It's hard to show up for a job that doesn't excite you, allow you to grow, or compensate you adequately.&nbsp;Are you interested in making a career change?
CareerCircle is committed to helping people find better positions by aligning them with employers who go beyond the resume. Learn how&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/mobile-app" style="background-color: #ffffff;">our mobile app</a>&nbsp;can help you find the right position with convenient on-the-go job search and profile-building capabilities.
<h2>Why Use the CareerCircle Job Search App?</h2>
Hard-working professionals don't always have time to sit down and hunt for new jobs. We wanted to streamline the job hunt as much as possible with access to your profile through an app on your phone.
<h3>Discover a Faster Way to Complete Your Profile</h3>
Looking for a fast and easy way to kickstart your job search? The CareerCircle app was designed to help speed up profile setup &mdash; including the creation of your intro video.
We want to help you connect with employers as quickly as possible to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/your-career-journey-learn-how-to-combat-job-search-fatigue-with-these-tips">avoid job search fatigue</a>. Try out the app so you can get your profile set up and ready for employers to browse!
<h3>On-the-Go Capabilities Increase Productivity</h3>
Our app works seamlessly with our mobile-friendly website, allowing you to explore all of the upskilling courses and job listings available on our site. You can work on your profile, certifications, or job search when it's most convenient for you.&nbsp;
Multi-task by pursuing your career change on your daily commute, while you wait in line, or during your break. On-the-go capabilities make it easier to get more done, even when you aren't near your computer.
<h3>Access Convenient Mobile-Friendly Tools</h3>
Search for available job listings on the CareerCircle app and save the ones you are interested in looking at later. You can even see when the jobs were posted to get a better feel for how long the employer has been searching for candidates.
If you want to really wow employers, work on upskilling with some of our certification courses. On the app, you can browse and view courses. Save your favorite certifications to access easily when you are ready to get started.
The career circle app makes it easy to do more &mdash; right from your phone.
<h2>How Does the CareerCircle App Work?</h2>
<h3>1. Create Your Account</h3>
Getting started is FREE! Simply&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates">create your account</a>&nbsp;on the app with your email, or sign in if you have already completed this step on our website.
<h3>2. Set Your Interests</h3>
Once you've signed in, it's time to choose the jobs you might consider for a lateral or upward career change, including titles like Data Analyst or Project Manager. Then, select any upskilling courses you might be interested in.
<h3>3. Kick-Off Your Profile</h3>
Add a resume to your profile. You can scan an existing resume by taking a picture with your phone. Or you can upload a resume file that's already been saved to your phone. If you need help creating a resume, you can use our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Resume Builder</a>&nbsp;on the website and add it to your profile from there.
<h3>4. Provide Your Details</h3>
Fill out sections for your name, personal information, work history, education, and more! The app makes it an easy step-by-step process! Don't forget to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/building-the-360deg-view-of-you-how-to-develop-a-job-skills-inventory">add both hard and soft skills</a>&nbsp;to your profile so employers can see all of your best qualities.
<h3>5. Personalize Your Profile</h3>
Add an existing headshot from your phone to give your profile a more authentic and personalized look. Then, record your intro video straight from your phone to tell employers what you offer and what you are looking for!
<h3>6. Take Assessments</h3>
Our Career and Big Five personality assessments help employers understand where you would fit into their team. You can take both assessments right on the app.
<h2>3 Tricks for Getting More Out of Our App</h2>
If you've put in your basic personal information, it's time to explore other helpful app functions. Here are three tips to get the most out of our job search app.
<h3>Record Your Intro Video</h3>
We know it might seem slightly inconvenient or nerve-wracking to record yourself in a monologue video for potential employers.&nbsp;However, hiring managers get a lot of value out of watching you speak for a few minutes about your talents, professional goals, and ideal role. It makes you more relatable and helps them connect with you as a candidate.
A great intro video can sometimes replace the initial interview, helping you streamline the hiring process. Plus, it provides an opportunity to showcase some of the soft skills &mdash; like passion and personality &mdash; that aren't easily displayed in a resume.
The CareerCircle app makes it easy to record a video right from your phone.&nbsp;So, take a few minutes to create a quick video that helps hiring managers picture exactly how you would fit into their team.
<h3>Complete Your Profile</h3>
Fill out every section of your profile to help increase your ranking in relevant search results. When employers look for candidates, we show them the profiles we think are the best fit &mdash; measuring by keyword relevance and how complete the profile is.
Finishing your profile helps employers know you are serious about the job search process. Getting every step filled out helps them see you are committed and offer personal drive.
<h3>Set Alerts for Job Listings</h3>
Use the app to set alerts for job listings. When something comes up that might appeal to you, we'll let you know through the app! It's easy to create alerts to notify you of job search matches:
<ol>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">Simply go to the profile tab on the app.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">In the upper right corner, click "Create Job Alert."</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">Create a new job alert, choosing a title, keyword, and location.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">Add a description to help differentiate between your alerts.</li>
<li aria-level="1" style="font-weight: 400;">Click "Create Alert," and you will now see it listed under the "My Alerts" tab.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Get Started With the CareerCircle Job Search App</h2>
If you don't have the app, download it now from the Google Play or Apple store! Once you've downloaded the app, start using it to take your career to new heights.

