Resume Tips for Career Switchers
In a recent article from the New York Times, there was an interesting statistic about the new generation of workers: they have gone through an average of seven jobs in their 20's. Many of these jobs are actually in multiple industries. Given this recent trend, we should consider the question of how to best handle a career change on the resume. The three key tools for aspiring career switchers are to show transferable skills, evidence of personal and professional involvement in the intended field, and beginning with the end in mind.
Transferable Skills: When you are applying for a job in a different industry, employers will want to know what skills you learned from your previous jobs, volunteer experience, or education and how they relate to your new job. These are transferable skills. To identify what transferable skills are important you should look beyond your job title and focus on the tasks and activities you actually completed at work. While your job title may have been ��marketing director,�� you may want to highlight analytical and problem-solving skills, presentation skills, and the use and manipulation of data sets. In fact, you may choose to use the majority of achievement bullets to discuss these transferable skills and only spend one achievement bullet discussing your marketing achievements.
Involvement in Intended Field: The cover letter is a great place to highlight exactly why you have decided to switch careers and what interests you about the specific job and industry. However, the resume should also show evidence of your interest and involvement in the intended field. This can be accomplished through various methods including membership to professional organizations, volunteer work, attendance at conferences and training seminars, and formal training or classroom instruction. It is a mistake to assume that your work experience is your only real experience. Most people have plenty of connections to their intended field and those connections should be articulated in the resume to highlight interest.
Beginning with the End in Mind: Do not make the mistake of taking your current resume from a previous application and tweaking it for the intended job. A career change is difficult to accomplish and requires more effort and thoughtfulness. Start with a blank piece of paper and write down the most important skills necessary for the intended job (you can get these directly from the job posting or by researching the industry on the internet). Then, construct your resume with the end goal in mind: showing that you have all of the skills required. Employ the methods discussed above to write a completely new resume that goes beyond your past -work experience and highlights exactly what the recruiter will find important.
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Igor Khayet is the President and Founder of My Resume Shop (www.myresumeshop.com), offering resume, cover letter, and interview preparation services.�� He is a former Admissions Interviewer for the Yale School of Management and a current member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
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