What's in a title?

Question

I am a multi-certified Meeting Planner. Funny to think that title matters during a pandemic in an industry that was the first to go and will be the last to come back. My fellow Meeting Professionals have done a great job adapting to the virtual conference world and keeping a positive attitude when face-to-face meetings come back. I, on the other hand, took this time to pause. In addition to a family situation (my Mom, 85, fell and broke her ankle, and it was time to move her 2.5 hours south to live with my sister), I began re-evaluating. I started with what I enjoy most: helping people, continuous learning, details, and anything data-related. To make sure I was on the right path, I did a career path strengths finder. The results were data-focused type jobs: project manager, operations management, metrics management, marketing analyst, database administrator, data entry, and compliance, to name a few. My question, where do I even begin? How do I change my profiles to reflect where I want to go vs. where I have been?

Kim Roffey · Answer

I would echo Corinne's comment -- switching the format of your resume from chronological to functional (or a hybrid of the 2) can help you refocus your resume to some of these new roles.  You can add any certifications you pursue during your job search.  I would look up job descriptions for all those roles that came up in your strengths finder and compare/contrast them to see which you feel resonate more with you.  The ones that feel right, take stock of the key terms and descriptions of the work and find experiences from your past that relate.  Use those in your new resume to demonstrate how you've had similar experiences.  For example, I'm sure as a meeting planner, you had to manage projects to completion.  You can pull that action out of your past experience and reframe it for resumes that target project management roles.  Good luck with your search!

Corinne Burch · Answer

Hi there, you could switch to a functional resume format and emphasize those skills you want to utilize moving forward.  A new statement of your career objectives can be placed there and in your various profiles. Research and join forums and  newsletters for professional groups of people already working in roles that you have an interest in.  Looking into online courses in the areas you mentioned above could be beneficial too.

Best of luck finding your new exciting and rewarding job!

Anonymous · Answer

Congratulations on wanting to take the leap! You've already taken an important first step: looking within to figure out what you want to do.

The next step is figuring out how to get there by applying the knowledge you have to where you want to go. This article is a great step-by-step guide on how to change careers: https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/how-to-change-careers. I hope it helps!

You're invited.

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