From the Boards
Career Changers
by Barbara Reinhold

Almost every message board has these recurring questions: "What do you do if you're sick of your work?" and "What if you want to try something different?" Frustrated community members observe that the bulk of career management advice focuses on doing better in your current field or organization rather than finding a new one altogether.  People are changing fields all the time, but the usual strategies might not apply. 

Forget search firms. Headhunters have no use for someone who has made his or her mark in another field -- unless the transfer of skills is incredibly seamless. 

Don't waste time with newspaper ads. Most people responding to newspaper ads have experience in the field advertised. Holding your own in that field is difficult, unless you write a dynamite marketing letter showing how your skills fit exactly with the employer's needs. 

Don't expect Monster.com's job listings to do it all. Again, specially customized resumes and marketing letters might get you some nibbles, but you'll be up against wicked competition with lots of field experience.  So what do you do? These strategies are much more likely to get you happily transplanted in another field. 

Networking
Networking is still the strategy most likely to get you where you want to go. Call your college, grad school, or training program for names of alums in your target field. Ask the alums -- along with friends, family members and colleagues linked with your prospective career -- about their career paths, making transitions into the field and ways to get started. Research your field before these conversations at sites like the "Career Research" area at the Smith College Career Development Office. 

Career Advice
Monster.com's Campus zone has a good tool called "Ask the Career Doctor" that's helpful for career information seekers of any age. Career Key's self-assessment tool is linked to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, so fields suggested for you can be explored as you go through the site. Your college career office, the state department of employment, your local YWCA and other organizations offer career advising.  Beware of expensive packages (from $2,000 to $6,000) that promise a job after lots of testing. Instead, go for a pay-as-you-go deal. 

Workshops or Courses
Though not as big a commitment as getting a degree, this will take some time. However, if you have trouble winging it, gaining skills and buzzwords might be well worth the time. 

A Good, Functional, Customized Resume
Yana Parker provides a great teaching tool in her book Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples. Write resumes about what you can do rather than where you've been. Base them on in-depth research on an organization and insider networking information. 

Marketing Letters to Companies with no Posted Openings
Do your homework (reading, Web surfing, informational interviews) to get data for writing marketing letters to organizations that interest you. Find out what that small, growing company around the corner needs from an acquaintance who's working there, determine how you can help solve their problems and write a letter saying, "Boy will you be glad I contacted you just in the nick of time."  This kind of creative searching is time-consuming and a little embarrassing at first. But it's also exhilarating, and it lets you understand what you'll be getting into in your new field.  Feeling victimized and sorry for yourself in your position will only make you perform poorly and get sick. Start talking to people -- not complaining to them. And while you're planning a career change, don't forget to include the most radical change of all -- becoming a free agent and taking back control of your own work life. Have a look at Monster.com's own free agent information, and then visit other free agent sites such as Free Agent Nation or Working Today.  No matter which Career Change Fever antidote you start with, keep the others in mind, too. Feeling like you're the boss of your own working life is essential to your emotional and physical health! 

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