Experience in family business an asset for job seekers

In a hard-pressed economy, many corporations survive by cutting jobs. They often have extra workers, unprofitable departments and redundant job titles that can be eliminated without losing the core of the business.

At a time when top-ranking organizations lay off employees by the thousands, small family businesses are up against the wall. They typically rely on the local market for revenue and suffer immediate consequences from an economic downturn. These days, some family-owned business owners have been forced to send family members into the job market or to seek employment themselves.

Here is the good news: People from family-based companies usually have a breadth of experience that is extremely valuable in the corporate world. Most managers have performed the full range of business tasks, including human resources, finance, sales and inventory control. Similarly, employees understand how to adjust their communication style to interact with customers, vendors and owners. And they're used to serving as essential personnel, with actions that directly influence the bottom line.

Now, here is the challenge: Personnel and owners of family businesses sometimes have a tough time entering the commercial marketplace. Why? It could be lack of knowledge. It could be discrimination. Actually, the reason doesn't matter. What does matter is that downsized workers from family businesses need jobs just as badly as those laid off from corporations. They deserve an equal chance.

And yet, over the years, I've found that many employees and owners of family-owned companies sell themselves short in their resume materials. They slap together documents with hardly any detail and a complete lack of energy and commitment.

If you give a boring, ineffective resume to an employer, it's like saying, "I don't really want a new job." For this reason, I offer very specific, time-sensitive advice to people transitioning to the commercial job market: Stop everything. Don't contact another company until you throw away your old document and write a new one. From scratch.

Your resume is your first impression. It's your handshake, your opportunity, your only marketing tool. It needs to capture the interest of an employer, even if the hiring manager has already sifted through hundreds of documents. It must make an impact, quickly, and propel the reader to pick up the phone and contact you for an interview.

And, since some employers automatically screen out candidates from family-run businesses, you have to work extra hard to prove that their prejudices are incorrect, and that your background is perfectly aligned with their needs. Not only that, but your resume should encourage new bosses to think of you as a good investment for the company. You'll bring in money. Cut costs. Inspire the team.

Following are a few tips to ease your transition to the commercial job market:

Grab hold of your readers with a bold, professional format.

Create a sharply focused document that targets a specific position or field. Example: If you want a sales position, underscore your accomplishments in sales and client relations. Remove unrelated details such as human resources and back-room maintenance.

Sell your management strengths, not ownership experience.

Increase your impact with corporate keywords that emphasize financial results.

Don't waste time with an amateurish resume. Portray yourself as an ambitious, corporate-minded professional and start paving the way to your new career.

Send your job search questions to Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com,