careers | Robin's Resumes (r)

Good Reasons for Changing Jobs: Work-Life Balance

Dec 26 2021

A recent Forbes claimed that work-life balance is an out-of-date concept—yet, according to Eagle Hill Consulting, work-life balance is the second most compelling reason for changing jobs, right after workload. Another survey found that 67% of men and 57% of women change jobs with the goal of improving work-life balance.

Currently, the tight job market is adding to the difficulty of finding a work-life balance because so many businesses are understaffed. One survey, by Fingerprint for Success, found that 65% of employees working from home are now working longer hours—certainly not the expected outcome.

A good work-life balance benefits the company: less turnover, increased productivity, and lower healthcare costs. Those benefits reflect the improvements that employees report when a company has a good work-life balance: a commitment to their job, lower stress, less likelihood of burnout, and greater happiness.

Slowly, the notion is taking hold that work-life balance is something both employers and employees can negotiate. When you consider changing jobs to achieve a greater work-life balance, these tactics will help:

Research companies specifically for their reputation for work-life balance. Glassdoor and other online sites rank companies for their work-life balance. Comments on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media also provide insight. Asking a current employee may also unearth good information.
Ask relevant questions during the interview, such as the company’s definition of overtime, remote, and travel (which might be quite different from your own), and their policy for vacation, personal time, and sick time.
Observe the culture. During the interview, pay attention to the atmosphere: does everyone seem rushed and irritated or do people seem to like and help each other? Will you be the only person at work with your gender, race, ethnicity, ability, or background?
Make it clear on your resume if you are looking for remote work. You can state your preference for, say, 20% remote or full remote only. You should also highlight your experience with remote work, if that is what you are looking for. Pandemic experience certainly counts.
Focus your resume on numbers or accomplishments that show your productivity and ability to meet or exceed goals. After all, increased productivity is the chief incentive for employers to improve work-life balance.

When you are ready to pursue a better work-life balance by changing your job or career, please contact Robin Resumes® for job and career transition coaching, a professional resume, and the benefits of more than 20 years of experience.

Transition Your Career from Retail

Jul 26 2020

For some people, a job in retail was the first job they could find; for others, it is a career but one that is more and more disappearing as people shop online. In either case, you may be ready to transition your career from retail to a different path.

Identifying Transferable Skills and Transition Careers

As with any career transition, your transferable skills are most important—and you have many! Retail workers must be skilled at focusing on customer satisfaction, managing inventory, working with or leading a team, and acting independently to solve problems. Communication skills are also important, and flexibility is an asset in dealing with changes in inventory, work hours, and responsibility.

Careers that are a clear fit for a transition from retail include supply chain management, customer service representative, and sales in a variety of industries, including investment or insurance counselor for individuals and business-to-business sales in technology. You may also find a new career track as an office manager, administrative assistant, shift supervisor, banker, or recruiter.

Searching for Jobs

First, research any potential career or industry to make sure it is a realistic next step. When you are looking at job postings for that career or industry, do not concentrate on the job title but on the preferred skills and education, so that you have a better idea where to concentrate your efforts to make yourself a more attractive candidate. To make the transition easier, you may want to further your education, get a certification, or take a few temporary jobs in that field to see what type of environment seems to align best with your interests and skills.

Writing Your Resume

Writing a transition resume is an art: you need to present your skills your resume in a way that frees you from your previous career without exaggerating or lying about your experience. Achievements and the contribution you made to your previous company should be selected to illustrate the importance of your skills and to highlight keywords that are important in the industry you want to enter.

You may find that moving upward in retail (to a regional manager or marketing director, for example) or taking on new responsibilities (as a blog writer, for example) is ultimately a more attractive option than starting over in an entirely new field. A new career within retail requires a different resume from a transition resume but is a direction you should not overlook.

As a member of the National Career Development Association and as a Certified Job and Career Transition Coach, I can help you decide on your best career path and write the resume that will get you there. Robin’s Resumes® has accomplished both tasks for many people in the retail industry; let us help you, too.

Resumes for Career Transitioning

Feb 04 2018

Many types of transitions can occur in just one career: from unemployed to employed, from a large company to a small company, from college student to first-time employee, from for-profit to nonprofit, from one field to another, from self-employed to a corporate employee, from supervisor to executive—up, down, sideways, and roundabout.

These days, employers set fewer barriers to hiring job applicants who are making a transition. They even value the broader experience, skill set, and perspective that come with an unconventional career path. They know that those job applicants probably have strong adaptive skills; that is, they are trainable, able to grow as the company grows, can meet the challenges of constant change, and can communicate with others both inside and outside their job description.

As a Job and Career Transition Coach, I am certified to help transitioning job seekers understand both their goals and their options. I help them explore their past career path and find the best path forward. I help them articulate their strengths so that their value as a transitioning employee comes across in job interviews as well as in their resumes.

Here are four ways to make your transition go smoother:

Prepare yourself for the transition in advance by getting necessary certifications, training, or degrees. Pursue volunteer, Board positions, and consulting jobs that provide opportunities to exercise or develop skills you do not use on your current job.
Ask for endorsements and recommendations that you can post on LinkedIn and other professional sites, to show how others value your contribution.
Make sure your resume is written for the job you want. Focus on accomplishments that show your transferable skills and how they benefited your past employers.
Network in person as well as online, especially at professional associations and gatherings where you can connect one-on-one with potential employers and those who can give you referrals.

If you need help with your transition and your resume, please contact Robin’s Resumes® today.

Resume Question: Is What You Did Important?

Sep 16 2012

When clients first come to me for help with their resumes, they usually come with lists of skills, education, and day-to-day responsibilities. Those lists overlook the most important part of a resume: the results. You may have completed a lot of tasks in your career, but what a hiring manager or recruiter really wants to know is: Did all your work achieve anything?

To illustrate what I mean, let’s say that I decide to dig a ditch. I find a shovel, survey my yard, choose a location, jab the shovel into the ground, and dig a 3×3 hole. I then admire the hole I successfully dug.

Why is this important?

It isn’t. Just because I succeeded in a task, does not mean it has any importance.

Now let’s say that the hole prevented my house from flooding, by digging it myself I saved several thousand dollars, and my strategy won an award from a local conservation group. The hole made a difference. With the addition of critical information about results, an unimportant task has become important.

Most people need help in selecting the achievements that best highlight their careers and figuring out why those achievements are important. At Robin’s Resumes®, we are experts in showing the true value you bring to your future employer.