“I’d like to go into the corporate world….do I have the skills and experience?”

“I really want to spend the rest of my career doing work that means something.”

“I’m just plain tired of doing what I’m doing, where I’m doing it.  Is there any way I can do something different without going back to school, or starting over?”

Sound familiar?  Many of us have reached a point where we are simply not satisfied with our work: the amount, the type, the environment, the commute….. And the list goes on.

But is it realistic to think, or dream, that we could be happier in our work lives?  And can we do this without major upheaval to our families and our lives?

From my perspective, the answer is a resounding “YES!”   Now, this doesn’t mean that you can quickly go from being a corporate accountant to tracking wild game in the jungle-that may be too big a career leap.  But if you want to take current skills, experiences, work history, and background to a different environment, with different people, it is often possible.

What you have to do is look at yourself and your skills, experience et al, with a different set of eyes. Get a friend, colleague, or professional to talk you through your current resume, and thus your current skills and experience. Many of my clients don’t want to start over, they simply want to transfer their knowledge, skills and experience to a new venue.  Then use these “different” eyes to prod and poke at your skills and experience, looking for new ways to not only express but to use these skills.

For example, one client wanted to take his excellent course development and teaching skills and his experience running a nonprofit foundation to a corporate venue. We talked through his current resume and I asked lots of questions, gradually helping him to think of what he had done in his past positions and how the skills needed in them could translate into another environment, i.e. a corporation. I nudged and questioned, until he began to anticipate where I might go with the next skill.  By using my eyes to look at himself and what he could bring to the corporate table, he gained a new appreciation of his talents. This is a recent example, and he hasn’t posted for a new job yet, but I’m confident that he will be successful.

Another client had never written a resume. He was a high school graduate who had joined the Air Force after graduation. All of his work experience had been gained in the military, and then transferred to similar work with a large international airline-for whom he had worked for 26 years. When the airline was threatening staff cuts, he sought help in developing a document to help him find work. In our discussions, he told me what he wanted to do, and where (a relocation for him).  What was most interesting was what he didn’t tell me, and what I had to ask lots of questions to gain. What might have been a one-page document turned into an impressive listing of his technical skills, the types of aircraft on which he was trained to work, and his numerous certifications. He walked away with a new pride in his work, and, most importantly, in himself and what he would bring to his next job.