Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens ⋅ Fort Lauderdale, FL Human Resources Quality Assurance, LLC (Now Retired) ⋅ 50 years experience

Hello Arianne! In reading over your question and valuable answers that you have received, I sense something missing. As a life-long recruiter, vocational counselor, and H-R pro, I have learned that there are three legs to the stool that supports a quality hire; i.e., education, experience, and talent. Few talk about talent and yet, I have found THAT to be the more important of the three.

To me, a good education means that you have the capacity to learn. Relevant past experience means that you have been exposed to the features of the job under consideration. But talent means that you have the innate ability to apply those talents - IF there is a match between the talent-demands of the job and your personal talents.

One simple example . . . . if you were to be hiring for a receptionist position, would you want someone in that position who is an introvert or an extrovert? Regardless of education or experience, you just cannot teach introversion or extroversion.

Which baits the question: just what are YOUR talents and how do THEY match up with any prospective job that you are considering?

If you would like to get a handle on identifying YOUR talents, in the vocational context, consider doing this free inventory. It is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and, in my role as a vocational counselor, I have found it to be eye-opening to my clients. If you have some difficulty understanding, appreciating, or embracing what you learn here, please feel free to contact me off this channel - also free - at hlstevens42@gmail.com

http://www.humanmetrics.com/hr/jtypesresult.aspx

Talent trumps experience and education every time.

Dr. Hank

Jeff Martin ⋅ Ashburn, VA The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ⋅ 25 years experience

If you don’t have years of experience to share then you should share specific and measurable accomplishments and results. Smart companies will gravitate to proven and measurable results even years of experience are lacking. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Ash Shepherd ⋅ Ashland, OR NTEN ⋅ 20 years experience

John has some really solid advice on how to approach this. In addition to what they shared, I would say be sure to use a skills-based resume format, as opposed to education or experience-based formats. It helps demonstrate that you know what the skills of the position are and how you have built them in previous work rather than letting them guess at your skills based on formal job titles. When it comes time for cover letters and interviews be confident in the fact that you are transitioning into a new sector rather than feeling like you need to hide it. Own it as a point of strength and then they can't spin it as anything else :-) Your confidence will give them confidence in your ability to do the work.

My wife is a county coordinator within Public Health and just last week hired someone who was switching sectors from what could be considered a completely unrelated field. The applicant used these approaches and she out-competed a number of other folks with direct experience. As a manager, I have also appreciated this approach in my own higher of folks moving in from other sectors and often times found them to be some of the best employees.

I have also used these tactics myself as I have moved between sectors twice in my career. Congrats on your upcoming graduation as well!!!!

John Faber ⋅ Arlington, VA Booz Allen ⋅ 2 years experience

Hi Arianne,

Did you do anything similar while you were in the Navy? I would record all your experiences and accomplishments. Don't sell yourself short. I would review job postings for positions that you are interested in and do a gap analysis between the job posting and your resume. What skills are you missing? If it's just the experience that you are missing, then your goal is to communicate that you can perform the job successfully in a way that builds and establishes trust.

If you know anyone working in this profession, I would try to connect with them and share your resume and interest. By the end of the conversation, ask if there is anyone they know that you should reach out to or if there is a resource they found particularly helpful getting a job in this field. Best of luck!

John