Too Technical to Write?
Changing careers is not just about changing jobs, it’s also about changing perceptions. If you’re seen as having certain skills because you are in a particular industry, it may be hard to show that your skills are transferable to other jobs.
I’d been in information technology for ten years when the idea of changing careers first occurred to me. Since I’d been a copywriter prior to being a computer programmer, I felt qualified to apply for a business writing position.
When the HR representative called, I thought she wanted to schedule an interview. However, she called to ask why I’d applied because I was “too technical to write.” I pointed out to her that I had majored in English, had been a copywriter, and hadn’t lost my ability to write just because I was in IT. She didn’t even ask me for a writing sample. She just looked at my resume and decided that my “Programmer/Analyst” title negated all of my other skills.
Next I contacted a recruiter and asked her about technical writing jobs. She told me not to bother looking for writing positions. It didn’t matter that I had written technical documentation on the job. If I didn’t have the official title of “technical writer,” and no one was going to hire me as a writer.
A couple of years passed, and I decided to use a different strategy. I took steps to build up a new portfolio of writing samples by volunteering to write whenever the opportunity came up. Technical documentation, non-technical reports, how-to manuals – you name it, I wrote it.
Step by step I worked to define myself so that people would see my abilities, and not define me by my title. It may be hard for others to see that we can do more than one type of job. Should we be defined by our titles, or by our skills?
Tory Johnson
Absolutely Annie
Balanced Woman
Been There, Done That
Comeback Mom
Fulltime Freelancer
Girl on the Go
Girlphyte
Image Architect
Magic Hands
Multitasking Madre
New Girl on the Job
Outside the Box
Planet Mom
Small Business Susan
Vivacious Vicki
Work in Progress
Comments (3)
See you...Thanks, its great to receive such positive comments.
Merry christmas !
— Posted by anoreasse | December 22, 2007 5:30 AM | Comment Permalink
What's in a title? I once was an "Asset Manager" but the title should have really been Inventory Manager/Purchasing Agent so I am not a big believer in titles although I must admit that they carry a certain prestige. If I had only been judged over the years by the titles I held, I would certainly not have come as far as I have today (it's not that far but its commensurate with the efforts I have put in). I have been fortunate that my last few employers have been able to look beyond the actual title or even the job I held to give me a chance based on my broad skills set. In the last 10 years I have been able to move from Secretary, to "Asset Manager" to Purchasing Agent for a large international firm, based mostly on skills and abilities as my education has very little to do with what I have ultimately chosen to do.
— Posted by AI | July 24, 2007 8:35 AM | Comment Permalink
I experienced the same thing with my engineering degrees. My undergraduate degree is in Aerospace Engineering. My master’s degree is in Industrial Engineering (IE) with a Manufacturing Minor. Basically all the positions I held after I graduated from undergrad were in the Aerospace industry. When I started to apply to manufacturing positions or other engineering positions I was told, “all of your experience is in Aerospace so you are not qualified for the position”.
I tried to convince the interviewers over and over again that I had an IE degree and the engineering concepts to perform well in the new function. It seemed my advance degree held no merit without any direct experience attached to it.
I eventually was directed to create a core competency based resume and to tailor my qualifications to the exact job descriptions for which I am applying. It all worked out because I am finally in a manufacturing position.
Whew, but I can remember the amount of frustration I went through to get where I am now. Patience is definitely a virtue.
— Posted by A.M. Morgan | July 23, 2007 9:45 AM | Comment Permalink