I was recently thinking about this tendency after talking with a computer technician at my local office supply superstore. Impressed by his knowledge, I asked how long he’d been in the computer field. When he said 19 years, I realized he had to either be the most youthful-looking 40-something year-old I’d ever met or something else was up. It turned out to be the latter.

The young man was indeed the age his appearance suggested, but he’d started working with computers as a child and he counted his work experience from that time. He explained that he began writing computer programs at 8, and had been building systems for almost as long.

Does this count as work experience? I’d certainly say so.

Yet, it wasn’t only how much he’d accomplished at such a young age that impressed me and would undoubtedly impress a potential employer. I became convinced that his experience was relevant in part by how he told his story. As he pointed out specific accomplishments and skills, he did so in a way that came across as very matter-of-fact. He didn’t exude confidence; he was simply comfortable with what he knew.

This 20-something’s approach is in sharp contrast to typical job seeker behavior, including the behavior of people with decades of experience.

How so? For starters, people are way too concerned about job history as opposed to work experience. They have no problem sharing company names and job titles, complete with dates, but they omit details about their contributions. Meanwhile, if experience doesn’t fit into a neat format (under the umbrella of an employer), it often goes unmentioned.

Women especially tend to downplay their accomplishments and leave out experience they don’t consider legitimate. Lack of confidence, modesty, and confusion all factor in, but the result is the same: lackluster, incomplete resumes.

The SMW Career channel has explored how stay-at-home mothers can tout nontraditional experience when returning to the workforce. However, after meeting my new techie friend, I’ve come to realize that this advice should apply to all single-minded job seekers.

What are your skills? How and when did you acquire them? How many years experience do you have using these skills? These are questions to ask yourself as you prepare or revamp your resume.

Of course you want to make sure your skills are genuine and that you can provide examples of how you’ve used them—examples to which an employer can relate.

How shouldn’t you market experience and skills? Here’s an example. A candidate running for the U.S. Senate recently attempted to convince voters he was qualified for the job. His television commercials talked about how he had experience with conflict resolution because he was the father of five children. Uh, resolving a dispute between a 5 year-old and a 9 year-old, though it may require diplomacy and finesse, doesn’t prepare you for the politics of Washington—or even corporate politics. In the same commercial, the candidate’s wife spoke about how well he runs the household. Good for him. But again, it’s not relevant or transferable experience. Not surprisingly, this guy didn’t get the job.

Which brings me back to the person who did get the job: the computer whiz with 19 years experience. His experience and skills, though nontraditional, demonstrate he has the right stuff.

What about your experience and skills? What’s on your resume? What should you add?

© 2010 SingleMindedWomen.com All rights reserved. Permission to reprint this article must be obtained from SingleMindedWomen.com.

Paula Santonocito, a business journalist specializing in employment issues and author of more than 1,000 articles, holds a Workforce Career Coach Facilitator (WCCF) certificate from Thomas Edison State College. She is career editor of SingleMindedWomen.com.

More SMW Career Advice

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Determining Your Fair Market Value

Re-Employment Strategies: Internships and Volunteering

As part of an ongoing series where we profile nontraditional careers for women, SMW takes a look at how one woman entered the male-dominated field of motorcycle drag racing. Without a doubt, it’s a fascinating, exciting profession. But what gives motorcycle drag racer Valerie Thompson hope is perhaps even more inspiring.

Here, in her own words, is Valerie Thompson’s story.

I am a single-minded woman in a man’s world who straps on a helmet and leathers and hits the quarter-mile racetrack at over 190 miles per hour in 7 seconds.

When I started racing in 2006, I was not taken seriously. People thought I was a pretty girl just showing up to race. In my second year, heads started turning as I placed third in the nation out of 52 racers.

I was more than just a racer—I was a one-woman show. I drove my own truck and 20 ft. trailer across the country, loading and unloading my equipment at the racetrack (with some help from my crew with the heavy stuff). I also did my own marketing, which I had to learn. In 2005, I knew nothing about marketing. Today, I know a lot and I’m still learning. My business savvy and marketing ability continue to grow, and they are partly responsible for my success.

In less than three years, I earned my way into motorcycle drag racing’s most elite class. It is my work on and off the track, my determination, and the belief that I will never give up on my dream that drives me to the finish line.

Support from others has also helped get me to where I am. People who made a difference in my career were my first sponsors: Hacienda, Harley-Davidson, Monster Energy Drink, and GoDaddy.com.

How I Got on Track

I was a professional banker for 13 years, got laid off, and bought my first Harley-Davidson in 1999. My friends always said that when I was on my bike I had the pregnant glow. That statement has always been in the back of my mind, but little did I know then that riding motorcycles was my passion.

Initial Qualifications

First, a trivia question: Do you remember Agent 99, from the television series “Get Smart”? Alas, then this job’s probably not for you.

To become an FBI special agent, you must be at least 23 years of age, but younger than 37 upon appointment to the job, although age waivers may be granted to preference eligible veterans who have surpassed their 37th birthday.

