Resume heeeeeelp?

Leslie

Leslie

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Staff member
My friend's ex has gone the route of the deadbeat, and quit his salaried job with full benefits. And thus comes the end of child support/benefits for her and her three children. We have to get her a job, as what she does, while fruitful and family-friendly, won't pay the bills, and isn't exactly reliable or budgetable to the extent she'll need now.

First step, resume. That's falling on me, and I'm usually good at it, but this time I'm baffled as to how to start to put it together. She knows not about computers. Problem: she hasn't had a 'workplace' job for the last 18 years, since a teen. She stayed home with her older children for a few years, and has since done housecleaning, several houses a week, for the last twelve years.

She's a great woman, so much knowledge and so many abilities. Just not many basic officey-type skills. But I really want to do the very best I can for her on this.

Because of the no hope of an office-type job (not really her interest anyway), we're kind of thinking on the lines of something within a home improvement store, paint store, garden centre, something. She's definitely not afraid to work. Something she doesn't have to take home with her at night but will still allow her to use her know-how and enjoy somewhat what she's doing.

I'm guessing that a functional-style resume is going to have to be 'it', whether employers generally like it or not. I know we can pull quite a bit out of what she's done and translate it into work skills, but I would appreciate tips/hints from those who know about what I can stick in there to 'fluff' it up/how to best lay it out/where to start and make her desirable at first glance. I'm kind of lost here.
 
So...she's been doing house cleanings, not for another company but for herself?

Freelance house cleaning service.

to do anythign freelance, you need to be able to:
"manage a flexible schedule",
"budget for cleaning supplies"
"do her own accounting"
be "reliable"
and "trustworthy" *People are trusting her with the inside of their homes regularly*
Detail oriented
organized
she 'networked' to get more houses.

Many of these things apply for many 'at home parents'... including budgeting for a family of 5.

As for which jobs... hmmm. White-collar work, with the exception of secretarial/receptionist will be tough. Especially with the lack of compi skills.

Hotel and related jobs (housekeeping) pay better than Walmart et al. Steadier shifts too.

As for the layout. Hmmm..

Let me mull that one over for a bit...i'll try to put together a mock layout.
 
Do you have anything like Molly Maids in Kanuckland? I hear that doesn't pay all that badly...

Creative wording is a must on any resume. Bish looks to be on the case, his thots above are good ones.
 
She's looked into that before, but those end up paying less than if she does it herself. The problem for her is there just aren't enough hours in a week or reliable homeowners to make it work on a sole supporter basis. They cancel, you're screwed, that's the end.

So, we figure, if we find her something part time, she can have a budgeted amount coming in, and still keep the good'uns of the clients she has, and that'd work far better, and pay some more too. At part time wages, there won't be taxes coming off, so she'd take home what she made, and at least she'd KNOW she was getting something.

My thoughts are along the lines of Bish's, I guess I'm just stuck on how to get it onto a resume without making it look like a load of bullshit.
 
Another idea:

I know here at least, most offices hire someone to clean after hours. These don't usually require a resume, just being bonded and submitting the low bid. Depending on the ages of her kids, she might even be able to bring them with her, but that's iffy. It's steady, no cancellations, not terribly time consuming.
 
But it's after hours, when the kids aren't in school. If she can't bring them with her to that gig, she's hosed.
 
There's a very well-hidden *see quiet and unassuming* company in Montreal started by a friend of a friend of mine. They do 'emergency cleanups' for restaurants and companies.

Got a big client coming and you don't have enough time or people to do a major cleanup? They call her.
Got a restaurant and you have a warning that an inspector will be passing by your restaurant tomorrow? They call her.
Had a break-in and you MUST open the next day? They call her.

She started with just herself...she's got just shy of a dozen people now.
 
Wait a minute. You folks are in Canada. Why does she have to work? I thought those rich fellers up t' the city paid for all your necessities.
 
:p




this is what I have so far - no tweaking yet, just what I've written/brainstormed so far:

qualifications




  • Exceptional versatility and adaptability.
  • Excellent consumer/client relations skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks in a pressured environment.
· Dedication and drive as a hard-working individual.



professional skills


consumer relations skills



· Interacted positively and professionally with a wide variety of personalities and utilized excellent organizational skills to arrange and coordinate client needs.

· Consistently provided service to a level above client expectations in a timely, organized manner.

· Listened to the needs of prospective and active clients and suggested effective solutions.



quantative skills

· Managed scheduling, marketing, costing, estimating and billing successfully.

· Proven multitasking abilities with management of duties to provide service to clients in a timely fashion and meeting all requests of clients with widely differing needs.

· Experienced and knowledgeable in all facets of household management.

· Working knowledge of popular Microsoft software.





work experience




n Self Employed – Housekeeping
 
k...I did the products, I'll see what she says about what to call it. I look at domestic service like the 8 year old maids in Merry Olde England :eyemouth:
 
wide variety of personalities - sounds a bit whack! Try across the social spectrum.
manage multiple tasks in a pressured environment.- multitask and performs well under pressure
Exceptional versatility and adaptability - Versatile and adapts well to any environment
Dedication and drive as a hard-working individual. - Strong work ethic.
Managed scheduling, marketing, costing, estimating and billing successfully *you can get rid of 'succesfully'

 
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