If you have held the same administrative or clerical job for a number of years, you may need to brush up on your job-hunting skills. Applying for admin jobs without updating your resume or taking the time to write customized cover letters could cost you some desirable job opportunities. Use these tips to land one of the admin jobs or clerical jobs of your choice.
Ann Brenoff of "The Huffington Post" recommends highlighting your experience on your resume. Some people minimize their experience because they fear that resume screeners will realize that they are older than other candidates and file their resumes instead of passing them on to the recruiter or hiring manager. If you have been employed by your current company for a long time, you have the experience and skills other employers want in a candidate. You should not send in a five-page resume, but you should make sure the recruiter knows that you have a significant amount of experience. If you have held several admin jobs, you can eliminate the oldest ones from your resume.
Using your industry connections is another way to improve your chances of landing a job at another company. Administrative professionals who have held the same job for a long time usually build relationships with executives inside and outside their companies. When the time comes to find a new job, use these relationships to explore new opportunities. If you have impressed executives with your performance in past clerical jobs, ask for a referral or a recommendation. It is important that you save this approach for people you know well, as asking strangers for job referrals is not an example of professional behavior.
When you search for a new job after having held your current position for several years, you must update your resume. If you have held your current job for more than a decade, it is very likely that your old resume does not reflect your current skills and abilities. When you update your resume, be sure to add any degrees or certificates you have completed. If you have learned new software, highlight your new skills on your updated resume. Avoid listing jobs that have nothing to do with the admin jobs you want to pursue.
Your resume should highlight skills that are relevant to the demands of today's admin jobs. Give recruiters more information about your recent job and less information about admin jobs you previously held. Recruiters do not care if you used Microsoft DOS at your first job, as that skill is not relevant to today's workplace. If you take the time to highlight your updated skills, you will have an easier time convincing recruiters to interview you.
Finding a new job is always a challenge, regardless of your age and experience level. Leaving a long-term job makes the search even more difficult, as you may have missed out on opportunities to learn new skills or adapt to changes in the administrative field. Using these tips will help you get one of the admin jobs you desire.
(Photo courtesy of stockimages / freedigitalphotos.net)
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!