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Is a Career Change on Your Horizon?
Making a career change is nothing new in today's job market. I've heard it said that the average American changescareers at least once in his or her life. Long gone arethe days of working for the same company from the timeyou graduate high school or college until that magicalretirement day. You sure won't find that kind of loyalty from companies to their workers these days, and it's rare to find that kindof loyalty from the average worker as well. What withcompanies merging, downsizing, and moving their operationsoffshore, you'd be wise to plan for a career change somewhere along the line in your life. Of course, losing one job doesn't automatically mean thatyou can never find another job in the same industry orcareer path. Hopefully, you will. But what if you can'tfind another job? Or what if you don't really want to? Maybe you're bored with what you've been doing, or you'vegone as far as you can in that career and you're ready fornew challenges. Is it really possible to switch to a new career midstreamin your working life? The answer is a resounding yes! But you have to know how to go about it. It takes a bit of planning, thorough self-assessment, and perhaps additional training. When I tired of the grind in health administration as anurse, I spent about 2 years trying to figure out what elseI could do. Luckily, I was able to parlay a love and talentfor writing into a new career as a health writer. I did have to prove my ability to write--even though much of myjob responsibility in my previous healthcare administrationjob did involve writing. I was fortunate enough to be able to use networking and some lucky breaks to get into thecareer I wanted with a minimum of effort. My partner, Jim, has been a systems engineer for more than20 years, but graduated with a bachelors degree in math originally. When he began to search for a career changealternative, his path was not quite as clear as mine hadbeen. Finally, though, after spending quite a bit of timeon self-assessment, he honed in on his love for trainingand teaching. But you can't just move into the field ofteaching with no experience or education. Fortunately, theshortage of qualified teachers--especially in certain highneeds areas--has led to the development of a number of "alternative path" programs for teaching. Jim has enrolledin just such an online program out of Montana State University and will be launching his new career later thisyear as a high school math teacher! So, the question is... once you've figured out what you want to do in your new career and you've gotten the training you need, how do you sell yourself to a newemployer? The first thing you want to consider is the format for yourresume. The traditional chronological resume format is notyour best choice for a career change. Instead, you want touse either a functional--or even better, combination--format. You can read more about the different types of resume formats here:http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/formats Second, you need to take a look at your transferable skills. That is, what current or past experience or skillsdo you possess (either from past jobs or in your personallife) that you could use in your new career? For example, one of my readers recently asked how hecould get into interior design without any previous jobexperience or training. I'm not sure you can get intothis field without any training, but if so, then Iadvised him to look at any design experience he's had,perhaps with redecorating his own or a friend's home. Ialso encouraged him to build a portfolio of his work,which can be a very effective way to get an employer's attention. Thirdly, you have to be honest with yourself about whetheryou can really make a career change without adding to yourskills and credentials by getting some training in the newfield. There's a lot to be said for the contacts you can make during such training too, that may help you networkwith people who can provide an entree into the new career. In summary, anyone can make a career change if they reallywant to. But to do so, you'll need to know what related skills and experience you bring to the table. And you'llneed to know how to sell yourself to a prospective employer. Career change is inevitable... you can count onit! But make sure it's on your terms by making a solidcareer change plan. Kathi MacNaughton is a freelance writer and resume expert.For many more practical, how-to articles like this, alongwith career change tips and a free course on acing your jobinterviews, subscribe to Resume Power Tips here:http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/interview
MORE RESOURCES: Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) How to use AI to get a job interview and nail it – along with the salary you deserve | Job hunting The Guardian Working for ICE ice.gov Careers University of Northern Colorado Careers at FEMA FEMA.gov Job Loss Is a Kind of Grief The Atlantic Careers City of Ontario, California (.gov) Careers at Prairie View A&M University PVAMU Home Careers | Home USDA (.gov) Jobs Multnomah County I landed job offers at Meta, Microsoft, and Google, thanks to this LinkedIn hack anyone can use Fortune Improve Your Chances of Landing That Job Interview IEEE Spectrum Careers and Jobs at CRS Catholic Relief Services Careers - MDOT Maryland.gov Work at Fairfield Fairfield University Careers Baxter Careers Johnson & Johnson Store Hourly Job Areas Target Employment Opportunities | Game Commission Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Careers at USCIS USCIS (.gov) Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University Jobs and Training at FDA fda.gov Amazon CEO Andy Jassy shares his top tips for a successful career: ‘Don’t be afraid to fail’ AboutAmazon.com Work at Butler Butler University Job Search Results UnitedHealth Group Careers Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Employment | Department of Corrections Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov) Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Career Opportunities UMHB EPA employees rally in Denver against President Trump’s job and funding cuts - Colorado Public Radio EPA employees rally in Denver against President Trump’s job and funding cuts Colorado Public Radio Finding Your New Career at the City of Phoenix City of Phoenix (.gov) Careers at Willamette Willamette University Jobs Report NFIB IOM career gateways International Organization for Migration Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care Careers Washington State University Careers BASF Jobs at Liberty University Liberty University Student internships at J&J Johnson & Johnson Careers Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Jobs And Careers | VA Montana Health Care | Veterans Affairs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet? Financial Times Careers | Human Resources Seattle University Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them The World Economic Forum Work for the City of St. Louis City of St. Louis, MO (.gov) Ready for your next great job? ADP Careers Careers WV Department of Education Our Hiring Process Target Careers The Ocean Cleanup Job Seekers Illinois Human Resources Careers CrowdStrike UF Health Careers UF Health Careers DOGE Terminated Me After I Moved Away From My Family for a VA Job Business Insider Careers at Union Union College KPMG Careers KPMG Jobs for Veterans and transitioning military VA Careers (.gov) As Layoffs Continue, Federal Workers Face Sluggish Job Market The New York Times Careers Euromonitor Interview Guide and Tips Target Job Opportunities Bellevue School District Current opportunities Turner & Townsend Recorded Video Interviews Target Careers ISS National Lab RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO POLICY-INFLUENCING POSITIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE The White House (.gov) Job application FAQs Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services Work at UI Health Care | University of Iowa Health Care University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center 3. Skills outlook - The Future of Jobs Report 2025 The World Economic Forum Surging job market could prove costly for households, businesses as odds of quick rate cuts fade AP News WORK AT LVMH LVMH Careers at Jacobs Jacobs Internship Opportunities | BCG Boston Consulting Group Work with us JPMorganChase |
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