Be Relevant

Do you "get it"? Are you relevant?

In today's job market, you must show transferable skills that someone is willing to pay you for. Do you know what your transferable skills are?

• Are they current – that is, used within the last 10 years?
• Do you know the kinds of skills a hiring manager or a recruiter in your field is looking to "buy"?

If you cannot answer "yes" to the two questions above right now, then it is time that you learn to, and learn to quickly, because you are wasting your time if you do not. What skills you developed even just a few years ago, if not relevant and current now, are of no use to you in any job hunt.

Try Google Alerts and Indeed.com and look at job descriptions that come up. If you are not at least a 90% (and more) match then do not bother to apply; even with this, showing added value as well as using your network to come to the attention of the hiring manager is key.

Many clients ask me about functional resumes, very popular with career changers. What I tell them is that today, functional resumes are usually red flags to hiring managers and recruiters. What these folks want to see on a resume is a match and experience with the skills that they are hiring. If you do not have those skills, get to work on getting them by volunteer experience, schooling or certifications. Be relevant. You will be glad that you did.

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