Experience matters: Four tips for professionals starting a new job search

We often feature job search tips for recent graduates just starting their careers and for transitioning military personnel returning to civilian life, but what about experienced professionals looking for a change?

If you’re at the midpoint of your career and looking for a new challenge, or looking to apply your experience in a new setting, there are a few things you can do to make your job search a little easier.

Make connections

One piece of advice we often offer to anyone looking for a new job is to network. There’s no substitute for making connections with people, especially when it comes to learning about job opportunities and generating some name recognition when it comes time to apply.

However, as a benefit of your career, you already have a much broader pool of contacts than those with less experience. You know people in (and adjacent to) your current profession who might have valuable insights. Lean on their experience and expertise to help guide your own next steps.

But don’t pigeonhole yourself, either. Be willing to tap into new networks and employ new tools to make those connections. For example, our communities on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Glassdoor are great places to meet fellow professionals and learn about VA events.

Showcase your experience

Another staple of any job search is revising and updating your resume. Like any candidate, you want to present yourself in a particular light. However, with your experience, you’re also going to have a little more work to do than someone who is just starting out.

Go through your work experience and use your history to shape the image you want to project. If you want to be considered a leader, highlight those opportunities where you took charge of a project or moved up in your current job. If you have a specific skill set that makes you valuable, emphasize how you’ve used that particular proficiency.

Similarly, weed out any unnecessary experience. Your goal is to paint a picture of yourself as a focused candidate with experience and expertise that makes you invaluable, so you don’t want to ask a hiring manager to dig through your resume to find the important bits.

Balance “need” with “want”

Like any of us, you probably have some personal responsibilities that you can’t abandon. So, if you change careers, what becomes of your mortgage, your car payment or your insurance? All that plays into what you need from a new job

But just what is it you want out of a new career? Better pay? Better benefits? A sense of purpose? A challenge? Answering the “want” part of this equation will help you decide what will work best for you, but you have to balance that information with the “need” portion.

When you consider all these factors in tandem, you’ll get a better understanding of what you need from your job search. (Remember, at VA, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits and the best mission in all of health care—serving Veterans!)

Play the field

As an experienced professional, you would be a valuable asset to any organization, so let them know you’re interested. In fact, let them all know!

One common mistake we all make is sending out one or two applications, then waiting on the results. Then, if those applications don’t pan out, you start to feel like you’re wasting your time. That dejection can make you reconsider your career change and leave you feeling low.

So explore your options! Don’t apply for every job you come across, but send out multiple applications, make new contacts and maximize your chances of success. If one opportunity doesn’t pan out, you will still have more irons in the fire, and with your experience, you might just end up with your pick of new opportunities.

Work at VA

Any company would be lucky to have an experienced professional like you, but only VA has the combination of challenge and reward that makes work meaningful. See what we have to offer.

• LEARN why professionals choose VA.
• READ more job search advice from our VA Careers team.
• JOIN our communities on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor.
• SEARCH for your next opportunity at VACareers.va.gov.