JT & Dale Talk Jobs: Firing up the career time machine

J.T.: It’s true that most recruiters don’t want to see work experience that’s over 20 years old. That’s because it’s hard for them to believe that the experience is still relevant. They’re likely to assume that the techniques you used are outdated. Plus, it’s been so long, they’ll wonder whether you really could easily recall it. My advice is to not list it in your work history section, but instead, put it in an Additional Experience section at the bottom of the résumé and skip listing the dates of employment. Then write a cover letter that explains why you want to get back into the profession.

DALE: Two things to remember about your résumé: First, it’s not your testimony, it’s your marketing tool. So, follow J.T.’s suggestion with a catchall at the end, and open with a Key Accomplishments section that has no dates but highlights your relevant skills and performance. Second, your résumé is not going to get you a job. Recruiters, human or digital, are looking for an exact match, and you aren’t it. You’re a special case and that will take a human connection.

Dear J.T. & Dale: My company has been working remote for over a year. I’m part of a two-person team. My teammate has been declining in her work. She’s missed meetings with clients and missed deadlines. Recently, on a call at noon, I noticed that she was slurring her words a bit. I asked her if she’d been drinking. She told me that she was having a beer with her lunch. I think she has a substance abuse problem. She lives alone, and I know that the pandemic has been very isolating. Should I bring this up with my boss? — Brooklyn

J.T.: Your first course of action is with your co-worker. Carefully express your concern about the decrease in her performance. Give her the chance to turn things around. If you don’t see improvement over the next month, then you have reason to reach out to your manager. I wouldn’t make any accusations about a substance abuse problem. However, I think it’s OK to mention the occasion when she was slurring her words and mentioned she had a beer with lunch. The key is to stick to the facts.

DALE: I agree that a meeting with your co-worker is in order. Explain that you want to start the year by improving your team of two, working together to be stars within the company or to be more helpful to management/clients. By talking about the work, I hope you can avoid your co-worker feeling trapped. If all goes well, you can discuss missed meetings and deadlines, and that’s when you may gain some insights.