How Long to Keep Last Job on My Resume?

Dear Liz,

I was laid off in June and haven't updated my resume, because I think it looks letter to show my last employer with the dates 2004-Present than 2004-2008. I know I can't keep the job on there forever. When do I need to update my resume to show that I am unemployed?

Yours,

Dennis

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Dear Dennis,

There are certain resume questions that allow for some wiggle room and others that don't. Being employed is a bit like being pregnant, in that you either are or aren't. I'd update your resume before you send a copy of it to any more employers. You haven't worked for the company since June, and so your resume is, sad to say, inaccurate.

Now, if you worked for Wild Oats Market and the company were acquired by Whole Foods (as indeed happened) most employers wouldn't care if you kept the name Wild Oats Market on your resume for a few months after the deal closed. They'd know that you're not trying to mislead anyone, and that deal is common knowledge. But we can't keep sending out resumes that say we're working, when we're not. I wouldn't say that you get any grace time at all when it comes to the issue of being employed by/not employed by a given employer.

So, in answer to the general question "How long after I leave XYZ Corp can I keep using a resume that shows me working there?" the answer is "up through your last day of work in the company."
Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers -- Liz

Piano Tide

At least once a year for the past ten years, I've asked my oldest son, "Would you consider taking piano lessons?" He wouldn't. My daughter takes lessons. My three younger sons have taken 'em - the next-to-smallest one is on a hiatus right now. The five-year-old takes Suzuki piano.

One of the first bits of our Boulder infrastructure that got put in place when we got here was piano lessons. Three of our kids studied with Lisa. She is a great player and a very well-known teacher in town. Her style is cool, friendly. The kids took lessons for years. This year, our 12-year-old decided he wanted to focus on jazz and rock. I was surprised when Lisa said "You should switch teachers. Here is Rebecca's number." Off went the 12-year-old, to Rebecca. Soon after, my next-to-youngest son, the ten-year-old, decided he was through. My daughter had thrown in the towel with piano lessons after eighth grade.

Here is the miracle: Rebecca got everybody revved up. The little one. My daughter, who plays pop songs and sings along. My ten-year-old is on the fence, but the amazing thing is that my fifteen-year-old son, who hasn't had one piano lesson ever, says he will try it. One year, he says. Here are my terms: a Wii game, a PS3 game and some other game, who knows what. I figure it's about a $100 bribe. That doesn't seem so bad to me. It's a half-hour lesson once a week for a year, plus practicing. I think he's impressed that his little brother can play all his favorite rock songs.

Four kids in piano lessons? That's a lot of driving. It's worth it. The ten-year-old may waver if his big brother jumps into the pool. I have no demands for these kids. I don't force them into activities. I just wanted them to do music, and all of them do. That's a gift. Even the ten-year-old, who no longer takes lessons, sings with me. His bribe is a Bionicle - can't complain about that.

Ten Big Networking No-Nos

10 Biggest Networking No-No's

Networking is a great activity and often a fruitful one, but it's not for the faint of heart.
The networking jungles are full of prowling and slithering creatures who can make you wish you'd stayed at home and far from your computer. Just so you don't emulate these unclear-on-the-concept networkers, here's my list of the Top 10 most egregious networking missteps:

1. Trip-Worthy

Writing to or calling a stranger to say, "Let's meet for coffee -- say, halfway in between our offices?" is highly impolite, since the person you're approaching doesn't know you from Adam. If you've got the desire to meet this person, you can figure out how to get within a half-mile or his or her office.

2. Join My Fan Club

Meeting a new person and adding him or her to your newsletter without permission is another capital networking crime. Don't do it -- write to each new acquaintance and ask for permission (and wait for an answer) before padding your subscriber list with his or her email address.

3. You're Nothing to Me, But Your Employer Isn't

Striking up a networking conversation with a person based on his or her name tag -- for example, because the person works at IBM -- and then, within five minutes, asking the person for an introduction to a hiring manager or purchasing decision-maker at IBM is the height of rudeness. Walk away from a networker like this.

4. Dear Trusted Colleague (Whatever Your Name Is)

Sending a LinkedIn invitation to every person you've ever met, using the standard LinkedIn boilerplate invitation language, will get you dropped from polite networking society. LinkedIn connections are intended for trusted colleagues, and if you must invitation-spam your new acquaintances, you can at least take 10 seconds to compose your own, personal note to each one.

5. Remember Me?

Popping up after 10 or 15 years to ask an old contact, "Say, could you help me find a job?" brands you as a me-first networker. The proper outreach to a person you've lost touch with is, "Dear Stan, it's been too long! I'd love to hear about what you are doing." Smart networkers don't wait until they're job-hunting to keep up with friends, old and new.

6. I Was Thinking About You, You, You, and You

Sending a mass mailing disguised as a personal message earns you a one-way ticket to Networking Hell (imaginary) for good reason. When you write "I saw this article and thought about you" it should be true. Unless you can think of about 400 people simultaneously, it's unethical to send any kind of mass mailing disguised as a one-on-one message to each recipient.

7. I Practiced It; I Have to Deliver It

Spitting your "elevator speech," unsolicited, into a new acquaintance's face is a major networking faux pas that happens far too often. Conversation is a give-and-take activity, and isn't built to enable either participant to launch a 30-second-or-longer monologue about his business. Wait for your conversation partner to ask questions -- don't shower her with details about your fabulous firm and its amazing products.

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