Question:

I graduated from college a year ago and have been working as an environmental consultant. I am moving to Colorado and want to get into sports industry work. I 've been contacting many companies out there but so far I've had no luck. What should I do to make this change in career paths?

First Answer:

Long-distance job search is tough enough when you have proven expertise that a company is eager to snatch away from a competitor. An additional hurdle you face is a lack of interest in investing even in an interview with an applicant with little or no experience in the field in which you wish to work. If your resume isn't "repackaged" to sell you into a new career, it's hard to engage an employer's interest. Here are some steps you can take to generate more interest in you:

First, research the sports industry as it exists in Colorado, through web sites, industry contacts, informational telephone interviews and email queries, and determine what roles in that industry interest you.

Second, identify the skills needed to perform those roles.

Third, identify the skills you have gained working as an environmental consultant that are transferable to those roles in the sports industry. Generally transferable skills might include: analytical, investigative, research, writing, teambuilding, data compilation, GPS software, etc. You may have to address a skills gap. For example, if your current work is all environmental impact statements and the role you seek in the sports industry is all personal selling or events planning, you may need some professional development courses or volunteer activities to learn the new skills.

Fourth, build your resume with accomplishments statements of how you've applied those skills in your current job/avocational activities, so the reader can see these transferable skills and the outcomes you have effected.

Fifth, plan a trip to Colorado, send your new, targeted, accomplishment-based resume to employers there announcing that you will be available for interviews in that time frame: most companies won't pay inexperienced applicants' travel costs for an interview.

Changing careers is often not a "one-step" process; it may take you two steps. The two-step process: Consider taking a job in Colorado in environmental consulting, but choose one that will broaden you skills or develop new ones that will transfer well to the sports industry. By doing so, you make the move to Colorado already employed, and then plan a job search as a local applicant after a year. You'll have a lot more contacts--and transferable skills--to work with.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City.

Second Answer:

It sounds like you want to make a major career switch. Do you really want to go out West, or are you just tired of your daily life and want to make a change? Do you really want to leave the environmental field for something completely different, or do you just dislike the particular job you have now? Once you figure out what is most important to you, you can devise a job hunting strategy that will help you focus on getting the most out of this major lifestyle change. Be prepared to clearly explain your situation to an employer. You've only been out of college a short while, and you're absolutely entitled to make a change, any time, but it will help you make a better impression if you can be confident about what you're doing.

I'm assuming that you've already researched the job market in Colorado, and are convinced that there are jobs of the type you'd like, out there. If you haven't done this, do so before you move or you may find yourself in a new location, with few good career prospects. At the very least, network with contacts and try to set up a few, introductory interviews when you arrive, so you won't be starting completely "cold."

Make sure your resume highlights the skills that you believe are most important in your new field, and impress employers by learning in advance about the company and industry in which you’re applying. Enthusiasm often helps compensate for a lack of skills (although not completely) so let prospective employers know that you are curious and excited about working hard and learning even more. Don't forget to talk about all the organizational and project management skills you used as an environmental consultant, even if you don't have specific experience using these skills in the sports field. Remember that sometimes, when you're switching careers, you'll need to be flexible on the type of jobs you're applying for or you might miss some really good opportunities.

If you are still having trouble finding a job, take advantage of your college's career center and alumni network. Your school's teachers and alumni ares still invaluable to you. I'd bet that you know at least one person from your school (alumni, teacher, student, or staff) that has worked in the sports field or knows the job market in Colorado, and could provide invaluable insight and information to you. Use your contacts not only for networking connections, but for feedback. Ask some of them to review your resume and some basic cover letters. You will gain information that can help you make all your job hunting presentations more powerful and effective.

-- Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column.

Third Answer:

Here are a few approaches you might consider if you're not already using them:

1. You may want to switch to a functional format for your resume since you are shifting the direction of your career. Emphasizing skills over job history, a functional resume is organized around functional skills clusters. After listing 3-4 skills clusters and showing how you've demonstrated those skills, you would have a bare-bones work history at the bottom. You don't say what your major was, but a functional format would also enable you to incorporate sports-related skills you demonstrated while in school (team participation, sports-related courses, etc.) It would also enable you to spotlight skills from your year in environmental consulting that are transferable and applicable to the sports industry. To read more about functional formats and see samples, go to http://www.quintcareers.com/functional_resume.html
2. Be sure you are targeting the companies most likely to need someone of your background. I don't exactly think of Colorado as a hotbed of sports activity, but certainly there are likely to be some jobs in your chosen field. Research companies thoroughly so you can target their needs in your resume and cover letters.
3. Are you following up? In a long-distance job search, it's especially important NOT to just send your resume out into limbo without following up by calling to ask for interviews.
4. Be sure to indicate in your cover letters your plans to relocate and your willingness to travel to Colorado for an interview. Also indicate flexibility in terms of relocation and travel plans. DON'T convey an expectation that the company will foot the bill. With the changing economy, employers may be less willing to cover your costs to travel to an interview and even less willing to pay relocation expenses, especially near the entry level. Given the choice of hiring someone local and hiring you, they may find it easier to hire locally, unless you can make a compelling case for yourself in your cover letter and follow-up calls.

-- Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.

Fourth Answer:

My first guess and that is all that I can venture given the information provided, is that you are sending out resumes. As you may know, sending out your resume in response to advertised opportunites often does not yield great results. If you are writing letters introducing yourself to specific employers that you have targeted, this may also not result in replies immediately. I would suggest that you follow-up on these forays with phonecalls or emails. Better yet, once you identify a suitable employer, get the name of someone who you can submit your credentials to and then folow-up directly with that individual. Almost all jobs result from person-to-person interaction. You need to make that human contact at the other end of your search.

Another thought is that your resume may be too limiting. Try to scope out what sports industry job listings say and then re-direct your resume to sound more like the jobs you are applying for. Use similar jargon from the industry and demonstrate from your environmental experience how you are experienced and hence, knowledgeable, about parallel skills and tasks in the sports industry.

Don't give up, you have a number of tough obstacles to overcome in this job search- changing fields and re-location being major ones. Good luck!

-- Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, creator of the JOBWHIZQUIZ, and specialist in cyber savvy strategic job search consultations.

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