It’s rare these days, but there are some individuals who have spent their entire career working for one employer. While you think that would be sign of reliability and dedication, many hiring executives have mixed opinions about such candidates.
Dispel their doubts by tweaking your resume and approach.
Modifying Your Resume
- Highlight your promotions. When you’ve had a long tenure, recruiters may wonder why you didn’t seek or find a better opportunity. Showing that you’ve been promoted proves you’ve advanced during your time with one employer.
- Describe different responsibilities. Even if you lack promotions, you can show that you have managed a variety of responsibilities. Talk about all your skills from budgeting to project management.
- Emphasize achievements. Devote most of your resume to your accomplishments. Write a bulleted list of how you enhanced quality, saved money, and increased efficiency.
- Use subheadings. Listing everything under one company could get monotonous. Break it up into categories. You can divide your history by skills or by different positions you’ve held.
Diversifying Your Experience
- Volunteer in your community. There are many ways to get wider experience, even while you’ve been holding down the same job. Write a newsletter for your local historical society. Help organize a fundraiser at your church.
- Check out professional associations. Join the local chapter of a professional association in your field and start building your network.
- Look for contract work. Take on individual assignments you can complete in your free time. Get referrals by word of mouth or advertise your services through a website. There are opportunities for every skill from graphic design to horse training. You may want to check your employee handbook first to be sure you comply with any pertinent company policies.
- Network vigorously. Networking is the key to any job search. Maintain contacts inside and outside of your company. Keep an eye out for opportunities to help others. You’ll create a circle of people you can call on for assistance in the future.
Additional Suggestions
- Continue your education. Recruiters may also have questions about how well you will be able to adapt to a new environment. Ongoing training and coursework confirms that you are open to new things. Study the latest computer programs or learn a foreign language.
- Give your reason for leaving. Asking why you are leaving is a standard interview question. Others tend to be curious when you’re making a switch after ten or more years on the job. Rehearse a statement that reflects well on you and suits the position you’re applying for.
- Explain your goals. Similarly, your new employer may wonder how ambitious you are. Be prepared to discuss your career objectives. Explain how you arrived at this stage in your life and outline your plans for the future.
- Be enthusiastic about change. Finally, there may be a perception that you’re a little stodgy. You can overcome that view by letting your new boss know that you embrace change. Arrive at your interview prepared with anecdotes about how you welcomed a new supervisor or created a pilot program to hire summer interns from a local high school.
The Queen of England has held only one job in her entire life and look how well it turned out for her. By choosing your words carefully and exhibiting a positive attitude, you can find a second position that you may like even better than your first one.