January 12, 2011

How do I break out of the assistant mold, now that I have my master’s?

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By Kristen Fife
NWjobs

Q: For over 15 years, I've worked as an executive or program assistant. Although I had office manager duties, I was never granted the title because my previous employers stated that I didn't have the education needed for the role, even though I was doing the job. I recently earned my master's degree in communication and leadership and have been unsuccessful in my job search because I don't have enough experience in the field, but I also have too much education to get another executive assistant position. Do you have any suggestions on how I can get the necessary experience to break out of the clerical field and into the world of communication?
--KH, Seattle

Kristen says: Congratulations on your degree. The first order of business is to consult with your school's career center on who hires the majority of communication graduates and then start contacting these companies for entry-level positions. This is also a great time to contact temporary staffing firms. There are several in the Seattle area that deal specifically with communications (check out Bridgeway Careers for a list of local area agencies and their industry affiliations). I would target marketing coordinator positions which will meld your new education and existing skill set.

Right now, your biggest selling tool is your resume. I’m going to guess that you may be facing some ageism issues, given the length of your professional experience. I would pare your experience down to the last five years, unless there is something compelling in your job history for a particular position. To tailor your resume, review a wide variety of entry- to mid-level job descriptions in the communication field, and note the commonalities. Then, provide the most relevant project experience from your professional and educational work, being sure to match keywords.

You are entering a new field, so you should target jobs for which you are qualified; in this case, administrative support is your forte, combined with a theoretical knowledge of the communication field. Combine these and you should move into a leadership role fairly quickly.

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