Unretiring - Fill the Gap in Work History with Functional Resume, Become Active on LinkedIn

It might have been short or long - that is, the time between when you decided to stop working for income and when you realized you couldn't afford to be without income from your labor. But now you're back. You’ve unretired.

WELCOME BACK

Recently, reports Yahoo Finance, Indeed Hiring Lab documented that about 1.5 million have unretired. And, according to T. Rowe Price, 48% made that decision because they needed the money. 

YOUR JOB SEARCH MATERIALS

The first step back into the world of work is to prepare your job search materials. Those include resume, cover letter and LinkedIn Profile. What’s effective and what will get you passed the AI screeners have changed significantly. 

YOUR RESUME

Take resumes. The language, for example, has to include the keywords from the job description as well as what's the "in lingo" in the field. Otherwise, the AI robots will toss them. Pick up the language from the help-wanted and research that field of work to also embed your job search materials with the in-lingo.

Of course, you have a gap in your work history. To manage that you use what is known as the "functional resume." That highlights skills to those hirings. You are showcasing what you can do for employers, not your work history per se.  As I present in this article published on Substack, here is the format for the functional resume:

The header, providing name and core professional identity. For example, "Mary Smith - Content-Creation in Healthcare.” 

Contact information, including LinkedIn URL. It has become standard for those hiring to retrieve your LinkedIn Profile. In certain fields such as communications or marketing, you might also list other social URLs such as Blue Sky. Those signal you aren't pre-digital. However, in other fields, with the exception of LinkedIn, being very "social" might not be welcome. 

Summary. That one paragraph zeroes in on what you can do for employers. Use the first person, not the third person. 

Skills relevant to the job or gig you're applying for. You might list three or four. Describe the expertise in detail, providing results, preferably in a quantified format. For instance, "Trained new auto sales representatives in voice, text, online, video and in-person strategies and tactics. Overall, their monthly closing rate was 20 to 30 percent higher than the industry average."

Also, you should create a resume for each category of work you are applying to. One may be for security guard. Another for residential leasing agent. A third could be for retail. 

Professional experience. Be specific about responsibilities and quantify achievements. Leave out dates.

Education and training. Many recommend not listing advanced degrees, stopping with the BA/BA. The MA and such can flag you as "overqualified" or expecting too high compensation. The exceptions would be the advanced degrees directly related to the job such the JD for a document review gig or the Ph.D. for adjunct teaching. Certifications and licenses are welcome. Again, leave off dates. 

Technological skills. This is a must-do. Be specific and keep the terminology up to date. For instance, list Microsoft Office, not word-processing. 

YOUR COVER LETTER

The cover letter must be frontloaded with the keywords, both in the job ad and what's current in that work niche. Customize it for that specific employer. For instance, if it's Home Depot, whose reputation is to hire the over-50, state why you are enthusiastic about joining the particular organization. Provide "evidence" what makes you the ideal fit for the job.

Use generative AI such as ChatGPT for these materials? Sure, for the first round. But then you have to shape the resume and cover letter to be your unique presentation of self for the opportunity. Employers have become enraged by unedited ChatGPT job applications.

YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE

As for your LinkedIn profile, this is about communicating what you can do for employers. That is captured in the headline such as "Results-driven Digital Content-Creator." Support that in the rest of the profile. Your objective has to be to differentiate you from all the others competing for that opportunity. What makes your professional performance unique?

Use a recent photo. You can shoot yourself in the foot by attaching a version from the past to appear younger. That screams: "I am on the defense about my age."

NETWORKING ON LINKEDIN

Yes, be active on LinkedIn as networking outreach. It is through networking that you'll land most of your work for as long as you’re in the labor market. That means you’ll not only post but also respond to others' postings. Your thought-out comments could catch the attention of those hiring or those who know about who's hiring. 

ALWAYS BE REVISING

Based on feedback, you should be continually modifying your job-search materials. While making those revisions it’s all too easy to create typos and errors in grammar. Therefore, carefully proofread each version before you transmit it.

GETTING TO BE THE BEST AT JOB SEARCH

Takeaway. In iconic job search guide "What Color Is Your Parachute?" there is this finding: The person who gets hired is not necessarily the most qualified. More likely, it's one best at how to approach getting, holding and moving on to better work. Get good at how you play in the job search sandbox and you'll never be without paid work.

Affordable Career Coach Jane Genova provides end-to-end career services, ranging from diagnosis of the challenges and fix-it strategies to preparation of resume/cover letters/LinkedIn profiles and how to gain control of an interview. I specialize in over-50 work issues. For a confidential complimentary consultation please text/phone 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com. Fees custom-made for your unique budget.