When you interviewed for a job in September, and your resum? end date read 2009, no one cared that you had been out of work for six months. Sure, the interviewer wanted to know why you were out of work, but the dates didn’t matter. Recently laid off inside counsel from troubled or bankrupt companies are desirable, and my firm placed such individuals in 2009. We have been able to present some “freshly” unemployed candidates as being uniquely available through no fault of their own. We can even convey a sense of urgency–snap up this talented person before he or she says yes to Company XYZ.
As the calendar flips, however, you will discover that dates start to matter a lot. If your resum? end date is 2008 or earlier, you know this already. You have probably already faced a version of this question: “What have you been doing lately?” The answer is irrelevant, as the interviewer has already exposed his or her bias. The perception is that you are stale or somehow damaged goods. A soft economy can’t shield you from that. The cruel truth remains that resum?s age quickly.
