Robin's Resumes® | Robin's Resumes (r)

Your Career After College: Career Goals

Oct 02 2022

What are your career goals after college? Many students chose their college major and minor because of interest; a small number because of income potential; but the vast majority (74 percent, according to Best Colleges) to “help make their dreams a reality”—whatever those dreams may be.

Interests change during college, as does the economy and the demand for certain careers. Even if you complete a degree toward your ideal career (high income, in demand, prime locations), you might find yourself struggling to consider it as a life-long choice, now that you know more about what it entails. For example, you may finish a nursing degree and yet be daunted by the atmosphere created by COVID or by hospital staff shortages.

In fact, 32% of college grads change their career goals and never work in a field related to their major, according to Career Builder.

This mismatch between degree and career goals often increases with time. According to BestColleges, 61% of college graduates aged 40 (Gen-X) and older would change their majors if they could go back to college. Although better job opportunities and compensation are important, an equal number want to change to pursue their current passion.

While deciding to change careers may be difficult, changing your resume may turn out to be easy. The skills and knowledge accumulated during college are often transferrable between careers. In fact, in some careers an applicant with an out-of-the-box degree may have an advantage. For example, a nursing degree may be just what a pharmaceutical company is looking for in a sales representative.

Specialized skills and experience may be acquired through certification programs, on-the-job training, volunteer experience in nonprofits, or returning to school while working. For example, you could combine your finance degree with volunteer experience in grant and article writing to bolster your marketing communication credentials.

Robin’s Resumes® has helped college grads transition their career goals at every stage by writing resumes that show the benefits of diverse interests, a commitment to learning, and skills that cross over into multiple fields. Robin’s certifications as a Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) and Master Career Director gives her insight into the concerns of individuals who are transitioning and the perspective to create resumes that appeal to future employers.

If you are struggling to align your college degree with your current career goals, contact Robin’s Resumes® today.

Resumes for Educators

Mar 27 2022

Resumes for educators are already in high demand, and the reasons why so many educators are leaving teaching are clear. Those reasons involve more than a job market that is desperate for employees.

A U.S. News and Report article cited research that 1 in 4 teachers leave the profession because of pandemic stressors, including health concerns, the need to take care of their own children, and the difficulties of remote teaching. In research by the EdWeek Research Center, this estimate is closer to 1 in 3. Regardless of the final count, more teachers are thinking about leaving now than ever before.

If you are one of those educators, your first step on leaving is to take care of yourself and your family. The physical and mental symptoms of stress, including depression, haunt teachers at every level. You deserve a chance to unwind.

When you are ready to return to the workforce, you have several options outside of the teaching profession:

Learning and development professionals, corporate trainer, or coach—taking your teaching skills to an adult population
Sales representative or financial advisor—or any job that requires educating people about products and services and about their own needs
Writer—technical and marketing writers are in demand and can often work remotely
HR specialist—requiring a high level of communication, training, and administrative skills
Project manager—coordinating a team, strategizing, and planning to complete a project on time and on budget
Alternative education careers—for example, ESL teacher, curriculum specialist, educational policy analyst, school administrator, or school counselor

Many of these jobs offer opportunities for remote work and flexible scheduling; some of them pay more (and some less) than teaching; and some can be entered with only slightly more education (for example, PMP or TESL certification).

Your resume is an important part of transitioning to a new career, for it must guide employers to recognize how your skills will positively impact their company. Hiring managers and recruiters may not make the connection themselves between, say, elementary school teaching and project management. Your resume must make that connection for them.

Robin’s Resumes® offers expertise in both resume writing and in job and career transition coaching. That combination leads to resumes that highlight all the positives of your career in education and all the value your experience, training, and education will bring to your next employer. Contact us today.

Resumes for Cyber Security Engineers

Nov 07 2021

Cyber security engineers are experts in guarding sensitive data. Experienced cyber security engineers have an aptitude for finding, testing, and preventing compromised or lost data in computer systems as well as a flexible, open-minded, and adaptable attitude.

Security issues, trends, and defenses are constantly changing.
The industries that use computers—from education to finance to manufacturing and beyond—are constantly expanding.
The types of data that are vulnerable range from customer and employee data to intellectual property and military secrets.
Vulnerability has multiple sources, from outside or inside a company. For example, according to Robert Half, 53% of professionals are uncomfortable sharing workstations—for good reason. Shared devices increase the chances that employees will lose, steal, or compromise data, either intentionally or by accident.

