Frederick Chamber Expo

The Frederick Chamber of Commerce is hosting a breakfast and 7-7-7 seminar. Seven local business leaders will speak for seven minutes on seven different topics all of which fall under the theme, "Do the Right Thing." Speakers will address legal issues, employee benefits, and environmental friendly methods of doing business. Additionally, Laurie Holden, director of Frederick County Workforce Services will give a seven minute presentation entitled, "Alternatives to Commuting." The breakfast and seminar is open to the public but requires preregistration and costs $10 for breakfast.

To follow will be an expose of over fifty local businesses. The expo is a free and public networking event. For more information about this and other events, visit the Frederick Chamber of Commerce.

Finding Flexible Work in Frederick, Maryland or Anywhere

The search for flexible and family friendly work can be a frustrating process that may result in a lengthened job search and introduce unnecessary stress into your life. While job markets and employer needs are constantly changing, employers within certain industries are generally better equipped than others to provide flexible scheduling options and family friendly benefits to employees.

Large corporations
Large companies tend to have large budgets to service the work life needs of a larger, more diverse workforce. These companies may be able to allow daily flex time with employees working core hours. They may also be able to support telecommuters with a competent Network Administration department.

If you are looking for work in a large company in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Long and Foster
United Healthcare and Home Call, Inc.

Small businesses
Small companies may require minimal coverage allowing for job sharing or permanent part time positions. Efforts by business owners to reduce overhead costs may also provide employees the opportunity to telecommute. Individual needs in these companies are constantly changing with few positions per company. Keep an eye on local resources for openings.

If you are looking for work in a small business in Frederick, Maryland watch listings in the Frederick News Post jobs section.

Service providers
Companies with a service to provide tend to have extended or irregular business hours requiring flexible coverage by employees. Consider a position in retail or the restaurant industry. Also consider a health care setting that may require staff coverage 24 hours per day.

If you are looking for work within the service industry in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Boscov's
Frederick Keys
Frederick Memorial Hospital

Educational establishments
Schools and daycare centers are often a favorite employer among parents with work hours matching school hours of children. Additionally, employment in education often means holidays and summer hours off when kids are home from school.

If you are looking for work in an educational establishment in Frederick, Maryland you might consider:
Celebree Learning Centers
Frederick Community College
Frederick County Public Schools
Hood College

*This article is not intended to guarantee open positions, flexible scheduling, or family friendly benefits available at the above listed employers. Rather, we hope to provide resources of potential employment to our readers. We do not endorse any of these employers.

Resume Pet Peeves

With the popularity and ease of use provided by online recruiting sites like CareerBuilder and Monster, recruiters at large companies can be left feeling as though they see thousands of resumes each day. Here are a few of my personal pet peeves when reading resumes and cover letters:

• Generic cover letters. Many job seekers will write something to the extent, "I am responding to the position posted..." leaving me thinking, "WHICH POSITION!"
• Cover letters that acknowledge a lack of qualifications and provide a concession. Never, never say anything that may lead a recruiter to believe you are not qualified for the position. The point of a resume is to sell your qualifications.
• An implied sense of expectancy. Statements like, "I look forward to hearing from you to schedule an interview" just rub me the wrong way. It is the job of the recruiter, after all, to determine if you are worthy of an interview.
• Very, very long resumes. You have probably heard to keep your resume to one page. Please do not submit seven pages of projects, publications, and past work experience. All that can be provided, if requested.
• Resumes without pertinent information. I understand a desire to maintain some sense of privacy, but there is certain information a recruiter needs to set up an interview. Yes, I have received resumes without a name. No, those candidates did not make it past my initial screening.
  
• Resumes with too many methods of contact lead to information overload when resumes are parsed by database software. You only need to include the best way for a recruiter to contact you. A phone number with an answering machine and email is usually sufficient.
• Contact information provided for past employers and references. I will generally not contact references, including past employers, until I have first spoken with you. This information can further confuse a resume database attempting to extract pertinent information automatically.
• "References available upon request" I view this as an entirely unnecessary disclaimer, and therefore, one that irks me. References should always be provided when requested by a potential employer, no need to state that up front.
  

Fix some of these grievances in your resume and cover letter and you may just make a recruiter very happy - it's the first step to getting a call back for an interview.