Page 152 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Fearless Career Change

Over six years as an electrical engineer in a Fortune 500 company,
specializing in wireless communications, project management, and
testing. Won the Employee of the Year Award in 2000 and 2003.
Master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Georgia at
Atlanta. Currently possess a series 65 and series 7 license and have
passed a 12-week financial advisor training program at Henley,
Scott, and Thomas, LLC. Trustworthy, proactive, detail oriented.

Over three years as a customer service representative for a
nationally known health insurance carrier, specializing in cus-
tomer satisfaction, troubleshooting, and training new employees.
Handle over 200 customer inquiries daily, with only 3 percent
escalation rate. Bachelor’s degree in art from the University of
California at Berkeley. Currently enrolled in courses leading to a
certificate in video arts at the University of California, Santa
Cruz. Reliable, creative, energetic.

Notice that these summary statements share a similar format.
Each is three to five sentences long and no more. Every sentence
has a very deliberate function. Let’s take a look at what information
each of them contains.

1. The first sentence states the number of years’ experience in
a given job title and industry and three areas of specializa-
tion. If you do your research on the O*NET, labor market
readiness research, or by other means, you’ll discover what
“specializations” certain industries or employers demand.
Since your résumé can and should change with every com-
pany to accommodate that company’s preferences, your
specializations can also change. For example, a human
resources professional’s résumé might say, “specializing in
staffing, team building, and triaging” for one employer, but
the wording might be altered for another organization to
read “specializing in benefits, compensation, and sexual
harassment issues.” Same basic résumé—different compa-
nies, hence different specializations.
2. In the second sentence, pick out an accomplishment that
will really dazzle the employer. Just because this accom-
plishment may have been achieved in a school, training, vol-
unteer, hobby, or an intern situation does not mean that it’s
not relevant. Treat your achievement just as you would if you

134