YOUR Work History and YOUR Resume - They Can be Great Friends!

​As much as we’d all like to be instant experts in our chosen careers, the reality is that ‘Expertise’ comes from good training and relevant work experience. 
Focusing on ‘Relevant Work Experience’ for the moment, the path you take to expertise isn’t usually in a straight line, and often involves some zig zagging through different roles before you reach that perfect job!  

In a textbook perfect situation, people decide on a chosen career goal when leaving school and plan all the necessary steps to get there.  ​​

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They will focus on gaining required qualifications and work experience to take the steps from entry level positions through to their ultimate dream job. 

Now, let’s get back to reality!  Reality is often very different to the ideal plan.  People change careers regularly, and that can involve changing industries and roles that are totally unrelated to each other. 

Career Planning involves taking careful steps and mapping out a 30-year career as a young adult is difficult at best and impossible for many. 

So now we get to the key point!  Why not approach your career growth in manageable bites? 

Looking at things in smaller bites of 5 to 10 years is far more manageable.  Set a goal for where you want to be in 5 years’ time, and plan all the little steps you need to achieve this 1st stage goal.  Then consider the skills you need to get there and speak with a career counsellor or training professional about some appropriate training opportunities that will actually give you those skills. 

With the foundations set, you can now focus your job hunting on roles that need the skills your qualifications have given you.  In the long term, you are unlikely to be helped by loading your resume with qualifications and work experience that might look good on paper, but don’t provide you with the actual skills you need to develop within your desired career path. 

Put simply:  Training + Practical Experience in the right areas = Productivity, Proficiency, and career growth!

There is no magic bullet to career success.  Many people start out with a great plan, and set about getting the right training and experience only to do a career left turn and settle into a totally unrelated role, simply because their personal circumstances change and so do their career expectations.  You can be sure of one thing, and that’s planning is the key to your career success irrespective of the changes caused by the ebb and flow of life. 

If your Resume is looking a little sad and doesn’t target your skills and work history in the direction you need, and you’re feeling a bit confused over how to present yourself in a positive way to employers, then we need to talk!

Anthony Ferro

Present Professionally provides career services to clients in Toowoomba and across the Darling Downs and South East Queensland.  View our career services at http://www.presentprofessionally.com.au/resume-services.html
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You can follow Anthony at https://au.linkedin.com/in/anthonyferro1  and LIKE us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/PresentProfessionallyAustralia/
 
Written and Published by  www.presentprofessionally.com.au