When you introduce yourself to a new company, you are in a unique position to reinvent yourself. After all, they have never met you before, and all they know about you is the information you provide. Even if you are completely honest about your skills, experiences, and work history, there are multiple ways your can frame your past and assert your abilities. It’s worth it to consider rebranding yourself towards the middle of your career, especially if you are looking for a fresh opportunity. These are a few ways you can put a new spin on your professional credentials:
Use a Skills-Based Resume
Traditional resumes typically focus on your past, listing your work experience and education. But if you are looking to make a change in your career, particularly into a new industry, this type of resume only highlights your lack of relevant experience.
Instead, switch to a skills-based resume that highlights the abilities and character traits that have made you an asset to previous employers. There are many broad skills that are important in any job, and if you craft your resume carefully, you can use the document to establish yourself as a candidate that can succeed anywhere.
Develop Professionally
By mid-career, you have learned a lot throughout your working life. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to prove your expertise to new employers that haven’t seen you on the job. You can make bold claims, but if you can’t back them up, they just seem like empty sentiments.
Completing certification programs, training events, and educational opportunities lets you turn these “unofficial skills” into bona fide credentials. Investing a little time and money into professional development helps you rebrand yourself as an ambitious and multitalented dynamo with the exact skills employers are looking for.
Focus Your Efforts Online
Your online identity can be your best friend or biggest enemy. Embarrassing pictures or statements can undercut your efforts to rebrand yourself during the hiring process. But they can also help to establish you as an interesting, relevant, talented, and valuable prospect. Either way, expect any potential employer to check you out online.
The first step is to remove anything unflattering, and, if necessary, work with a reputation management company. The next step is to optimize your social media profiles, set up a personal website, and start blogging and commenting regularly. Online environments give you the freedom and power to create your own professional identity from the ground up.
The rebranding process might seem overwhelming, but don’t think of it as one huge task. It is an organic and ongoing process that taps into every part of your professional life. You develop your new brand slowly and work to build it up throughout the entire second half of your career. To learn more about how this process works in practice, contact a recruiting specialist at Selectek.