Welcome to Career Guide
Career Service Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
You may also listen to this article by using the following controls.
Change Careers With a Solid Foundation
from: John GrothCareer Change tips to the job of your dreams.
Are you thinking of changing careers? Do you skills in one professional area complement the skill requirements in another more desirable area? If so you may have the starting foundation toward building another career.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average worker will change careers an average of five times in their lifetime. But after years of professional experience and skills developed in one area, how do you package your skills to impress an employer in another career? Your resume is an extension and reflection of you and should illustrate everything you can offer an employer.
Here are some ideas to assist you in thinking through the problem and then reworking your resume to highlight your skills and qualifications:
1. Prepare for change: What sort of preparation have you done to qualify for the career you want? It can range from self-study, additional formal education, volunteer work, part-time work and everything in between. Your new employer could care less of what you want to do-rather they want to know if you have the skill sets to do what they need you to do.
2. Focus on the required skills: Many professionals get hung up on their job titles instead of focusing on the skills they’ve learned and acquired on their jobs. Many job skills are easily transferable across industries and careers.
Think more about the skills you've used to manage successful projects, develop successful campaigns, supervise staff or develop and manage a budget.
3. Don’t neglect research in your desired field: If you are not fully committed to a career transition, hiring managers many times can detect when an applicant is simply trying to escape a problem in their current job or career. The more you research the new career, and this includes interviewing those currently working in the career, the more focused you can make your resume. Further, this depth of knowledge will clearly come through in the interview.
Once you’ve identified you natural talents and abilities, combined with your research, the ideal career should be clearly revealed.
4. Don’t forget your unpaid career related experience: Volunteer work, particularly activity connected to your planned career field, will count as valuable experience. This related activity should be part of your preparation in making the change in careers. It’s also a valuable source of networking contacts.
5. Look for valuable assistance: Nothing will help more in identifying you strengths and interests than by teaming up with a career counselor or career coach. They can tell you which skills you should learn and which you should highlight on your resume. They can point out which careers match your current and projected skills.
6. Be truthful with yourself and what you are presenting: There is the story making the recruiting rounds about the applicant for a pilot’s position and their listed qualifications being that they lived at the end of the runway at a busy airport and watched a “lot” of planes land and takeoff. This may be accurate but it doesn’t pass the basic qualification test.
Present accurate information in your resume, don’t stretch the truth and be realistic about your career goals.
By combining your research into the new career field, carefully developing a plan to acquire the necessary skills and qualifications (at least for the entry level position) you’ll be well on your way to successfully change careers.
Career Service News
Anthem Career College to Host Alumni Meeting Feb. 14 - PR Web (press release)
Anthem Career College to Host Alumni Meeting Feb. 14 PR Web (press release) We welcome our graduates' employers to join the Alumni Association and use our Career Services to identify qualified employees." Anthem Career College in Memphis will be holding its first-ever Alumni Association meeting next Tuesday, February 14, ... |
Students gain career information from 'Life After Lehigh' lecture - Lehighvalleylive.com (blog)
Students gain career information from 'Life After Lehigh' lecture Lehighvalleylive.com (blog) By BROWN AND WHITE STAFF Representatives from several departments, including Career Services and the Office of Fellowship Advising, spoke about a few of the helpful resources available to students to prepare them for graduation on Tuesday, Feb. |
PF government to create Career Service Diplomats as opposed to using political ... - Lusaka Times
 Lusaka Times | PF government to create Career Service Diplomats as opposed to using political ... Lusaka Times Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister, Given Lubinda has said the PF government is working towards creating career service diplomats as opposed to political cadres serving as envoys. He said Government has already started doing this adding that the ... |
BREAKING: Police Nab 'Office Creeper' Burglar - Patch.com
BREAKING: Police Nab 'Office Creeper' Burglar Patch.com By Kyle Bagenstose Gerald Broadwater, 62, is know as "the office creeper." He is suspected in burglaries across several states. Courtesy UDPD. Gerald Broadwater, the 'career criminal' who burglarized the Fort Washington Office Park last month and was ... |