The days of getting a job out of college and working at one or maybe two places until retirement are long gone, and for many job seekers, they left one career path (whether by choice or involuntarily) and began to seek a new one.
You’ve worked in a certain field for a while, and for whatever reason (downsizing/desire for a new challenge/needing a change), you’ve decided you want to pursue a new career path. You may have a number of years’ experience, but how can you apply that to a new position without looking like a novice candidate? Don’t worry — put a few of these tactics to work for you so you can find someplace new to work for.
- Figure out your why and how. First, you need to decide why you want to rebrand yourself. Do you want to start a new career? Have your current efforts at job seeking put you in a rut or not yielded the results you want? Once you’ve got that sorted out, think about your strongest qualities and how best to showcase them in a resume (keep reading for a suggestion). Then figure out what you bring to the table that nobody else does; your particular value proposition. Promote yourself that way on your resume, any social media, business cards — the more you believe it, the more others will, too.
- Utilize social media. Update your profile with your rebrand, focusing on accomplishments that prove your claim. Get endorsements from former employers and colleagues, post any relevant blog posts or activities that cement your brand, and add relevant articles and comments so you make your brand known.
- Change your resume. This doesn’t mean fudging on experience; it simply means taking your chronologically based resume and changing the format to a skills-based one. This way you can show an employer that your years as a high school English teacher make you a viable candidate for a proofreader, copywriter or grant writer — you already have excellent grammar skills, project management (juggling multiple projects and assignments of 125 students!), organization (see previous) and research skills. It’s all part of your how — putting forth your best qualities.
- Add to your experience and skills in your chosen field. Look at a staffing agency like PrideStaff to help you find temporary, contract or temp-to-perm assignments in your preferred industry, adding valuable contacts and experience to your resume. Or consider volunteering to add new skills…which may also lead to a job down the road or give you a good idea of what you need to learn to land your next position.
A rebrand can be as simple as a reframing of your old self in a new way so you come off as qualified, not entry level. For help figuring it all out and how best to promote yourself, get advice from the experienced Thousand Oaks recruiters at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks.
