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Hi everyone!
I'm new to this group (and glad to have found it!) and seem to have found myself in a bit of a pickle. I'm currently still working on completing my bachelor's degree in HR management and I've been working in the pet care industry since 2017. The trouble I'm having is that I want to leave my current position and change fields, but because I have such niche experience, I'm not seeming to get much consideration, despite having plenty of skills that aren't specific to the pet care industy.
If anybody has advice on this, I would really appreciate it!
Sarah R
711
04/03/23 at 11:09PM UTC
Have you looked at the job boards for MedVet, VCA, Petsmart, or any other pet-related businesses in an acceptable geographic area for you? It seems like you could be a real asset whether it's in a management-type role (which often handles some HR functions) or a HR-specific role. From my experience, the hardest thing about being a career-changer is getting the first job in a new field, and I once had someone tell me "every job is a stepping stone," so depending on circumstances and growth opportunities, it might be worth looking at roles that are not your first choice because they would be great resume-builders for the kind of role(s) you want to compete for in a few years.
Has anyone at your college or elsewhere helped you look at your resume and make sure it conveys your skills that have a broader application?
Also, I was once advised (in revising my resume) to use the summary to tell people how to see you. "Organizational leader with broad skill set and . . . <or other more applicable phrasing here>"
Anonymous
03/02/23 at 7:04PM UTC
What industry do you want to move into? Find some job descriptions on LinkedIn and search the skills, both desired and a must. Make a list of your skills, focus on hard skills (tech, tools, employee retention) rather than soft skills. If you look closely at the job description you'll see it might even list the skills you have X/10. Get creative with transferring your skills to the JD. I think you may be surprised. Don't rule out HR in a petcare pharmaceutical company could be right up your alley. A lot of pharmaceutical companies have animal product divisions that no one knows about. Good Luck.
Anonymous
02/18/23 at 5:03PM UTC (Edited)
List those skills first on a resume.
Dig through the job postings and find the skills they're looking for, then make sure to point out your matching skills in your resume.
You don't have to have a traditional "Jobs in reverse chron order" resume anymore. Do some research on the different types of resumes and find one (or make one) that works for you.
What I've done in the past is make a spreadsheet with the job responsibilities in one column, and whether or not I have those skills in another column. It's helpful to see where your strengths are in comparison to what the job wants. Where I GOT those strengths/skills is pretty much irrelevant.
Then I put those strengths/skills first on my resume under a heading "Highlights" or "Skills"
Stephanie StinebowerEngaging & Exceptional Executive Assistant
23
02/20/23 at 10:19PM UTC
This kinda makes me wanna try a resume design that lists past jobs on one side and current skills on another rather than listing everything together, bc you’re right where the skills were learned is irrelevant
