Are you a jobseeker that maybe decided to shift gears, and try out a new thing? That’s wonderful! I’m a firm believer, vouching with actual experience myself, that during transitions, people can earn the opportunity to re-create themselves. That’s a great start. Now, let’s say you figured out what you want to do? Even better! Discovered an old passion you can turn into a successful career, maybe forced out of your role and you’re quite frankly glad to be done with that type of work, or maybe you want new hours, new days, better schedules, more money, a better life. Wow, now we’re cooking!
But wait, how do we communicate this passion and a set of skills fresh for transferring into the new gig? And especially on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Are you a police officer wanting to teach? Maybe a teacher wanting to train teams at a big corporation? Just how will you communicate your accomplishments, better yet your value to the new company? How will you convince the hiring managers to give you a shot a the interview and furthermore, the job?
What to Do First?
First and foremost, internalize your last role. What did you learn? What did you do? What soft skills did your gain? What hard skills or technical abilities did you acquire? What metrics (reports, numbers, KPI’s) did you receive that you could leverage as data for your job hunting portfolio? Figure out the cog in the giant wheel you played at your last role. We need this as meat and potatoes for your core competencies, key contributions and experience sections.
Next, research the new industry. Using general company searches or Google News to help identify what’s happening in the space, and allow an understanding in the key players in the industry you want to work for, and actually tenure with for a long time. Also, be logical…search openings at companies you got a shot at and that has vacancy to build your research. Upload your resume to each of the company’s career portal, and network on LinkedIn for leveraging backdoor opportunities to the hiring manager or department recruiter. I will be posting a video tomorrow that discusses some of these backdoor job hunting strategies.
Then figure out what buzzwords are out their in these industries, and more specifically your targeted role, by using LinkedIn endorsements on profiles of people in the industry in roles that relate to what you want to do, or utilizing job descriptions directly posted by those companies. These buzzwords can be utilized for your resume if any relate to your background.
Final Thoughts for Updating Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile
Remember, a good rule of thumb for any job hunter seeking a new role in a new industry needing to update a resume or LinkedIn profile is to identify your transferable skills and portray those first on your LinkedIn profile and resume. Have a solid summary up front mentioning your ability to transfer seamlessly into the new role based off your previous experience and education. Make sure to incorporate key buzzwords/skills that you offer and that the new role will mandate. Utilize some accomplishments after your skills and summary sections (maybe around 4-7 sentences) including any courses you’ve taken that transfer over to the new role. For instance, a teacher trying to transfer into corporate/marketing may be able to discuss training, performance reviews, and documentation handling. Maybe some sentences communicating his or her ability to handle branding and advertising from some tasks he or she completed in school. Try to keep it relevant though without too much fluff, hiring manager and recruiters are sharp and can see through a lot of the fluff. If I am reading a resume, I am concerned about the candidate’s credentials, qualifications and work history. Some advice? Stick with it. Don’t give up. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. You will most likely have to go months before gaining some traction and momentum in your job search. Don’t let a new role deter you from finding your dream job.
Also, if you cannot get a resume together quickly enough, you can always update your LinkedIn profile and use this trick for an instant, 5-second resume! Timely for late requests from the decision-makers.
Stay safe and healthy, and be well friends!
Thank you for reading! Please visit www.jobstickers.com to keep up with all of MJW Careers’ content, and visit www.mjwcareers.com or email warz65@gmail.com (or call 855-YES-EMPLOYEES) to learn more about our resume writing, interview training, career coaching or outplacement services and solutions.
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