feel guilty, you'll feel great about it! It will give you something to look forward to and your boss a reason to keep you off his/her radar.

4.  Uninstall Java- This is a hard one, but it could make a world of difference in stress in the workplace. Giving up coffee could make those headaches a thing of the past. Studies show caffeine can have a withdrawal effect that could render you useless when it comes to focusing in your place of employment. Caffeine gives the body a temporary fix to a permanent problem. Try waking up naturally, take your showers in the morning, and start eating breakfast daily. You know those ugly bags under your eyes? The ones that give you that disgusting tired look? That's from caffeine. 

Switch to tea or decaf coffee. If you can't give up Java then at least cut your daily intake in half. Caffeine stays in the body for 5 to 9 hours. Most peaks range from 15 minutes to 120 minutes after your first cup. Caffeine withdrawals can cause irritability, crankiness, headaches, tremors, hot flashes, itching, dry mouth and crush your ability to focus. Unless you have an IV in your arm hooked up to your local Starbucks, I would consider uninstalling Java.  

3. Changing Your Commute- Are you one of the unfortunate souls who commute to work everyday? Have you gave some serious thought into public transportation? Studies show people who take public transportation have lower stress levels throughout the day then people who commute to and from work everyday. Make sense? Look into a local train or bus that runs through the city you work in, stay the night at a friend or family members house in the area a couple nights a week or look into the possibilities of carpooling. 

Imagine the snoozing and snoring you could do when you don't have to watch the road. Let someone else ride the breaks. Consider being a passenger even if its only one day a week. Take a load off and relax, you'll thank yourself later.

2. Gauge Your Sleep- Sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Did you know you can oversleep? Yes, and when you wake up you will feel awful. This one is personal for me because I changed my sleep pattern and it really helped me.

I used to sleep 8 hours a night, wake up and still feel tired. I would yawn all day, I was starting to think I was just a lazy person. Until one night, I only slept 4 hours. The next morning I woke up feeling great. Throughout the day I was alert and more focused than ever. Most importantly though, when it came to bed time, I was ready for it. My point is everyone has different requirements for sleep. Sometimes you need more, sometimes you need less. Have you ever had a night you kept waking up every hour? Your body is trying to tell you that your battery is charged. Gauge your sleep pattern - determine if its more or less sleep you need. If something isn't working, its time to try something else. 

1. Take Your Breaks- This is one of the most important, overlooked work related stress relievers of all. Most people work right through their break, especially at desk jobs. This puts a major amount of stress on your body's resources. Get up and take a walk, relieve some of that built up anxiety and tension. You are giving yourself a lot of grief by skipping your leisure. Not only is it against the law, but nobody notices you didn't take a break until you're lying on the ground complaining of chest pains. 

Stop being a hero and take a stroll outside! Get some fresh air!

 

CareerBuilder vs Monster vs Craigslist

So we got curious and decided to do a little experiment. We had a very simple question we needed answered, "What site is better when it comes to jobs: CareerBuilder, Monster or Craigslist?"

In my personal experience I've always found CareerBuilder to be the best when it comes to job searching. My colleagues and I are completely split when it comes to personal preference. What a perfect setting to truly find the best site for jobs. We did a little experiment and took things into careful consideration to find a conclusion. 

The experiment? We took a basic customer service resume, shot 10 replies to 10 different job postings, in 3 different regions, on all 3 sites, 3 times, in 3 days. Now we would have went higher with the number, but when narrowed down by region there weren't that many jobs. (Ouch!) 

We also made a few exceptions. CareerBuilder and Monster have an auto-reply system. We are not counting these as actual replies. We are also excluding any auto-replies from outlook express. We need to have an actual response to our replies by either telephone or email, real contact. 

Here is the results of our experiment, we hope this can help you in making a choice in your job search.

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CAREERBUILDER.COM

Day 1

Recruiter / Agency replies: 1 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 1 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 1 out of 10

Total replies: 3 out of 10

Day 2

Recruiter / Agency replies: 3 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 1 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 2 out of 10

Total replies: 6 out of 10

Day 3

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 2 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 2 out of 10

Total replies: 4 out of 10

Notes

 CareerBuilder had a very wide selection of jobs, but only a few of them were legitimate postings. The site seems to be over-saturated with insurance jobs in the "Financial Industry" (More about that later).

The site is also inhabited by recruiters from job agencies. I've always been a huge supporter of job agencies for bridging that gap between the unemployed and the employee-less, but there is nothing like a company reaching for your hand and pulling you directly into the arms of security, or at least we'd like to think so.

There was a couple spam postings for scams. We did get caught into applying at some of them, but hey you really can't avoid it as they are masked well. 

