How To Leverage Your Experience When Searching for A New Job

Years of experience in your field might make you confident when you search for a job. However, less experienced (and usually younger) job seekers still have advantages, including greater openness to learning new techniques and a willingness to work for lower pay.

Therefore, if you have a lot of experience in your field, taking advantage of it in your job hunt is crucial. Consider the following tips on how to differentiate yourself from other applicants.

Know the competition

First, it’s important to understand what specific advantages less-experienced workers have over you. Millennials are more independent and career-driven than some in previous generations. This translates into the perception that these workers are less loyal to their employers, acting like free agents in professional sports.

For you, the experienced job seeker, stressing your desire to stick with a company for many years can make you more appealing than candidates who might jump ship for a better opportunity and Baby Boomers who are fast approaching retirement age.

Maintain your skill set

Next, it’s important to address experienced professionals’ perceived biggest weakness: out-of-date skills. If you need more clarification about what skills you need to gain or update, ask an honest coworker, or go to a group on LinkedIn and ask the people there.

You can also see current skills in demand by checking job postings for positions like yours or places you’d like to apply to. Likewise, if one of the skills on your resume isn’t a part of most postings, you should remove it from your resume.

They list different jobs at the same company separately.

Job promotions indicate that your employer recognizes your worth and gives you more responsibility. Even lateral moves reveal your employer accepted your ability to succeed in a different role. Separating a promotion or lateral move as a separate job highlights those kinds of recognition. Give each position and individual descriptions and lay out distinct periods for each role.

If you have yet to be promoted or moved laterally at a previous employer, show ways you grew within the position and made a difference as you gained experience.

Customize to your job target

If you have been working for some time, you have a laundry list of professional skills, achievements, certifications, and recognitions. While listing all of these in a resume or cover letter can be impressive, a better strategy is to pick and choose what you record in a way that targets your current employment goal. For instance, if you are currently trying to get into management, you can leave out mundane responsibilities while being sure to include any projects you headed up or committees where you played a lead role.

Considering your next career move? Join Milestone!