A CAREER CHANGE QUESTION FROM A READER

I received this question from a reader not long ago.  It typifies some of the frustration that I know many of you feel in trying to change industries.  Perhaps my answer will be helpful in those situations.

Hi Gordon,

I have 30 years progressive operations management experience in the pulp and paper industry, including the last 14 years as a General Manager/Mill Manager over progressively larger paper mill operations for 2 different major industry corporations.

While I have always considered my technical background (BS and MS in Pulp and Paper Tech - a specialization of Chem Eng) and leadership experience to be easily transferable, I am becoming frustrated in my attempts to target and apply for operations management positions in the chemical industry.

I am getting little or no response at all to my inquiries in that direction, and I feel it may be due to a feeling that my experience is not transferable to either specialty or commodity chemical production. Almost all of the processes used are common between the paper and chemical industries, and the typical operating schemes of the respective facilities are nearly identical.

Also, the paper industry is a huge consumer of both specialty and commodity grade chemicals.

As such, I am at a loss as to why I am not generating any interest at all with the chemical producers. Do you have any thoughts on why this is, and how I can convince them of the value of my paper industry experience as it pertains to their operations?

RH

RH,

I would suggest a three-fold approach:

1) Take the focus off your Pulp and Paper industry experience, and put it on your management in a chemical-related industry. Do this with a summary at the beginning of your resume. It need only be 3-4 sentences...not long.

2) In bullet points under each job, highlight accomplishments and involvements that are directly chemical related. Be as detailed as you can, giving results and effects you had on the organization or operations.

3) Apply directly to chemical companies you are interested in working for. DO NOT send your resume to HR. Send it to such people as the Operations Manager, Director of Operations, VP of Manufacturing or President...you get the idea, I think. They will see the value in your skills and how they relate to chemical operations better than HR.

I hope this helps...watch my blog. I will go into this in more detail soon in a future post.

Gordon

NETWORKING: Making the unbearable bearable

I remember when I got laid off from a job I had for 10 years.  I was miserable.  It was like I was mourning the death of a friend.

Then I started to talk with all my friends, not only those at my company, but those I knew in college, at church, my family, and my neighbors.  They all had suggestions, many of which were very good.  I hooked up with an outplacement firm with the support of my company, and made even more contacts.

This is networking.  And this is how it helps you bear the unbearable.  Everyone knows someone who has lost a job.  Friends and associates can give you support, empathize, and help you meet other people, some of whom might know who's hiring.

And they might be hiring also!

So while you are making the contacts and following up on them, you have a sense of going forward.  A sense that with every new person you meet, or every conversation you have, you are getting closer to that job that you know you will get sooner or later.

So for comradery, empathy for your situation, support, and most of all, connections that can help you learn who would like to hire you...network.  If you keep records of who you meet, and when, you will find that it gives you a sense of accomplishment as well...even before you get the offer you want, that you know you are going to get.

KEEPING YOUR SPIRITS UP: Dealing with the ups and downs of searching for a new job

Once you get past the immediate shock and anger about losing your job, the emotional roller coaster does not stop.  We’ve all been there…including ME!

There are some things that you can do to make the job search process more bearable.

1)      Finding a job IS a job.  Get up in the morning just as you would if you were going to the office.  Create a daily routine for yourself.

2)      Take advantage of the 4 main sources of job leads:  direct contact (letters, phone calls, etc.); contact search firms; job search sites (CareerBuilder, Monster, The Ladders, etc.) and lastly, look at newpaper listings (WSJ, NYT and local papers)

3)      Keep a log of your activities and your leads.  This will serve as a visible confirmation of the efforts and progress you are making…you will feel less like you are “spinning your wheels”.

4)      Keep a detailed list of your solid new job leads.  You may get many at first.  As you go through discussions with search firms or companies, the list will coalesce and soon you will have 5-7 solid opportunities.  This is a “critical mass” and will likely result in an offer of a new job.

Searching for the right job or career change is a deliberate process.  Usually landing the right opportunity will not happen overnight.  Figure your job search will last as long as a month for each $10,000 of salary you are seeking.