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MONSTER.COM 

Day 1

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 5 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 2 out of 10

Total replies: 7 out of 10

Day 2

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 4 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 2 out of 10

Total replies: 6 out of 10

Day 3

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 1 out of 10

Direct company reply: 0 out of 10

Spam replies: 1 out of 10

Total replies: 2 out of 10

Notes

Wow, a big difference from CareerBuilder. It seems we have found no hope with Monster, and I mean NO HOPE. Not one recruiter or company contacted us. Is this website dead? We couldn't even find that many listings for customer service positions that were legitimate. I'm sure there are recruiters on this site, but it seems CareerBuilder is where the party is at so far. 

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CRAIGSLIST.ORG

Day 1

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 3 out of 10

Direct company reply: 2 out of 10

Spam replies: 4 out of 10

Total replies: 9 out of 10

Day 2

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 2 out of 10

Direct company reply: 4 out of 10

Spam replies: 2 out of 10

Total replies: 8 out of 10

Day 3

Recruiter / Agency replies: 0 out of 10

Sales / Marketing replies: 0 out of 10

Direct company reply: 5 out of 10

Spam replies: 1 out of 10

Total replies: 6 out of 10

 Notes

Now before you get stir crazy, I'd like to ad this is a dangerous site. First of all there is no real regulation or ways to track anyone since mostly everything is anonymous. However, we did receive more replies from the companies directly than the other two sites.

When I said dangerous, I meant scams. There are so many scams on Craigslist, you start to think the site is a scam in itself. Read my article Interview With The Vampire for more details about these creatures of the night.

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Conclusion 

Well it looks like we have a winner, or do we? I guess it depends on what you consider. It really boils down to CareerBuilder and Craigslist. If you feel more comfortable with a job agency, I'd recommend CareerBuilder. If you'd like to find a company directly, go for Craigslist.

One thing I must point out: Job agencies have leads to larger companies, where as the smaller companies go to Craigslist. Personally, this experiment has opened my eyes to a lot of things, Craigslist being one of them.

Our recommendation would be Craigslist as the best website to find a job hands down. Like I said before it really depends on what your looking for. We chose the job category that's most popular, Customer Service. If this experiment was done in another field, another time, maybe it would be different. In fact, it would be. 

With so many things to consider, we'll leave the ultimate decision to you. 

5 Quick Things That Are Hurting Your Resume

5. Your High School Education - Unless high school was as far as you went, skip mentioning it and list your college coursework. Listing your high school  when you have a college education is obvious fluff. You might as well list your Jr. high and elementary while you're at it.

4. Family / Friend References - Some employers ask for these kinds of references, but it's best to stick to professional contact. Listing your uncle Bob or cousin Sue looks sloppy with no effort behind it. There is no mystery what your family members will say about you.

3. Resume In First Person - Avoid using "I" or "Me" when creating a resume. The interviewer could care less about you personally, they only need to know if you'd be a good fit for the position. You need to make sure your describing the person that you are. Your accomplishments are the star of the show, not you.

2. Having No Connection To The Job Your Applying For - If you are going from a job say at a coffee shop to a customer service call center job, what would you want to stand out? How about the fact you answered the phone every once in a while? If you're not molding your resume to the jobs you are applying for, you'll never get the job.

1. Formatting / Font - I can't stress enough how important it is to keep a resume simple. A default font is the only acceptable option. I've actually had people give me resumes in cartoon font, robotic/futuristic font, graffiti font, and movie title fonts. I've came across resumes that look like they've been Photoshopped, printed on the finest of paper, from the finest of trees, with the most beautiful pieces of art as the backdrop. 

Unfortunately for you all the time spent on your project has earned you an early trash can visit. Trying to switch up the basic ingredients to a resume just to be "unique", is not productive at all. The only thing it shows me is you have too much time on your hands. The last thing I need is to hire someone who is going to spend more time decorating their desk than doing their job.  

5 Quick Things To Do Before You Quit Your Job

Everyone eventually hits a point where they consider quitting their job, it's a natural thing. Taking that leap of faith can be challenging if you don't already have another job lined up. You may have a bad relationship with a boss/co-worker, the commute is eating you alive, or you hate it and everyone can see it on your face. One of the worse things to do is to tell people you plan on quitting. This can turn into months or years of you defending yourself in all conversations about your "plan". The best thing to do is keep it to yourself until your ready to make a move. Speaking of ready, what would be the smartest way to leave a job? Shine up your shoe right before you stick it up your bosses...no, no, I'm kidding. 

