Changing Careers? In this Economy, You'd Better Be Prepared.

Changing Careers?

Is it time to change careers? If so, the ideas below offer some excellent advice for revamping your resume to outline the new direction your career will be taking, even in a tough economic situation.

As you know, your resume has to be the best it can be. When changing careers, your skills and achievements may perfectly fit into your new position. But even if they don't, how can you make your resume appeal to an employer in your new field of employment? You have to present yourself on paper in a different way that you have in the past. Your resume has to be carefully tailored to the new employer's needs and goals. And, with the economy the way it is, you'll be facing stiffer competition.

First, choose a resumeformat that best highlights your skills, accomplishments and talents. Most likely, this will either be a functional format or a combination format. The reason that these two resume formats are better for career-changers, is that they place more of an emphasis on the work done rather than on the employers, education and dates the work was done.

It does make a difference in how you are viewed. In either format, be sure to list your skills and accomplishments 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. While important on some level, who you worked for may detract from what you did while you were an employee there. Why?

Look at this example. Perhaps you worked for Destin Marketing as a graphics designer and now you want to re-focus your career in a new direction. Now, you want to be an artist for Christmas cards. While the two involve artistic abilities, many of the tasks and responsibilities will be different. Placing those skills and talents where the prospective employer can see them first, is critical, especially when you remember that there are a lot of other job candidates vying for the same position.

When considering the skills you should put in your resume, remember that there are a myriad of transferable skills that employers seek regardless of where you work.
They transfer from position to position.
Consider this list and how each one might apply to you:

• communication skills (written and oral)


• negotiation skills


• team player


• leadership abilities


• motivating others


• solving problems

Of course there are many other possibilities, but you should be able to understand the concept by those presented here.

If you have won awards, received honors, had material published or anything along these lines, list them on your resume, but only if they relate to your new career path. Telling a prospective employer that you were real estate agent of the month in your office would be fine if you were going into a related career or a sales position in a new field, but if you are going changing careers to a school teacher position, no one is really going to care about a sales award.

Changing careers is not for everyone. It does require patience, creativity and more work than it would take finding a position in an identical field. It can be done, though, and should be, if it is the right thing for you, your happiness and your future.

Best wishes!

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To view resume formats, go here: Resume Formats

Carla Vaughan

Changing Careers?

Is it time for you to consider changing careers? If so, the ideas below offer some excellent advice for revamping your resume and focusing it on the direction you plan to take in your new career.

As you know, your resume has to be top-notch. Anything else just doesn't cut it. When changing careers, your skills and achievements may not perfectly fit into your new position. How can you make your resume appeal to a prospective employer in your new field of employment? You have to present yourself in a different way that you have in the past. Your resume has to be carefully tailored to the new employer's needs and goals.

First, choose a resume format that highlights your qualifications and accomplishments. For career changers, this will either be a combination format or a functional format. The reason these two formats are better for career-changers, is that they place more emphasis on the work done rather than on the employers, education and dates of employment.

Even though this seems trivial, it isn't. In either format, list your skills and achievements near the top of the page - and be sure they match the employers needs. Let the hiring manager see what you have to offer instead of what your job title was or where you worked. While the company you worked for is important on some level, who you worked for may detract from what you did while you were an employee there. Why?

For example: Let's say you worked for Southlake Marketing as a graphics designer and now you want to re-focus your career in a new direction. Now, you want to be an art teacher. 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 critical, especially when you remember that your resume gets scanned, not read. You only have a limited amount of time to make a great first impression.

When considering the skills you should put in your resume, remember that there are many transferable skills that employers seek regardless of where you work. Every employer wants someone who takes initiative and is a problem-solver.

They transfer from position to position.
Consider this list and how each one might apply to you:

• communication skills (written and oral)


• team player


• negotiation skills


• leadership abilities


• solving problems


• motivating others

Of course there are many more possibilities, but you should be able to understand the concept by those presented here.

For more information about changing careers, look here: Career Planning

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.

Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com