Learn how our mobile app can help you find the right position with convenient on-the-go job search and profile-building capabilities.

3 Job Search Tips for Career Changers

3 Tips for On-the-Go Job Searching With the CareerCircle App

Breaking into a new professional industry can be daunting, especially when it comes time to revise your resume or attend your first job interview in the industry.&nbsp;
You might be unsure about how much of your past experience to share, especially since it doesn&rsquo;t perfectly align with your desired career. Maybe your resume looks completely different than the skills listed on open roles, so you've been hesitant to start applying for jobs.&nbsp;
Upskilling can help you ramp up in a new field, but it&rsquo;s not the only way to make your resume shine and your application stand out to hiring managers.&nbsp;
The term &ldquo;transferable skills&rdquo; refers to skills and proficiencies candidates can bring from their past experiences into a future role &mdash; even if that role is in a totally new industry. Transferable skills help job seekers navigate career changes and showcase their hard and soft skills to potential employers.&nbsp;
As employers combat <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/the-future-of-work-how-pandemic-era-staffing-shortages-have-impacted-the-job-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">staffing shortages</a> and skill deficiencies, they&rsquo;re beginning to take more notice of candidates&rsquo; transferable skills. Many are taking a more inclusive approach to the questions they&rsquo;re asking in interviews and going beyond resume-based assessments to get a complete picture of each candidate. 
In this blog, you&rsquo;ll learn all the need-to-know details about transferable skills, like what they are, how to identify yours, and when to highlight them during your job search.
<h2>What Are Transferable Skills?&nbsp;</h2>
Transferable skills are <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/building-the-360deg-view-of-you-how-to-develop-a-job-skills-inventory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skills you can apply to a variety of jobs</a> across industries. They&rsquo;re extremely useful to bring up during the hiring process, and will also help you succeed in your new role or career field.&nbsp;
Most of us carry transferable skills between jobs, whether we realize it or not. For example, the communication skills you learned working in a fast-paced restaurant environment can help you collaborate with colleagues in an office, on a job site, or in virtually any workplace.
Transferable skills &mdash; and professional skills in general &mdash; can be divided into two high-level categories: hard skills and soft skills.&nbsp;
<h3>Hard Skills&nbsp;</h3>
Hard skills encompass the technical, software-related skills a candidate needs to complete role-based tasks. Depending on your desired career field, this may include knowledge of a specific programming language, familiarity with popular development and testing tools, or experience with a certain type of data. <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/acing-the-modern-workplace-how-upskilling-promotes-personal-career-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upskilling</a> is a great way to master the hard skills you need for a future role, but you might also be able to carry over a few from previous positions.&nbsp;
These skills might not sound very transferable at first, but there are certain ones that can bring value to your new role. For example, if you&rsquo;ve ever worked with any type of customer relationship management (CRM) software &mdash; like Zendesk &mdash; you&rsquo;ll likely be able to master your future employer&rsquo;s preferred CRM (i.e., Salesforce) with minimal training and ramp time.&nbsp;
<h3>Soft Skills&nbsp;</h3>
Soft skills refer to proficiencies that don&rsquo;t tie back to any one program or process. Examples include communication, organization, and problem-solving &mdash; all of which are highly transferable and adaptable across positions.
You might think that soft skills pale in comparison to their more technical counterparts, but many employers state that <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-to-uncover-the-hidden-soft-skills-you-already-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soft skills are just as important</a>, if not more important, than tech-related proficiencies. It&rsquo;s easier to train a new hire on how to use a certain software than it is to teach them how to effectively communicate with others or manage their time.&nbsp;
<h2>How to Identify Your Most Valuable Transferable Skills&nbsp;</h2>
No matter what your past experiences look like, there are likely transferable skills you can and should consider when contemplating a career change or applying for open roles. Even so, it can be challenging to parse them out of your existing resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile.&nbsp;
As you start thinking about your transferable skills, keep these tips in mind:&nbsp;
Assess the functions under each of your previous roles; not the job titles themselves.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t get caught up in the designated titles you held or industries you worked in. Instead, look at the specific functions under each job, like managing a client portfolio, leading team meetings, or monitoring project finances. For example, someone with a background in sales likely possesses strong communication and presentation skills that could apply to many roles.&nbsp;
Contextualize your existing skills within your desired role or industry.&nbsp;
