Topic 8:

Career Change: Higher Education/Student Services to Training

Question: I was wondering if you could offer some insight into how to manage an interest in changing from an education field to a training field in potentially corporate or nonprofit work. My current job requires a good deal of workshop design and implementation … but I am having trouble helping people understand what I do for college students. Any hints on how to make the switch? I believe I am a very talented trainer with a good creative approach to training work. I think I could have a lot to offer with my education background - but I need to get in the door!
Thanks for any insight!

--No Name, Massachusetts

Answer: The key is your resume - how you have developed it (chronologically or functionally), what information and skills you highlighted, and language used (academic or business/training). In other words, how you are marketing yourself in your job search activities. Have you talked to one of the career counselors in the university's career center? Ask a staff member to review your resume, and also discuss cover letters and job interviews. Since a University career counselor has one foot in academia and one foot in the work world, you should be able to receive some help with achieving your career change. Also, make use of the job search resources they have - resume, cover letter, and interview "how to" books and information.

A good and effective resume projects your ideal future professional image - tells your story in a very deliberate and focused way. It showcases your strengths, successes and, proficiencies - professional savvy, in an easy to read, targeted and concise way. Essentially you are bundling specific professional skills, competencies, and experiences, that is, your special expertise to create your unique professional niche in the workplace.

As a career changer, a targeted functional resume works best. After a brief objective statement, write a qualification summary/profile leading with your T&D expertise (use T&D wording), followed by your transferable skills and knowledge. The next resume section concentrates on the details and accomplishments of your experiences (wherever possible incorporate examples from leadership development responsibilities rather than from the student activities side of your job). If you have worked with graduate/adult students it should be indicated. You want to position yourself for employers to believe that you can do exactly what they need you to do.

As a trainer, what will be the topics of your seminars/courses? As your background information indicates that you develop and facilitate leadership development, this should lead your training subject listings. Consider how knowledgeable or skilled you are in other soft skill areas such as interpersonal and communication skills. Have you thought about talking to the head of the university's HR department about available opportunities? Perhaps you can do an internal transfer or be given the opportunity for some training assignments.

Your best route may be other academic institutions or organizations, as you are familiar with their culture, practices, and terminology. The next group of employers should be other nonprofit organizations - again your credibility is higher with this group than with for-profit organizations. If you want to pursue corporations again, use the career center's resources. They have contacts with a variety of organizational HR Departments through their working relationship with recruiters. Perhaps informational interviews can be set up.

--AR