9 Tips from a Job Expert

I've been kind of racking my brain lately and trying to figure out what I'm an expert at.  Everyone on the internet seems to be an expert at something, especially people who have a blog.  I've come to realize that I am actually an expert on getting jobs.  I am in my early thirties, and I've been hired by 17 different employers since I started working at the age of 16.

I know that seems terrible, but I left every place on great terms and would be hired back at any one of those places.  I'm sure enough of that to have used every one of my employers as references for positions I've taken after leaving them.  My reason for having so many jobs? I either found something that paid much more or had to move because of my spouse relocating for work.

Since I've never had much trouble getting interviews or job offers, I thought I'd share what seems to work for me.

Resume tips:

1. If you're like me, and have had a ton of different jobs, don't list them all on your resume.  Just list the most interesting ones or the one's where you've had the most responsibility.
2. Update your resume with the responsibilities from your current job posting.  Here's what I mean.  Most job descriptions are intimidating.  That includes the job that you currently have.  I save the postings of jobs that I apply for and use the wording of the job I get to update my resume.  The responsibilities are the same, the wording just sounds so much more official.  I even look at my resume and say, "man, I did all of that?"
3. Don't put your college graduation year on your resume.  I've had colleagues tell me that they look for recent graduates, because they are cheaper.  I've also been told that someone who graduated recently must be young, and they couldn't possibly have enough experience for a higher level job.  I know companies aren't supposed to discriminate because of age, but they do.

Application tips:

1. Always fill out the online work history form, if there is one, even if you upload your resume.
2. Always upload a cover letter, even if it is kind of generic.  I have a generic cover letter that I wrote years ago that I just change the name of the company in.  I assume that some companies don't even read them, but see it as a test of your effort.  As a hiring manager, I've actually not even reviewed resumes of candidates that didn't submit the "optional" cover letter.
3. Use a smartphone app to make your job search more efficient.  I like to use the Indeed app because it will refresh and show me just the jobs I haven't already seen since I last opened the app for each of my different previous searches.

Interview tips:

1. Don't mention that you have kids.  Some employers want to think you're available 24/7, even if you're hired for 8-5 M-F, and kids screw up that fantasy.
2. Don't mention that you have a spouse and don't wear a wedding/engagement ring to the interview.  Same 24/7 fantasy reason mentioned above.
3. This is probably my favorite tip, because so many people have trouble with this question.  I always get head nods, smiles, and compliments on what a great answer I gave. It's my answer to the "So what is your biggest weakness?" question.  My answer: "I only speak English."  I might add some extra stuff about how it plays into the global economy, but it seems to work every time.

I hope this helps someone.  Also, I apologize for the long blog post since I usually have super quick reads or just pics.

Thanks!