When researching job opportunities, try matching up your skills with those listed in each job description. Even if nothing matches one-to-one, you&rsquo;ll still find adjacent skills you can pick up with a minimal learning curve. Remember, each role has its own nuances, and most employers are more than willing to help you build upon foundational skills or adjust them to fit your new role.&nbsp;
Prioritize quality over quantity.
It can be tempting to bulk up your resume with as many skills as possible, but this approach only creates extra clutter for recruiters to wade through. Instead, use the skills listed under the role you want to go after as a guide to determine which of your transferable skills to showcase. Then, use your findings to inform what you share online, in your resume, and in conversations with potential employers.&nbsp;
Remember, you don&rsquo;t have to strictly rely on your work experience to bring up transferable skills. You can include experiences in extracurricular activities, personal projects, and schoolwork too.&nbsp;
<h2>Showcasing Transferable Skills During Your Career Change</h2>
Once you have a good idea of which skills you can bring along with you to a new role, it&rsquo;s time to think about how, when, and where to highlight them during <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/your-career-transition-how-to-conquer-change-with-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your career transition</a>.&nbsp;
<h3>On Your Resume&nbsp;</h3>
Your resume will often be the first thing a potential employer sees from you, so it&rsquo;s essential to make a positive first impression. Your resume should include relevant experiences, upskilling achievements, and of course, any transferable skills you bring to the table.&nbsp;
As you <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">build or refine your resume</a>, don&rsquo;t hide your most relevant skills down in the experience section. Instead, break them out into a designated &ldquo;Skills&rdquo; section as a few brief bullet points, like:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Project Management&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Asynchronous Communication&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">User Research&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">UX Strategy</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Programming Language Experience&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
You can also integrate your skills into your cover letter or outreach messages to employers. Rather than focusing solely on why you want to work for that specific organization, include a brief paragraph about yourself and what unique value you could bring to their workforce.&nbsp;
<h3>Through Your Online Presence</h3>
Your profiles on LinkedIn and other online talent marketplaces, like CareerCircle, are also highly valuable job search tools &mdash; and great places to show off your transferable skills. Be sure to add a headline and brief &ldquo;About&rdquo; section to all of your online accounts that include mention of your holistic experiences and transferable skills.&nbsp;
Not sure which skills or tendencies to include? A <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/traitify" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skills assessment</a> can help you identify your intangible strengths and career preferences so you can mention them on your profiles. These insights help you stand out from the crowd and give employers more insight into who you are as a person, not just what you do during your current nine to five.&nbsp;
<h3>During a Job Interview&nbsp;</h3>
It can be intimidating to bring up your transferable skills<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/making-a-great-first-impression-five-tips-for-a-successful-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> during a job interview</a> or phone call with a recruiter. You might think, &ldquo;What if they don&rsquo;t find this relevant?&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Is this the right time to bring these things up?&rdquo;
Live interactions are great opportunities for you to bring up transferable skills since they give recruiters and hiring managers the chance to ask follow-up questions. However, that doesn&rsquo;t mean you should spout off a vague list of talents. Wait for your past experience to come up naturally in the conversation, then provide real-world examples of how you used your skills in a previous role.&nbsp;
For example, just saying, &ldquo;I have experience managing large projects&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t nearly as insightful as, &ldquo;I once led a ten-person team through a multi-phased marketing campaign, while managing budget, timeline, and team schedules.&rdquo;
<h2>Unlock Transferable Skills and Fuel Your Career Change With CareerCircle&nbsp;</h2>
At CareerCircle, we believe candidates are much more than their resumes. We support job seekers with personalized online profiles and give them the tools they need to succeed in today's job market. On the flip side, we <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/rethink-qualified-how-careercircle-champions-workforce-equity-equality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenge employers to #rethinkqualified</a> by changing the way they source and evaluate talent.&nbsp;
As a CareerCircle member, you'll gain access to guidance and resources to power every step of your career change. We'll help you identify your most valuable transferable skills, present them to hiring managers, and expand on them with tech-focused upskilling and training programs.&nbsp;
Ready to get started? 
<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates/signup" data-gc-link="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates/signup">Become a CareerCircle member today!</a>

