Another One Bites The Dust - Resume Help

J

jtmarlin

Let me be brief. I've been trading for over 4 years full time and I have never developed a reliable and profitable trading method. I would like to get back into the IT industry as I have over 15 years experience prior to trading full time. I'm not giving up on trading I'm just going to work full time in IT and trade part time for now.

My problem is I have a 4 year gap on my resume and I'm not sure I can come up with enough references from prior jobs as people tend to move around in the computer business. The last 3 companies I worked for have been bought out by competitors and the entire IT staffs have changed so prior references will be hard to find. Should I list my last job as a Day Trader or come up with something a little more creative. I'm willing to start in a lower position and move back up as I need to get a couple of new certifications to bring me up to speed. I still provide computer services to a couple of small businesses from my old IT days, maybe I could say I've been servicing small businesses? Anyone with a similar experience who can offer any suggestions or ideas on how I could fill the gap on my resume would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
JT
 
Sorry to hear that your trading career didn't work out. Hope you dont' mind if I ask for some advice since you've been at it for 4 long years.

In your opinion, why do you think the trading career didnt work out? Was it due to irrecoverable blowups? Or was it just a slow grinding down of capital? Psychological? Or was this just a personal choice?
 
I suggest you say you were trading for the past years and don't mince words. Stay away from saying you were a 'day trader' because that may bring up negative connotations. Say you operated a private hedge fund or managed equity positions, or whatever. Make it sound like you were involved in your job for the past 4 yrs but that your heart is in IT. Don't make it sound like you failed at trading, just that you want to return to what truly makes you happy because it took the last 4 yrs to realize that. Be prepared to talk about why you left IT in the first place.

As for your IT experience spend some time getting up to date with your chosen field. Know what the current trends are. To show you've 'still got it' spend some time doing at home what you would at work. That is if you're a network engineer set up some complex networks. If you're a coder, code up the framework (not a fully working prototype, of course) of a large project. Whatever you're into, do it. Then document every part of it. How you designed it, what methodology you used in creating it, what were the challenges, what were the easy parts. What tools you used and why. What you'd do different the next time. Show some metrics or measurements or statistics with some pie charts or whatever.

You're basically making up for your lack of current experience with a show of your initiative. Don't forget to talk about your previous 15 years, either. The specifics with today's technology will be different but the concepts are all the same. I've got about 10 yrs of IT experience so I know what I'm talking about.

opm8
 
I will be honest and tell you what I would do if I were in your situation. . .

I would completely and utterly lie. Life is short and jobs are indeed difficult to come by. The employer always comes out ahead in the end while you get the perverbial shaft. Employers are never honest with their employees, so why should you be honest with your employer? Life on the job is a war where you constantly struggle to get ahead. In warfare, no one ever talks about fairness or honesty.

All you have to do is construct a resume and sell it. As for references, you can find some bogus ones. Go down to the local 7-11 or wherever they sell cellphones. Buy yourself a few cellphones that come with the minutes. Then have your friends leave a proper business-like voicemail on the phones. Most businesses will perform a cursory check where they call the reference and the reference will say that they can only provide the dates hired and titles. They will leave a message on the phones and then your friends can simply call back.

I know that I will receive replies back telling me the dangers of lieing on a resume. . .the self-righteous who stand on a pedestal giving speeches are usually those in an ideal situation. When your situation is not ideal, then you have to do what you must to get out of it. If that means lieing then so be it.

I would easily lie to protect my family or myself. Lieing to get a job is a type of self-defense. Your defending yourself from the dreaded aspect of not making a check to support yourself.

When pulling off a scam like this, think out every little detail. If you say you worked at a certain place, then physically go down to that location and note the surroundings. Go over every possibility. . .
 
Quote from marketbarometer:

I will be honest and tell you what I would do if I were in your situation. . .

I would completely and utterly lie. Life is short and jobs are indeed difficult to come by. The employer always comes out ahead in the end while you get the perverbial shaft. Employers are never honest with their employees, so why should you be honest with your employer? Life on the job is a war where you constantly struggle to get ahead. In warfare, no one ever talks about fairness or honesty.

All you have to do is construct a resume and sell it. As for references, you can find some bogus ones. Go down to the local 7-11 or wherever they sell cellphones. Buy yourself a few cellphones that come with the minutes. Then have your friends leave a proper business-like voicemail on the phones. Most businesses will perform a cursory check where they call the reference and the reference will say that they can only provide the dates hired and titles. They will leave a message on the phones and then your friends can simply call back.

I know that I will receive replies back telling me the dangers of lieing on a resume. . .the self-righteous who stand on a pedestal giving speeches are usually those in an ideal situation. When your situation is not ideal, then you have to do what you must to get out of it. If that means lieing then so be it.

I would easily lie to protect my family or myself. Lieing to get a job is a type of self-defense. Your defending yourself from the dreaded aspect of not making a check to support yourself.

When pulling off a scam like this, think out every little detail. If you say you worked at a certain place, then physically go down to that location and note the surroundings. Go over every possibility. . .
More...

aheem..just out of curiosity, what line of work are you in?:D
 
Quote from opm8:

I suggest you say you were trading for the past years and don't mince words. Stay away from saying you were a 'day trader' because that may bring up negative connotations. Say you operated a private hedge fund or managed equity positions, or whatever. Make it sound like you were involved in your job for the past 4 yrs but that your heart is in IT. Don't make it sound like you failed at trading, just that you want to return to what truly makes you happy because it took the last 4 yrs to realize that. Be prepared to talk about why you left IT in the first place.

As for your IT experience spend some time getting up to date with your chosen field. Know what the current trends are. To show you've 'still got it' spend some time doing at home what you would at work. That is if you're a network engineer set up some complex networks. If you're a coder, code up the framework (not a fully working prototype, of course) of a large project. Whatever you're into, do it. Then document every part of it. How you designed it, what methodology you used in creating it, what were the challenges, what were the easy parts. What tools you used and why. What you'd do different the next time. Show some metrics or measurements or statistics with some pie charts or whatever.

You're basically making up for your lack of current experience with a show of your initiative. Don't forget to talk about your previous 15 years, either. The specifics with today's technology will be different but the concepts are all the same. I've got about 10 yrs of IT experience so I know what I'm talking about.

opm8
More...

This brings up an interesting topic. How about faking a degree? Going as far as gettin fake transcripts, etc. Or not? Maybe justsaying you graduated from blah. How much proof does a job really require when you have a degree? If you already have the knowledge, why not? Online Diploma Mill?

lol. j/k

I love these tangent threads. There fun.

- secXces
 
what they don`t tell you about college is that it is a business--pure and simple---they sell their space to credit card companies, etc---ta`s teach classes, profs publish to bring prestige to the univ.---all bs--with that ivory tower crap---colleges are big business--i have 3 degrees--and looking back i fell for a lot of that self-serving propaganda which permeates the academic cottage industry---those testing companies, bookstores, authors changing covers, and reselling the same book kind of crap.


btw, i watched cramer dog nardelli while shamelessly selling his book on rusert`s show, cramer would never give back any money he was contracted for----that guy would sell the eskimo`s ice, without thinking twice about it!


lie, lie, lie--it is an evolutionarily successful adaptation tool for a reason---it has utility in many a situation.

you don`t believe me.....just answer this question honestly...."does this _________ make me look fat....?"
 
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