**I am a member of the Career Collective, a group of resume writers and career coaches. Each month, all members discuss a certain topic. This month, we are talking about Spring cleaning our careers. Please follow our tweets on Twitter #careercollective. You can also view the other member’s interesting posts at the end of the article.
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Retooling your job search can be a daunting experience. You might have the feeling that you’re starting everything over from the beginning, but that’s not the case. You have tons of experience that will be valuable no matter what job you decide to take. Things like knowing how a business works, getting along with coworkers and knowing proper work habits already put you ahead of new candidates coming in. You have the advantage over workers with no experience.
So, how do you retool your resume? You have a lot of options, so before you start changing your resume try out a few other options first. One thing you can do is go back to school or get more training. But, you should do a self-assessment and see if this would actually be beneficial to you, work with a career counselor and let them help you to the right path. Look around and see what kind of options you have, don’t panic and just try to examine your situation. Then you can begin to retool your job search.
1. Start with what you enjoy
Do you have a long lost passion that you wish you had embarked on? Maybe it was teaching skiing lessons in Colorado, who knows, but just start with what you enjoy. Perhaps there’s a job related to your hobby that you would enjoy. It could be a completely different field than what you’ve ever worked in, so take a look around and don’t limit yourself. Maybe it’s time to get out there and try your luck.
2. Find a list of potential employers
There are always options out there, especially if you’re in a large city. You can find a multitude of positions that would fit your job search choice. But, try to reach out a little past your current job and find something that is different or that would excite you. Put this list together because you’re going to need it.
3. Start retooling your resume
This is definitely key. Start creating your resume to send to these potential employers, but make sure that you emphasize different aspects of your career that would be beneficial to your prospective employer. You should consider getting some help from a professional resume writer, they can take a drab old resume and create the right blend of personality and accomplishments.
4. Send out your resume to your list of employers
Starting sending that new resume out! You have to get your name out there right? So what are you waiting for, you all ready have a list of potential employers, so what’s stopping you? It’s time to get the word out about you!
5. Starting calling people back
After sending out your resume, hit the phones hard. Don’t just sit back and wait for the employer to call you, be aggressive, show them that you want this position and that you are right for it. If you’ve tooled your resume correctly towards your new career path and showed the desire to learn, then you can have the job that you want.
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I encourage you to visit some of the links below for more interesting articles.
Personal Branding to Fire Up Your Job Search, @DebraWheatman
Succeeding in a “Final Jeopardy!” World, @WalterAkana
5 Steps to Retool & Jumpstart Your Job Search, @erinkennedycprw
Your Job Search: Let’s Just Start Again Shall We? @GayleHoward
Checklist for Spring Cleaning Your Job Search, @careersherpa
5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman
Ten Surefire Ways to Organize Your Job Search, @KatCareerGal
Put Spring Into Your Job Search, @EliteResumes @MartinBuckland
Toes in the Water, @ValueIntoWords
How to Revitalize a Stale Job Search, @KCCareerCoach
How to re-think your job search, @Keppie_Careers
Wake Up and Smell the Flowers: Spring Cleaning Your Resume, @barbarasafani
Spring Cleaning and Your Personal Brand, @resumeservice
Spring clean your mind clutter first, @DawnBugni
Managing Your Career 2.0: On Giving Something Up To Get It Right, @Chandlee
Clean up, Chin, up, Shape up, @LaurieBerenson
