Is A Career Change On Your Horizon?
|
Making a career change is nothing new in today's job market.
I've heard it said that the average American changescareers at least once in his or her life. Long gone arethe days of working for the same company from the timeyou graduate high school or college until that magicalretirement day.
You sure won't find that kind of loyalty from companies to their workers these days, and it's rare to find that kindof loyalty from the average worker as well. What withcompanies merging, downsizing, and moving their operationsoffshore, you'd be wise to plan for a career change somewhere along the line in your life.
Of course, losing one job doesn't automatically mean thatyou can never find another job in the same industry orcareer path. Hopefully, you will. But what if you can'tfind another job? Or what if you don't really want to? Maybe you're bored with what you've been doing, or you'vegone as far as you can in that career and you're ready fornew challenges.
Is it really possible to switch to a new career midstreamin your working life?
The answer is a resounding yes! But you have to know how to go about it. It takes a bit of planning, thorough self-assessment, and perhaps additional training.
When I tired of the grind in health administration as anurse, I spent about 2 years trying to figure out what elseI could do. Luckily, I was able to parlay a love and talentfor writing into a new career as a health writer. I did have to prove my ability to write--even though much of myjob responsibility in my previous healthcare administrationjob did involve writing. I was fortunate enough to be able to use networking and some lucky breaks to get into thecareer I wanted with a minimum of effort.
My partner, Jim, has been a systems engineer for more than20 years, but graduated with a bachelors degree in math originally. When he began to search for a career changealternative, his path was not quite as clear as mine hadbeen. Finally, though, after spending quite a bit of timeon self-assessment, he honed in on his love for trainingand teaching. But you can't just move into the field ofteaching with no experience or education. Fortunately, theshortage of qualified teachers--especially in certain highneeds areas--has led to the development of a number of "alternative path" programs for teaching. Jim has enrolledin just such an online program out of Montana State University and will be launching his new career later thisyear as a high school math teacher!
So, the question is... once you've figured out what you want to do in your new career and you've gotten the training you need, how do you sell yourself to a newemployer?
The first thing you want to consider is the format for yourresume. The traditional chronological resume format is notyour best choice for a career change. Instead, you want touse either a functional--or even better, combination--format. You can read more about the different types of resume formats here:http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/formats
Second, you need to take a look at your transferable skills. That is, what current or past experience or skillsdo you possess (either from past jobs or in your personallife) that you could use in your new career?
For example, one of my readers recently asked how hecould get into interior design without any previous jobexperience or training. I'm not sure you can get intothis field without any training, but if so, then Iadvised him to look at any design experience he's had,perhaps with redecorating his own or a friend's home. Ialso encouraged him to build a portfolio of his work,which can be a very effective way to get an employer's attention.
Thirdly, you have to be honest with yourself about whetheryou can really make a career change without adding to yourskills and credentials by getting some training in the newfield. There's a lot to be said for the contacts you can make during such training too, that may help you networkwith people who can provide an entree into the new career.
In summary, anyone can make a career change if they reallywant to. But to do so, you'll need to know what related skills and experience you bring to the table. And you'llneed to know how to sell yourself to a prospective employer. Career change is inevitable... you can count onit! But make sure it's on your terms by making a solidcareer change plan.
