How to explain a misunderstood resume
I’ll admit that I have my own biases when looking at a resume. I worked for the same organization for 17 years so when I see that someone has bounced around, I have to check my assumptions.
Because I am aware of my own bias, I urge clients to avoid theories just by looking at someone’s resume. However, the hard truth is that a lot of employers will assume that someone is hard to work with if they have moved frequently from job to job.
Over the years, I’ve also learned that people speculate about people like me, who stayed at an organization for 17 years. Sometimes, if you have stayed too long and your resume doesn’t explicitly show that you were regularly promoted, people might make assumptions.
If either of these scenarios describes you, don’t be discouraged! I have some advice: own your narrative.
Here are some suggestions:
Develop your story around why you changed jobs or stayed for a long time. Maybe you had to move for personal reasons like a child’s well-being or a partner’s job prospects. My own story around why I stayed for 17 years was because it took my partner and I a while to get pregnant and then we had a newborn; at that point, stability was our primary focus.
Have a solid example of how you are someone who can stick with things. Maybe you played soccer in high school and then returned after graduation to help coach the team.
Spend time crafting and detailing examples of growth at an organization where you stayed for a long time. Although it looks like you had the same job for 10 years, describe concrete instances on your resume and during interviews of what you made happen in years 3, 7, and 10.
Address the resume gaps, long stints, or hopping around as soon as possible in the hiring process. Maybe it makes sense to explain your story in a cover letter or briefly mention it in the application questions. If that doesn’t work, then be sure to address it during your first phone interview.
Own your narrative. Know what people are thinking before you go into it. People are going to have a theory about you. Address any potential concerns as soon as possible. Don’t avoid it and don’t ignore it.
Craft your narrative around your resume and apply to these great opportunities. Check out all 34 of NRG’s searches. Six of those positions are remote.
Opportunities NRG is hiring for:
Chief Policy Officer at Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund; $190,000-$200,000; Remote
Director of Events at Freedom Forum; $125,000-$134,000; Washington, D.C.
Senior Manager, Development at VoteRev; $106,000-$116,000; Hybrid in Los Angeles, CA, Brooklyn, NY, Washington D.C., and Bay Area, CA
Director of Contract Administration at UTEC; $75,000-$80,000; Lowell, MA
Organizing Foundations Educator at UTEC; $47,000-$56,000; Lowell, MA
Major Gifts Associate at UUSC; $64,000-$70,400; Boston/Cambridge, MA
Program Associate at Growald Climate Fund; $70,000-$80,000; Brookline, MA
Director of Membership/Organizing at Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants; $75,000; Boston, MA
Opportunities NRG is hiring for in education:
Executive Director, Research, Data, and Analytics at Denver Public Schools; $123,711-$143,466; Denver, CO
Director at Watershed Advisors; $120,000-$130,000 and includes a comprehensive benefits package; Remote
Founding Kindergarten Teacher at Nashville Classical; $55,670-$89,877; Nashville, TN
In addition to this list, you can find more opportunities on the website. Follow NRG on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.
Here’s to owning your narrative,
Naomi
P.S. If you feel a little stuck in owning your narrative, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you.
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