Switch Career Paths

Posted by koprime on October 6, 2007 6:23 AM PDT

Recommend this? YES NO

My resume reads like someone who is good at sales. I may be, but I do not enjoy them. I've been looking for jobs that match my background, and I realized just last week (after I was rejected from a job for which I'd been waiting all summer) that I'm going to head down the very same path I've been on. So I changed the search requirements while looking for jobs and realized that I'd really like to do some writing and editing. So, now that I've decided that this is what I want to do (and for once, I really feel good about this), I'm ready for someone to take a chance on me.

If someone can share their story about making a switch, that would be extremely helpful. I'd also love for someone to look at my resume and "de-sales" it while still making it look like I've contributed.

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4 Comments

hey there.
I have recently switched from a 7yr stint in Higher Education to a Internet Start Up. Much like you, my resume was great for what I did, but inside I knew I was so over this life.
When I made the switch, the first day, I knew it was the right decision. It was much harder then I had anticipated, I took a pay-cut and a position-cut, however, I learned more then I ever could have imagined.
Having made the switch enables me to see my strengths and weaknesses much more clearly. It also allows me to identify what I do and don't like in a career. I mean, if you switch careers and the same thing still bugs you, most likely, its not the career..
If you feel passionately, I say go for it. I do not regret making the leap. One word of advice would be to think about not only all of the great opportunities you will have but also some of the struggles you may encounter, that will help give you a realistic perspective about what you are getting yourself into. I say that not to promote fear, but rather to have you enter prepared.

good luck.
oh, and try posting.. "Want to Revise my resume" as a goal, maybe you'll get some takers!

Posted by beth on October 7, 2007 2:48 PM PDT

Congratulations on recognizing you were ready for a career shift! Not only are you on the right track identifying your requirements - but you are also ahead of the game because you understand that your resume needs to change too.

Some simple ways to script your resume are:

1- Take a look at job site descriptions CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com can provide a good baseline.

2- Select a few companies, agencies, firms, etc that you might like to work for and look at their job listings on their websites.

3- Take a look at press release or news from these businesses - you can learn a lot of useful information about the industry, players, and trends. This will be useful for your resume revision and also for your interviewing technique!

As you do this you are not so much looking for a job (although you may just stumble on one) - you are really looking for how they describe their company, their employees, their mission.

Taking a look at some trade publications could also help you with this effort.

Don't throw away your sales success - you just want to rephrase your experience in terms that reflect the new industry. Be aware of sales/industry jargon, acronyms and other phrasing that will be meaningless outside of your current industry.

Magazines and newspapers are also in the sales business - A great story or a perfect headline that resonates with an audience is part of that sales pitch!

I would also suggest that your cover letter or email introduction can be guide the reader how to evaluate your resume. So if you have an understanding of the industry, experience or a talent that is not apparent in a traditional work environment that demonstrates you aptitude for a given job - you can present it more easily in your here.

Good luck and keep us posted!