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thechangelaboratory@novacationrequired.com
No Vacation Required provides inspiration and tools to help you build a life you don’t need a break from.
Our blog and podcast dive into the real stories and everyday strategies behind building a No Vacation Required life. We challenge outdated norms, share fresh perspectives, and explore what it means to find fulfillment right now—in a world that rarely makes it easy.
Researching a company prior to an interview is a very good investment of your time. Coming prepared with a high-level grasp of the organization will bolster your confidence and help you speak more directly to why you are a strong fit.
Read MoreA colleague just told me that 29 states have seen recent drops in unemployment. Woohoo! With that positive movement comes an increased confidence among both the employed and unemployed. It's an indication that employers are growing, which gives people – currently working or not – increased inspiration to get back to the business of managing their careers. That's good news!
Early this year, I created a guide – Beyond an Outstanding Resume – that will further bolster that inspiration to own your career. The guide details some things, beyond a resume, that should be part of your career maximizing regimen.
It's still being fine tuned, but the response so far has been extremely positive. So much so, that I'm going to continue the current promotion I have running. All new clients get the guide for free with the purchase of any resume package.
Wishing you a fantastic spring and a great month ahead.
As always, feel free to get in touch.
Listing volunteer experience on your resume and LinkedIn profile is a great idea, but many people are confused about how to address it. I get a lot of questions asking whether or not volunteer experience should be listed with “paid” experience – especially when that experience fills in an employment gap.
Read MoreQ. I’ve recently graduated from college and am now looking to begin my career. Should I still include high school work experience? My college work experience looks better than my HS work experience, but I just don’t have a lot of it. So, should I include things like food service and old volunteer work or leave them off and make my resume shorter?
A. As a general rule, limit your resume to just 10 years of experience. I know that doesn't answer your specific question, but it is worth reiterating here.
When it comes to deciding whether or not to omit positions that fall inside the 10-year window, the most important thing you can ask yourself is, "Is this experience adding value and is it relevant?" Secondly, you want to make sure that you aren't creating large gaps by leaving something out.
In your case, it sounds like the answer to the first question is no, the experience is not adding value and it is not relevant. Since it also seems likely that it will not be creating gaps (since it is from HS), I would be inclined to remove it.
If you really feel like it is important to show the earlier and / or less relevant work, then I suggest creating a section titled "Additional Experience." You could then list just the basics – title, company, location and dates. This allows you to honor your full work history without filling the resume with irrelevant and potentially distracting experience.
Q: A friend just told me that I should be using a functional resume rather than a chronological one. What are your thoughts?
Read MoreI read a lot about the importance of having a professional social media presence.This makes sense if you are in marketing or PR, but I can't imagine any reason why a social profile would be of any use in, say, science and academic positions.
Read MoreIn many cases, the belief that these approaches will set you apart speaks to a fundamental misunderstanding of the way hiring managers consume information. In that vein, they are not just ineffective, they will work against you.
Read MoreI like to keep up to date on things that – even in some small way – may help to automate some of the more time consuming aspects associated with a job search or career management.
Read MoreQ. I know it is a good idea to tailor a resume toward each position. But is it a problem that the applications I fill out will include positions that are not on my resume?
Read MoreQ. I’ve always wondered if there is a fixed order that you need to follow when writing a resume. For example, do I have to list education and personal details first?
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