Changing Careers: Resumes

When faced with an overwhelming task, you will hear a lot of people talking about the hyper-focusing on “steps.” Baby steps. One step at a time. Step-by-step. One foot in front of the other.

...The point is that if you are focused on one task at a time, you will be less inclined to get overwhelmed...and this makes a lot of sense. Because something as massive as Changing Careers (at pretty much any stage of life) is a “big deal.” And for many people put out of work from COVID, that big deal can become an Everest to climb.

But you CAN do it. Why?

Because skills can cross streams and show up in many different ways on resumes, and so can you. I’ve known theatre people who’ve gotten government jobs with Stage Manager skills that cross the divide quite nicely. I’ve seen Corporate Office Managers slide their organizational skills into Philanthropy Non-Profit work. It’s about analyzing your skills separate from a job description. And then making them more pliable and able to “stick to the surface” of other careers you might not yet have considered.

Where this all starts, naturally, is with your resume.

I heard you groan all the way from here. I get it. Updating that beast is a lot like filing taxes. Numbers, dates, specs, formatting...just breathe. Do yourself a favor and open a clean document. Reference your older version, but build a fresh new take on it using the skills that pop up most in one career focus. These are the words that show up repeatedly in job post after job post in this category. Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you along:

DO

• Keep it short (2 pages max, 1-page ideal).
• Keep the reverse chronological order.
• Keep headings clear and the font sizing easily readable.
• Use bullet points, which scan cleanly and easily for employer review.
• Include your volunteer time, especially if you are lean on job history.

DON’T

• Worry about COVID gaps. Listing your job loss due to the pandemic will not be held against you. We were all here and understand the circumstances were through no fault of your own. In fact, listing things like “partial unemployment due to COVID” or “Furloughed due to COVID” will help explain your gap situation as well.
• Tell your entire employment history in long form. With the number of resumes hitting employer desks right now, the inclination to toss the book away in favor of a short scannable brief is very high.
• Lie. The right job is out there. The first 90 days trial will “out” you if you don’t know what you’re doing and pretend to. It is better to be upfront and say you are looking to change careers and have a wealth of transferable skills to help that happen than to pretend you’ve already been at it for 10 years.

Now that you have this page of tight history geared to that specific job role, open a fresh document page, and begin building another.

Those pliable skills you’ve picked up across the years can service a myriad of job types. Study the job wanted listings and pick out two or three role/career types to focus on.

Build a resume for each of those focuses to bring out the most in your bullet points and skills. Applying for every job with the same resume puts you in a mass pile with a thousand others. Catering your experience and skills to a specific job application with a clear focus will help bring you front and center.

The resume’s job is to get you in the room, so give that page of opportunity every path to success that you can.