Deborah writes:
I’m in the process of a career change going from foodservice to project management and will be getting my PMI certification soon but realize that at this time I am still out of my league for any of the jobs that I seen so far — so what would be the best course of action for me to take at this time as I further my education? Thanks.
The Career Doctor responds:
I would recommend going to the Project Management Institute’s site and spend some time looking at their career and education resources. There are also about 160 chapters of PMI in the U.S. and abroad, so I would strongly encourage you to locate one near you and start doing some networking.
You will also need to retool your resume, which may involve totally reformatting it, as well as trying to gain some project-management experience. Take a look at your transferable skills, and the overlap between food services and project management. You should then consider experimenting with a chrono-functional resume, but also have a chronological version ready if the chrono-functional format doesn’t seem to be working for you (many employers disdain any type of functional format)
The key to success career change is planning and execution, and you seem to be on the right path so far, but you need to get networking and revamping your resume.
