| A career transitioner's resume is challenged with | | | | upon). |
| overcoming an undeniable obstacle: no related | | | | - Committed to ongoing education: taking Corporate |
| experience. Instead, it must rely on recent education to | | | | Law, Wills & Estates, and Litigation courses in the |
| establish expertise. The career transitioner must learn | | | | near future. |
| how to expertly position transferable acquired skills. | | | | Highlighted Relevant Skills |
| Here are a few tips to creating an effective resume | | | | A listing of relevant skills, gained either at past |
| for the career transitioner. | | | | employment, through volunteering, or from recent |
| Strong Targeted Profile | | | | education (which can certainly include self-directed |
| Your profile, which is a condensed version of | | | | learning) is not only appropriate, but gives the candidate |
| everything you offer the employer that is relevant to | | | | a definite advantage. For example: |
| the new role, must be powerfully written to position | | | | Transitioner to Clerical: |
| you as a viable contender. Located at the beginning of | | | | Office skills: |
| a resume, the profile is the place to state your case | | | | - Customer Service |
| for why you should be considered. For example: | | | | - Administrative Support |
| Transitioning from over eight years as a Production | | | | - Prioritization |
| Supervisor to Clerical: | | | | - Organization |
| What I offer your company: | | | | - Time Management |
| - 2 years' experience as an office assistant | | | | - Office Equipment |
| - Over 8 years of employment - never late, absent | | | | - Computer proficiencies: Word, Excel, Office XP, |
| only 3 days | | | | keyboarding speed of 35+wpm |
| - Soon to complete Conestoga College Office | | | | - Microsoft Office Suite, Photo-editing and updating |
| Software Certificate; achieving 80% so far | | | | Web-site |
| - Recognized for exceptional work ethic, reliability, | | | | Chronological or Functional Resume |
| congeniality and commitment | | | | Neither option, in its pure form, is ideal for the |
| - Verifiable workplace problem solving, taking initiative, | | | | transitioner. The reverse chronological does nothing to |
| and troubleshooting | | | | bring to the forefront the transferable skills, and the |
| Transitioning from Production Floor to Law Office | | | | functional is often regarded with some suspicion by |
| Clerical: | | | | recruiters (who assume, right or wrong, that the |
| Strong and articulate communicator with professional | | | | applicant is hiding behind this format in order to obscure |
| demeanour, graduating from Conestoga College with | | | | unflattering facts). |
| Law Clerk Certificate by end of December 2008. | | | | A highly effective format is the hybrid. Keep the |
| Additional studies in General Business and Human | | | | chronological format and insert functional |
| Resources (22 courses). Maintaining a 3.75 grade point | | | | examples-relevant to the new field-under each position |
| average in part-time Law Clerk studies while working | | | | held. For example: |
| full-time and fulfilling family responsibilities. Motivated, | | | | Transitioner from manufacturing to other: |
| organized, and focused, takes leadership role in class, | | | | Production Worker, ABC Company, Smalltown ON |
| and offers an aptitude for law. | | | | (1999-2008) |
| Education | | | | Reported to Production Supervisor as one of 20 |
| Relevant, and recent "state of the art" education | | | | production staff that produced 2,000 widgets hourly. |
| belongs front and centre for a career transitioner. This | | | | Team work: |
| section deserves appropriate emphasis, with possibly a | | | | - Added to productivity by becoming cross |
| listing of courses, a reference to a well-known | | | | - trained on all 5 job stations. |
| instructor, marks achieved, awards conferred, inclusion | | | | - Participated in weekly meetings |
| on the Dean's list, or comments from Instructors | | | | - provided ideas for improvement (3 are now in use), |
| Professors. Insert a couple of relevant-to-the-job | | | | brainstormed solutions to ongoing issues (contributed 2 |
| projects. For example: | | | | suggestions now in use). |
| Transitioner from factory manufacturing to law office | | | | Reliability: |
| clerical: | | | | - Recognized for perfect attendance with 5 |
| Law courses: | | | | Outstanding Attendance Award; other years |
| - Political Science | | | | attendance was amongst top 5% in plant of 800 |
| - Introduction to Law | | | | employees. |
| - Litigation Procedures | | | | - Earned reputation for almost 100% accurate work. |
| - Mediation & Dispute Resolution | | | | The candidate has highlighted two skills that are |
| - Planning Law | | | | relevant to many positions. Others skills that fit this |
| - Municipal Law | | | | category might be Customer Service, Leadership |
| - Ontario Municipal Board Advocacy | | | | Attributes, Relationship Building, Working Independently, |
| - Landlord and Tenant | | | | Pro-Active Examples...and depending on the actual |
| - Small Claims Court | | | | position, there may be transferable hard skills as well, |
| - Legal Research and Report Writing | | | | although less likely for the career transitioner. |
| - Prosecutions | | | | Focus your resume content on the needs of the job |
| - Job Shadowing | | | | and you will position yourself as a viable candidate for |
| - Achieved "A" on essay in Mediation & Dispute | | | | an interview. Career transition success can be yours |
| Resolution course (working from existing legislation | | | | with strategy and preparation. |
| formulated opinion on citizen's rights being infringed | | | | |