Skills you might not know you have

You may have been working as a food server for the last five years and you are good at it but your feet need a rest. You want... no, you need a different job if you want to save your feet and maybe even your mind, but you do not have the experience or the schooling for any kind of other work. Or maybe, with all the paperwork that comes over your desk you can't see past it to a promotion and it burns you out. Or the factory you are working in doesn't appreciate your mechanical ability and you are frustrated.

Did you know that a good server learns by hands on experience, salesmanship and a bit of accounting? A good clerk acquires an eye for detail, and a good memory. A factory worker who wants his or her job to be easier, implements time management to do it more efficiently.

All of these attributes, if worded correctly, could open doors to better paying jobs or totally different careers.

With the right keywords and good examples of your skills, skills that you may have been taking for granted, an honest, professional-quality resume and cover letter is your key to other career doors.

List your skills

Get a notebook and a pen; sit at a table in a quiet room; get comfortable. Since your career choices are on your mind, list some jobs you think you might like to do; be reasonable; do not write brain surgeon if you only have a high school education unless you plan on going back to school for the next seven years. Next to each of them, list what you think that job entails, the duties, the physical and mental requirements, and the benefits, including pay, insurance and perks. Now list what your present or last job entails. Think objectively not bitterly.

That exercise roughly lists what you can do and what you are willing to do and I would bet there is more than one skill common to your job and the wish jobs you have listed.

Sometimes the difference is merely a matter of jargon or scale, and that difference can be noted in your cover letter. In fact, I used a comparison in a cover letter of my own. I applied for the position of service planner in a trucking firm that requires knowledge of shipping and trucking, and a college degree, neither of which I have. But by stressing my organizational skills as a banquet director and willingness to learn their jargon, I am in favorable contention for the job, a job that pays fifteen thousand dollars more than my present job.

So, the skills you possess can easily be translated into another, more satisfying career.

Know what you want

First, know the job you are applying for. Before I applied to that trucking company, I did some research into what the job involves. Even if the company is asking for no experience in a particular job, you will want to know what you may get yourself into, and you might find that you have the skills to negotiate a better pay.

Professional quality

Now with a better idea of what you want, it is time to make your résumé. Have a dictionary or thesaurus on hand to spell check and find the best words. Make a handwritten draft with pencil first. Mistakes are easier to correct and you have room for notes if you think to change things.

After you have revised the draft to your liking, put it in print. Use a good quality typewriter or a computer with a word program and a laser printer. Your font should be 12pt. and either Times New Roman or Courier New for best reading. Have your margins set to no less than 1in. on all sides. Your résumé should be printed on good quality bond, 81/2 x 11, white or executive colors: pale blue, tan or gray

Do not use a fancy letterhead unless you already have one for your own business. Contact information should be kept together centered at the top of the page or flush left.

From this point on everything should be flush left except for bulleted items. Use single spacing inside of sections with a line break between paragraphs, and a double line space to separate sections. Be concise, without flowery adjectives or two-dollar words. Use bold font for your name at the top of the résumé and for section titles only, if at all.

• Objective: Position you want and possibly your goals pertaining to promotion (always use first person point of view but without the I-s. "I am looking for..." or "I hope to find..." are automatically assumed. Drop those beginnings and start with your main goal. ex: An environment where a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude is embraced and avenues to promotion are open.)
• Job history, starting with current or last job held (list your responsibilities and accomplishments. Include names of special machinery or programs you are skilled in, especially if you know your future employer has them.)
• Special courses, education or training completed (list only those that have meaning to this job; a certificate in astronomy means nothing to an employer looking to hire a gourmet chef)
• Military History
• Formal Education
• Activities while attending school: athletics, offices, awards(list these in terms of what skills or lessons you acquired from them)
• Hobbies and special interests (same as above, and only if they show strengths which can be used in the job you are applying for such as creativity, problem solving, perseverance or leadership)
• Attributes: here you may list other skills or traits you have acquired throughout your career (ability to stay calm in stressful situations -once found shelter for a restaurant full of people during a tornado)
• Notation that names personal or business references are on a separate sheet (yes, include at least three personal references-friends who have known you longest, showing you have loyalty; business references-could include your bank or a store where you have good and steady business dealings)
• Availability (now or within two weeks)

Make your cover letter professional. This letter should be typed in business format. Your contact information is either centered at the top or flush left. From then on, the rest of the letter is flush left, even paragraphs. Mark paragraphs by a single line space between them. Make sure you find out how to spell your future employer's name correctly and make sure of the gender for the salutation.

From then on it is sell, sell, sell (yourself and your skills).