If, on the other hand, you only know Agent 99 from the 2008 “Get Smart” movie, you may meet the age qualification, and FBI special agent could indeed be a position worth pursing.

In addition to the age requirement, you must be a U.S. citizen or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands. You must also hold a four-year degree from a college or university that’s accredited by one of the regional or national institutional associations recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, and have at least three years of professional work experience.

Physical requirements, which include a physical fitness test, vision and hearing requirements, and a medical review are part of the application process as well.

So too is an extensive background investigation that includes a polygraph; credit and arrest checks; interviews with associates, personal and business references, past employers and neighbors; and verification of educational achievements in order to grant FBI Top Secret security clearance, which must be obtained in order to be eligible for the job.

Choosing Your References

But is this how it really works? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be no.

One of the nation’s leading reference checking and employment verification firms, Allison & Taylor, indicates many people end up with bad personal references that derail their chances of landing a job.

“People spend a lot of time working on their resume, brushing up their interview skills, and networking during job searches, but many fail to select their professional references carefully,” says Heidi Allison, the firm’s president. “We check references for clients and approximately half of our calls to former employers produce an unexpected bad reference. The bottom line is that people need to select their references more carefully.”

Allison says there is a common misperception that, when contacted for a reference, former employers will only verify if a person previously worked for them and provide her or his job title.

Q. What do employers want? I mean, what’s up with all these personality assessments and multiple interviews? I’ve got the experience and a proven track record; shouldn’t these be enough?

A. You’re not the first job seeker to lament about a lengthy screening and hiring process. Today, employers have more tools at their disposal, and many are tapping into these tools for assessment purposes.

If you haven’t looked for a job in a while, it may indeed feel as though you have to jump through hoops to justify your existence. And you’re right in wondering why your accomplishments aren’t carrying as much weight as they once did.

Several factors contribute to today’s more thorough screening process.

First is the availability of tools that allow for matching a job seeker and potential employer. These tools delve beyond your work experience and accomplishments; they look at such things as communication style, work preferences and habits, approach to solving problems, and more.

Why are these kinds of things important? Every company has a culture, as well as its own structure (or lack of). Within these parameters are certain expectations about how people relate and make contributions to the organization.

In fact, the job search pain starts even before a single women look for a job and whether they are employed or not. Here is the process, phase by phase. See if you don’t recognize yourself.

Phase 1 – We know something “isn’t right.” A woman’s intuition is better than any radar system. We feel it. We know things aren’t going right at work.

Phase 2 – Catastrophe happens at work. Maybe a layoff, some key executives leave, wages are cut; yet when these things happen, we women do nothing. We don’t question. We stay. Women are by nature nurturers. When we do look at things from both sides, we more often than not make a conscious decision that we “owe it to everyone but ourselves” to endure… and we keep on going, keeping our commitments, keeping everyone else happy. Like the Energizer bunny.

After turning a “blind eye” to the situation developing around us, thoughts begin to creep into our head. “It can’t be us; we’re not the next to go…how could it be? We care, we love, we produce results, and everyone loves us.” After all, we are the ones who have been called “indispensable,” the ones who “make it happen.”

And then we begin to think about how our lives would change should we “have to leave this place.” We’re afraid of what changes will come. We think maybe no one else will want us at another company. What if we have to take a pay cut? Will our family and friends think less of us? What if we have to take a job where the hours will be different and we won’t be able to take Ann to violin lessons or see Bobby’s Little League game?

And the biggie—we feel we’re letting our families down if we lose our income.

For a single woman with one income, this can really shake our core; the fear of not being able to take care of ourselves and doing everything alone can be devastating.

Phase 3 – Our own personal Catastrophe strikes. Our job is cut, the company closes, there is a merger or acquisition and we are “structured out” or, on a personal note, an elderly parent needs us full time, or we have a sick child.

Either way, the unthinkable happens. We are out of work. Now we have no choice.

Phase 4 – The False sense of security. Our family and friends are all supportive about our “taking time off.” We tell ourselves, “I’ve worked hard for years,” “I deserve a break,” “my family needs me,” “I need to regroup and decide what I want to do with my life.” Yes, that is important.

With single women, there is another element to the job search that can add to the stress. Single women are alone, and it usually means there is just one income in the household. This can create even more challenges in how a woman looks at her career and the job search.

There are four challenges single women must recognize in order to meet with success.

1.  Women tend to downplay their accomplishments. Women are not boastful by nature. Most women will spend time telling others how great they are, instead of focusing on themselves. This tendency comes through in interaction with families, friends, coworkers, and volunteer groups, and it shows in leadership style. It also comes through in the job search, where it can hinder women from achieving their goals.

2.  Women can miss opportunities because they worry about everyone else. Women will stay longer in their current job, even when they see the warning signs. Because women are nurturers by nature, they put everyone else first and believe they are letting everyone down by leaving a job. They keep on believing things will work out and that they can make a difference. When this happens, they miss valuable opportunities because they are looking at the company’s future and not their own future.

