THE CANDID RECRUITER Q&A: I have 5+ years of parallel experience in two different industries. How should I present my experience on paper and/or during an interview?
Before I answer the above submitted question, I need to go a little deeper, particularly for those who may be at a crossroads and struggling to find personal fulfillment in their professional pursuits …
The first question I always ask someone when doing a one-on-one career consultation is – WHO ARE YOU? I strongly believe that when you understand who you are as a person, you can then better identify who you should be and/or can be as a professional. So often, people who don’t feel connected with their career haven’t made the psychological link between their personality and professional circumstances. For instance, if you are a nurturing person who naturally loves working with and helping others, then you should gravitate toward a career in a service-oriented industry (e.g. teaching, social work, nursing, event planning, human resources, marketing, retail, etc.). Whereas, if you are more of a logical thinker and problem-solver, who prefers to be in complete control of everything in your environment, then perhaps you should consider a career in law, science, accounting, computer programming, etc. If there is a disconnect between who you are as a person and the core competences of your employer, then it will be difficult to find a harmonious balance in life and career.
Many people have a 9 to 5 career, in addition to a 24/7 passion. I believe that if both are aligned with who you are as a person, you can be fulfilled doing both, you can find ways/make time to pursue both, and ultimately you can find a nice groove between the two. Personally, I am a creative, “risk-taker” and “solutions-driven” thinker. I love interacting with people. So, by day, I have identified a great career in HR/Staffing which affords me the opportunity to interview, interact, and help others on a daily basis to find solutions. But it doesn’t stop (it can’t stop) there for me, so by night and every free moment I can find, I am creatively expressing myself via entrepreneurial endeavors, writing, public speaking, and blogging. Having a creative outlet is essential for my personal and professional growth, and it enables me to feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment in my work life and my personal life.
Now, to address the original question…. First, I commend people who have achieved success in multiple areas. This tells me that you have likely balanced (or at least attempted to balance) a professional career along with your career of passion. It sounds as if at this point in your life, you are ready to shift your focus to one particular area of expertise. When it comes to conveying the dynamics of your diverse career history, I advise people in this predicament to create multiple resumes. It is more than okay to have several different resumes, particularly if you’ve had consistent and simultaneous success in multiple areas/industries. Sometimes, it may make sense to combine experience on one resume, but only if they are related fields (e.g. Marketing Manager Monday – Friday who transforms into an Event Planner over the weekends).
In an interview setting, you want to make sure you focus on your specific experience that most relates to the job of interest. Likewise, your resume should be a direct reflection of the experience you are conveying in an interview setting. This way, a recruiter and/or hiring manager can get a clear sense of your qualifications and potential for success if hired. If you bring up a ton of experience that is unrelated to the job of interest, or if your resume has too many overlapping disciplines, you run the risk of appearing scattered, and the interviewer may conclude that you don’t know who you are as a professional. They may deem you to be unfit for the position as a result of your seemingly lack of conviction for the position at hand.
THE CANDID TRUTH: The people who know themselves best (professionally and personally) tend to exude more confidence on paper and in person. If you are still trying to figure it all out, as so many of us are, try to get to the core of who you are, first. Then, only pursue opportunities that compliment your personality and strengths. Doing this will bring you a step closer to identifying the ideal symmetry between your professional career and your career of passion.
Lastly, if you have multiple resumes, when looking at the job description of interest, you can determine the best resume to share with a recruiter or hiring manager so that the resume that is the best representation of you and your relevant skills for the role, reaches the right hands and decision-makers on the employer end.