Yo HR peeps (and/or career changers)

kikibaby

So, here's my problem: I have worked in Customer Service for almost 10 years now.  It's pretty much all I've done since I graduated college.  I hate it.  With a passion.  I'm good at it, but I can't do it anymore.Here's my question: How do I make it clear in a resume and/or cover sheet that yes, all my experience is doing this, but i want to change careers and I'm more than willing to learn new things.I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to go back to school if I want to change careers because all everyone will see is "Customer Service Lady!" when I send out my resume.

squirrly

Any chance you're interested in a business area that you've done CS for?  Like. . . if you were in CS for Macy's, you could use that to make a case for being a manager for Macy's or a competitor because you know first hand what gets customers upset.

Nebb

What type of jobs are you looking for? like what field?

kikibaby

Not that I can think of, squirrly.  I think I want something totally unrelated to what I'm doing now.  Frankly, I don't want to deal with customers on a regular basis anymore.  It's making me lose faith in humanity.

danieliza1127

Google career change cover letter for lots of advice.  The main thing is to really  play up your skills and training and experience that applies to the specific job you're applying for.  It may be different each time, you may need a separate cover letter for each job you apply for, and that's fine.  There are tons of transferable skills being in customer service.

kikibaby

Honestly, I'm not even sure exactly what I want to do, but I just look at random jobs on CL, or monster and think "I'm not qualified, because I've wasted 10 years helping ungrateful customers".

buttaflai

I don't have anything valuable as far as changing your career...I just want to say kudos to being able to handle customer service. I could not do it. Right now, I have some internal CS people I have to deal with and THAT is more than I can handle.

DanielleH910

I recently applied to work for a non-proft, I currently work in an engineering office, but I'm not an engineer.  I decided that I'd rather work somewhere that has a special meaning for me.I looked up how to write cover letters for complete career changes.  There was lots of examples.But mostly what I did was write why I wanted to work for them and in what way the job I had now prepared me to work for them, although the jobs were completely different, I found some simililarites.Unfortunately they promoted from within and I didn't get the job.

danieliza1127

Other tips - start networking and putting out feelers.  Post on FB that you're looking for a career change and ask if anyone has any contacts for you.  Create a Linkedin page if you don't already have one and start making contacts there.  The huge majority of jobs available aren't advertised, it's all in knowing someone and getting an in that way.  Also, really think about what you could see yourself doing.  Maybe there is a short course or certificate program you could enroll in that would make you a better candidate for jobs in the field with no experience.

Soon-to-be Mrs. Vogt

Talk about how your experience applies to their job. Most jobs have some aspect of customer service involved (whether it's helping a co-worker with a project, answering questions for clients, etc.) You can highlight the things you've learned since working in CS - knowledge of computer software, phone systems, product information. You can give them examples of how you're a quick learner or how you adapt to your environment.Then, to sum it all up, you can say something like "As you can see from my diverse experiences, I am willing to take on any task presented to me. I enjoy being challenged, learning from my peers and superiors, and taking advantage of continuing education opportunities. Though I know my specific experience has not been in this field, I feel that I have provided a clear picture how my skills and abilities will be an asset to your team."

kikibaby

Thanks everyone!  I think I've got a better idea of what I need to do, and I will definitely google career change cover letters.  I just don't want anyone to think that I actually WANT to do CS anymore