Can a career counselor help me craft a better resume?

February 25, 2008 3:19 PM

I want to take my resume to a career counselor/life coach-type person and talk about improving it. Will they really help me? And how do I find a good one?

I'm not looking for anyone to write my resume. I just want to spend an hour or two discussing what I could do to make my resume (and cover letters) better. I'm in the process of changing careers, so I want talk about how to stress the best aspects of my previous job and how to best sell myself in a new field. Has anyone ever tried this? Will it help?

posted by Kronoss to work & money (9 comments total)

You'd be much better off talking to someone in your new field than a generic (and possibly wholly unqualified) counselor or life coach. Someone in your desired field will know what skills are desired and can be "carried over" from your old career and which ones aren't worth mentioning.
posted by Nelsormensch at 3:24 PM on February 25 [1 favorite]

I've done what Nelsormensch suggests and it was the best thing I could have done. I contacted a relative of a friend who worked in the same field as me, and politely asked if she'd give me her thoughts on my resume.

Not only did she go over it with me (through e-mail), but she actually had a friend in HR at this huuuge company in my field provide some tips and suggest changes.

I never ended up getting a job with her company despite a few interviews, but the help on the resume definitely DID help get in the door with a competitor!
posted by smitt at 3:30 PM on February 25

I got the name of a woman who rewrote people's resumes for a living from a colleague at work. She came highly recommended; I felt she was money well spent, and she was expensive (I believe $175). We did it all by phone, and she basically went through the "current" copy of my resume and asked me questions. Really good, thorough questions, but the most helpful thing she did was help me restate some of my accomplishments. Depending on the field you're leaving, you may not realize how much of your current resume may be tainted by jargon you take for granted - but that companies outside of your current one don't fully grasp.

For example, I was in the cable industry, working for a cable programmer (someone who sells networks). I had something in my resume about a successful HSD campaign. Everyone in my particular field knows HSD means "High-Speed Data" - you hear it at a million conferences, see it written in trades, call it that all-day long - but hardly anyone outside of cable knows that. I'd been in cable for so long, I took certain terms for granted - fine if you want to stay within your own industry, but that's not the case. I think it's good advice from Nelsormench that you find someone who can help you successfully position yourself in the correct way for your new chosen field -- but, if they're really good, someone who makes you boil-down your resume into plain-spoken but persuasive language is invaluable as well.

Whatever industry you're in, measurement tends to set apart the great resumes from the merely good (let's not talk about the bad, because they can get really, really bad). Unfortunately, most people don't take the time or have the ability to know precisely what percentage they increased sales, or whether their campaign contributed an additional $1MM to revenue. Look through your records and try to be as specific as possible. Absent solid figures, context can work well, too -- "Top salesperson at company for 6 consecutive quarters" or "Achieved promotion to manager within six months of joining the company."

Good luck with the career change.
posted by mrkinla at 3:44 PM on February 25

BIG ditto to Nelsormensch. I came in here to give that very bit of advice. I've been taken out to lunch on a number of occasions by people looking to make a career move into my field, and I've always been happy to give some advice.

Oh, and as far as life coaches are concerned: I've known a couple, and every last one of them was barely capable of managing their own life, let alone able to give advice to others. I can think of one in particular who was peddling her services as a life coach but, due to her monumentally fucked up priorities couldn't remember to feed her kids half the time. Based on the 3 or 4 that I've met, I would avoid the entire 'discipline' as quackery.
posted by deadmessenger at 3:47 PM on February 25

Someone qualified in your field is better, in my experience. When I was coming out of my MBA, I tried a career coach who couldn't understand that an MBA (in combination with 8 years of experience) would do anything to change my skillset or help me make a career change. But when I talked to a software company VP who had an MBA, he was able to give me really concrete suggestions that did a lot for my career.

The career coach (a former recruiter) DID help me with my resume, though. She turned a very good resume into a standout resume.
posted by acoutu at 3:49 PM on February 25

Alright. Consensus seems to be that someone who has a job I want is a better person to talk to. I thought about that a little, but wondered if a counselor might know some secret magic words that will get you interviews. I guess there's no such thing. But at least I know what to do next now. Thanks guys!
posted by Kronoss at 5:43 PM on February 25

You know, I've worked with lots of clients who have used life coaches and have never--not a single time--found a person who said that the experience was worth the money. Just a few data points, but possibly useful ones.
posted by LGCNo6 at 6:09 PM on February 25

If you ever went to college your college's career services office might do some of this for free for alumni.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:12 PM on February 25

Coaches can be a hit-or-miss proposition. I've worked with a career coach who was worth every buck I spent. On the other hand, coaching as a profession is not yet very regulated, so I've come across "coaches" who have had 4 hours of training and really don't have the skills needed to do the job.

That said, there is an organization that certifies coaches based on fairly rigorous education and testing. The International Coach Federation offers resources for finding a coach who meets a set of standards for certification.

You should also be aware that coaches can have different specialties. Life coaches help clients work through personal issues, career coaches can help you develop a plan to find the right job, and executive coaches help develop leadership qualities.

Finally, a good career coach won't tell you what to do to find the best job for you, but they will help you clarify exactly what you're looking for in a career.

Full disclosure: I am a trained coach and member of the ICF.
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:27 AM on February 26