Explaining the Past
What to do when you have an irregular employment history
I received an email this week from a teacher who was having some issues getting interviews. The teacher thought there might be an issue with their employment timeline.
For example, let’s say you last few years of expat employment look like this:
Job D, 2019-Present
Job C, 2018-2019
Job B, 2016-2018
Job A, 2013-2016
It’s normal to see people do contracts under 4-5 years. It is also normal to see one or two single contract scenarios (two years and out).
Issues arise when people scan employment history and they see the one year, or less than one year, contract.
When we think about resume stacking, the question you need to ask yourself is how can you structure your resume to account for an anomaly?
Initially, many people simply decide to omit the time, and claim they took a year off. I am not a fan of this strategy because you are potentially starting your new job with a lie that you must maintain. Do you really want to be dishonest with everyone you meet for the entire length of your contract? What about the next contract?
Creating a strategy here is tough. I am going to assume the worst situation to be true: the job did not work out, the employee broke contract, and they have zero references.
Right out of the gate you need to control the narrative. That doesn’t mean being dishonest.
You want to look at your entire employment timeline and re-write the timeline to support the bad experience.
Here is an example:
Job D, 2019-Present- IT Computer Science Teacher
Job C, 2018-2019- IT Computer Science Teacher
Job B, 2016-2018- IT Computer Science Teacher
Job A, 2013-2016- IT Computer Science Teacher
I am not adding any additional information. The job timeline is simple and really only for the initial process of getting them beyond my resume to read my cover letter.
I am answering the question: Is this person qualified via their experience and education?
If a person was doing a cover position (like maternity cover) this layout allows for, Job C, 2018-2019- IT Computer Science Teacher (Maternity Cover Contract) . That’s just a bonus feature.
At this stage, use generic headers to outline all your skills, instead of connecting the things to a particular location.
As an example, I created a section header titled Curriculum and Instruction and connected my experience to the header:
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Develop and manage High School Student Support Program
Academic schedule planning PreK - 12
Created Residential Life schedules, and weekend activity schedules
Helped plan and implement Capstone programs in the Middle and High Schools
The advantage to using sections is that you can quickly customize your resume/cv for jobs. By simply adding and deleting a few lines you can stay within the page limit, target the correct details, and not fuss with the overall layout and structure.
The basic concept is to focus on you and not the institutions.
I am happy to share my resume/cv which uses this structure, and, that structure was given to me by someone a few years ago who was winning when I was losing.
So now we are at the cover letter, application email, etc. This is where you need to be honest and consistent, but give yourself the best possible outcome.
School A,
My name is Tony DePrato and I am applying for the position of IB Computer Science Teacher. I have a Masters in Computer Science and over eight years of experience teaching and living abroad.
In 2018, I accepted a contract in Abu Dhabi that was logistically difficult for my family and I. I am highlighting this as it does show a gap in my employment pattern, and I am open to discuss this anomalous situation.
Currently, I am on two year contract that will be completed in July of 2021. I was excited to see this opportunity…
This is option 1, lead with it and move on. Also, this is not a well written letter so I don’t advise using it.
There other option is of course. Where is another one:
Intro…
…Currently, I am on two year contract that will be completed in July of 2021. I was excited to see this opportunity…
You will see from my resume/cv that I meet the experience and educational qualifications for the position. I would also like to highlight:
~Microsoft Case Study awarded for exceptional Office 365 Edu deployment
~Expert level implementations with Google Apps for Education
~Planned three academic and business computer networks since 2013
~Designed data driven management tools for education and business systems
~
~
~
There is a single anomalous piece of data on my resume. The position I held in 2018 was very brief. I am happy to discuss this as it is not a normal part of my career and difficult to write about.
Closing….
This is option 2.
I am sure there are other strategies, but I have seen these options presented, and seen people accept them.
A final thought would be to write:
School A,
The people at School F were BATS**T CRAZY, and I had to leave before I drank myself into an alcoholic coma.
Let’s call this the honest truth and just never mention it again :).
Why is this SubStack called, Pancake on a Stick?
Pancake on a Stick is the single funniest story I have ever heard in my life. In about a year from now (Fall of 2021) , the event will be reenacted and recorded. I named the SubStack after the story, because every time I think of the name, I smile and laugh. This helps with my writing and tone, and makes me always remember the most important things in life.
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Most social media is dead to me, but you can find me on LinkedIn and Youtube.
LinkedIn (A bastion of boredom but mostly on mission)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdeprato/
Email
info@tonydeprato.com
My video series on Expat Recruitment is BORING but useful Listen or Watch and you can master this process.