As many of you know, I launched my own resume writing and editing business from home this year.  As a stay at home mom, I was looking to keep my hands in the professional world and utilize the skill set that I built over the years while working in Human Resources.  In the early spring, I quietly launched ResumeGal and over the last several months I have been building my client base thanks to family, friends and some online advertising.  This morning ResumeGal was linked to as part of a feature article entitled Top 100 Tips, Tools & Resources to Reinvent Your Career.  Click on #4 – Update your resume.  The article is great so I highly recommend reading it in its entirety but if you only have a few minutes, below are the top 10 tips:

Tips

These tips caution you to network, organize your job search, and set up a game plan before quitting your current job.

1. Evaluate your financial status: Find out if you’re in the position to go back to school, work part-time, or take a lesser paying job for the sake of starting over, or, if you need to save up a little first.
2. Consider moving: If the industry you want to break into isn’t strong in your part of the country, consider relocating to a location that has a healthier economy or more opportunities.
3. Focus on your transferrable skills: Just because you don’t have the exact job description of the new career you want, doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified.
4. Update your resume: Keep your resume continually updated and in perfect shape in case a sudden networking opportunity or interview comes along.
5. Talk to your supervisor: Sometimes, reinventing your career just means going after a promotion or switching departments within the company you’re already with.
6. Pursue what inspires you: Instead of switching to a job that you’re pretty sure will burn you out in a few years, pursue a cause that makes you passionate and inspires you to make a difference.
7. Apply the SWOT analysis method: Analyze your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and development, and the potential threats that might stand in your way.
8. Network before you quit: At the very least, have a game plan and a list of valuable contacts before you quit your old job.
9. Look for stepping-stone jobs: The Path 101 Career Guidance blog encourages job seekers to look for jobs that help them transition from one career to a totally different industry.
10. Talk to another professional in the field you want to enter: Don’t make any snap judgments on an industry by what you’ve read or seen on TV. Talk to someone who’s worked in that field for many years to get a realistic impressio