Ask the Experts:
Getting a New Job When Skills Aren't Transferable

Question:

I have worked in the same job for years. My experience will not allow me to transfer into any other field. I would like to work elsewhere. I can't go back to school because of my shift schedule. What should I do?

First Answer:

Wow! I'd love to know what kind of experience you have that is absolutely not transferable to any other field. Without knowing what you do, it's extremely difficult to imagine any job that would not provide you with skills that are transferable and applicable to other fields. Between your statement that your experience won't transfer and your assertion that you can't go back to school, it sounds to me as though you are putting up barriers for yourself. You need to cultivate a basic belief that you can knock those barriers down. Otherwise you will continue to be stuck.

I would suggest that you start with an inventory of all the skills you've developed in your job. Focus especially on the skills that just about every employer wants -- communication skills, teamwork skills, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, good work ethic. I'll bet you've used at least some of those in your current job. Then focus on skills that may be more specialized but are still transferable and applicable to other jobs. You might want to read an article entitled Transferable Skills: A Vital Job-Search technique .

To convince employers that your skills are transferable and applicable, you may want to try a functional approach with your resume. Check out another article to learn how to create a functional resume: http://www.quintcareers.com/functional_resume.html

Even the school issue is surmountable, thanks to distance learning. No matter what shift you work, you can take courses on your own schedule. Monster.com just launched a new section of its site called MonsterLearning dedicated to a massive listing of distance-learning courses and programs.

-- 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.

Second Answer:

First of all, do not count school out entirely! There are many creative ways for adults to continue or get a college education. Among them are programs that only require you to go one night a week for 18 - 24 months (if you already have an Associate Degree or the equivalent in college hours) and receive a Bachelor's Degree. Programs vary by college. Many colleges also offer on-line courses that can lead to a degree. Check with the colleges in your area to see what programs exist.

But for right now...I would begin by making a list of all the companies/businesses in the radius that you are willing to drive that could use the current skills you possess. Put together a resume that sells those skills and begin making contact with employers. Continue to follow up with employers contacted until you find a new employer.

-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College

Third Answer:

Before you rule out the possibility of going back to school, check with local colleges and universities about programs for people like yourself, who do work. Many of them are offering flexible hours, telecourses and even Internet based learning to help you get credentials or a degree.

Reduce your expenses to a minimum; cut down all non-necessities. And save as much as possible.

You haven't mentioned what skills you have gained in your current job, but making a list of your skills would be a good start; you can't assume that your experience won't be applicable elsewhere.

After listing your skills, go over them with a friend or a career coach and try to answer the question, "what other positions use these same skills?" Think not just of "hard" job skills but also "soft" skills like "team player", "people skills", "excellent organizer". Then you can develop a powerful, targeted resume emphasizing those skills and submit them to potential employers.

Don't waste your life doing something that you hate.

If you have any more questions, please ask.

-- Candace Davies, Director and Founder of Cando Career Coaching and Resume Writing and All Trades Resume Writing

Fourth Answer:

I felt sad for you as I read your question. You have built so many barriers for yourself that there may not be an answer you will find acceptable. The negative feelings that come across in your short question are strong and I believe these are the first issue you must master. You must take command of your future and not cast blame onto others, as I sense you may be doing. You are responsible for your future.

You say you have worked "for years" at the same job. How close to retirement are you? What is you financial situation like? What is your tolerance for risk? There may be a dozen such questions that cry for answers before you will be able to "solve" your dilemma.

Get to know yourself, your strengths, values, work habits, the best time of the day for you, your interests, those things you dislike, your skills, assess you accomplishments, your less glorious achievements, the full gamut of personal knowledge each of us have but choose not to look too closely at. Take a close, unblinking look at yourself.

Initially, I believe you must define your problem, identify the barriers that confront you. Looking at both the physical elements and the psychological elements of your circumstances. The factors influencing your feelings that are outside you and more importantly the parts inside, your thoughts, fears, hopes and expectations. Your goal here is to be honest with yourself. If you can't achieve personal honesty you may not be ready for change.

Think about how you react to risk. How important is a sense of security. We all complain about being in a rut but sometimes that rut feels pretty good and as a result hard to break out of. Making a change requires taking a risk. If you have an aversion to risking you security change will be hard to accomplish.

Setting aside your belief that you are held captive by your shift schedule, think about your ideal job: what would it take for you to be able to have it, what sacrifices are required, how long would it take, what would you have when you got it? Again a myriad of questions, one coming on the back of another, all requiring tough answers will spring into your mind.

Now believe you are not a slave you a shift schedule, retraining is possible and colleges or other schools are working to be flexible to serve their community. They recognize that if they present a rigid front to their "customers", read students, they like any other service provider will soon not have any "customers." My suggestion is look into retraining or advance studies opportunities within your community.

As your process progresses you will vacillate on both sides of the issue. One day you will feel positive, the next day you may be in a slump. This is part of the process, expect it. Accepting and working to understand the causes of these inconsistencies will put you on the track that is correct for you.

On the other hand, today career changing has risen to the status of an indoor sport. Lawyers becoming Authors, Doctors become Innkeepers, FBI agents become Security Consultants. But is change right for you? Not everyone is able or desires change but may be caught up in the excitement of new fields. A deep self-assessment will go a long way to helping you make the right decision for you. Do not feel that after looking into your heart of hearts you decide the grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence but it still is grass and you decide to stay where you are working to improve your attitude toward your current circumstances, that this is copping-out. It is taking responsibility for you life and making conscious decisions about the direction you are taking and this is the responsible and correct action for you at this time.

Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College

Fifth Answer:

I sense a great deal of frustration here, lots of closed doors. But I think it's important to point out the positives that are inferred -- there is employment continuity, an obviously strong identification with and apparent mastery of the tools of a particular trade, and the desire to improve one's lot, whether it means retraining or bridging into a related but distinct field. What we have here are the elements of what it takes to create change -- a stable staging platform, a high level of competence, and the desire to change one's situation.

So what to do? Without knowing any details, all I can suggest is a strategy at a very high level, and some of the accompanying choices that need to be made along the way. Lots of us know ourselves as people who want something better for ourselves and our families. At some point, in order to pursue that more promising future, a line must be crossed. How badly do I really want change? And what am I willing to give up to make that change possible? Very often, it turns out that the price is too great, and that given the price, things "as they are" aren't all that bad! Our careers are a lot like businesses -- you have to spend money to make money, take risks to realize rewards.

Once having made the decision to move ahead, the planning must begin. It sounds like in this case, things need to be done in stages. If re-training is involved, or more education, the "stability" that has been enjoyed up until now may have to be sacrificed. This doesn't necessarily mean rsigning -- very often employers will work with their highly motivated employees and partner with them in the retraining process. But if it comes to resigning. before doing it, I would suggest that career counseling from one of a host of sources would be an excellent idea here. Learn more about yourself so that you can tailor any efforts to change your work life in a way that lines up with who you are and what you need. Ideally, you could also start saving heavily so that you could take the next step: resign your current position and find a temporary or part time position that gives you the scheduling flexibility to pursue the training you need, ideally training that carries with it an aggressive placement service.

The main point is that there are avenues available for self reinvention. It sounds like the elements are there in this case, and with enough will and creativity, great things are possible.

-- Allen Davis, CEO, SoftwareJobs.com, Inc. and Founder and Chairman of BountySystems Inc.

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