Overcome resume negatives by networking

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GETTING HIRED
By MARVIN WALBERG
Scripps Howard News Service

Dear Mr. Walberg:
I am getting no response to my e-mail resume. I am a recent graduate of computer medical billing and coding school. I received a national certification and maintained a 3.8 GPA. My problem, however, is no practical experience -- my resume is good, but the experience is not relevant to my goal. In addition, I have been away from the workforce for 6 1/2 years due to an on-the-job injury. I would appreciate some guidance on how to get more attention.
-- KMP in Washington

Dear KMP:
It is close to impossible to get hired from a resume alone, and unfortunately, you offer a good example. You have a 6 1/2 year gap in employment with no experience relevant to your job objective. Add those two negatives to a previous on-the-job injury, and you have three things that potential employers don't want to see or hear about. What do you do?
Did I hear a roar of NETWORKING from the crowd? What better way is there to erase those negatives and get some focus on the bright lights of your "today" and the positive contributions you are ready to offer your next employer?
You can't forget the past, the injury, and the gap of employment and unrelated work history -- but you can switch the focus of attention to now by getting out and getting known for what you are today and what you now have to offer. Start with friends and family, then ripple out to everyone new you can meet in any situation you can create, whether it's social, professional, at church, or some-one in the medical billing/coding industry that you can identify and make contact with.
If you just wait for relevant postings or advertised job openings, you're back to square one with a background that isn't helping. But, if you get up, get out, and begin selling yourself as you are right now, you create a situation where people get to know you and like you and trust you and feel good about referring you to employers who will look forward to meeting you. There is nothing as powerful as a third-party recommendation that allows you to virtually eliminate all other competition for jobs.
In the meantime, make sure that your resume states your objective and highlights accomplishments that are relevant to that objective.
(Marvin Walberg is a job search consultant based in Birmingham, Ala. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 43056, Birmingham, AL, 35243. E-mail him at mwalberg@bellsouth.net.)