Canjobs Advice Column
Dear Canjobs,
I have never worked outside of my home. I have raised five children and eleven foster children. I don't have a resume, but in order to apply for work I need one. I am 51 years old and want to work. Any advice you can give me would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Yours truly,
Mary Jane
Dear Mary,
We appreciate your letter. We enlisted the help of a Certified Resume Writer, Sharon Graham, to help get you started in the right direction. Here is her response:
Hello Judy,
Thank you for sending your inquiry to Canjobs.com!
Judy, although you may feel that you do not have much to offer, you will be surprised. You have had two exceptional jobs: Managing your household and raising eleven foster children! Think about all the skills that you have acquired through these jobs. Many of these skills (organizational, communication, leadership, self-motivation, problem solving, decision-making, creativity etc.) are important to all employers.
In designing your resume, write about who you are and what you have done:
Ø Talk about your responsibilities (all the things that you do to take care of the household)
Ø Outline your accomplishments (and there are many of them)
Ø Discuss your skills (some are listed above)
Ø Don’t forget to include your education, community service, and/or volunteer work.
You may want to consider having your resume written by a professional resume writer. Prices for such services range from $200.00 Canadian up. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to correspond with me directly by simply replying to this message.
Best regards and good luck with your job search!
Sharon Graham, CPRW
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Graham Management Group
Resume Writing, Outplacement, Recruitment, HR Consulting
Phone 905-878-8768, Toll Free 866-622-1464,
Fax 905-876-2058
Email Sharon Graham @info@grahammanagement.com
www.grahammanagement.com