In this blog, you’ll learn all the need-to-know details about transferable skills, how to identify yours, and when to highlight them.

How Transferable Skills Help Your Career Change

In this blog, you’ll learn all the need-to-know details about transferable skills, like what they are, how to identify yours, and when to highlight them during your job search.

The 360° View of You: How Transferable Skills Can Help You Make a Career Change

Whether you're a mom returning to the workforce or bouncing back from pandemic-related unemployment, navigating your workforce re-entry can be intimidating, especially if you have a gap in your employment history.&nbsp;
A gap in employment can feel like a scarlet letter on your professional profile. Still, the reality is that most professionals take time away from work at one time or another during their careers.&nbsp;
When you're ready to return to work, you'll need to determine how and when to address your employment gap. You might also choose to pursue a new certification, revamp your resume, or sharpen <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/quizzes/interview-prep" rel="follow">your interview skills</a>&nbsp;as you prepare for the next step in your career journey.&nbsp;
This blog will explore several steps you can take to reignite your career after taking some time away from work.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li> Make a Realistic Game Plan.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Before diving back into the job market headfirst, consider everything that's changed since you were last employed. Evaluate your career goals and how they might've changed since you last <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/five-ways-to-level-up-your-resume" rel="follow">updated your resume</a>&nbsp;or applied for open roles.&nbsp;
You should also use this opportunity to assess how well your professional and personal goals fit together. Perhaps you have less travel availability or need schedule flexibility to care for your children. Or maybe you're looking to move away from a high-demand position into something that offers more work-life harmony.&nbsp;
Use your revised <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/navigating-your-career-journey-5-ways-to-reach-your-career-development-goals" rel="follow">career development goals</a>&nbsp;and priorities to set realistic expectations for your job search. Create a definitive list of required skills, and don't go after high-ranking positions if you're moving into a new industry. Instead, look for entry-level positions that align with any new skills or certifications you've recently acquired. Use those as the first stepping stone into this new phase in your professional development.
The planning stage is also the ideal time to research job titles and positions in your desired field. If you aren't making a drastic <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/your-career-transition-how-to-conquer-change-with-confidence" rel="follow">career switch</a>, there's a high probability that certain things about your industry have changed, like the software proficiencies required for a role or how much experience is standard for a mid-level position.&nbsp;
Spend some time researching your industry and the leading organizations within it. Look up adjacent job titles and explore all the ways you can apply your skillsets to a new role, even if the role looks a bit different on paper than you expected. For example, you might find that your new Salesforce Administrator certificate would work well in a Business Analyst role, even if "Salesforce" doesn't appear in the job title.&nbsp;
Use all of your findings from above to create a high-level roadmap that includes:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">An overview of your primary career goals and milestones</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Must-haves and nice-to-haves for your next role&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Any certifications or courses you need to complete&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A rough timeline that covers when you plan to start applying for new jobs&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Your roadmap might change as your career journey progresses, but the framework will help you keep a clear eye on your priorities and how you're tracking toward your long-term career goals, even if you take an unexpected path to reach them.
