Just about any time you meet someone this question comes up: What do you do?
The typical response? I’m an engineer, I’m a web designer, or I’m a teacher.
The problem with using titles to guide your job search or describe what you do is that titles vary from one organization to another. While there are similarities — teaching doesn’t vary much from one school district to another, for example — when you use a title, the focus is on the role, not the skills you have. For example, teaching is a skill you acquire and differentiates you from other job candidates.
When your job search becomes focused on the combination of the experiences and skills you have, a wider range of job opportunities opens up. With this method, you’re putting the focus on the value you can bring to an employer, not the title you had in your last job.
To refocus your job search on your value, answer these questions:
What makes you want to change careers?
What are some specific areas of interest you could contribute to immediately?
What are your qualifications?
What to do you want to do?
Begin introducing yourself by describing your interests, value and enthusiasm for helping employers solve their problems instead of saying “I’m a teacher.”
How do you think focusing on your title may have helped or hindered your career?
