Real-Resumes for Career Changers Editor Anne McKinney
This book shows actual resumes and cover letters that helped real people change fields or industries. At a time when research shows that most working people have three distinctly different careers, at last there is a book which reveals the successful techniques involved in changing fields. The title is based on the philosophy that an effective career-change resume must “build bridges” to new opportunities. The Table of Contents is designed to show individuals in varying degrees of career change and seeking different goals: finding a new career after motherhood, finding a new product to sell or represent, finding a completely different type of work to do, seeking a change but staying in the same industry, changing fields with absolutely no idea what’s next, changing fields with a pretty good idea about what’s ahead, and changing from self-employment to something totally different.
“Thanks to the professional writers who created the Real-Resumes Series, I succeeded in moving from copier sales to pharmaceutical sales.” —J. Bagwell “Transitioning from retail buyer into nonprofit marketing was possible because of the Real-Resumes Series.” —G. Averett “My career change from small business ownership into sales happened because my resume and cover letter blew doors open.” —G. Averett “It’s hard to imagine yourself in another field, so it was difficult for me to create a resume which reached out in a credible and enthusiastic way to employers in other industries. I eventually had many job offers, but my success happened after I figured out how to present myself using this Real-Resumes book. Seeing how other people had done it was the key to my success.” —J. Stephens
“Thanks to the professional writers who created the Real-Resumes Series, I succeeded in moving from copier sales to pharmaceutical sales.” —J. Bagwell
“Transitioning from retail buyer into nonprofit marketing was possible because of the Real-Resumes Series.” —G. Averett
“My career change from small business ownership into sales happened because my resume and cover letter blew doors open.” —G. Averett
“It’s hard to imagine yourself in another field, so it was difficult for me to create a resume which reached out in a credible and enthusiastic way to employers in other industries. I eventually had many job offers, but my success happened after I figured out how to present myself using this Real-Resumes book. Seeing how other people had done it was the key to my success.” —J. Stephens
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Table of Contents
Introduction: The Art of Changing Careers 1
PART ONE: Some Advice About Your Job Hunt 4 Step One: Planning Your Career Change and Assembling the Right Tools 4 Step Two: Using Your Resume and Cover Letter 6 Step Three: Preparing for Interviews 9 Step Four: Handling the Interview and Negotiating Salary 11 Researching Companies and Locating Employers 13
PART TWO: Cover Letters For Career Changers 17 The Anatomy of a Cover Letter 20 Sample Cover Letters for Career Changers 22 Changing Careers from Teaching 23 Changing Careers from government to the academic community 24 Changing Careers from air traffic control to a sales or marketing role 25 Changing Careers with a cover letter that emphasizes financial knowledge 26 Changing Careers from the profit-making sector to the government sector 27 Changing Careers from retail to management in a new industry 28 Changing Careers from managing people to managing finances 29 Changing Careers into the pharmaceutical sales field 30 Changing Careers with the goal of becoming a flight attendant 31 Changing Careers from social services to the academic environment 32 Sixteen Questions Career Changers Ask About Cover Letters 33 Question 1: What is the “direct approach?” 34 Question 2: How do I address a letter to an ad that provides names and addresses? 35 Question 3: What’s the best way to answer a “blind ad?” 36 Question 4: How do I respond to a recruiter or headhunter who has approached me? 37 Question 5: How do I apply for internal openings? 38 Question 6: How do I ask for consideration for multiple job openings? 39 Question 7: How do I e-mail or fax my resume and cover letter? 40 Question 8: If I want to “drop a name” in a cover letter, what’s the best way? 41 Question 9: If I’m relocating soon, how do I say that? 42 Question 10: If I’ve recently relocated, what do I say in the cover letter? 43 Question 11: What if I want to reopen a door that I closed previously? 44 Question 12: What if they ask for salary requirements? 45 Question 13: What if they ask for salary history? 46 Question 14: How do I make it clear that I want my approach to be confidential? 47 Question 15: How do I write a follow-up letter after an interview? 48 Question 16: How do I resign—gracefully? 49 Another Letter of Leave Taking 50
PART THREE: Real-Resumes For Career Changers 51
Goal: Finding a New Career After Motherhood 52 Full-Time Homemaker to Airline Travel Attendant (Florence Martin) 54 Full-Time Homemaker to Office Professional (Brandy Sullivan) 55
Goal: Finding a Completely Different Type of Work to Do Banking Services to High-Tech (Vivian E. Purdue) 79 Banking Services to Pharmaceutical Sales (Irene S. Lane) 81 Banking Sales (Jason Vetter) 83 Business Sales and Management (Martha Woolcott) 85 Catering and Dining Services Manager (Callahan Warren) 87 Commercial Products Sales (Parsival Flanagan) 89 Consumer Products Sales (Charles Granquist) 91 Environmental Professional to Art Gallery Management (Amy Vanderbilt) 93 Fast Food Manager seeks new industry (Natalie Driscoll) 95 Grocery Store Manager (William McGowan) 97 Real Estate Sales (Michael Jenkins) 99 Retail Buying to Marketing (Lurene Rhoades) 101 Sales background Trying to Find “Anything But Sales!” (Jackson Draughton) 103
Goal: Seeking a Change But (Probably) Staying in the Same Industry Cosmetic Sales (Samantha T. Yurko) 105 Financial Services Sales (Nancy Childs) 107 Firearms Sales (Robbie J. Goins) 109 Food Industry Sales and Purchasing (Benjamin Brainerd) 111 Furniture Sales (Kenneth Soifer) 113 Industrial Products Sales and Management (Rodney Lewis) 115
Goal: “I’m changing fields but I have no idea what I want to do next...” Background in Sales and Consulting (Mark R. Graham) 117 Background in Property Management (Dianne Jones Weaver) 119 Retail Manager (Nells Acampora) 121 Retail Store Management (Gerry Reeves) 123 Teacher (Chris Vogt) 125 Teaching Background (Margaret Frances Stieg) 127 Teaching Background (Nancy Goguen) 129 Teaching Background (Deirdre Hackett) 131 Textile Industry to a New Industry (George Louik) 133
Goal: “I’m changing fields and I have a pretty good idea about what I’d like to do...” From Blue Collar to White Collar (Belton Jones) 135 From Bookselling to Office Management (Tofali Chou) 137 From Business Executive to Sports Team Management (Juan Osario) 139 From Business Management to Medical Sales (Mesaki Shang) 141 From Day Care Worker to Franchise Owner (Grace Everett) 143 From Golf Pro to Manufacturer’s Representative (Tom Wilson) 145 From Management to Sales (Elizabeth Smitherson) 147 From Military Enlisted Soldier to Civilian Employment (Crawford McKeithan) 149 From Military Officer to Civilian Public Relations (David Castleman, Jr.) 151 From Paralegal to Airline Stewardess (Kathryn Barefoot) 153 From Probation Services to Private Industry (Cynthia Willis) 155 From Restaurant Work to Computer Operations (Susanna Jones) 157 From Teaching to Pharmaceutical Sales (Soraya McFarland) 159 From Teaching to Public Relations (Annabelle Vines) 161 From Teaching to Social Services (Suzanne Justice) 163
Goal: From Self-Employment to Something Totally Different Cleaning Service General Manager (Marlene Routhier) 165 Company President and Sales Manager (Wallace Jackson) 167 Entrepreneur and Business Manager (Desmond Vaughn) 169 Financial Services Manager (Nelson Zillini) 171 General Manager, Industrial Supply Business (Arthur Iles) 173 General Manager, Service Business (Elaine Cercone) 175 General Manager, Small Business (Jonathan Da Silva) 177