With growth in the financial services sector expected to lag behind other industries, 2012 may be the ideal year to make an industry transition. There are a number of ways to clarify your career focus and create an effective strategy to achieve your goal:
Evaluate your strengths and identify transferable skills. Looking back on your professional path, consider career milestones and the key challenges you successfully confronted. What skills did you demonstrate? Practice telling your “career success stories” in a way that showcases those skills … and the results you attained. Hiring managers know that past performance is an ideal indicator of future success.
Assess your passions. Examine what you like about your current role and the kind of situations that drive your adrenalin. Consider your interests outside the workplace. Who you are is a combination of both.
Arm yourself with a powerful resume. Work with a well-qualified resume writer who can leverage your experience and expertise to demonstrate your value, regardless of industry. Creating a visually attractive resume that clearly and concisely tells your professional story will land interviews.
Work with a mentor or coach. Transitioning from one industry to another can be quite a challenge. You can make it a bit easier by engaging with an expert who can help you create a viable plan to transition from where you are now to where you want to be. Let your coach guide you on your journey and sharpen your interviewing and communication skills.
Update your knowledge. Pursue a new certification or degree. Enroll in a workshop. Attend a conference. Up-to-date education shows commitment to your new profession and provides value to your next employer.
Rethink your online identity. The majority of recruiters check social/professional networks before hiring, and your online persona should properly represent the “new you.” If you focus on your past – your financial industry experience – that’s how readers will see you. Instead, update your profile with keywords specific to the jobs you’re targeting and use generic terms for anything that is too industry-specific.
Network. The #1 way to find a new job is to network. LinkedIn, with its global membership of more than 100 million, makes this easy. Tap into your existing network, make new connections, join groups, and position yourself in your new arena.
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This article was written by Marjorie Sussman, MRW, ACRW, CPRW, a Master Resume Writer with BlueSteps Executive Career Services (BECS).
About BlueSteps BlueSteps is the exclusive service of the AESC that puts senior executives on the radar screen of over 8,000 executive search professionals in more than 75 countries. Be visible, and be considered for up to 75,000 opportunities handled by AESC search firms every year. Find out more.
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