Topic 4:

Entering T&D with little experience

Question: I am trying to get into the training and development field and am having difficulty. Most positions look mainly for years of experience. I have a master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a little over a year's experience in HR. What do you suggest I do?

--No Name, New York City

Answer: There are a number of things you can do to make a successful professional shift having little experience. To gain additional credibility for the T&D field and increase your marketability, consider the following suggestions:

1. Take some courses/seminars regarding the technical or work focused skills of T&D e.g., instructional design, performance assessment, facilitation, e-learning/distance learning, etc. Your professional education activities do not have to lead to a formal degree; consider either a certificate program or a number of individual courses sponsored by a vendor or an academic institution or professional organization under a Continuing Professional Education Program.
2. Become better acquainted with the requirements and concerns of T&D by reading on-line ASTD's monthly magazine, T+D.
3. If not a member of the local ASTD chapter, join for professional development events and networking/informational interviewing opportunities. Volunteering is a great way for people to become acquainted with you and your strengths and to refer you to job openings. The NYC Chapter is quite large and would probably offer career services to their members.
4. Since your background information indicates that you are with a rental car company--a customer service/hospitality employer--look for positions in other related organizations. What will be the subject matter of your training classes? You are most likely knowledgeable about staff training needs in customer relations and consumer service sales.
5. Have a career management consultant review your resume. Perhaps its format does not target your transferable skills, background, and capabilities in the way it should for the T&D field. A functional resume that strongly markets you is the most suitable design for your situation.

--AR