Career Change and temporary work

I get many phone calls from applicants who mistakenly think that working for a temp agency would be the right place to make a career change, or to try out jobs they have never worked in before.

Not really. Fact is that most of our clients demand a candidate who can ‘hit the floor running’ or who needs minimum supervision and already has maximum job knowledge. They usually have an immediate hire need with no time to train (other than job specifics). This is somewhat true even for direct hire clients.

However, sometimes it just isn't possible to stay in the same career field. It will be easier to make a transition from one similar field to another if you let your recruiter know what you want, and give them a written cover letter addressing skills that will transfer to the new field. Add a category named Transferable Skills in your resume and be precise.

Our specialized staffing software parses and sorts to match open client job orders with key words on all resumes and applications. If the required experience or specific skill set is not on your resume it won’t be brought to the front for hiring consideration. If you are changing fields be sure to use many of the same keywords included in the job description you are wanting as well as any jargon or buzzwords pertinent to that industry.

The big difference between a resume for someone seeking a job in their established field and someone entering a new career field is that the new person may not have direct relevant experience. Transferable skills are those skills that are not specific to a particular job or industry but that carryover.

A quick example of a transferable skill is a manager. If you have managed a department or company then your people management skills will be beneficial wherever you go. The particular goals or tasks of the people you manage may be different in a new industry, but successful management is pretty much the same.

You need to show us in print what skills and expertise you have, even though you may not have worked in the new field. Your resume should always highlight your achievements and successes, regardless of whether you are changing careers or not. So write your new resume from the perspective of showing what you have achieved in the past and how that will benefit your new employer. Don't focus on job titles or job tasks, which may be totally irrelevant if you are changing industries. Be sure that your resume does not contain jargon pertinent to your old industry. It may not be understood by a hiring manager in a different industry.

Our clients often request to see a candidate’s resume, even for shorter term temp work. If the position is a temp to perm or direct hire they will ALWAYS want to review the recommended resumes.