So, for the past couple of years, I've had, I'll just call them BS jobs...

Jobs that were outside my area of interest.

I'm proficient at these jobs (management, sales) but want to get back into the technical realm.

So, I'm all about wording my resume/cover letter to reflect my experience in the area, BUT, I'm coming up with a couple big issues...

1. My primary experience in the industry was a company I owned, and still covered by multiple NDAs, so I can't say WHO I did the work for. NDAs are not uncommon in the industry but it makes it sound like BS. I have no formal training just 10+years of experience.

2. The previous experience also 'ended' in 2007, with a short stint in 2011 for a couple months on a state contract, that has no NDA associated with it, however I'm reluctant to use that as a reference because the company I was working for, hired inexperienced laborers, who ended up getting the contract cancelled because of poor workmanship. The boss went from having each of us do a vehicle, which was quality checked, where I came out all aces, to attempting an 'assembly line' deal where each worker did an individual job. One person drilled holes, one person ran wire, one person mounted equipment, etc, and it was a nightmare for QC.

3. I'm a big guy. The work involves smaller spaces, which I'm fine with, but you rarely see a big guy working on vehicles, so I'm concerned about some bias there...

4. The real killer.... the job application.. How/Why do I put down that I was a manager for almost 2 years, sales lead/manager for years before that, 'sports warehouse/sales'...etc.... when it's completely unrelated to the field I'm applying for..


The only thing I can think of, is that I have pics of previous work, so that's on my side, but I'm still concerned about the other areas.


Some serious insight is appreciated.

Okay, clarify for me please; you want to work as an automotive tech?

Comms installer.

There are free resources available to you from the state's Workforce program. Including resume writing assistance. NDA's that are still active after 8 years are BS. No employer today gives a shit what you did that long ago anyway. Today its all about what have you done lately. Based on your post, you should seriously consider checking out the state resources, all free, and in many cases they will pay you while re-training/updating your skills. Also check out the careerbuilder.com website. Monster.com used to be pretty good too.

Worse. Some are over 10 years, others are set to expire after 20.



My concern, exactly.



Did that. Pretty damn useless. Told me what I already knew. Won't retrain because I'm 'trained' in sales, and since it's a 'growing field', they won't pay for recertification in another field.




Will double check, but when I was on them years ago, wasn't worth a crap.. I will check them again.

indeed.com is where I run spots for openings when I hire. Really good candidates on there

NDA's are really meant to prevent you from going to a direct competitor. if you were termed or laid-off I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I would agree..... but the NDAs were with gov't entities...

It would look bad if I knowingly violated them, as I would probably have to sign similar things here...

Kinda like applying for an accounting position and spouting off who your high profile clients are.... You 'prove' your stuff, but show you can't be trusted at the same time..

I'm thinking pics of previous work, not covered by NDA would work best......

I've been on both sides of the interview table many times.

Sounds like you're trying to beef up a weakness, but the risk is that you'll skyline a weakness. If I'm reading this all correctly, if potential employers just want someone who's been doing the same work for the previous X number of years, you're not going to make it into consideration.

So you focus on your strengths and what you can add to the company. It sucks to have to resort to your "soft skills" sometimes, we'd all like to show technical competence in exactly the area they are looking for, but it's not always the case. If you have a record as a great teammate, employee, etc who is easy to train, always there on time, and is willing to go the extra mile at times, that person usually got the nod from me. But it has to be proven, not just, "Yeah I'm a great dude" from the horse's mouth.

I am still under an NDA for private security work I did 2000-2003. I interviewed with a security group in late 2003 and was dumb enough to make it really obvious who the client was, didn't get the job. If a potential employer can't respect you sticking to a legal NDA, screw them!

are you unable to say who you worked for?

Can you simply say government contractor?

List your business as the employer and say the type of work you did, without listing specific customers.

Change your resume style from Job based to Skill based.
Write it like a CV.

XX Hours as installer
XX Hours as designer
ETC... (examples above...I have no idea what you do)

This does three things to benefit you.
1) It takes time on the job, and time passed since a job, out of the equation.
2) It completely eliminates the need to list anything like an NDA - If asked where..."Sorry, I am under an NDA on that, I was hired as a Government Contractor."
3) It makes your Resume stand out from everyone who does it the normal way. - This can be good or bad. If they stop to read it... good. If they glance at it and say WTF is this...bad.

The whole point of a Resume is to get you in the door for the interview. A Resume doesn't get you hired. The interview does.

Came here to say this.

Also, take a look at the job posting. You want your resume to mirror the job application as much as possible, so when somebody in HR that doesn't know anything looks as them side by side, they say "wow, this guy looks perfect".

I've found dice.com has lots of technical positions. Keywords are very important when posting your resume online since people will be searching for keywords.