Finding the right words for a job search is a challenge for career changers, generalists, and veterans

Topics

• Job seeking

Job hunting can feel difficult when you’re looking for a new type of job in a new field, when your skill set and interests are so diverse that it’s nearly impossible to summarize them concisely, and when you already have many years of work experience behind you and it’s been a while since your last job search. In this article, I’ll go over a few basic principles that can help you articulate your job search.

For someone changing careers, it’s important to describe their motivation and relevant experience

In particular, it’s often difficult for someone changing careers to figure out what a prospective employer would like to hear. For the applicant, past experiences – whether positive or negative – may be the most vivid in their mind. It can also be nearly impossible to set aside past experiences, in which case someone changing careers might end up saying something like this: “I’m an experienced logistics planner applying to be a hotel front desk clerk.”

Regardless of the applicant’s unique background or current situation, the recruiter is interested in the future: what qualifies this applicant to succeed in the job they’re applying for. The logistics manager’s experience in the example isn’t inherently good or bad, but in a job application, it can become irrelevant or even counterproductive if the applicant doesn’t explain how it will benefit the future role. “As a receptionist, I can leverage my strong coordination and communication skills from my previous role as a logistics planner” is an example of a good way to describe the benefits of past experience in the context of a new job.

In the case of someone changing careers, the recruiter might wonder why a logistics planner is applying for a receptionist position in the first place. For the applicant, the reason may simply be that they no longer want to do their previous job. While that’s certainly a valid reason to seek new challenges, a prospective employer may not be as interested in that as they are in why the applicant is specifically interested in working as a front desk clerk or in a hotel. “I’m building a new career in customer service because it’s important to me…” is a good way to describe your motivation.

Checklist for career changers:

• Identify for yourself why you’re leaving your old field, but be aware that recruiters in your new field are particularly interested in the direction you’re heading.
• Articulate your motivation clearly: why (in addition to the new field) are this particular employer and this specific role of interest to you?
• Identify the skill requirements of your future field and the relevant skills, experiences, and achievements you’ve accumulated in the past.
• Anticipate the recruiter’s question: “Why is a professional in field X applying for a position in field Y?”

A generalist explains their value to the employer

Just as it is important for someone changing careers to describe their motivation, it is also important for a generalist—that is, a versatile professional. However, describing their motivation is rarely the biggest challenge for a generalist, who may actually be interested in doing all sorts of different things. It can be more challenging to narrow down and focus on the most relevant skills, experiences, and interests from their diverse profile for each specific role.

A generalist might want to say, “I’m interested in absolutely everything, and I’m skilled at doing and learning many different things quickly,” but it’s difficult for a recruiter to hire anyone based on a message like that. Just as with someone changing careers, recruiters are interested in what qualifies a generalist to succeed in the job they’re applying for. Describing this requires the applicant to thoroughly understand the specific needs of the target role and to highlight their own experience, skills, and motivation specifically in relation to those needs. Everything else can – roughly speaking – be left out or at least given a lesser role. After the core message, the applicant can, of course, add, “I’ve also done this and that, and I’m interested in that as well,” as long as they don’t confuse the recruiter with too much information.

Checklist for generalists:

• Don’t assume that the recruiter will have the time to wade through all your skills and experience, or that they’ll understand what’s most relevant.
• Do the screening for the recruiter: select from your profile the skills, experience, achievements, and interests that are best suited to each specific role. And yes, this is tedious and may feel unpleasant when you have to weed out details that are meaningful to you personally.
• The recruiter wants to know why you’re the right person for the specific role being advertised – not everything else you could also do successfully.

Experienced workers struggle against the enthusiasm of younger candidates

Experienced veterans or older job seekers may find their age to be a barrier when looking for work. However, few employers or recruiters are actually interested in age itself; rather, there may be underlying age-related biases on the part of the applicant or recruiter. A poor opening statement might be “I’m a 58-year-old veteran in the field,” as it emphasizes a factor that, in and of itself, has no bearing on the ability to perform the job: age.

What’s essential for a seasoned professional is to describe which experiences and achievements are most relevant to the specific position being applied for. It’s important to identify the factors that best demonstrate the applicant’s ability to perform the job they’re applying for, as well as why that particular job interests them – especially if they’re a seasoned professional in the same field. As noted, however, recruiters are primarily interested in what qualifies the applicant to succeed in the job they’re applying for. Very rarely does the applicant’s age have anything to do with this question. By emphasizing their age, applicants – at worst – highlight an irrelevant issue and thereby create conditions that may give rise to unpleasant prejudices.

Checklist for veterans:

• Even if you’re an older job seeker, rejections are probably not due to your age.
• Focus on what matters – that is, highlighting the strengths relevant to the position you’re applying for: skills, experience, achievements, and other evidence of your capabilities.
• Also remember to highlight your motivation: why are you still interested in this job, which you may have been doing for years?
• If you’re changing careers or are a generalist, be sure to check out the checklists and tips above.

Esa Hukkanen

Career expert

Esa is an experienced career expert, coach and trainer who has helped many career changers, generalists and seasoned professionals with their individual job searches and career transitions.