Passage 1
Bill Winner, a sales manager with 10 years in the medical
industry, wants to shift his career into the information technology (IT) field.
Many friends of his, with much less sales experience, are making double his
salary plus stock options in technical industries. Since William knows the
impact Internet technology will have in the 21st century, he wants a job
involving e-commerce. Many people face William’s dilemma: they want to
participate in the booming technology markets, but they arch’ t sure whether--or
how--to make the leap from their industry. (66) Understand the industry. Become well versed in the publications
that are popular to those in the Internet/technology field. Fast Company,
Business 2.0, and The Industry Standard are just a few of the media read by
e-commerce business people. Gain an understanding of key business issues and
common problems within the industry. (67) For example, when
Internet companies talk "hits" versus "unique visitors," know the
difference. Polish up the old resume. If you have been
with your company for a while and have forgotten how a resume is expected to
look, get professional assistance or read books on the subject. Technology once
again helps: an Internet resume-writing company understands what Web companies
are looking for in future employees and can guide you in formatting and writing
your resume. Unfortunately, many people who have been out of the career search
process for years still put their height, weight, marital status, religious
affiliations, and sex on their resumes. (68) In fact,
companies legally are not allowed to screen resumes on those criteria. Also,
keep your resume brief and to the point. Employers want a succinct synopsis, not
a blow-by-blow account of each project you worked on. In the interview you will
have the opportunity to expand on the resume. (69) Give
career highlights, but if interviewers want specifics, they will ask you.
Finally, remember that all hiring decisions are still decided by humans and not
by Optical Character Readers (OCR), so make sure your resume is easy to
read. Show your success. Your goal is to show how your
best achievements and contributions to your current or past employers will allow
a technology company to increase profitability and excel as well. If you were a
tremendous sales manager due to your follow-up skills and ability to immediately
develop rapport with new clients, then these skills are transferable to an
Internet/technology company. (70) And most companies will put
you through extensive training on their products. A. Think of
the resume as the itinerary for the interview. B. No matter what
avenue you decide, use technology to your advantage. C.
Remember, the processes at most companies are very similar even if the products
or services differ. D. These resumes are "hot potatoes" for HR
people. E. Discover the hot topics and learn the
jargon. F. Here are some helpful hints in shifting your
career.