Have You Gone Through A Career Change?

I have been through this personally in fact back in 2007 when I relocated to Los Angeles from Cleveland, and had my company back then, Johnson Controls, pay for my relocation. I knew I wanted to move west, so I started looking for work in the LA area 6 months prior to the move. I would send out resumes as normal utilizing any and all avenues, as well as reaching out to recruiters in that region for assistance. Recruiters are a wonderful resource and will work for free for the candidate! Once I received interviews, I was able to explain to them my situation and that I was able to travel for in-person interviews on my own dime. I ended up getting an offer from both BP in Long Beach and Johnson Controls in Whittier, which I was then able to leverage for negotiating a higher salary and a relocation package. The key is to start early and make it a job to find a job. Don’t give up either, determination is key when you’re already a little behind the ball since you are physically not near your targeted area.

My second transition came in 2009 after the mortgage meltdown forced me and my wife out of our jobs in LA, so we headed back east. There, I founded my startup resume writing/career coaching business, and have grown it ever since.

During a transition, I find that Indeed and LinkedIn are the two best platforms online these days. I would setup job alerts on Indeed so once a role is posted that you’re targeting, you will receive an email and ability to apply sooner than other candidates. It’s key to get in as early as possible before you fall to the bottom of the pile of resumes.

Networking online and utilizing free resources like local career coaches, recruiters and government-sponsored career resource centers. Get your name out there in your targeted area, because you never know who might pass your information along to someone hiring.

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.