Question: I am at my wits end trying to find a job and I am in dire financial straits. I have received UE and TANF and the workforce resources have not been helpful. I am a professional in finance and insurance and I want to transfer my skills to a marketing position. I have had my resume done and redone countless times with keywords, etc and have had very few interviews. I have never had this problem before in my career of 30 + years. Any advice?
Answer: Your resume is not the problem. The easiest job to get in this tight market, is the one most related to what you’ve most recently been doing... i.e. financial services as a fund analyst or whatever you’re most recent position was. With so many qualified candidates out there, employers want to hire someone with as exact a profile and competencies as possible. For marketing this would look like someone who has worked in a corporate marketing department specializing in creating web content and creating social media campaigns.
So if you are out of resources and need to find a job NOW, the answer is to go back to jobs that best reflect your past experience. Then try to connect with marketing people within the company. Offer to write articles for the internal newsletter, create morale boosting employee events. Become “known” within the company’s marketing department.
In the meantime, while you’re looking, you need to create a new brand for yourself by volunteering for non-profits in their communications/development department. Take on real marketing duties that reflect the area of the field you are most interested in, such as events, public relations, social media and so forth.
Finally, take some courses in marketing to upgrade your skills. It’s all about data, digital and online campaigns. Most Boomers’ skills are in print and writing rather than web and blogging.
Come to my Tuesday group, Career Connect Coffee Club and connect with other professionals to find connections.
Kate
