Help! I Want to Return to My Previous Career

Aiming resume to previous career

Hi Ronnie Ann. Please help me. I need some advice about changing my career so I can go back to my previous career! I’m 55 and want to return to the kind of work I did in my former job of 25+ years when I was an Admin / Office Manager.

I have been in a different field for the last 8 years — a personal aide / care provider. And I need help with my resume so I can change back to the work I used to do. Work I enjoyed much more.

How can I rewrite my resume to incorporate the 2nd career choice, but emphasize that my preference has changed back to the Business world?

~ Terry

My response (with tips) to Terry

First of all, congratulations on making this decision. I’m sure that it wasn’t easy for you. Luckily, companies are more open now than they used to be to career shifts. And people with good organizational / office skills are still in demand.

That said, you are right to think about how to create a resume (and cover letter) that makes you look as strong as possible. Especially for the skills and demands of administrative jobs now.

Types of resumes to consider

When changing fields, or in your case returning to a field you were once in, a functional (skills-based) resume may be your best bet — as opposed to a chronological, date-based resume. By creating skills groups, this type of resume emphasizes your skills rather than your chronological work history (the more traditional resume).

Every company will still want to know what you’ve been doing lately. But a functional resume helps lead with your strength. And then guides the reader to a brief outline of your job history at the bottom. Especially useful to help you emphasize those skills that speak most directly to the future job / career you want.

You can Google samples of functional resumes to help you get the idea. And you can easily use this format to express your new goals as they fit who you already are. Also, you can find ways to add further job-specific supportive information in summary and relevant experience sections.

My favorite resume: combination resume

While in your case, the functional resume may be a good fit, there is a hybrid format called the combination resume that also might be a good way to go. [For Terry and other readers contemplating career change.] Having had a less than traditional career path myself, I’ve often turned to the combination resume to make my case.

While you will be listing your chronological work experience, this hybrid resume allows you to highlight relevant previous career information (skills and qualifications) right up front. So the employer doesn’t have to scour your resume to see why you match THEM. You get to point out & emphasize those skills and qualifications that best match the type of job you’re looking for now

With few exceptions, I use a version of this for me and my coaching clients. And it works well. Your cover letter can strengthen your case.

Which format works best for you depends on your particular background and what you’d most like your potential employer’s eyes to focus on when they screen your resume. Most resumes are just glanced at. So you want to make sure you help them quickly zoom in on your best “why I qualify” case.

More tips to return to prior career

• Cover letters can be just as important as your resume. So use that to briefly explain your decision to return to a career you find more fulfilling. Or whatever reason you want to give. And you can highlight a few of your strengths from your previous career.
  • Just remember that what you’re doing is a very positive, well-thought-out move. So what you say should point to strength and confidence in your decision.
  • And the same goes for your last 8 years. That’s a good amount of time. And it shows you really gave that career a chance. (Keep this in mind when you interview!)

• Also, if you haven’t thought about temp work, it may be a great way to get seen by potential bosses. It’s kind of a try-and-buy situation, where you might wind up finding an employer who could care less about your other work.
  • All they care about is whether you can do the job well. And whether you can be an asset to their team. First-hand experience of you is a great reference.

Networking can open job doors

• Whether you’re changing careers, returning to a previous career, or just starting out, please don’t be shy about networking. One-to-one connections really can help you get past all the closed doors and closed-minded screeners.
  • Old contacts. Family. Friends, Even people you meet online in social networking groups.
  • If people see you are determined and believe in yourself, they will want to help if they can.

Remember those transferable skills!

• Finally, I just want to remind you to think about all the administrative functions and business skills you used in your recent career. Organizational skills. Time management. People skills. They’re called transferable skills.
  • In addition to including that in your resume and cover letter, it’s a big plus to truly remember that when you interview. So you believe in yourself as much as you want others to!

I wish you much luck in finding a job that meets your needs now, Terry.

~ Ronnie Ann

⇒  EXTRA:  I Don’t Meet Job Requirements. Should I Still Try?

 

About the author…

Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To the Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years as an organizational consultant where she helped interview and hire people, added to a certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development, as well as her many adventures as a serial job seeker.

Some more posts to help

Career Change Fear:  How To Move Past the Fear

Will Volunteering During Job Search Get You a Job?

What Are Transferable Skills?

Job Search Blues: Will I EVER Find a Job?

 

15 Job Search Tips To Help You Get a Job

So Many Mistakes! How Do I Start My Career Over?

What are Informational Interviews?

12 Things You Need To Know BEFORE a Job Interview

 

How To Answer “Why You Left Your Job” When You Quit

Job References: What If Former Bosses Don’t Work There Any More

Start Building Networking Connections That Last

10 Steps To Match Your Resume to the Job

 

⇒  EXTRA:  What Is Age Discrimination in Employment?

 

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