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Transfer
Your Skills for a Change of Career
by Rita Fisher |
Remember, your work history is the SUM
of your paid AND unpaid work experiences. So, don’t be intimidated because you
don’t have paid work experience in this new industry. In fact, you might have more
skills and accomplishments for this new job than you think. Let’s see what we can do
to find them.
If you don't have paid experience in this sort of job, do you have volunteer background in
it? I want you to realize this: WHAT MATTERS TO EMPLOYERS IS YOUR WORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS
REGARDLESS WHETHER YOU WERE PAID FOR IT OR NOT.
Think through the times that you have volunteered in the kind of position you are now
looking for. What kind of skills did you use and what kind of skills did you gain and
develop while volunteering? Skills can be industry specific hard skills such as
bookkeeping or soft skills such as organizational abilities. What about your hobbies? Do
they have anything to do (even remotely) with the kind of position you are looking for?
What are you most proud of regarding your hobbies?
After you have some answers to the above questions, write them down in a list format on
one side of a piece of paper. Opposite from this list, try creating another list composed
of how you could transfer the already listed skills into the world of work.
For example, let's take the case of a Mom who has stayed home with her children for a few
years and now would like to return to work.
Moms are greatly experienced doing many things at once, so a Mom could write down:
"mastered multitasking." How would you translate that for a resume? Like this:
"Successfully prioritize and handle dozens of simultaneous responsibilities."
Let's continue with the Mom example.
Did you coach Little-League? You have definitely developed some patience, understanding,
cooperation, teamwork, training, development, motivating and counseling skills.
Did you volunteer at the church? Or at a school fundraiser? The list is endless. Think
back: what kind of help did you provide for others? What skills did that require? What
abilities did you exercise there? What skills did you develop? (Sales, marketing, customer
service, rapport-building, etc.)
Have you been using a computer at home or while volunteering? Make sure to include
"use computer daily" in your resume if you use your computer on a daily basis.
If you use it occasionally, say: "computer literate."
If you have developed Internet research skills or e-mail proficiencies or any other
computer related skills, include those like this: "experienced with Internet
research, Outlook Express and Word."
Have you been writing/editing the church newsletter (or any other document) in your
"spare time?" If you have, definitely include all your computer and software
skills along with your editing, organizational and writing abilities.
Attending industry specific seminars can make or break your candidacy for the job you are
seeking. If the interviewer sees that even though you don't have actual work experience in
the field you are interested in, BUT you have taken training courses, attended seminars or
classes, you will have a greater chance of getting the job. Therefore it is very important
to list all workshops or seminars that have relevance to the job you are seeking.
Rita Fisher, a nationally published and
recognized professional resume writer, is the owner of Career Change Resumes, an online
resume writing service. Rita specializes in writing carefully crafted, powerfully written
resumes for individuals changing careers or re-entering the workforce. Visit Career Change
Resumes at http://www.CareerChangeResumes.com. |
