Career Makeovers

Like most women I love getting an occasional makeover; a new do, maybe a different look. Getting one reminds me of making a fresh start. The same can be done with your career but not without some planning. First, lets look at that tired old resume. 

1. Remember that a resume is essentially a marketing document, not a laundry list of your working life. Don't tell your career history in this document. Do your homework researching the organizations to which you're applying. Feature in the resume what you can do for them in the future, rather than what you've done in the past. Think in terms of selling yourself, what can you do for them. Every employer essentially has only one question he must answer in hiring you. "Can this individual add profit to my business."
   
2. It's up to you to show potential employers how your experience in another field will benefit them -- don't expect them to bridge that gap on their own. The average person spends seven seconds scanning a resume before she decides whether to put it in the maybe pile or the trash. Don't ask him to spend any of that precious time trying to figure out where you'd fit in the organization. That's totally up to you! Because you've done your research -- there's that R word again -- you'll have some idea of where the organization is going and what skills and competencies they're going to need. Pitch yourself as expert in those areas and don't worry about downplaying or leaving out the rest.
   
3. You're probably better off with a functional resume.
   A functional resume offers you the best opportunity to showcase skills rather than job experience -- it's a forward-looking kind of resume. The highlights or profile section at the top functions as a sort of editorial page where you can show the relationship between the kind of person you are and the demands of the job. It also offers a chance to show that your style will fit with the culture of the organization. Several articles are available on this site and online in creating a great resume.
   
4. The best strategy is to make the resume an afterthought. Our traditions about the job search is one of the most misunderstood. One of the strangest miscalculations afoot in the land is a bias against career changers. Tom Peters has said repeatedly that employers should never hire anybody who hasn't changed fields or had gaps in his resume, but that message about creativity, a fresh vantage point and risk taking doesn't seem to have infiltrated the bunker of most human resource departments. Therefore, the best thing to do about your resume is to network like mad, talk your way into an organization through the side door, or take them by surprise with a referral to talk to somebody important about working there when there are no jobs posted. In that way, you won't be competing with a stack of people who have more credentials than you do in the new field. The resume? Oh, you'll just pass that on to HR as a matter of course, after the deal has been signed.

Changing fields may be one of the best things you can do for your career and for your mental health.