A good work ethic, a daily routine, and down time on weekends will help keep up your spirits and will land you your next career opportunity.

RESUME ADVICE FOR TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS

If you are a technical professional (that is, Research Scientist, Technician, Research Manager, etc.) and you have patents issued to you and technical papers you have published, I would suggest that you NOT list them in your resume.

All a list like this does is add more pages to your resume.  Most potential employers are not interested in the details of your patents or technical publications when they are reviewing your resume. 

The best thing to do would be to mention at the end of your resume how many patents you have and in what general field, and how many technical papers (roughly...even "several" or "a number of" would be sufficient) you have published, and on what general subject matter.  This way, the reader can get a snap shot of your patent activity and get a quick impression of your publishing history.

Details of patents and published papers can be discussed during the interview or supplied on request of the potential employer.

WHAT SHOULD YOU INCLUDE IN YOUR RESUME?

A resume is one of the most important documents in your search for a new job or career change. Your resume is a statement of who you are. It is what introduces you to potential employers. It is what details you skills, your accomplishments, your history.  It should be no more than 3 pages long, with no more than 2 pages being best.

YOUR HISTORY

Your resume must, in one form or other give a detailed chronological history of your career to date. Even if yours is a functional resume, you need to include who you worked for and when you worked for them.

You only need to include your last 10 years of employment.

In addition to the name of each company you worked for, and your dates of employment, be sure to include a brief description of the company. This should include what business they are in, what products they make, services they provide, who their customers are, and any other information that would describe the company.

Should you include the reasons you left?

In my opinion, as a recruiter, you should not include the reasons you left each job in your written resume. The reasons are appropriate for discussion during an interview, but if written in the resume, can give the potential employer an excuse not to interview you. You also do not get the opportunity to describe the circumstances in depth if you do not get the interview.

YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Include detailed accomplishments for each company you worked for. There are a few rules of thumb that apply here:

• Use bullet points to describe your accomplishments.
• Include only 4-5 bullet points, your most important accomplishments.
• Statistical accomplishments, such as “Increased sales 5%” or “Achieved 1,255 accident free days in the plant during my tenure as Safety Director”, are the most effective.
• Keep descriptions brief and to the point.

YOUR EDUCATION

Include the details of the schools you attended. If you attended college, you do not need to include your high school’s details.

You need to include your college’s name and address, as well as the degree(s) you earned, and the dates when you received each degree. Include all college’s you attended, even for a year.

YOUR SALARY HISTORY?

You do not want to include your salary history in your resume. This should only be discussed verbally (we will talk about salary discussions and negotiations in later posts).

There are other considerations about what should be included in your resume. Most of them are based on your own individual situation or circumstances and goals.

If you have any specific questions about what to include on your resume, please drop me a line and ask. I will be happy to help.

WHAT KIND OF RESUME IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

There are many opinions about what a candidate’s resume should look like. In truth, it all depends on the individual and what kind of message he (or she) wants to convey to a prospective employer.

• Do you want the employer to know more about who you worked for and when?
• Do you want the employer to know more about your skills and experience?

Is it more important that a prospective employer know what skills and experience you have?

This is true if you are looking to change industries, or if you are applying for a job that is a different function than what you have done before. One example of this would be an engineer who wants to change from production to sales/ marketing. What about your engineering experience is applicable to sales and marketing? This is a more important question to ask in this case than describing what companies you worked for and when.

In this case a functional resume would be appropriate. Your chronology is not left out, but it occupies a smaller part of your resume than a detailed description of your skills and accomplishments.

Are you applying for a job with a company in the same industry as your current or former employer? In this case, it would more important that the prospective employer know who you have worked for, and in what capacity. This is because the employer will find value in your having worked for a competitor or a company in the same or similar industry. This is a significant indicator of success.

Also, some companies only what to hire people who have worked in their industry, or a related industry.

If this is the case, then a chronological resume is the best.

This is the most common kind of resume used by candidates looking for a job. There are a number of on-line sites to find examples and templates for various kinds of resumes. One you might try is: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/ct101448941033.aspx . 

There are certainly others you might find, but do your research and decide what form will work best for you.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me now in an e-mail (email address is on this page).