You need to do some detective work on the new job or career. Find one or more people currently in the proposed new career position and contact them and see if you can come in for a short fact finding interview. If an interview is not possible find the best time to talk to them on the phone for a few minutes. Have your questions prepared. You need to know the three or so critical skills of the new career that would make you a good candidate. What skills or what lack of experience would absolutely not qualify you for the new career?
For example, if the new career required you to work in a team orientated environment and you've never worked in that type of environment, would you be disqualified? Not necessarily. Upon reflection in your present position, for example, although working alone there was a great deal of coordination required with others and with other departments to get your work done. In truth you were working in a quasi-team and doing very well.
Your resume will now be written to reflect your skills at working with others. Point out results achieved by your abilities to work with and through others.
In another example, a long time flight attendant was growing weary of the travel and other headaches and decided to move to another career. She had previously had her kitchen remodeled and was appalled at the real lack of customer service in the whole process. After some thought and interviewing the principals of several small and larger companies that performed this type of remodeling service she began drafting her resume. It focused on her considerable customer service skills, her analytical abilities, her first hand experience in remodeling her home, and her sales skills. In a relatively short period of time she landed a job in the trades' office of a larger construction firm that specialized in remodeling projects. Within a short time she was doing estimates and some designing. She now views her new career as having a future that is almost unlimited.
In yet another example, the applicant used his success at fund raising for his son's high school band
to leverage his way into another career. His former position as a parts manger for an automobile dealership had little room for growth. After he reworked his resume he uncovered a growing position as an area technical manager for a large manufacturer. The key to the new career was his showcasing of his fund raising experience, along with his technical background made him a desirable candidate for the new career.
The key in both examples was to break down the current position into smaller parts. And then take those parts and build a resume that directly addressed the needs of the new career. Of course, if the new career requires additional education, it can be secured through self-study, the internet or local educational institutions while you continue in your present position.
Once you find the relevant skills needed in the new career you'll be surprised how many of them you perform on a daily or weekly basis. The secret is to write the resume to highlight the required skills. For if you successfully perform a particular task infrequently what's to say that you can't be successful doing it closer to full time. With this approach, you'll be closer to your ideal planned career.
John Groth
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