Summertime, Sluggish Economy Provide Strong Motivation for an Updated Resume

As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this entry on the summertime topic “Heating Up Your Job Search,” along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

While job-seekers may resist crafting a new resume because they suspect employers aren’t hiring during the summer — especially in a recession — those are exactly the reasons workers need to keep their resumes polished and up to date, said Quintessential Careers’ Founder and Publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen.

Hansen explained that summer is an excellent time to seek a new job as “competition is minimal because job-seekers assume that hiring decisions will be postponed until fall.” He added that current economic conditions dictate that workers be ready with effective resumes in case of unexpected layoffs.

Hansen suggested that job-seekers use summertime to fine-tune their resumes and lay the groundwork for future hiring. To help job-seekers in this quest, Hansen noted, Quintessential Careers has added 100 new resume and cover-letter samples.

Visitors to Quintessential Careers conduct more searches using the terms “resume samples” than virtually any other type of content, Hansen said. “That’s why we’re delighted to provide more of what users are looking for.”

The new resume and cover-letter additions include samples in these categories:

Quintessential Careers has also added two sets of resume tips, here and here, Job-Seeker Career and Job-Search Worksheets to help build resumes, and a new e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates.

As with all the other tools and resources on Quintessential Careers, there is no cost for these new samples and tools, Hansen said.

Hansen emphasized the value of improving one’s resume and job hunting during the summer. “Vacations can be planned around the possibility of relocating to another city. In addition, fiscal years often begin in June or July, making new hiring possible,” Hansen said.

The June 2010 Career Collective Links: