Job title:
Job titles in my company are very different than equivalent job titles in the balance of my industry. In my resume should I change my job title to reflect what the industry title is? Or shall I state it exactly as it is in the company I work for?
It could be a mistake to change your title without someone at the company you're working for knowing and approving of it. This type of thing could put your boss's nose out of joint if he is at some point asked to give you a recommendation. On the other hand, if your boss knows you are leaving, and understands the dilemma created by the unusual job title at your company, he's likely to go along with your making a change of this nature if you ask him to do so beforehand.
Education:
I attended a very fine, well-known school, but the companies I've worked for since are ones nobody ever heard of. Should I put "Education" first on my resume even though you recommend this section be used toward the back in most cases? That way I could establish my most prestigious credentials up front.
Suit yourself. The decision should depend on the prime target for your talent. The other day a client of mine who is a graduate of Stanford Business School and the U.S. Naval Academy asked the same question. His career has been totally in venture capital for real estate development. At the current time he sought a position with a real estate developer who needed a highly qualified individual in equity financing. I asked him what types of people were the prime targets for his talents. Were they the kinds of executives who would be impressed by Stanford and Annapolis? Or would they be the kinds of people who would be turned off by these schools? Based on the target audience for his search, he decided to put education last and his current experience first. More often than not, this is the best solution, but if you think the companies you've worked for will turn off your prospective bosses more than your school will, go ahead and try it.
Time gap:
I know that executive recruiters don't like candidates who are out of work any length of time. I've been out of work nine months. How can I cover this fact in my resume?
As suggested earlier, perhaps your best alternative is to use the resume you developed while you were still working. That one should have read, for example, "1972 to Present." If you feel you must revise your resume now, do so as though you were still working and date it accordingly. Then when you meet any prospective employer or recruiter, tell him immediately of your current situation.
Some executives indicate that they have been working as independent consultants during this period of time. If they (or you) have, in fact, had consulting assignments, such a course of action is perfectly legitimate. Naturally, any experienced recruiter you meet is going to ask why you didn't go directly from your old company to a new one. One reasonable answer to this question is that you have taken your time looking around to make sure you got the right job.
Some job-seekers have used friends or relatives to "cover" for them during periods that they were out of work. If these friends have legitimate businesses in the job-seeker's own field, maybe this will work out. But a savvy executive recruiter is likely to ask the person in question why he wants to leave his friend's company so soon. If you do plan on soliciting a friend's help, I'd recommend you say you were consulting for his company while you continued looking for a suitable permanent position.
Some job-seekers, too, have the type of relationship with the boss who has just fired them so that they are able to get him to "fudge" the date they were fired. This, in fact, gives them an extra six or nine months of employment even though they were not on the payroll. Unless you have this type of arrangement on paper, and well rehearsed, it's dangerous! Your former boss or his secretary might forget and you'd be caught in a lie. This would kill your chances of getting the job you wanted, then and there.
Quick succession of your jobs
Earlier in my career I held three jobs in quick succession - the total time of all combined was only four years. Is there anything i can do to make it less obvious on my resume?
If the situation occurred twenty years ago, you might consider a paragraph on page two of your resume headed EARLY BUSINESS EXPERIENCE. In such a paragraph, you can "group" your early jobs without using dates for each.
