News You Can Use

Make a smooth mid-career job change

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Kasia Haupt
July 21, 2004

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The days are long past when people spent their entire careers at the same job. Today the average person will change jobs at least six times, said Luther Epting, director of the Career Center at Mississippi State University.

If you’re making a transition and searching for a new career, Epting advises spending time to research jobs that are the best match for your skills and interests.

“Look for a job that you will enjoy doing for a long time,” he advises, adding that many job-seekers effectively turn avocations into vocations. Also, consider careers that were non-existent when you first entered the workforce.

One valuable resource is other professionals you know. “As someone with an established career, you have the advantage of already having contacts,” Epting said.

If you are looking for a business, educational, agricultural, medical, or research position, a higher degree likely will help you develop new skills that are necessary to land a good job. For many other jobs, skills developed from past experience may qualify you.

Epting said the job process has changed considerably in the past decade. “Employers now do ‘behavioral-based interviews’ in which they ask more open-ended questions based on the premise that the best prediction of future success is past performance,” he says.

Other tips to remember include:

-- The way you present data on your resume will be different if you’re a seasoned professional instead of a recent graduate. Make your resume more functional than chronological by focusing on your experience and skills rather than where you have been and when.

-- A good format for paper resumes is important, but there also are many chances to apply for jobs online by putting your data into a searchable database.

-- Be open to something completely different from your last job.

-- If you are a valued employee but finances or boredom are inspiring a job search, your skills and contributions may be able to translate into a raise or more challenging position in your current workplace.