Chapter 1 Cases

Chapter 15, Additional Case 4: Identifying Transferable Skills for a Career Changer

Background

"I'm thinking about changing careers," your friend Mercedes tells you. After 10 years of teaching mathematics, she wants a job in business. "I'm looking for something that's a little more challenging. I can't stand the thought of teaching beginning algebra for another year, not to mention another 20 years. Besides, I don't see much opportunity for career advancement as a teacher. Because I'm not interested in switching to administration, the best I can hope for is to become the chair of the mathematics department someday. A job in business would offer me new challenges, and I might have more opportunities for advancement.

"What career are you thinking of?" you ask.

"I've done a little research, and I'm thinking of using my math skills as an actuary.

"What's an actuary?

"Actuaries work in the insurance field, using their background in mathematics to calculate insurance premiums, set reserve funds, and estimate the costs of implementing new benefits. In last Sunday's newspaper, I found a job advertisement for an actuarial analyst." (See Document 15.1).

"Do you qualify for this job?

"I think I do. But I'm not sure how to describe ten years of teaching mathematics so that the skills I've acquired seem relevant to the position.

"I remember when my friend Terry left the army and made the transition from military to civilian life. Because there are not many job openings for an artillery officer in business, Terry had to focus on transferable skills. Terry used the experience she acquired in the army, along with college course work, volunteer activities, and hobbies, to apply for a management position she was interested in. You can do something similar. You need to identify which of your qualifications and experiences are relevant to the actuarial analyst position.

"You seem to know what you're talking about. Would you be willing to help me apply for this position?

"Sure. Send me your current résumé, and I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I'll email you a few resources on the Internet that describe the concept of transferable skills." (See Document 15.2 for Mercedes's résumé.)

Your Assignment

Using a search engine such as Google, locate three or four Internet resources describing transferable skills for career changers. Write Mercedes a brief email in which you list the resources you located and provide a one-paragraph summary of each resource.
Revise Mercedes's current résumé (Document 15.2) so that it emphasizes transferable skills relevant to the actuarial analyst position (Document 15.1).
Draft a job-application letter that Mercedes could use to respond to the actuarial analyst ad.