Social Media Roundup: What Your Job History Says About You

Résumés get the three-second glance-over. And maybe less when the glaring red flags are, well, flagged. Here’s what you should know to make your job history stand out and get your résumé into that potential interview pile.

The details, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup.

Top of the pile

5 Red Flags in Your #Job  (opens in a new tab) History … And How to Combat Them
http://t.co/DHTMrFsp8p  (opens in a new tab) @USNewsCareers  (opens in a new tab) #jobsearch  (opens in a new tab) #career  (opens in a new tab) #interviewing  (opens in a new tab)

— LHH (@LHH_onCareers) September 19, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

Career chronicles: Too much time between jobs, too many jobs, or too little experience: You’d better have a good reason for those little red flags in your job history, as  U.S. News & World Report’s Alison Green  (opens in a new tab) notes. (It probably helps to make sure you’ve copy edited your résumé as well.) A résumé is the front cover to your job history, so use it to provide clear explanations for the gaps in your CV. Jot down that volunteer stint, that you tended to a personal family issue—anything that takes a potential employer’s “Oh?” to “Ah” when weighing whether or not your résumé gets tossed. If a short stint at a job was meant to be short, then write that in. Employers understand a four-month internship or contract work; the four months at a salaried position, however, may draw other questions. (ht @LHH)  (opens in a new tab)

Silence is golden

For those who asked to see my Ignite video: Introvert Isn’t a Bad Word #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #asaeyp  (opens in a new tab) #asae13  (opens in a new tab) http://t.co/IN1Pmt66Ia  (opens in a new tab)

— John Chen (@johnYSchen) September 18, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

Power to the quiet one: John Chen, the National Association for Law Placement’s communications & marketing manager  (opens in a new tab) is a leader, just quieter than most. He’s an introvert, listening first and speaking after, he writes in a blog post, “Introvert Isn’t a Bad Word: My Ignite Recap  (opens in a new tab),” a look back at his August Ignite session at ASAE’s 2013 Annual Meeting & Expo. Here’s video of Chen’s session:

Group meetings and discussion panels don’t work for the quieter crew, but anything that boosts one-on-one relationships can. Introverts aren’t shy; they just need time to digest and compose their thoughts, Chen says. Follow-up phone calls and emails are preferred to interactive group settings. “I can communicate verbally, but only when I have something important to say,” he writes. “When introverts speak up, it’s usually worth listening.” (ht @johnYSchen  (opens in a new tab)) 

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