Hello Adele,

Thank you for reaching out to Cancer and Careers! I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to progress in your job search. It can be a frustratingly long process but taking another look at how you're presenting yourself and your resume is a good choice at this juncture. I will pass along your messge to one of our career coaches who will respond soon.

In the meantime, I'd recommend you utilize our Resume Review Service to get some assistance with reformatting or being able to really highlight your skills and experience in a way that doesn't require as much explanation, given the lack of conversation you're seeing in the interviews you've been having. Additionally, perhaps it would be helpful to take a look at our section on Interviewing - with articles and guidance on how to best approach the interview stage of the job search. I don't know what decisions you've made around disclosure of your cancer as you job hunt, but we have a helpful article on Managing Disclosure When Looking For A Job that provides some things to think through and approaches to take.

I hope you're able to find something soon!

Sincerely,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers 

Thank you Nicole
I appreciate your advice and the linked articles are very helpful. I look forward to speaking with someone soon.
Regards
Adele

Hi Adele,

I am a volunteer career coach with Cancer and Careers and agree with Nicole that it would be helpful for you to submit your resume to the Resume Review service. I happen to be the coach who does all the reviews and I will give you very detailed feedback about ways to improve your resume and also optimize it for ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software which most medium and large size companies use to scan and store job applications.

I sympathize with you about how long it takes to submit applications and prepare for interviews. I don't know whether you are trying to network into the companies you are applying to as well? I highly recommend this because companies receive so many applications and having a person to help you get introduced into a company is almost necessary. LinkedIn is the best source to find people. 

Speaking of LinkedIn, be sure that you load up your profile with as many keywords as possible that are relevant to Change Management. You would do this in the Skills section, your headline, your About section and throughout your work experience section. Also, make sure to add five titles in the Open to Work section so recruiters will find you.

I would find a few people who can do mock interviews with you or if you can fund hiring a career coach to do this a few times with you, this could prove very beneficial.

Finally, I am not sure if you live in the US, but wherever you went to college or university, they have an alumni network so this is another place to find people to network with. 

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to write back and I am happy to respond.

Take care,

Julie

Hi Julie
Thanks for your advice. I will submit my cv for review and welcome feedback.
I am trying to connect with people via LinkedIn and also arrange chats with people from past work experiences, to let them know I am actively looking for work.
Regards
Adele

Adele,

That's great. The more people that you connect with, the closer you will get to finding your next opportunity. 

Best, 

Julie