Interview Bait

Posted by: Darlene Duncan, CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
Training Coordinator

You’re looking for a job and you need to update your résumé. What do you include and what do you leave out? How long can it be? These are valid questions. I will attempt to answer these questions in this blog.

What do you include and what do you leave out? You include the information about your abilities, skills and experience that are relevant to the job for which you are applying. For instance, if you’re a Teacher and you have worked some summers as a Bartender, should you include the bartending jobs on your résumé? No! In spite of your belief that there is little difference between dealing with a group of inebriated adults and dealing with a bunch of kids on a sugar high, don’t include the information. It will only muddy the waters. Instead, put in the information about your previous teaching positions. Things like, created lesson plans for class of up to 30 students and maintained order in classroom.

How long should your résumé be? Remember, your résumé is the bait you use to fish for an interview. It needs to give enough information to get the reader interested so they call you for an interview. If you can do this in one page, wonderful. If you need a second page, okay. No more than two pages.

Remember, your résumé also needs to be pleasing to look at and easy to read. So if you have a one page résumé with almost no margin and everything is font size 10, increase your margin to an inch and bring your font size up to 12 and go to that second page.

If you’ve been doing your research on résumés I’m sure you’ve discovered many conflicting opinions. Writing a résumé is not a science; it’s an art form. So what does that mean? It means that there are aspects of résumé writing that are strictly a matter of opinion.

If you live in Volusia or Flagler County contact your local One-Stop for the dates and times of their Résumé Writing workshops.

Why Job Seekers Should Volunteer

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC
Training Coordinator


In the workshops I and my colleagues facilitate we often encourage people to volunteer. Many times they look at us as if we’ve lost our minds. It’s like they want to say, “I’m looking for work I’ll get paid to do. I need a paying job.”

In response to that I want to say this, yes, we are aware you need a paying job. However, part of your job search could easily be volunteering. Volunteering does a couple of things for the job searcher.

One, it gets you out of the house where you can meet people. You never know who you’ll meet in a volunteer situation.

Two, it helps you get practical experience and / or keep your skills sharp. Maybe you just recently got your degree in your field but you don’t have any real work experience to go with it. Volunteering could help you get that real world experience.

Three, it shows potential employers that you’re not just sitting home watching television. You’re out meeting people and keeping your skills sharp by continuing to use them.

Four, if that organization you’re volunteering for has an opening for a paid position, you’ll be one of the first to know about it.

So yes, volunteer as part of your job search.