It is difficult to show potential employers you have the experience needed when your job history shows different job titles or industries throughout your career. So what do you do? How do you show experience, along with consistency and dedication, even with a varied background?
The answer is Themes.
Many times in my career I have changed jobs. And not just job titles, but industries and departments as well. The biggest challenge I often faced when looking for a new position was showing consistency.
I can not remember if it came as a flash of inspiration or a slow drip of knowledge, but one day I realized there were themes running through my career. All I had to do was identify those themes, expand upon them and make them a prevalent part of my communication with potential employers.
So I started looking at my resume in a new way. I took a good look for the themes that might exist. And I found some. Not just a few, but many.
In sales I was always a liaison between the company and its customers, and I did the same thing as a recruiter when working with an outplacement firm. But wait, there is more. I was also a liaison between end users and the IT department as a database administrator and again between doctors and medical staff when working in project management.
Tada, a theme! I was a liaison, working with many levels of management and customers from all different departments. How cool.
So you know what? I put it on my resume. Just like that. Bullet point… A Liaison between customers and management from various departments working to provide common ground and unity among diverging needs.
And you know what I found? Companies were looking for liaisons to bridge the communication gap between customers, key players and management. What more could I ask for?
Not only did I now have a theme that showed consistency and dedication to a line of work, but I also recognized a talent I did not even know I had. A talent I could bring to the table and had been using for years.
So what are your themes, those common threads of experience you have running through your career history? Identify them. Then list them as strengths. It will help you show potential employers you have what it takes, the experience and the talent, along with dedication and commitment.
Happy Hunting!
Visit me on the web at http://www.findingwanna.com
