CAREERS NOW 01-26-11

Career Lock Out? Try These Tips

DEAR JOYCE: Is it difficult to switch careers as a teacher/educator? I have been a contracted teacher, substitute and administrative intern. My positions were eliminated due to the economic conditions of the schools. Now I'm considered "too expensive" to hire because of my education level - master's degree plus numerous extra credits; schools are looking to hire teachers right out of school with no experience because they cost less. I'm feeling lost. Advice? - P.K

Lucky you: Major-league occupational authority Laurence Shatkin answers your question. (Read this national career industry leader's impressive credentials at the following online address: tinyurl.com/mx5atg.) Here's what Dr. Shatkin advises:

Let's assume you have no chance of teaching in a different setting, such as community college. What about working as a corporate trainer? You may be knowledgeable about an appropriate subject, such as business, technology education or writing.

If your teaching subject is not a good fit for training, perhaps you can leverage your knowledge of the education industry. Think of a role in such fields as sales or market research that you can fill for a textbook publisher, or some other business that deals with the education market.

Another option is to take stock of the skills you learned along with your subject and find ways to apply them to a nonteaching career. For example, if you have been teaching science, you may be able to work in research at the technician level. With history, work as a genealogist or paralegal may use skills that you have mastered.

It helps to Google the phrase "what can I do with a major in" and look at the college websites that answer this question. Take note of the careers suggested for a major that is similar to the subject you taught.

Two books to revive careers. The above letter reflects an evergreen theme to this column : "How do I get out of a going-nowhere space into a satisfying career space?"

-- Specific to the teacher/educator question answered here, a key solution is learning how to market yourself for different roles. Two of the best resume writers in the business, Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, offer solid, practical help in the new third edition of their book "Expert Resumes for Teachers and Educators." I enthusiastically recommend this guide for those in the education field who are hoping to make a sun-up move in their work life.

-- Addressing a broader audience of everyone who wonders how to get "unstuck" from an unwanted career path, Dr Shatkin suggests reliable answers in his just published "Overnight Career Choice, Second Edition." The root problem, Dr. Shatkin says, is that people often don't spend enough time considering what they're good at, what their interests are and what's important to them. His book gives you a process for quickly cutting to the chase (thus the "Overnight" terminology in the title) in finding your ideal career turf and tells you how to go get it.

Both books are available in all major bookstores and from the publisher, JIST(jist.com).

DEAR JOYCE: My brother - a "walker and a talker" - basically oversold his experience and ability and lasted on his new job for not quite two weeks. Please comment on this mistake, which, in my observation, rarely leads to lasting employment. - L.H.

You're right. Qualifications inflation can bite a person in the unemployment line. Jorgen Sundberg, one of my favorite bloggers (theundercoverrecruiter.com), put it like this:

"I have often seen people describe a stint of counter service at McDonalds as 'providing high levels of client service.' While this statement is not incorrect, it is misleading. A client is generally someone whom you deal with more than once. A customer is someone who comes to the counter. Most recruiters know what people do at McDonalds, so this statement just sounds silly."

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E-mail career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at jlk@sunfeatures.com; use Reader Question for subject line. Or mail her at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007.

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