Tag Archives: career transition

Today’s Resume is Ideal for Mid-Career Reinvention

Because today’s resume is a forward-facing document that positions you for your next job, it has never been easier to reinvent yourself professionally.

I work with many mid-career professionals looking to reinvent themselves. Their industry may be contracting, job outsourced or they may simply want a change. Many want to pull back from the responsibilities and headaches that can accompany upper management roles and, once again, become individual contributors. The prospect of leaving your job behind at 5 pm and enjoying a personal life can be pretty attractive.

Until recently, I do not think many of us actively managed our careers. Sure, most of us were told by our parents that we could be anything we wanted to be, but how many of us followed our dreams? I doubt many people wanted to be stuck in an 8’ by 8’ beige cubicle, eating lunch at their desk under glaring fluorescent lights. Yet, that is where many of us Baby Boomers find ourselves. The time to restore your work/life balance and live a purpose-driven life is NOW!

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Three Steps to a Successful Mid-Career Transition

Let’s talk about your career. I don’t mean your current job that’s so unrewarding that it feels like a prison sentence, or the one that you’ve been told is being eliminated in a few months. No, I mean the career you dream about, the one that you really want, that you know you were meant to have. Let’s talk about THAT career. Mid-Career Transition is Possible

Changing careers can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’ve already devoted a long time to your present career path. I know how it feels – I left a high burn-out job and successfully reinvented myself several years ago. I had heard (and told myself) all of the reasons why career change is impossible and bound to fail. “Competition for good jobs is fierce,” and “I’m too old to change careers now.”

Sound familiar? It doesn’t have to be so scary. Continue reading →

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The Importance of Career Assessments

Guest post by Lynne Bossart independent college advisor and owner of Muse College Consulting LLC

As a child, you probably had any number of answers to the question, “What do you want to be when you Muse College Consulting. grow up?” But, as a teenager and a college-bound student, the answer is not always so clear. You may think you have to decide on your major before you even look at colleges. But did you know that according to the National Center for Education, about 80% of college students change their major at least once during their
college career? And, “undecided” is one of the most popular majors for incoming college freshmen. In fact, there are jobs and careers that haven’t yet been invented but will be by the time you graduate college. So, the real question is, “What do you need to know before you embark on your post-secondary path?” Continue reading →

Quick Resume Tips for the 2016 Hiring Boom

Is your resume winning you interviews? If not, here are some quick resume tips to take advantage of the 2016 hiring boom. best 2016 resume tips

Resumes have evolved tremendously over the last few years, and outdated documents simply don’t win interviews. In today’s competitive job market, your resume must set you apart from the other candidates. A few key points:

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Baby Boomers are Building Rewarding Encore Careers

Work/life balance, personal satisfaction, giving back to the community… there are a variety of reasons people turn to encore careers as an alternative to retirement. Realistically, we Baby Boomers will be working well past the typical retirement age of our parents. We are living longer and most of us will need additional income to supplement any pension or social security payments we may receive. Why not enjoy your work? An encore career can combine personal fulfillment and social impact with continued income. There is a world full of options out there waiting for you!

As a career coach and resume writer, I work with many mid- to late-career professionals looking to increase their quality of life with an encore career. Some of my clients know the exact direction they want to take, while others need guidance determining their ideal path. We work together to evaluate their ideal work culture, the type of role they want to play, and what fields align with their natural skills and interests. Providing advice on networking, interviewing and addressing age discrimination, I guide my clients through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful. Continue reading →

What To Do If Your Industry Is Dying

A smart career manager stays up on current trends in his/her industry. Don’t let yourself fall victim to the changing job market. If you have heard rumblings about change in your organization and see that opportunities in your field are drying up, it is time to revamp your resume to highlight your transferable skills. A few keys kills are highly desired in almost every industry:

Communication
Collaboration
Analytic Skills
Project Management

Communication – In almost every career, strong communication skills are vital. Whether communicating with clients or colleagues, you need to be able to articulate your ideas verbally and in writing. Hiring managers are looking for employees who can communicate effectively across the organization and represent the company in a professional manner.

Collaboration– In very few jobs do you operate in a vacuum. Interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds is very desirable to employers. Cross-functional collaboration, co-creation and cooperation are vital for business success. Successful companies know that collaborative teams encourage creativity and innovation.

Analytic Skills – Most jobs involve collecting and analyzing information to some degree. Analytic skills are crucial in problem solving, and identifying and designing process improvements. The ability to analyze data and make decisions based on available information is needed in performance measurement, compliance and auditing functions.

Project Management – Project managers are in high demand in most industries, as almost every company is trying to work better, smarter and faster. Your ability to plan, organize, allocate resources and oversee the execution of a project to achieve a specific goal is highly transferable. In today’s highly competitive job market, jobseekers may need to broaden their job search and leverage their transferable skills to stand out from the competition.

Trish Thomas founded The Resume Resource in 2009 to help people advance their careers with rewarding jobs that provide more than just a paycheck. As a Career Coach and Resume Writer, she takes the time to get to know each of her clients and guides them through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful.