Looking for jobs when experience doesn't match degree

[Norrie]

I've always said that I'd stay at my job until they wheeled me out feet-first, because I enjoy it that much. My boss is a friend, I enjoy almost all of my co-workers, I have a nice, sunny, private office, and overall, it's pretty low-key.

That said, it pays next to nothing, and university funding is sketchy right now, so my position may be cut to 20 hours a week (which wouldn't be awful, because I'd still have benefits, but...).

This forum has given me the kick in the pants that I need to at least start looking around at other positions. The main thing that I'm running into is that my degree (a Masters in social work) doesn't really have anything to do with the majority of my experience, which is research, program evaluation, and data analysis.
I've worked in direct practice with patients and clients, and though I enjoyed it, I'm not at a place in my life where it's a good fit. I'd really rather not go back there, though if necessary I can definitely do on-call work for the trauma hospital in town.

But most of the analyst and assessment jobs are very business/finance oriented, and I don't even know what most of the acronyms that they're using mean.

Any words of advice when starting a job hunt? Any clue as to how to sell myself as a potential good fit, even if I don't have the preferred degree or resume? Anyone run a really successful company and looking for a charming social worker to analyze your data from the comfort of her own home while being paid six figures?

[impaire]

Unfortunately, I know approximately zilch about your profession(s)--either the one on the diploma, or the one that you are in right now.

My only recommendation, as someone who has been trying to find new jobs in this country with a completely incomprehensible (i.e. foreign) background, is to network. Do you have any suppliers, providers, partners that you work with in your current job? Can you talk to them, informally, or semi-informally (information interview: who else do they serve? What are they looking for? Where do they see space on the market?)? This can be delicate depending on your position and rapport, I understand. Also--any professional association, alumni group, parent network you can activate? Any volunteering you could do if you found your hours cut down to 20 per week? What about your coworkers--do they have any ideas?

[Rural]

Are you open to moving? If so, keep an eye on the Chronicle of Higher Ed job list for institutional research. Sounds like what you've been doing, and every college (in the southeast, at least) has to have it. Degrees vary wildly in my experience.

I know of an assistant position, in fact, but I think from your description it would be a significant step down for you.

[Gray Matter]

I have been able to move  fairly easily between the non-profit, government, and corporate spheres over the past 20 years.  You mentioned not understanding acronyms--it is critical to learn the vocabulary.  The underlying principles and the skills required in all of these jobs are often very similar or at least translate, but the vocabulary is different and you need to use the right words to instill confidence in people that you know what you're doing.

I don't think having a degree that differs from your experience is a problem--that describes most Americans in my experience.  Just figure out a one-liner to explain it, "I got my Masters in social work because I wanted to...then I discovered that my real passion was for..."  Or, even better, an explanation for why your combination of a social work degree and research/evaluation experience makes you uniquely qualified for the position.

I do find that various sectors and industries often think you have to have industry experience in order to add value. That just means we trade employee back and forth, every company looks like every other one, and true innovation is less likely.  I would LOVE to see more hiring from outside our industry, and if you can find a way to talk about that as a positive, not a negative, that would help.  It also helps if you can talk intelligently about the sector or industry and how it's similar or different to where you've been working.  Draw parallels, "Though we are publicly funded, it comes down to being able to get the best academics, which draw the best students, and at the end of the day, our students are our clients.  So even though it's not the same, I do understand the need to remain competitive, build your brand, and hire the best people."  (Would need to change for the type of job you're going for.)

I also want to second the advice to network, and ask people's advice.  "If I wanted to make the transition from x to y, what advice would you have for me?"

If your hours do get cut to 20, would that leave time for you to do small consulting projects in the industry you want to move to?  I have found that to be a great way to get your foot in the door and sometimes, a job offer will follow.  At the very least, it helps teach you the vocabulary and put relevant experience on your resume.

Best of luck if you do decide to make this transition--it must be difficult to think of leaving a place where you've been so happy.

[Cook for Good]

I've enjoyed making several major career changes without matching degrees. Just combine these three things:
* a passion for something, so you will work hard and others will want to work with your bright-eyed, bushy-tailed self
* a bridge that lets your expertise help those you are eager to work with
* volunteering to get started and make connections.

Conferences in your field are a great way to do this in an intensive way. When I was a computer-games exec but wanted to start "Amazon for gardeners" (back when I had to explain what Amazon was), I volunteered to lead 5 bus tours for the Perennial Plant Association, which was having its annual conference in my area. After doing all the plant-related narration, I took a very few minutes to describe my business idea and then passed around a sign-up sheet for those who wanted to know more. The bridge here was that I knew how to do e-commerce and could help high-end nurseries do sales online.

You could volunteer to do some analysis or research for your favorite group or cause. Write blog posts for a website that is read by people you want to work with. I became a political staffer by doing the website for my county political party. Be helpful and the work will follow.