Kathi MacNaughton is a freelance writer and resume expert.For many more practical, how-to articles like this, alongwith career change tips and a free course on acing your jobinterviews, subscribe to Resume Power Tips here:http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/interview
|
|
|
Make Your Résumé Sizzle With Success Stories
In today's competitive job market you can't afford a résumé that fizzles. Power up your résumé with solid success stories. Include si...(related: Employment)
Are You A Nice Person? What Companies Are Looking For In Recruiting And Retaining Great People
Hal Rosenbluth, author of The Customer Comes Second, states; "In our selection process, kindness, caring, compassion, and unselfishness carry more weight than years on the job, an impressive salary history, and stacks of degrees."Does your company hire these types? Are you one of them? Take the following quiz to see if you are:Agree Disagree1. While driving, I signal my intentions ___ ___2. I slow down to allow traffic in from on-ramps and other lanes ___ ___3. I place my shopping cart to the side of the aisl...(related: Employment)
The 5 Essential Telecommute Résumé Components
1. An attractive layout that is easy to read and follow.Recruiters and hiring managers are busy people. They are often reading hundreds of résumés in a day so they don't have time to clean up your résumés formatting.If a hiring manager opens your e-mail attachment and the lines are out of alignment (usually from using the "tab" key) or if the font is too large/too small, they will likely hit delete and move on.Instead of using...(related: Employment)
Six Of The Best For A Winning Resume
1. Be CompleteMake sure that your resume includes EVERYTHING your prospective employer would need to know to be able to offer you an interview.It is NOT unheard of for your carefully-crafted cover letter to be separated from your CV - if your contact details were only on your cover letter, how will they get in touch to arrange the interview?Therefore, make sure that your CV includes AT LEAST the following information:---> Full contact details---> The position you are applying for or are interested in---> Employment history---> Personal and professional achievements---> Academic and professional qualifications
10 Tips For Writing A Professional Résumé
1. Start with an attractive layout. Use bold and italics to highlight key points.I do not recommend downloadable templates because they are very generic and dull. Get creative but not crazy. You can use a little touch of color if you are modest.2. Justify the text instead of using left align.Most people are accustomed to reading justified tex...(related: Employment)
How To Evaluate Job Offers And Zoom In On The Right Opportunity For You
You've been successful in your job hunt and have received a job offer. Maybe you received more than one offer. That's great. The next question is, how do you evaluate an offer to see if it is the right one for you? Let's look at some real answers.The first step is to identify your priorities. Many people make the mistake of evaluating just the offer. They loo...(related: Employment)
Do I Have To Provide A Salary History?
Often you see job postings with a request such as "Send resume with salary history to?" I don't know about you but the first thing that pops into my mind is what do they expect to pay? The next questi...(related: Employment)
Ten Healthcare Fields That Cant Wait To Hire You
Healthcare is one of the hottest career fields in America today. The aging and retiring of the largest population segment in the country, known as "baby boomers", has left the healthcare industry racing to find enough employees to fill the void. Advances in medical technology and treatment are causing people to live longer as well. Add the fact many universities and colleges don't have enough teachers to train new employees; there becomes a ripe market for healthcare careers.You would be amazed how many types of healthcare careers there are available. This article will discuss three main categories; patient care, non-patient care and operations. We'll also discuss an amazing new trend with tremendous opportunity ? home health.Three main healthcare jobs in the category of patient care are nursing, medic...(related: Employment)
5 Key Factors To Consider When Selecting An Outplacement Firm
With today's economy, more and more companies are finding themselves faced with the situation of having to reduce headcount to remain competitive. Here are five key factors to consider when selecting an outplacement firm if your company is ever faced with a workforce reduction.
1. Types of Services Provided. One decision you will need to make regarding outplacement is whether your displaced workers would benefit most from group or individual one-on-one outplacement. For the majority of outplaced employees, if your budget permits, individual outplacement is the preferred option since it provides one-on-one support that will help them move forward more quickly than they would on their own.
...(related: Employment)
When And How To Say I Just Cant Do It!
We naturally hesitate to tell our boss when we can't do something or are feeling overwhelmed in our job. Bosses don't want to hear that, right? Well, it depends.
In many situations, your boss is so busy that he/she doesn't keep track of how much work you're doing. When your boss gives you a new project, he's not thinking about all the other projects you're already working on.
And here's the kicker -- unless you speak up and tell your boss that you can't handle the workload he's giving you, he'll assume everything is fine.
This can have bad consequences for you AND your boss. You know what will happen. Eventually things will start falling through the cracks or you'll rush through tasks and start making mistakes.
You can only do so much in a day, and deadlines will be missed. While yo...(related: Employment)
How To Find Your Dream Job
Here's the bottom line: many people work in jobs that aren't what they want or are less than they deserve.It's partly the pull of inertia (better the devil you know...)and partly lack of confidence,...(related: Employment)
Networking Masterclass - Part 1 - Practicing Empathy
Practicing Empathy
A vital part of your networking skills is your ability to build rapport quickly and effectively with others. To build rapport successfully with another individual you need to understand 'where' they are coming from and have 'empathy' with them.
People often think of empathy as a mystical commodity, a special, almost uncanny ability to experience the thoughts and feelings of someone else. In fact 'empathy' is quite simply applied imagination and only requires a little exertion and discipline.
The next time you are sitting in a room conversing with three or more people, try this...(related: Employment)
How Can Qualifications Help Your Proof Reading Career?
For those who are looking for a career as a proofreader, it is important to have the right qualifications. It is important to remember that this is a proper job. It is not just an easy way to make some money from home. For those who are serious, it will req...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment