Resume should reflect your goals

by Joan Lloyd - www.joanlloyd.com

Could you please give some recommendation on how to transfer from the public to the private sector?

I was a coordinator for a federally funded program involving job training and development. The county that I was associated with had a good reputation, but, unfortunately, an adjoining county had had scandals.

I have applied for entry-level personnel and or training positions at lesser salary ranges, without success. Another factor, which perhaps is viewed as a liability, is I do have an advanced degree in administrative education. As I see it, I am both overqualified and unemployable. Others have advised me to go into sales and/or consulting. Any suggestions?
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You may feel lost in the shuffle but your switch to the private sector is possible if you play your cards right.

From what I can see on the resume you've attached, your trump cards are a master's degree in administrative education (it's definitely not a 'liability'; your experience in job training and development; your teaching experience (with both adults and children), and other personnel-related experience.

Training and development appears to be your strong suit, but you may need a few more point cards to improve the odds of winning the job you want. For example, your resume shows no sign of your accountability for results. It also doesn't tell me you can train business people.

When you think of the private sector think of two things: bottom line results and proven ability. Highlight what you've accomplished, not just your responsibilities. How many people did you train? What did you teach them? How did they evaluate you? How can you prove you were good at it? How much money did you control? How did you contribute to your program's "good reputation?" Your proof is buried in the deck.

Your resume says you want a job in "personnel and training," but your strategy doesn't match the game you're playing. For example, under your work-experience section, you mention mostly employment and compensation - related duties such as recruiting, affirmative action and some job evaluation work.

I'd suggest that you shuffle and deal again. This time, write three resumes. One for training and development, one for a compensation specialist, and another for an employment and recruiting specialist. For each one, just use the parts of your experience that prove your skills under each job title.

To get around the problem of being associated with the scandal of the adjoining county, simply refer to your program's good reputation in your cover letter. For example, "As the coordinator for the well-respected 'X' program, I..."

Another idea is to apply to small- and medium- sized companies. Often, a career move can be made into the private sector here more easily than in a large corporation. In fact, you may want to call on a few of these companies to sell your own training programs. Frequently, smaller companies don't have a separate training staff and you could fill a need, perhaps even permanently. In the meantime, you'd be gaining related business experience.

Don't be afraid to up the ante on salary. Employers are reluctant to hire people for less than they were making in their last job, no matter how much you try to convince them to the contrary. They will hold the belief that once you are on the job for awhile, you will become dissatisfied and look for greener pastures.

Finally, learn the language of business and use it in your resume and interviews. Acronyms for government and school programs are meaningless to business people. To build a dictionary of business terms, start by cutting out all personnel-related classified ads and sorting them into envelopes labeled "Employment and Affirmative Action," "Training and Development," "Compensation Specialist" and "Personnel Generalist." Underline the terms used and put them in your cover letter and resume.

Next, get a pocket folder for each category. Put your envelopes in each one and start collecting articles from newspapers, journals and magazines. Again, underline concepts, terminology and job titles. Soon, you'll be calling a spade a spade.

You are not overqualified and unemployable. Don't throw in your cards. Just learn to play the game!

JoanLloyd has a solid track record of excellent results. Her firm, JoanLloyd & Associates, specializes in leadership development, organizational change and teambuilding. This includes executive coaching, 360-degree feedback processes, customized leadership training, conflict resolution between teams or individuals, internal consulting skills training for HR professionals and retreat facilitation. Clients report results such as: behavior change in leaders, improved team performance and a more committed workforce.

JoanLloyd has earned her C.S.P. (certified speaking professional) designation from the National Speakers Association and speaks to corporate audiences, as well as trade & professional associations across the country. Reach her at (800) 348-1944, mailto:info@joanlloyd.com, or www.JoanLloyd.com

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