3. Women most often look to themselves first before placing the responsibility or blame on another, even when an issue is clearly not their issue to own. Women look at their weaknesses first and try to figure out what they can do to change. It’s not a woman’s nature to start by pointing the finger at someone else. Because of this, women tend to look inside first and not take the time to look realistically at what could be changing in the career environment that is beyond their control.

These are the very traits that can make women great volunteers, employees, and leaders. By focusing on other people first, women can pull teams together, make customers feel wonderful, and can make real differences in the things that affect the workplace, the family, and the world.

There is also a fourth element that pertains exclusively to single women.

4. Although most women need a feeling of security in their lives (if they admit it to themselves), for the single woman, financial fear can be almost unbearable. There is usually only one income in the household, and so fear creeps in and can make single women feel immobilized. This fear can taint the way single women look at their career and job search, and add to the problem when looking for a new job.

The key for each woman is to understand why she is who she is, and to give a straightforward look at her strengths, weaknesses, and fears. Doing this gives her focus, so that she can put on her “game hat” when looking for a new position.

And Vicki says…

I know this is difficult, but a woman needs to put herself first.

Look realistically at your professional situation at work and decide to make a calculated move, one that puts you in control of your job search.

If you are unemployed at the current time, put on your game hat and figure out what you can do to help a company grow; then articulate that in your resume and interviews. Remember no one is going to toot your horn in your job search…it’s your responsibility.

So ladies, let’s celebrate how we are different, put on our game hats, and go out and get what we want.

Vicki Brackett is president and CEO of Make It Happen for Women, a division of Make It Happen Consulting that provides personalized career services for women, www.makeithappenforwomen.

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© 2009 SingleMindedWomen.com All rights reserved. Permission to reprint this article must be obtained from SingleMindedWomen.com.

More SMW Career Advice

SingleMindedWomen.com and FlexJobs

Older Single Women Reinventing Themselves

Re-Employment Strategies: Internships and Volunteering

Single-minded career woman

You’ll want all the power you can harness, particularly in the current employment market, and a job search engine can help.

Searching Online

If you’re a savvy job seeker, you already know that a variety of online sources advertise open positions. No doubt you regularly comb the big job boards and specialty job sites. You may also visit professional association websites, which focus on your niche market.

All have potential. But so do job search engines like Juju, which can help you streamline your job hunt and allow you to become more strategic and proactive when searching.

How?

Juju and similar sites provide quick access to jobs found on thousands of employer websites and job boards. They also allow you to tailor your search by industry, job title, and/or location.

Using a Job Search Engine

As with using any other tool, however, a few how-to steps can make all the difference.

Juju shares these five tips with SMW readers:

1. Make a plan. The more organized you are, the more effective you’ll be. Plus, the competition is organized, so you’d better be too. Think about which companies you want to work for, other areas/industries where your skills might be applicable, and how you’re going to track and follow up with all the contacts you make in the course of your job search (hint: use a spreadsheet). If you plan well and execute your job search diligently, there’s a much better chance you’ll get what you want.

2. Search effectively. Don’t bounce from site to site to site trying to paint a complete picture of the job market by hand. Job search engines like Juju do the heavy lifting for you by making virtually all job listings on the web searchable from one place. Job search engines link you back to the original source of each job they list, so you can run a single search that covers jobs from thousands of employer, recruiter, and job board websites at once. Then you can submit your resume directly to the specific employers or recruiters of interest.

3. Think carefully about your search terms. What types of jobs do you want to see? Which ones will just clutter up your search results and waste your time? Which related terms should use when searching (e.g., nurse vs. nursing)? Once you’ve got a good idea of exactly what you’re looking for, use the tools available on the “advanced search” page of most job sites to get the most relevant search results possible. Advanced search typically allows you to search by things like company name, job title, job freshness, and exact phrase. You can even specify which words should not appear in your results. When used correctly, these tools can save you hours of tedious screening time every week.

4. Don’t repeat your work. If you’ve spent the time to carefully construct a job search that works well, don’t throw that work away only to redo it the next day. Bookmark your search, save it to your RSS reader or sign up to have new matches delivered to your email address…but do something. Forgetting that great search term you came up with could cost you the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

5. Don’t lose heart. It’s tough out there, but 90 percent of winning is showing up for the race. In this environment, you may need to beat the bushes until all the leaves fall off, but when they do you’ll be rewarded. Stick to your plan, while staying creative about how you execute it, and hustle, hustle, hustle until the job you want is yours.

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© 2009 SingleMindedWomen.com All rights reserved. Permission to reprint this article must be obtained from SingleMindedWomen.com.

More SMW Career Advice

SingleMindedWomen.com and FlexJobs

Older Single Women Reinventing Themselves

Re-Employment Strategies: Internships and Volunteering