Personally, I would never quit a job without another one lined up. I would strongly suggest you do the same, especially if you have a family involved. Unfortunately sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If you are serious about leaving a job without another one lined up, then this is for you. Here are 5 quick things to do before you quit your job. Consider them essential if you want to keep regrets to a minimal.

5. Have At Least 3 Months Of Income Saved - Ouch! Are you kidding me? I can't even save coupons for groceries, let alone that kind of money. Well, the average person spends 100 days unemployed when in between jobs. Having this cushion to fall back on is a must in this economy. Consider this before you consider quitting your job. 

4. Having a Plan Of Action - What do you want? Most people can't answer that question, I'm serious! If a genie asked you "What do you want?", you would freeze up and tell him you'll get back to him. Knowing what you want is a huge step in finding happiness! You can't blame your job if you were the one who applied for that position. I used to hate working customer service jobs. The call centers, the phones, the angry customers, escalations, anchored to a cubicle for 8 hours a day, all while being micro-managed by some twit. 

Once you've conquered yourself in knowing what you want, you can mold your resume to fit that position, and aim for those types of jobs.

3. Run The Well Dry - Are you leaving a job with benefits? Take advantage before you leave! Get all your doctor visits/dentist visits in while you still can. Paid time off? Sick days? Vacation? TAKE THEM! You've earned them, you deserve them. For the record, no one has been fired for taking their vacation/paid off time. If you are fired, you can always get unemployment. At my previous jobs everyone was so worried about when someone else was taking off work. When someone would return from a vacation or a couple days off, people would try to make them feel guilty. Don't allow others to stop you from being happy. You were made to have an amazing life, you can do whatever you wish! Run the well dry baby! 

2. Always Give 2 Weeks Notice - It happens to the best of us, quitting a job you end up going back to. If you can't find another job in a reasonable amount of time, consider going back. Getting on your feet and trying again is something winners do when they lose. Giving a two weeks notice will give you another way out if you find yourself in real trouble. Keep your departure as quiet and respectable as you can. If anyone ask if you've found another job, tell them you were presented an opportunity and keep it at that. Doing this will not only give you a good reference, but may open another door in the company so you won't have to leave after all. Communication is key. 

1. Register With A Job Agency - Yes, two heads are better than one. When a job agency places someone, they get paid. That's right, someone finds you a job and you don't have to pay them. Registering with a job agency is the smartest thing to do when you are out of work. Not only do they have a list of jobs ready to go, they will work with you in finding a perfect fit for you. Think about it, if you start a job they've placed you at and you end up leaving, they lose credibility with that employer. The last thing they would do is place you in something you hate. Be open with the recruiter, let them know what you are really looking for. If they offer you a job and you don't like it, kindly decline the offer. They will continue to look for you until they've found your perfect fit. 

Most agencies have different branches in different locations that work together. So if the branch you've registered with isn't giving you the results you're looking for, you can always call another branch. Having someone else help you look for a job will not only take that load off your back, but boost your confidence in finding something better. Remember, you were meant to have an amazing life! No one wants to be stuck at a job they hate. Good luck!

5 Things That Can Blow Your Interview

5. Being Too Confident -  Naturally you would think the more confident you are the more likely you'll get the job, right? Wrong. When I interview people, I look for nervousness in them. Why? Because it shows a sense of honesty, and honest people are who I want working for me. 

4. Gum Chewing - Like standing in front of the judge in court, talking on the telephone, or making a speech, chewing gum in an interview is RUDE. Nobody wants to hear you smacking your chops while talking, popping your sentences, or watch you twirl the gum around your index. People actually do show up to interviews and do this. Maybe they forget? Whatever the case may be, make sure you spit yours out before you sit down. 

3. Wearing Too Much Cologne or Perfume - Do we really have to go into detail about this one? What are you trying to cover up? You smelling like a french whore is not going to get you hired any faster. Just make sure you shower, soap and water will be just fine.

2. Having Trouble With Eye Contact - Never trust someone who can't look you in your eyes. If you're looking at the floor while talking to me, I'm going to think you have something to hide. Having little to no eye contact makes you look suspicious or guilty, and eventually I'm going to look at your resume to be as honest as you.

1. Sit Up Straight - Having correct posture is a must in any situation. Sitting like you have a spine full of jelly isn't going to make me feel confident enough to choose you to work for me. You might as well kick your feet up on the desk while your at it. Stand, walk and sit up straight. If you're too lazy to sit up straight, then you're too lazy to work for me.

Now smiling is another thing I didn't mention, but some people don't have great teeth. Smiling with your lips is always an option, just don't seem like your headed to the electric chair. You're at a job interview! You've made it this far, be a little excited!