Career Workshop – November 9, 2017: Changing Careers: It’s All About Transferable Skills

Workshop Agenda

5:30 - 6:00 PM   Networking / Snack

6:00 - 7:30 PM   Featured Presentation: Changing Careers: It’s All About Transferable Skills

7:30 - 8:00 PM   Q&A 

Changing Careers: It’s All about Transferable Skills

Abstract:

If you’ve decided to change your career then you will soon realize that your transferable skills will keep you from starting over as an entry level candidate. Transferable skills are the key to a successful transition from one career to another. It is important for you to be able to convey your transferable skills through your résumé and during the interview process as you apply for new career opportunities.

People change careers for a myriad of reasons however the most common reasons include age, regional location, changes in technology and dying industries. Someone that has a twenty-five year career working in the newspaper industry may be in the position of having to make a career change because of social media and the Internet making newspapers obsolete. People that were in the textile industry have in many cases had to make a career change because cheap labor overseas has all but eliminated textiles manufacturing in the US. Many people that have careers working in manufacturing have been forced to change careers because of automation and at the very least they have had to learn new skills which is essentially a career change.

A career change can be a good thing as opposed to a major setback; in many instances career changes mean a higher paying opportunity in a stable industry that promises growth. Whether or not you are thinking about a career change it may be a good idea to at least think about what your plan would be if you were forced to make a career change. A career change might be in order if the job outlook in your field looks bleak or perhaps your current career requires long hours and is stressful so you’ve decided that it’s time to stop working so hard. A career change is not always made by people because they have no other choice; at times a career change can be made because a person wants a change.

This presentation will give the opportunity to learn how to make a positive career change using your transferable skills whether you are forced to make a career change or you are doing so by choice.

Learning Objectives: 

• Motivations to change careers
• Deciding on a new career
• Career change ROI and opportunity cost
• Creating a career change plan
• How to promote your transferable skills
• Project Management: one of the most transferable skills
• Identify a mentor

 About the Speaker:

Ed Kato, MBA, PMP, PHR

For thirty years Ed Kato has been working in the field of Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources and Project Management; he is President and Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant with Atlantic Talent Acquisition Consultants, Inc. (ATAC). Ed’s credentials include an MBA from NC State University, he is PMP certified and he is PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certified. Ed works with organizations that hire professional and technical level candidates across the United States and he consults with clients in regard to assisting them in developing a Talent Acquisition Strategy. Ed also recruits and identifies candidates for clients and he has experience recruiting on the corporate side as well as on the agency side. Ed approaches recruiting from the perspective of having two types of clients; the hiring client and the candidate client. Each type of client has to be satisfied with the other so that there is the foundation of a good work relationship commonly referred to the employee/employer relationship. Any organization’s most valuable asset is its people; finding, recruiting, hiring and retaining great people is what Ed and his company, Atlantic Talent Acquisition Consultants, Inc. (ATAC), help their clients do on a daily basis