You’ve been laid-off or furloughed. Now what?

As experts in our field, we’ve put together some ideas and helpful hints for how to set yourself up in the best way possible in the event of a lay-off or furlough.

Resume 101:

Format

Keep your resume clean, easy to navigate and read.

Don’t stress yourself out about getting everything on 1 page, but also don’t try to add fluff to make it longer either. It is more important to include all pertinent information than to stick to some arbitrary rule that it should be one page. If you’ve been working 10+ years, it’s very unlikely that your resume is going to be able to be kept to one page. Similarly, if you have one year of professional experience, it’s unlikely that your resume needs to be multiple pages.

Check spelling, grammar, and proper formatting! Spell check is your friend – don’t forget it. Take the time to ensure your margins are aligned, spacing is consistent, and your fonts and sizing are all uniform. We’ve seen, multiple times, employers pass on a prospective candidate due to thoughtless errors as it demonstrates that someone may lack attention to detail.

Aesthetic

While it’s absolutely fine to keep your resume clean and minimal in terms of aesthetic, if you’re in a creative field we recommend showing some character!

While we want you to include your websites and links to social channels, be sure your work is a positive reflection. Double check for typos/errors, update your work frequently, and ensure any social channels reflect your professional aptitude.

If you think your resume or portfolio needs a second set of eyes, please send it to one of us at SBH Fashion and we’d be happy to help!

Content

Although we recommend creating a well-rounded and versatile resume, we rarely advise that you use a “one-size-fits-all” approach when submitting your resume for open job opportunities. Having a few different resume options that highlight various areas of expertise may be extremely beneficial for you and a Recruiter helping you in your search.

For example, do you have +10 years of experience and are equally skilled in Ecommerce Operations and Digital Marketing? You may want to consider creating one resume that speaks to Ecommerce Operations and another resume that speaks to Digital Marketing.

Word choice and content is very important to keep in mind. Using the right keywords is integral to how Recruiters and Hiring Managers sort through and populate resumes. Instead of filling your resume with fluff, be smart, strategic and thoughtful about what you’re including. Highlight what you’ve accomplished, speak to relationships, and let us know about your tech skills!

For Example:

If you’re in Sales, you should be including approximate sales volumes, metrics on business growth, accounts, etc.

If you’re in Design, Product Development or Tech Design, be sure to include the programs you’re experienced with and where (internationally/domestically) you have experience manufacturing. 

If you’re in E-commerce, outline the businesses growth YOY or other business-related metrics and speak to the platforms you are familiar with (ie; Shopify, Shopify Plus, Magento, etc).

Applying Intelligently:

While we want you to be applying for jobs that appeal to you personally, it’s important to understand that Hiring Managers are looking for talent that have the right experience that aligns with the job they are looking to fill.

We believe in being honest, informative and genuinely want you to succeed. If you are applying for a Marketing job, and you don’t have any Marketing experience, it is unlikely that you will see traction with your application. We often come across candidates who are looking to do something different than what they have experience with professionally. While we would love to help you transition your career and do believe there are ways to do so, it is very challenging for a Recruiter to help you do that because our clients trust that we are only sending talent that align exactly with their needs.

So how can you set yourself up for success and strong traction?

1. Take a look at your background, current and former job titles, skills and make a list of job positions that align with your areas of expertise. If you think your background aligns with a job opening but you’re not sure how to best present yourself, ask a Recruiter!

2.  Organize yourself. Create a tracking method so you can stay on top of which companies and jobs you’ve applied to. Be sure to inform your Recruiter which jobs you’ve applied to directly because we can not submit your resume to a client that already has your resume.

Side note:

Working with a Recruiter is the best way to ensure your resume gets directly in front of a Hiring Manager as quickly as possible. We are their “go-to” people and have a trusted relationship. We are also a free resource and your advocate, so working with a Recruiter through an interview process is a HUGE PERK. We recommend reaching out to us FIRST for any job opening that you are thinking of applying to, and asking if we work with the company. If we do, we will get your resume into the right hands and if we don’t, we’ll be honest and recommend you reach out on your own.

3. Follow Up! Having strong follow up skills goes a long way and is something Hiring Managers and Recruiters look out for. If you applied for a job and haven’t heard back, follow up. If you reached out to a Recruiter for job support and you haven’t heard back, follow up! It’s important to remember that Hiring Managers and Recruiters receive a very high volume of inquiries from talent and do their best to respond in a timely manner, but also have to prioritize. Don’t take it personally if you haven’t heard back. Just stay committed and on top of them.

4. Network. While we are here for you and will do our best to help you land your next job, be sure to leverage your relationships and take the time to really network properly. Reach out to your friends for support. You never know who can point you in the right direction or make an introduction. Don’t forget about former colleagues as well – they know you and can vouch for you.

Finding Structure in your day:

As we’re all finding out right now, whether working or not, trying to find structure in your day is challenging. Even adapting to this “new normal” is emotionally and physically exhausting! Here are some ideas for how you can give yourself some structure and sense of normalcy:

• Wake up at a “normal” time – whatever that means for you. But try to be consistent with it. It can be appealing to wake up at varying times, but staying consistent will give you a healthy regimen and prevent you from feeling out of sorts. 
• Put on real clothes! Getting dressed, grooming yourself neatly and acting like you have somewhere to go will make you feel good. Staying in your pajamas all day isn’t the most motivating. Besides…Athleisure is not pajamas!! Who says you can’t be comfortable and feel good at the same time?!
• Schedule as many meetings (Phone and Video) as you can and get familiar with Telecommunications. Set up calls/video calls with recruiters, friends, colleagues, former colleagues and family. We all need human interaction right now for both personal and professional reasons. We personally love Zoom, Google Hangouts and Houseparty is great for a game night with friends!
• If your business is slow and you have a lot of down time, make a list of all the things you typically say you want to do for work, but never have the time to (ie; organize your Outlook or Gmail with folders, do competitive research, sign up for an online course that will sharpen certain skills that need some work).
• Volunteer! Especially right now. There’s no shortage of in-home volunteer opportunities. We all have something to offer.

How to Apply for Unemployment:

No one wants to need unemployment insurance. But, in times like these with a record number of American’s applying, it’s good to know the best ways to advocate for yourself and for the benefits you deserve. Here are links to the how-to’s for New York State, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Get Unemployment Assistance

Apply for unemployment insurance benefits to receive temporary income while you search for a job.

Division of Unemployment Insurance | How to apply online for Unemployment Insurance benefits

A step-by-step guide to applying online for Unemployment Insurance benefits

File forUnemployment Benefits – Connecticut

IMPORTANT: If you become unemployed due to coronavirus (COVID-19), you should file for unemployment benefits. For frequently asked questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) for workers and employers click here.