mentatcareers

This is a tricky question to tackle broadly since every industry has different norms and perspectives on tenure.

For example, a 12-24 month tenure in some industries (consulting, early-level investment banking & private equity, large tech) is perceived as normal, while it would be shockingly short in pharmaceuticals.

Our advice is generally you want to be testing your market value and opportunities for promotion constantly, but be sensitive to your industry's norms.

The standard answer that does not raise eyebrows during an interview is along the lines of "I was able to land a position that offered more responsibility, opportunity and career development."

One exercise we go through with candidates is identifying different family friends within your network. What professions do the people around you have? Aunts, uncles, friends of your parents, older alumni from your high school or college, etc. Grab a coffee or a beer with them and really pick their brain.

You'd be surprised by how much people love to give advice and guidance for someone interested in their field. Don't be too shy to reach out!

Great question! We've worked with over a dozen career counselors here in the Bay Area and maintain a large network of recruiters -- the direction the hiring industry is moving towards is placing more emphasis on customizing covering emails -- cover letters are seen as a prerequisite and are often unread.

Nevertheless, it's good to include one as it passes a minimum bar -- we recommend 2-3 paragraphs and a density of roughly 75% of one full page. Mirror the header that you use in your resume.

We work with many clients who are returning to the workforce or have gaps in their work experience. It is important to mention the reasoning for any of these in BOTH the cover letter and any warm introductory emails you send during your job search.

If the gap is less than 6 months, it is fairly normal and most hiring managers will not mention it in an interview. Given there are non-competes, garden leaves, and other common reasons for a gap, you'll only really need to go in depth if you are not working for over a year.

While it varies, typically a good rule to follow is stick to one page for less than 10 years of experience. 10+ years of experience can justify two page resumes. If you only have 3 years, keep it to one page.