Are you considering changing careers?

Changing Careers?

Are you considering changing careers?

There are times when you reach a plateau and need to change your career path if you are to achieve your dreams. For some people, a change is brought about when a family is started.

Regardless of the reasons involved, make sure the change is well-thought out. Taking your work-life in a new direction has its own pros and cons. Be sure you know what all is involved.

If it's truly time to switch career tracks, the ideas below offer some excellent advice for updating your resume to reflect the new direction your career will be taking.

As you know, your resume has to be outstanding. When changing careers, your skills and achievements may not perfectly fit into your new position, so you have to pay especially close attention to the format you use and the words you choose to define yourself.

First, select a resume format that best highlights your skills, accomplishments and abilities. Most likely, this will be a functional format. The reason is that it is far better for career-changers. Why? You have the ability to place more emphasis on the work you have done and the accomplishments you have achieved rather than on the employers, education and dates the work was done.

It does make a difference. Be sure to list your achievements near the top of the page. Let the hiring manager see what you have to offer instead of what your job title was or where you worked. List your skills below that. There are many places where you can see what a Functional Resume Format looks like, including the site listed below.

While important on some level, who you worked for is not of as much value (unless is it a major corporation) for the simple reason that you are changing from that field or industry to another one. What you did while you were an employee there is only valuable if it relates to the new position you are seeking. Why?

Let's say you for Safe Pest Control as a graphics designer for their product labels and now you want to re-focus your career in a new direction. Now, you want to be a graphic artist for a craft magazine. While the two involve artistic abilities, many of the tasks and responsibilities will not be the same.

Placing those skills and aptitudes where the prospective employer can see them first, is vital, especially when you remember that your resume gets scanned, not read. You have to grab the reader's attention right away or you won't grab it at all.

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Where to Learn About Job Openings

Where to Learn About Job Openings
Personal contacts - Eighty percent of available jobs are never advertised, and over half of all employees get their jobs through networking, according to BH Careers International. Therefore, the people you know—friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, teachers, and former coworkers—are some of the most effective resources for your job search. The network of people that you know and the people that they know can lead to information about specific job openings that are not publicly posted. To develop new contacts, join student, community, or professional organizations.


School career planning and placement offices - High school and college placement offices help their students and alumni find jobs. They allow recruiters to use their facilities for interviews or career fairs. Placement offices usually have a list of part-time, temporary, and summer jobs offered on campus. They also may have lists of jobs for regional, nonprofit, and government organizations. In addition to linking you to potential employers, career planning offices usually provide career counseling, career testing, and job search advice. Some have career resource libraries; host workshops on job search strategy, résumé writing, letter writing, and effective interviewing; critique drafts of résumés; conduct mock interviews; and sponsor job fairs.

Employers - Through your library and Internet research, develop a list of potential employers in your desired career field. Employer Web sites often contain lists of job openings. Web sites and business directories can provide you with information on how to apply for a position or whom to contact. Even if no open positions are posted, do not hesitate to contact the employer and the relevant department. Set up an interview with someone working in the same area in which you wish to work. Ask them how they got started, what they like and dislike about the work, what type of qualifications are necessary for the job, and what type of personality succeeds in that position. Even if they don’t have a position available, they may be able to put you in contact with other people who might hire you, and they can keep you in mind if a position opens up. Make sure to send them your résumé and a cover letter. If you are able to obtain an interview, be sure to send a thank-you note. Directly contacting employers is one of the most successful means of job hunting.

Classified ads - The "Help Wanted" ads in newspapers list numerous jobs. You should realize, however, that many other job openings are not listed, and that the classified ads sometimes do not give all of the important information. They may offer little or no description of the job, working conditions, or pay. Some ads do not identify the employer. They may simply give a post office box to which you can mail your résumé, making follow-up inquiries very difficult. Some ads offer out-of-town jobs; others advertise employment agencies rather than actual employment opportunities.

Internet networks and resources - The Internet is an invaluable resource. Use it to find advice on conducting your job search more effectively; to search for a job; to research prospective employers; and to communicate with people who can help you with your job search. No single Web site will contain all the information available on employment or career opportunities, so in addition to the Web sites listed below, use a search engine to find what you need. The different types of sites that may be useful include general career advice sites, job search sites, company Web sites, trade and professional association Web sites, and forums. Internet forums, also called message boards, are online discussion groups where anyone may post and read messages. Use forums specific to your profession or to career-related topics to post questions or messages and to read about other peoples’ job searches or career experiences.

State employment service offices - The State employment service, sometimes called the Job Service, operates in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. Local offices, found nationwide, help job seekers to find jobs and help employers to find qualified workers at no cost to either. To find the office nearest you, look in the State government telephone listings under "Job Service" or "Employment."

Federal Government - Information on obtaining a position with the Federal Government is available from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) through USAJOBS, the Federal Government’s official employment information system. This resource for locating and applying for job opportunities can be accessed through the Internet at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov or through an interactive voice response telephone system at (703) 724-1850 or TDD (978) 461-8404. These numbers are not tollfree, and charges may result.

Private employment agencies and career consultants - These agencies can be helpful, but they may charge you for their services. Most operate on a commission basis, with the fee dependent upon a percentage of the salary paid to a successful applicant. You or the hiring company will pay the fee. Find out the exact cost and who is responsible for paying associated fees before using the service.

Although employment agencies can help you save time and contact employers who otherwise might be difficult to locate, the costs may outweigh the benefits if you are responsible for the fee. Contacting employers directly often will generate the same type of leads that a private employment agency will provide. Consider any guarantees that the agency offers when determining if the service is worth the cost.

Community agencies - Many nonprofit organizations, including religious institutions and vocational rehabilitation agencies, offer counseling, career development, and job placement services, generally targeted to a particular group, such as women, youths, minorities, ex-offenders, or older workers.

This information was obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information, follow this link: BLS

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