About a year ago I left the job I was at to spend some time traveling around, pursuing recreational interests and doing some things I might not have another shot at until retirement. If things had gone my way I would have started pursuing a federal 1811 gig right then and had my career sorted out by now, but due to some medical issues, I was only able to start the process several months ago. So here I am, looking to get back into my old career field for a while (possibly a long while), while I wait for the federal process to run its course and then look at state/local options (I'm interested in working cyber crime, and being an SA with some of the fed agencies seems the best way to get there).
Not only was I lucky to be able to take time off the way I did, I'm also lucky to have a good background in a career field that's pretty tolerant of such things, and haven't had any trouble finding job offers. However, I have gotten grief from a few of the larger companies, especially those headquartered in more conservative, old-school parts of the country. One job in particular, the manager told me that the only reason I was being considered was that he rescued my resume from HR's discard pile.
Their concerns seem centered on two things. First, there's concern that I'm flat out lying: either I've spent the whole time looking unsuccessfully for a job, or I had one that ended poorly and simply left it off my resume. Second, there seems to be some concern about initiative and motivation, that someone who's been out of work for a year is automatically going to be a lazy problem employee.
Without trying to insult anyone, my impression is that government in general - and law enforcement in particular - has its fair share of old-school types who might react the same way as some of these large corporations. I've included an explanation on my resume, but my game plan was always to rely on my background (engineering degree from a top-5 tech school with several years' experience in a demanding industry) to speak to the fact that I'm not a screwup. Now I'm not so sure.
Those of you that are in the field, what would you be looking for on a resume / job app to seal the deal from someone in my position? What concerns would you have, and how can I position my situation to answer them? Would having a month or two in a new job make a difference? It's an open ended question, but I appreciate any advice you can give.
Not only was I lucky to be able to take time off the way I did, I'm also lucky to have a good background in a career field that's pretty tolerant of such things, and haven't had any trouble finding job offers. However, I have gotten grief from a few of the larger companies, especially those headquartered in more conservative, old-school parts of the country. One job in particular, the manager told me that the only reason I was being considered was that he rescued my resume from HR's discard pile.
Their concerns seem centered on two things. First, there's concern that I'm flat out lying: either I've spent the whole time looking unsuccessfully for a job, or I had one that ended poorly and simply left it off my resume. Second, there seems to be some concern about initiative and motivation, that someone who's been out of work for a year is automatically going to be a lazy problem employee.
Without trying to insult anyone, my impression is that government in general - and law enforcement in particular - has its fair share of old-school types who might react the same way as some of these large corporations. I've included an explanation on my resume, but my game plan was always to rely on my background (engineering degree from a top-5 tech school with several years' experience in a demanding industry) to speak to the fact that I'm not a screwup. Now I'm not so sure.
Those of you that are in the field, what would you be looking for on a resume / job app to seal the deal from someone in my position? What concerns would you have, and how can I position my situation to answer them? Would having a month or two in a new job make a difference? It's an open ended question, but I appreciate any advice you can give.
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