to Present, or Not to Present, That...

Few questions will stir such internal angst and anguish than whether or not you should indicate on your resume that you are presently working, even though you are not. My guess is that most people have had the thought that it would probably look better if they appear to be presently employed while job searching. Guess what? You are probably right. I have heard opinions on the topic that seem to lean towards the "honest" route of indicating you are no longer at a particular company. I am an honest guy, but to me, I look at it like this.

Do you want to eat or do you prefer sitting around feeling good about yourself for not using one simple word, present? Will it guarantee you get a job if you put present? No. Will it help? Yes. You need to have the mentality that you are in a battle. People in need of a job should be extremely aggressive job seekers / salespeople. You need to go to the mattresses. This is no time for pleasantries and niceties. You are at war.

Great, this yahoo is telling people to lie. Well, that is debatable. Come on, it's a resume. It is not an official employment application. It's a personal summary. It's a piece of sale literature. It's a door opener. It's not a notarized document that the world depends on. You are not verbally telling someone in-person a blatant untruth. You are not lying about some skill you do not have, education you did not complete, a past company you never worked for, or anything along those lines. You are simply taking liberties with one word, present.

Unlike other parts of a resume that should not include any falsehoods, to present, is kind of a little white lie. If it is not completely true, it is not end of the humanity. You are not going to be ridiculed, ostracized, or face a public stoning for not putting an end date for your most recent employment. In fact, many employers and recruiters almost expect people to put to present, which is why this is one of the first questions they ask you about. Since you know you will be asked, practice an answer. Oh, actually, I did finish up there a little while back, or you know, I need to update that. Sorry about that. That will always be the end to that topic.

You might be thinking, why do it, employers will eventually know anyways? Here's the dilio. If you get to the point where you can actually discuss yourself in-person or over the phone, just think how much further ahead you are, versus laying in the pile of out of work, unemployed, and not contacted. Once you get to display your interpersonal and interview skills, the last thing on their mind will be, to present. By the way, how are your interview skills? Having interviewed thousands, my guess is they are not very good. Do yourself a huge favor and make yourself exceptionally sharp in-person. There are endless articles on the topic.

Here is why this matters. Appearing that you are currently working changes the perception of you. You are not in the "unemployed" category desperately needing a job like thousands of others. You are a, hmmm, I wonder why this person wants to change jobs? Well, this company has him, I may want him. I better call him before someone else gets him. You know, that is real smart of him to look for a job while he still has one. Maybe he just ran accross one of our ads. Maybe he is looking for growth. I guess if this person is employed they must not have been fired or laid off. Hmmm, his resume is great looking and sounding (most likely yours is not, by the way). Well, let's look into this person a little further. I will give him call to see when he can come in for a chat.

Obviously, millions of people have secured a new job after being unemployed, so do not beat yourself up. There are hundreds of reasons why someone may not be employed. Whatever your situation, just remember one thing. Do not waste a second of time complaining, blaming, or feeling sorry for yourself. Sorry, but everyone has their own problems, and it is not going to change anything except lead to distorted thinking. You can get a new job but you need to be an outstanding job seeker. Sorry, but most people are horrible job seekers in all of the areas they should be great at including preparations, prospecting, approaching, presenting, closing, and follow-up. Yes, you need a job and that may not seem fair. As the number one rule in Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life states: Life is not fair -- get used to it.