The Transference of Job Skills
Not all is lost, however.¬†¬†In all the time I have been consulting in career transition, I can confidently say that more than fifty percent of us work at something just because we happened to “fall into it,” it was a great way to earn a fair amount of money, or it was a track set for us by family ties.¬† This¬†is understandable but not preferable.¬†¬†Some clients rationalize that it served a purpose.¬†¬†Some feel they have achieved a level of comfortable success and¬†now¬†can’t “afford to” get out of it; they either can’t or won’t see a way out.¬† That is understandable too, but does it need to be the end of a dream?
Every skill we have, each one we have developed can be re-framed.¬† ¬†If you sold for a living and no longer wish to do that, how can you speak of your developed strengths¬†in such a way as to appeal in the direction of your new, more desirable focus.¬†¬†What are the traits that allowed you to become a successful salesperson?¬† The truth is that you could not have been successful if not for the characteristic preferences that you were able to call on to achieve that success.¬† What part of the sales job did you actually like?¬† What did you not like?¬† Spend some time in that kind of ¬†introspection to gain clarity on which of your acquired skills came directly out of what drives you–you’ll likely find common ground somewhere with your “ideal job.”¬† Then, rather than create a resume that looks back, revise it to appeal forward in the direction of where you prefer to be, your “best or better fit.”
Very often it is a case of being too close to the trees to be able to see the forest.¬† You needn’t feel that¬†looking beyond the specifics of your particular employment history¬†is an insurmountable challenge.¬† One possible resource¬†is the dictionary of occupational titles, which is now online and can assist greatly in identifying opportunities that¬†you may have not even considered.¬† It will allow you to insert a title or a job type and¬†discover the myriad of positions¬†somehow linked to what you have done.¬† Take advantage of such helpful tools and¬†try to get closer to your heart.¬† Our work represents approximately a third of our time here, why not have it be more than a four letter word!¬†¬† www.occupationalinfo.org
??
??
About the author, Saleh
This bio can be edited in your profile inside Dashboard > Site Management > Users.
Simply hover over your username, click "Edit" and change this biographical information to something that you prefer.