By Wendy Steele, Founder of BluePrint Resumes & Consulting
Just know that you may have to start at entry-level and work your way up. For some this isn’t a problem, but for others who are at a certain income level in their current career, well… might not be so easy.
That was the case with an Accounting major who came to our office for an in-depth consultation. See, whether we’re doing resumes or career consulting we first conduct a client assessment. If the client isn’t ready (for example if they’re all over the place) then we give them a little homework to do. This client however was extremely focused on accounting. She was about to graduate from a pretty well known college with honors. She had about 15 years of experience in her current role that was unrelated to accounting and try as I might, it was like pulling teeth to get her to tell me of any transferable skills. She was relying solely on the degree.
I’m not sure if it was her college professors, friends, colleagues or who told her that she would be making over $50,000 as soon as she had that diploma in hand and no experience, but she was terribly misinformed. To make matters worse, she hadn’t conducted any research on her own. “No problem” I said (or so I thought). “We’ll just pull up some postings here.” While doing so, I explained that she may have to start with a lower salary, but there were plenty of positions out there. I started with some entry-level ones like Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Clerk, Staff Accountant and other similar roles to help her get her foot in the door.
As we viewed the postings showing $30,000 she was flabbergasted! We did see more ranging from $40,000 to $50,000, however those were either requiring 1-3 years in a particular industry or they were in other states with generally a higher income starting point due to a higher cost of living. For example, San Francisco, Napa Valley and places like this. Now, you can make a decent living in the South off of $40K-$50K, but out West? In those cities? She might be living in a tent somewhere. Okay, that’s another story in and of itself. Getting back to her shock…
She immediately said “I have to make at least $50,000!” She went on about how this was her current salary and she needed this to maintain her standard of living. When I advised her to just get her foot in the door and gain as much experience as possible she was not having it. I also advised volunteering somewhere if she could while continuing to work at her current job that did pay $50K. This way she could start building up the experience to meet minimum qualifications. She left the office considering these options, but I could tell she was sorely disappointed in what was out there. She called me later to say that she was just going to keep working at her current job. I tried convincing her not to give up since she did after all, work so hard to obtain her degree.
So, when you’re making a career transition take your time and do it right. Just to recap:
- Do your research. Join College boards like College Confidential. There are plenty of traditional and non-traditional students on there who discuss what they’ve learned about a particular major or industry. You can also check out the Princeton Review. This is one of my favorites because you can read the Day in the Life of a _________enter any occupation. It’ll tell you salaries from one to five years, five to ten years, what it’s like, etc… and lastly Salary Wizard is another great tool where you can enter the salary for any position, all levels in any state.
- Just know that you may have to take a pay cut or start at the bottom. Especially if you have no experience in the field. Of course networking and that old saying that it’s all about who you know is still prevalent today, but of course you don’t want to just bet on that. Good luck if it works for you though.
- If you can’t find the kinds of positions you’re looking for, or find it difficult to get interviews, let alone hired then do some volunteering. Non-profit organizations or even small businesses looking for some extra help, but can’t afford to pay you right now. I remember once when I had an opening for an in-house resume writer (paid of course) and a real estate agent asked if she could work for three months for free just to learn the business because she was thinking of starting her own resume writing business. She was so hungry and eager to learn she wanted to do it for free!
- Start your own freelance business. Using the accounting client example, there are companies out there always looking for virtual assistants. It may not pay much, but remember you’re just trying to get the experience to make the transition.
- If you’re currently working for a company that has several departments; one of which may have positions and require the degree you just got, don’t worry about not having enough experience. Ask the department manager to shadow the employees in the department. That’s what I did when I went from customer service to IT (Information Technology). I didn’t have any experience. I didn’t even have a technical degree or certifications!
- And lastly, don’t forget to network! Whether it’s in person at career fairs, professional meet and greet groups or social networking. DO IT!
These are just a few tips for making the career transition once you’ve earned your new degree. Don’t stay settled in your old role. Be proud and embark on your new career journey! As always, good luck in your career search!