[Noodle]

One thing that might help in a situation like this is to use a skills-based resume rather than a reverse-chronological one. As a hiring manager I LOVE skill-based resumes (and was surprised how few people had them when I did a recent hire). I also use one myself and have never had trouble getting interviews. For a skill-based resume, you list an area of experience, and then accomplishments, honors, experience etc related to that area. Then the next area of experience, with details, and so on. Then at the end, you do a very simple reverse work history (title, location, years) and an education listing, followed by any memberships or general honors. I find it so much easier to read than having to pick through a list of jobs trying to figure out which skills were used when, and I would think in a situation like this where you are trying to get into areas where you haven't worked before, it might be helpful.

[Bruised_Pepper]

One thing that might help in a situation like this is to use a skills-based resume rather than a reverse-chronological one. As a hiring manager I LOVE skill-based resumes (and was surprised how few people had them when I did a recent hire). I also use one myself and have never had trouble getting interviews. For a skill-based resume, you list an area of experience, and then accomplishments, honors, experience etc related to that area. Then the next area of experience, with details, and so on. Then at the end, you do a very simple reverse work history (title, location, years) and an education listing, followed by any memberships or general honors. I find it so much easier to read than having to pick through a list of jobs trying to figure out which skills were used when, and I would think in a situation like this where you are trying to get into areas where you haven't worked before, it might be helpful.

Oh, dear god yes.  I was unemployed for six months after getting out of college with NO LUCK in the job search.  I sent out tons of resumes/cover letters and only ended up with 3 or so interviews in that time period (during the recession).  I switched to a skill-based resume.  20 minutes after sending it out for the first time, I get a call back for an interview.  I do two interviews and get the job, and I worked there for 2 1/2 years.  Towards the end of working that job, I get interested in moving from my current city.  After sending out about 4 applications w/ my updated skills resume, I get flown out to the West Coast on one company's expense for an interview and get the job there.

I can't say enough about the skills-based resume.  The only reason you should consider using a work history resume is if you have 20+ years of experience in the field (as your work history is now a strong point).  And even then, you probably have way more accomplishments/skills/certifications than most anyone else, so you could easily consider the skills-based resume anyway. 

[Norrie]

You guys are awesome, and all of these ideas are things that I had not yet thought of (skills-based resume, networking, etc.). They really help shift my focus to what I need to be doing. My resume is updated, but totally chronological, and notes very little of my research or assessment work. I'm going to change that this weekend.

And networking...gah. I suck at it. There are absolutely several people that I could talk to at work about other opportunities. I just need to actually ask.

I spent some time looking at Indeed.com last night, and there were one or two possibilities there, but it felt so foreign to even be considering a move. I need to get it together.

[senecando]

Another thing that might help in this situation: Maybe, before making a skills-based resume (sounds awesome, btw, and I will likely try this at some point), make a resume with everything you've ever done, or close to everything. I have a gigundo resume that I edit down and shape for each position.

Looking at each item and asking "Could this be relevant for this position?" has led me to send out much different resumes with--I think--narratives that better support my application. Also, the giant resume is excellent for building confidence and reminding yourself how varied your experience really is.

[CU Tiger]

After the first job, I don't think it matters much WHAT your major was in college. Use your resume to highlight your skills and experience.

My husband has a PhD in Astrophysics. His first job was as a SysAdmin at NASA. He's now IT Manager of a mid-sized company. He was able to translate a degree where he used computers a lot into a job helping other people use computers, and then managing the other people helping people use computers. Once he realized the peripatetic life of an Astronomer was not for him, the switch into Computer System Admin was a great, well-paid career.

So don't worry about your degree. Just sell your skills.

[Gray Matter]

It's interesting to see that so many people like skills-based resumes, because as a hiring manager, I'm not a huge fan.  I sometimes suspect (perhaps unfairly) that they're used to cover up lack of real experience.  And, I've found that everyone thinks they're good at nearly everything and I'm suspicious of the long list of "skills" I see on these resumes.  I am more interested in learning about what you've actually done in each job, and though people can certainly inflate that, things like job titles, progression/increasing responsibility within an organization, longevity, and gaps in employment provide a more complete picture in my opinion. 

But perhaps that's because I've seen a lot of long-term unemployed folks in our industry switching to skills-based resumes to cover gaps?  Or maybe I'm just a suspicious person, or behind the times.

I do like a hybrid model that calls out skills in short bullets at the top, followed by a traditional chronological resume.  Just another point of view.

[Peony]

Wow, so much useful information on this thread. Thanks for starting this, Norrie. I'll be looking for job/volunteer opportunities starting in the spring and as a midlife person with tons of varied experience, I think there are suggestions here that I can use even though my work is different. I'll just add that I, too, have had success with a skills-based resume. At some point all my different endeavors (journalism/real estate/consumer advocacy) just began to look too wildly disparate on a purely chronological resume. Offering a succinct distillation of my skills (e.g., communication, negotiation, etc.) at the top of the page seems to tie the threads together helpfully. I have gotten interviews, and a job, using my reorganized resume.