Hi everyone,
I joined this group looking for advice on how to pivot from the Legal Billing roles to more of an administrative role in different industries. It seems as if most if not all recruiters try to keep me pigeonholed in that arena. I guess it is because this is what I have done for the last 4.5 years.
I have worked in retail, banking, and the government industries. I have degrees in Business, HR and Government, looking for something different now.
All suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
User deleted comment on 11/29/22 at 6:56PM UTC
In my opinion. Focus on the skills that both roles have. Think about: tracking time and or projects (what system or spreadsheet have you used), managing budget, time management, proofing, budgeting, pulling reports, analytics. Typically those skills are used in both jobs. You need to be flexible in both positions. Think about any systems that you have created to help you stay on top of your job. As an administrative professional there are always tips that you have found that work best for you and helps to enhance your productivity.
As a professional Resume Writer, I suggest tailoring your resume and focusing on the administrative tasks for those roles. You might want to have a Combination/Hybrid skills-based resume that showcases those skills for you. This way recruiters and applicant tracking systems (the software systems employers use to scan resumes) will pick up on the keywords for those types of roles.
I hope this helps!
If you have all those degrees why are you looking for an Admin position?
Please do not let recruiters dictate your job search. Recruiters are trying to fill specific job orders. They search LinkedIn profiles and resumes on keywords and job titles. You are correct in surmising that they are reaching out to you about opportunities similar to ones you have held in the past and/or your current role.
As others mentioned, you can change your LinkedIn profile to reflect what you would like to do. Also, if you are not doing so already, please try networking. You can use your existing personal and professional networks to find a role that is better aligned with your career goals.
You can use LinkedIn to network. Search for people who hold a job title at the level you are seeking or about one level above what you are targeting. Send them a connection request, but please make sure to include a message. Since many people are wary about connecting with strangers, it can be helpful to look for those with whom you have mutual connections. While some people will not respond for whatever reason (they are very cautious, they are extremely busy, they are not very active on LinkedIn, etc.), there are people who will take notice of your request and who will be willing to help. Think of the process like cold calling in sales. Aim for sending out 25 requests. Hope for a handful or fewer responses.
Once you connect with others on LinkedIn who are on a career path that is similar to what you would like yours to be, ask for advice on how to get on that track. Ask to connect with people in your new connections' networks and inquire about organizations that might be looking for someone with your skillset.
Thank you so much for insightful response,
User deleted comment on 03/20/22 at 11:48PM UTC
If they’re finding you through LinkedIn, change the focus to where you want to work rather than where you currently are. If you’re wanting more admin related, put those types of words into what you’re currently doing, in your bio, in your header, etc.
You also need to become clear on where you would like to end up, in terms of role, title and industry. Once you know that, you can look at how they lost their postings to get some keywords you can use.
you’ll still get recruiters that contact you for things you’re not wanting to do, but you should start getting more contracts related to where you want to go.
I appreciate your tips so much,
What are you doing in legal billing with all those degrees? Dreaming of an admin role? With all those many years of education?
Legal billing salaries can be very good. They can command salaries as high as in some other titles in other fields. Sometime life doesn't go as you plan or desire. You have to be grateful and humble at what you have as others may not have as much.
But spending all that effort in obtaining 4 degrees and you've taken legal billing as your focus? I mean I get going after $ is fine but it's not $500k a year.
Update your LinkedIn headline to match what you aspire for. Ensure your LinkedIn profile has all the key words that you want to be found for. Same for LinkedIn Skills. Each relevant skill should have minimum 3 endorsements for it to be deemed credible. Endorsements can come from any of your connections.
If you have a business degree, Human Resources degree and some sort of Political Science degree specializing in GOVERNMENT Affairs as well as,applicable experience I would think you'd be a shoe in for any number of jobs.
Remove retail from your resume and tailor your resume to a specific are of interest.
With the huge qualifications you have have I think you need to narrow your focus.
Retail is not listed on my resume, it is just one of the areas of work that I have done in the past 20+ years. I received two of my degrees in my latter years. I would love to work in HR however, the jobs that I apply to or would apply to want you to have years of experience. I have tailored my resume to show the skills that would relate to HR. It is a very niche field to get into without knowing someone in that arena, I am still pushing forward with my resume tailored to those areas as well as management positions .