Theresa, a fortysomething administrative assistant from New Haven with only similar secretarial experience, called for help with her resume. She wanted to change careers and hoped that she could move into “some type of management role.” She had been rejected without so much as an interview from a dozen or so management jobs. She thought the problem was with her resume. “I’ve heard that having a good resume is really important for getting a new job.”
Let me assure all Connecticut job seekers who hope to change careers in 2016 that the STYLE of your resume is nowhere nearly as important as the CONTENT If you have 20 plus years of administrative assistant experience and hope to move into a management role, the best resume editor can’t improve the style of the resume enough to help you.
Indeed, in reviewing several hundred resumes during the last year, I would say that most were at least passable and some were quite good for those who had unsuccessfully tried to switch careers. The challenge in every case was that the job applicant did not have something (the content) for the job switch.
What does Theresa need to do? Within her own company, she needs to get some management responsibilities, even if it is unpaid like chairing the company holiday party or training new administrative assistants. Perhaps she needs to take a class in management or volunteer for a non-profit in some way that illustrates management potential.
What she doesn’t need is more time editing the style of her resume.
Let me assure all Connecticut job seekers who hope to change careers in 2016 that the STYLE of your resume is nowhere nearly as important as the CONTENT If you have 20 plus years of administrative assistant experience and hope to move into a management role, the best resume editor can’t improve the style of the resume enough to help you.
Indeed, in reviewing several hundred resumes during the last year, I would say that most were at least passable and some were quite good for those who had unsuccessfully tried to switch careers. The challenge in every case was that the job applicant did not have something (the content) for the job switch.
What does Theresa need to do? Within her own company, she needs to get some management responsibilities, even if it is unpaid like chairing the company holiday party or training new administrative assistants. Perhaps she needs to take a class in management or volunteer for a non-profit in some way that illustrates management potential.
What she doesn’t need is more time editing the style of her resume.