To start out in the cyber security field, you will need a college degree in computer science, cybersecurity, information security, or a similar program. Along with a flexible, problem-solving mentality, cyber security engineers need:

Proficiency with computers
Proficiency with computer security programs and processes, often demonstrated by possessing a security clearance or certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Honesty and reliability.

Cyber security engineers sometimes fill their resumes with highly technical information that is difficult for a hiring manager or recruiter to understand. Most hiring managers and recruiters are interested in results—that is, what you achieved with the programs, policies, and procedures that you used. To put it another way: anyone can learn about different types of firewalls; your resume must show that you know how to deploy the right firewall and work with its strengths and weaknesses.

As a graduate of MIT with a BS in chemical engineering and a long career working with computers, simulators, and process control systems, I understand the balance that any technical resume requires between using the necessary jargon and making your accomplishments and skills clear to hiring managers and recruiters. Whether you are a seasoned cyber security engineer or someone just entering the field, Robin’s Resumes® can give you the resume and career support you need.

The Fear of Changing Jobs: Part 1

Sep 19 2021

According to some researchers, fear is one of the top obstacles to seeking a new job. As a certified coach and resume writer, I have seen how the fear of changing jobs can hold back a career. It prevents individuals from seeking the jobs they deserve. In my nearly 20 years of helping people, I have come to recommend the following strategies for overcoming fear, whatever its source:

Take a single step forward. That step can be as safe and small as simply reading over your old resume or looking up comparable pay in the job market for someone in your position with your experience. Then your next step may be to prepare for a free consult with Robin’s Resumes®.
Set aside 10 minutes a day to move forward on your job search. In 10 minutes, you can look online for job openings, read the employment pages of your newspaper, or attach your resume to an email and send it.
Do the math. A higher-paying job will reimburse you quickly for the expenses of applying for a new position. In 2017, according to ADP, a job switch increased the salary of full-time workers by at least 5.2%; but the salary of workers who stayed put only increased 4.3%. Even a lateral move may offer payback through reduced stress or better benefits.
Build your support. If nay-sayers surround you, find people who will support you. If your current supervisor does not give you a recommendation, find a previous supervisor, coworker, or client willing to recommend you. Are you networking through industry groups? Have you worked with a job and career transition coach like Robin’s Resumes®?
Find your balance. You may decide that you are happiest just where you are. No one says you have to change jobs. But you may discover a world out there that is more welcoming, more appreciative, and more suited to your talents than the one you have stuck with.

Visualize your future and see if taking a single step, setting aside 10 minutes, doing the math, and building support are worth the effort of getting there. If it is, contact Robin’s Resumes® and discuss how we can help you achieve your goal.

Resumes for Business Systems Analyst

Jun 20 2021

According to the researchers at The Conference Board, COVID-19 has had three major long-term effects on business: less office space, less business travel, and more automation of tasks. That last item requires the efforts of business systems analysts to analyze and document business processes, data requirements, metrics, and results.

Companies that are looking for a business systems analyst want someone who can:

Communicate clearly: The changes you suggest impact the entire organization. However, they may involve technologies that individuals in management, finance, and human resources find challenging to understand. You must communicate this information in an accessible way.
Understand business priorities: Any changes must be technologically feasible and in line with the company’s finances, functions, and competitive stance.
Collaborate: Your recommendations will make you the bridge between IT and the company’s business functions. You must be able to collaborate and foster collaboration across that bridge.
Measure and document: The people who hire you and the stakeholders you interact with are expecting results. You must be familiar with the metrics in your field and also the most important metrics and results for the industry and company where you are working. Your reports must be data-driven, and the results must be sustainable.
Project manage. Once you make your recommendations, you must implement them. You must not only plan that implementation but monitor it and make adjustments as needed.

Your education and prior experience as a business systems analysis will carry weight. Many business systems analysts begin their careers as project managers or relationship managers, then go on for further training and certification through the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®).

As a graduate of MIT with a long career as an applications, quality, and process engineer, Robin Schlinger has a deep understanding of business systems, analysis, and technology. At Robin’s Resumes®, she will help ensure that your resume correctly highlights the value you would bring to a company as a business systems analyst.