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You
finally did it. You made the decision to leave a career that
makes you dread every Monday morning and pursue one that you
feel is your true calling. Congratulations! Making the decision
was the hard part, right? Unfortunately, no. You’ve convinced
yourself that this is the right move…how do you convince
everyone else? It’s time to work on your resume.
Resume writing for
this situation can be challenging, to say the least. Why? Think
about it for a moment – how do you go from a retail manager to a
purchasing agent in a corporate environment? Or from an
accountant to a salesperson? Not all career changes are that
drastic, but you get the picture. Once you look at it from this
point of view though, it makes you wonder how in the world
you’ll get a job in a new field.
There are a number of
things your resume has to portray to the reader:
• The skills that you learned and honed in your past jobs
transfer to the one for which you are applying.
• Your strengths and accomplishments compliment the field and
position (or type) of position you want.
• You can do something other than what you are currently doing.
So how exactly do you
do this? How do you convince a potential employer that you have
what it takes to meet and exceed the expectations for the job –
no matter what previous jobs you’ve held in the past? One way is
by writing a functional resume.
A functional resume
is one that you don’t see nearly as often as the tradition
chronological and combination ones. That’s because they are used
when the situation for the job seeker is not ideal. Other
instances may be returning to the workforce after a long period
of time or job hopping. A functional resume is used when it
wouldn’t be as effective as if you had a solid work history, no
gaps in employment and are looking for a job similar to the one
you are currently in, if not a step-up.
Your resume may start
out with an executive profile or summary of what you have done
in the past and what you are looking to do in the future. This
is the time to really “talk yourself up”. You do not want to
modest.
An example might be:
Accomplished and experienced professional with a 10-year
proven record of developing accurate sales plans based on
intensive analysis and communication with integral departments.
Combines astute strategic and business skills with an impeccable
work ethic and drive for success. Self-starter that is
enthusiastic, forward-thinking and recognized as a peak
performer.
How do you begin to
write the body of your resume? Take all your achievements,
strengths, education and/or training and write them down. Which
ones can you group together under one heading? Headings could
include:
• Leadership
• Financial Management
• Account Management
• Goal Setting & Achievement
Of course, these
headings are just examples to get your own wheels turning. They
will differ depending on your own experience and achievements.
As you are compiling
your lists, keep in mind that you are writing for you new
career, not your present or past ones. Present this valuable
information in a compelling manner that shows how you can be a
benefit to a company in your desired career. Use strong
adjectives, verbs and keywords to really get your point across.
Now that you have the
difficult part done, the next steps are easy. Include your work
history, education and any other special training and/or skills
that you deem important at the end of your resume. Even though
the focus is on the main body of your resume, the other
information needs to be on there for reference sake.
And that’s it! You’re done writing your resume. Hard work – yes,
but well worth it when you consider what you are now able to
tackle – a new job, a new career…a new life.
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