Carol, a workamper for several years, recently accepted a management position at an RV park with her husband. This put her in the position of having to hire Workampers. She requested resumés. Was she surprised! Are you making any of these mistakes?

Your resumé is often the first contact an employer has with you. Like any first impression it is hard to change. Your resumé may be giving employers the wrong impression. These are a few of the things Carol found:

When a Workamper couple showed up for work at the Port of Cascade Locks, Oregon, they found that their 13-foot high RV wouldn't fit under the 12-foot bridge crossing the road to the job site. The would-be-employer kindly assisted in finding another Workamping situation for the couple and their too-tall RV, by helping them secure a position (without the clearance problem), with a U.S. Forest Service site nearby. Now, the Port of Cascade Locks "help wanted" ad reads, " Workamper needed. Must have RV (under 12' high).

The most effective job-seekers use follow-up as a tool to get the job they want. They use several contacts over time to find out about a job and to establish a relationship with the employer. They keep in contact without becoming a pest.

Tips on following up

First, I recommend following up by telephone if possible rather than by e-mail or letter. The telephone is more personal plus you can get a feel for the employer and often get more information.

While your experiences are still fresh in your mind, take time to look at what happened. Use this to your advantage for future positions.

Review: Look back on the season. Posting about your experience in the members-only "Workamper Experiences" forum can help you identify the good and bad in your recent experience.

1. Are there new tasks you did, skills you acquired, or responsibilities you took on? Add these to your resumé.

Before you send off your cover letter and résumé, take a minute to make sure you are making the best impression.

Your résumé and cover letter are usually your first impression. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression so make it a good one. These checklists will help you make sure your résumé and cover letter are doing the job.

Résumé

Pat and Sylvia were staying at a fairgrounds in Washington. They noticed that people were using the facilities but not paying. They approached management about being campground hosts. They received a full hookup site in exchange for taking care of the campground.

Robert and Judy posted their resume in Awesome Applicants for the first time this season. One week later they had a job.

Awesome Applicants is a very effective tool for getting job offers for some Workampers. Robert and Judy used it for the first time and quickly found a job. They agreed to allow their resume to be posted here.

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