How to Redefine Job Qualifications

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot

The job market is changing fast. Driven by reorgs, layoffs, role eliminations, the impact of AI, and shifting career interests, more of us are exploring new roles and industries. My own career journey reflects this. I started in Public Relations (PR), working at agencies like Elmore Public Relations and companies like CenterPoint Energy, FMC Technologies, and Dow. My initial plan? Stay in communications. My experience was a good fit for my resume, but I wanted something different. Then, #Amazon came to my university recruiting for Operations Managers. I had a Supply Chain Management degree, some classes, and a capstone project—but no real operations experience. I needed a new approach. Here's what I did: - Job Description Deep Dive: I didn't just read the job description, I dissected it. I focused on the type of candidate they wanted—team dynamics, responsibilities, culture. It wasn't about matching my existing experience, but understanding the target. - Skill Categorization: I broke down the job description into key skills: communication, problem-solving, stakeholder management, leadership, etc. This gave me a framework to evaluate my strengths. - Experience Alignment: This was the toughest part. I had some great PR wins (1M media impressions, 25% social media growth), but they didn't directly translate to operations. It was a hard lesson: past wins DON’T guarantee future success if they're not relevant. My resume needed to reflect where I wanted to go, not just where I'd been. Key takeaways: 1) Thoroughly assess your target role. 2) Categorize skills. 3) Even huge wins might not be relevant if they don't align with your goals. My journey in tech at #Amazon, #Uber, #PayPal, and #Google has required me to repeatedly apply and adapt these steps. It wasn't easy, but it taught me about strategic thinking, adaptability, and the value of #transferableskills. What are your career transition tips? Share in the comments! 👇 #myjourneyintech #careerchange #operations #techcareers #google #jobsearch #careeradvice #pivot #skills #resumetips #transferableskills #careertransition #jobhunt #careerjourney #blackintech

Job seekers need to start thinking of qualifications as an equation. There are many different ways to get to the answer. Hiring managers want to bring in the person that they believe will generate the most value. Degrees, skills, and formal experience? Those are all “easy” ways for employers to attribute / quantify value. They’re known entities, but they’re not the only way to illustrate your worth. Let’s say a hypothetical hiring manager believes an MBA is worth “5 points.” Why? Because they assume that an MBA gives you specific knowledge which equates to more value. Does that mean you need an MBA to win this role? No! You just need to find another way to illustrate “5 points” worth of similar value. If you can find a way to demonstrate the same level of value that a hiring manager expects to see from certain traditional qualifications, that’s your ticket in the door. This is why Value Validation Projects are so effective for non-traditional candidates and career changers. Don’t give up on a dream job because you don’t have X experience or Y degree. Instead, figure out what X and Y are worth and then find another way to convey an equal amount of value!

Hiring managers will not connect the dots for you. If you leave it up to the hiring manager, they will not make the connection between your experience and their needs. Your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile must spell it out for them. - Clearly. - Simply. - Quickly. Here's how to do that. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 and note the key hard skills and experience the company values. I recommend that you identify at least 3 major needs the employer has that this position will address. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 3 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 that align with the needs you’ve identified and demonstrate an example of how you’ve met them in the past. Use the CAR format to make it easy for employers to see how you’ve solved similar problems. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: What problem did you face? 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: What steps did you take to address it? 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭: What was the outcome? 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 3 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 at the top of your resume. I recommend a Signature Accomplishments section separate from the other content, perhaps set off in a shaded border. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬. If you're looking to switch industries or roles, identify the skills that are transferable. List these prominently and provide context for how they can be applied in the new role. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. It’s so important, especially if you’re switching industries, that you make sure your resume isn’t full of jargon from the industry you’re leaving. Use the language of the industry you’re trying to transition into. I also strongly recommend that you choose 3 high-priority keywords and place these at the top of your resume right underneath your target job title. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟. Add metrics to quantify your results. Even if you’re not responsible for revenue generation, you can add in how much, how many, size, time, or comparison to work in numbers. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. Explicitly draw lines between your experience and the company’s needs. State specifically what they need and how you have relevant experience doing that. Give an example. This leaves no room for doubt that you are a fit for the role. How do you connect the dots? #resumes #Careers #LinkedInTopVoices