While I've written resumes for thousands of job seekers who have made successful career changes, I've only listed a few examples below to show you the diversity of people I've worked with. Keep in mind that such changes were not "magical." Like most job seekers, these people had relevant skills that related to the jobs they wanted. My part in helping them achieve career success was pulling out and highlighting their relevant skills. Even though this list is very short, it is inspiring because it shows such a diversity.

Many job seekers contemplating a career change know they have good skills but aren't sure how to market their backgrounds so that they look qualified for another industry. When their resumes don't result in interviews they often give up on their hopes of moving into another field and think it's because they just don't have the required experience.

Yet, it's often not their experience or skills that keep them from landing interviews or making a successful career change. The real reason they don't land interviews or job offers is because they have not explained in their resumes how their skills match the industry or job they want to move into. This workshop will help you to identify what is called "transferable skills" those skills that are portable to any industry or field.

To illustrate let's use Mike, one of my resume writing clients, as an example. Mike had been a Program Coordinator for a leading university. He has a Masters Degree in Education with extensive background in children's' counseling. The pay range for many counseling positions tops out at $35,000 to $40,000. Feeling burnt out in counseling and wanting to make more money, Mike found a Regional Manager position for an agency that coordinates the placement of foreign exchange students with a salary range of $45,000 to $50,000.

Take a moment and look at the job titles and headings from Mike's before resume and see if you think they sell him effectively as a Regional Manager for the Foreign Exchange Student Program. What the following information doesn't include is an explanation of the national and international programs that Mike coordinated and managed; that he had assessed and placed hundreds of foreign and culturally diverse students in academic programs; and had served as an Assistant to the Director of an ESL - English as a Second Language Program. All three are direct skills needed for the Regional Manager position.

Now compare the headings I created with Mike during his resume writing session for his new resume. Do these headings sell the best of what Mike has to offer? The difference between this set of before and after examples is typical of 95%+ of the resumes I help career changes to create. To develop an effective career change resume it must highlight and describe your experience so that it is very clear to employers how your skills match their needs.

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my main website's home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

In Summary
To create a powerful career change resume--list all of your skills on a sheet of paper. Then keeping the job you want, and the skills it requires in mind, read through your list and circle those skills that are a direct or close match to the employer's needs. Once you've done this, group your skills together and use a skill heading that describes those skills in language that fits the industry or field you wish to move into. For example, reviewing Mike's example--Data Collection--does not sound like the Regional Manager for a foreign student exchange program. But--Regional and National Program Management does.

If you are making a career change and have extensive experience, I recommend that you consider purchasing my booklet series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Increase Salaries. It provides over 2,000 skills, skill headings and sample sentences targeted for over 40 career fields. It also includes extensive examples and worksheets to help you identify your skills and market them to match the jobs you want. For a complete description click on the link below.

If you are a recent college graduate with less experience and want a very fast way to create a resume, you may want consider purchasing my booklet, 6 Easy Steps to Create Resumes and Cover Letters for College Students and Career Moves. For a complete description click on the link below.

Having owned and managed a small deli I was not very confident of my "business skills" in the real world. Working with you, you helped me see that my business management, supervisory, purchasing, profit and loss responsibility all were valuable and important skills. The resume you created with me landed me a Business Manager position with my school district. I couldn't have done this without your help!

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