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A common mistake in the job search is writing your resume once and thinking that will do the trick. A resume should be a quasi-living document that is tailored to each individual job announcement. This is especially true for the U.S. Government jobs and other entities that use resume scanning software to look for keywords. It's entirely possible to have the right experience without the proper wording to catch the "attention" of the software. Many people have been overlooked for this very reason.
Thanks AeroGuyDC. I actually do tailor my resume to each position I apply. The US Government application process is horrid however. I have been doing it for three years now and I still don't think I understand it. In any case, I have to change my resume to fit each position because I apply to both legal and nonlegal jobs. It is a good tip though.
Azoria, I ended up with a State department job in a roundabout way too. After passing the bar in NJ, I decided to do something different and looked for a job overseas. US Embassy was looking for an American Attorney to do work with International Child Abduction cases in Turkey and since it is my birth country I applied and got it. I worked there 3 years and had to come back to NJ 2 years ago because I am taking care of my elderly parents. You're right, you have to be crazy to leave the Dept. of State but sometimes you have no choice. If I came back to D.C., I think I would have an easier time getting a job. But there aren't that many federal jobs in NJ. Intellectually and emotionally, it was the best job I ever had and leaving it was the second worst mistake I made in my career (first one was my decision to go to law school but that's a different thread ). Coming back, I didn't think I would have a problem - I have extensive work experience in business and experience in international and immigration law. So I thought I would have an edge. Oh boy was I ever wrong. Going into 3rd year and I am still looking. I try not to get bitter but it is difficult. I truly don't know what I am doing wrong and it frustrates me. I have so many skills and such diverse, interesting experiences and so much to offer yet I can't even get an interview. Go figure.
Much to my dismay and probably yours as well (mind, I have nothing close to your qualifications), I have found in the US that potential employers are not even vaguely interested in any kind of overseas experience, it really doesn't even register with them except as something that fogs up their glasses somehow. They are literally NOT interested. At all. Boring and inconsequential vegetation.
Much to my dismay and probably yours as well (mind, I have nothing close to your qualifications), I have found in the US that potential employers are not even vaguely interested in any kind of overseas experience, it really doesn't even register with them except as something that fogs up their glasses somehow. They are literally NOT interested. At all. Boring and inconsequential vegetation.
America is a very insular country.
(sorry )
You touched on a valid point. One of the high points of my career is related to a leadership position that I held in the Middle East. The job was very demanding, the conditions very harsh, and the accomplishments very noteworthy to those who witnessed them. What I have found is that particular piece of experience has largely been overlooked in my career progression. Not overlooked in the sense that it never happened, but more like most hiring managers cannot relate to it, therefore its holds less relevance in the grand scheme. To be clear, though, it also has not held me back in any way. The important part is that I was able to draw from the experience and apply it in ways that management never were able to fully grasp.
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). Coming back, I didn't think I would have a problem - I have extensive work experience in business and experience in international and immigration law. So I thought I would have an edge. Oh boy was I ever wrong. Going into 3rd year and I am still looking. I try not to get bitter but it is difficult. I truly don't know what I am doing wrong and it frustrates me. I have so many skills and such diverse, interesting experiences and so much to offer yet I can't even get an interview. Go figure.
)
