Community Employment Resource Centre

What’s inside?

· Book Reviews at CERC

· 10 Tips for the Stay-at-Home Parent – Part I

· And the Winners are …

· Lying on Your Resume

· Quote of the Month

Book Reviews at CERC

Keep an eye out for our new series of Book Reviews that will be on the computers at CERC.

CERC staff members will be reviewing job search books and related materials and then passing along the important points to you.

10 Tips for the Stay- -at-Home Parent…

Part I

By Susan Heathfield

www.humanresources.about.com

How to Overcome Your Employment Gap

Concerned about getting back in the workforce after a gap in your employment? How will your resume, with a five to ten year employment gap, stack up against those of people who have been racking up career achievements and accomplishments for the same ten years? Stay-at-home moms and dads who raise their children, rather than their expertise and visibility in a workplace, are the largest group to sport these resume gaps. Even a couple of years out of the workforce can devastate your career if you’re not careful. In worse case scenarios, you can become unemployable in your field. Even in best case scenarios, you will undoubtedly take a salary cut and find yourself reporting to someone who would formerly have reported to you.

This is not to say that returning to work is hopeless. There are plenty of people who have walked back into an executive job, developed their dream job or created a career change following chosen unemployment. It’s just that it’s harder for you with an employment gap. These tips will help you stay ready for employment while you raise the kids or take a few years for a non-work activity. It’s much better to spend that time preparing to be employable than to hit the job market cold after years at home.

Tips for Staying Employable During an Employment Gap

· Work With Your Current Employer: Your current employer, assuming you are still working, may value you and your experience. Talk with your employer to identify potential part-time or consulting work or periodic assignments you can do during the years you plan to work less than full time. If you work in marketing, for example, perhaps you can do freelance work on brochures, the website or press releases. If you work in Human Resources, you may contract to update the employee handbook annually or teach a class periodically. This is the easiest way to stay grounded in the workplace during an extended leave. Make your best pitch before you leave your job. Don't hesitate to call, however, even if you have been off work for a period of time.

· Build and Keep Your Network Before You Need It: It is easier to maintain current professional contacts than to build a new group a few years down the road. Professional contacts become dispersed to new positions; mentors retire; valued coworkers move on to new jobs. It is up to you to maintain relationships, sometimes for years, with people who will remember your talents when you decide to return to full-time employment. It is also imperative that you relate to friends and associates in your off-work life as an educated professional who has chosen to take time away from her career to raise a family. Talk about more than the children; make sure your friends know what you do professionally as well.

· Stay Active in Professional Associations: Most career fields have professional associations that sponsor meetings, conferences, committees, training sessions and more for members. Stay active in your local association by attending meetings, writing for the newsletter, acting as a good will ambassador and attending national conferences. Volunteer for the activities that most closely match your career field and interests. Choose activities in which you’ll interact with many members to expand your network at the same time.

See Part II of this article in next month’s newsletter.

And the Winners are…

The winners of our

wellness packages are:

Eric Goody, Teresa Harvey & Ben Staples of Cobourg

Barry Whelan & Ludmila Jackova

of Port Hope

Congratulations to our winners!

Next Wellness draws:

September 3^rd and 17^th

Lying on Your Resume

From http://careerplanning.about.com

Let's say you go ahead and decide to lie on your resume. It's a little white lie. You're not lying about having a particular job. You worked at the company, you just didn't have all the responsibilities you said you did. So, you think, “it's no big deal.” Or is it?

The employer gets your resume and likes what she sees. She calls you in for an interview where you must discuss your experience. Now you must continue to lie. Then let's say you get hired. Uh-oh -- more lies. Not to mention the fact that on the interview you'll have to be able to adequately discuss something with which you may not be all that familiar. Then you will have to demonstrate familiarity on the job. Now you're lying to your boss and your co-workers, and possibly your clients. Like I said -- potato chips. You can't stop with just one.

Getting Caught

We haven't even taken into account the most obvious reason for not lying -- getting caught. Most employers will check your references and then you will likely be found out. You may be thinking you have nothing to worry about if the employer is no longer in business. Think again.

I always marvel at what a small world it is. This is especially true within industries and professional communities. People network and names are mentioned. You never know who your boss knows or who he will meet. Imagine the embarrassment of being called into your boss's office, having him look you in the eye and say in a serious voice “I know.” Wouldn't you want to be swallowed up by a big hole in the floor?

You may not even need anyone else to reveal your lie. You can do yourself in by not being able to demonstrate the necessary skills when you need to. Your lie will be revealed or your boss will just think you're incompetent. Either way, you may be looking for work again (hopefully a little more honestly this time around). But is getting fired all you have to look forward to? I think not. Let's see what the other ramifications are.

So you lost your job. Easy come, easy go. You'll find another one. Or will you? By lying on your resume, you may have set into motion a series of events that will follow you for many years.

Let's say your boss finds out you lied and sends you packing. You need a job, so you start searching for the next one. You learned your lesson and vow never to lie again. You redo your resume. Oh wait. What about the job from which you just got fired? Should you list it? Isn't leaving it off lying? So again, you're faced with the question, should you lie on your resume? Leave off the job, and you may be faced with the problem of explaining what you were doing during the time you were working for your former employer. That could be a significant amount of time depending on how long they bought your lie.

So, you decide to include the job on your resume. You get called in for an interview. During the course of the interview, the prospective employer asks you why you left your previous job. Uh-oh. Here you go again. Should you tell the truth and give up any hope of getting hired? Should you lie... again?

You decide to lie again. You say you left the job because you realized it wasn't right for you. You leave hoping they won't check your references. Or that your previous employer won't say anything. However, when the prospective employer calls your previous employer, he finds out you were fired and that you lied to get the job. End of job. End of story.

Quote of the Month

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”

~ Milton Berle