<ol start="2">
<li> Include the Gap on Your Resume.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
It can be tempting to leave your gap in employment off of your resume, especially since adding it there likely means you'll have to address it during an intro call or interview. However, omitting your gap in employment actually leaves recruiters to fill in the blanks themselves. And even if your work gap was for something above-board, that empty space can raise a red flag and leave employers wondering if you're hiding something about your employment history.&nbsp;
Rather than shying away from your employment gap, <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/resume-builder" rel="follow">address it head-on on your resume</a>. You can format your gap in employment as a line item to the effect of "Out of work due to...[insert explanation]." You don't have to give reviewers the nitty-gritty details, but it's a good idea to provide an overview of your gap, like:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Time off for maternity + parental leave</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Took a 12-month break from the workforce to pursue an Associate's Degree</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Took a sabbatical to focus on professional development</li>
</ul>
Use this section to highlight any <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/upskilling-yourself-for-tomorrows-economy" rel="follow">upskilling</a>&nbsp;you completed or adjacent skillsets you picked up outside the corporate world, like budgeting as the head of your household or project management for an event at your child's school. This will help proactively answer any questions the recruiter may have and give them more insight into your background. Plus, it shows them that you're being transparent and upfront on your application.&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li> Brush Up on Your Interview Skills.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Your resume is the first place you'll need to tackle your gap in employment, but you should also prepare to <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/making-a-great-first-impression-five-tips-for-a-successful-interview" rel="follow">touch on it during job interviews</a>. It's helpful to practice how you'll approach the subject before you walk into your first interview to help calm your nerves and frame your time off in the best way possible.&nbsp;
Depending on your reason for temporarily leaving the workforce, you might even work your employment gap into your elevator pitch so you can get it out in the open as soon as possible and give interviewers a quick overview of your career journey so far.&nbsp;
Practice a concise and straightforward explanation, and highlight your productivity and development during your time away. Rather than simply stating, "I took a six-month gap in employment last year," say something like, "I took six months off last year to upskill in IT support," or "I took six months off last year to spend some quality time with family." From there, you can showcase any new skills or proficiencies you picked up while you were away from the workforce.&nbsp;
Remember, there's no reason to dwell on your gap once you've explained it at the start of your interview. Your gap in employment was likely much shorter than the amount of experience you have, so pivot the conversation back to what you bring to the table today and show interviewers the complete view of you rather than letting that period of time dictate the tone of your interview.&nbsp;
Power Your Return to Work With CareerCircle
No matter how you approach your return to work, don't let your employment gap define the future of your career. The most important thing to do is demonstrate your intent to move forward&mdash;and <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/building-the-360deg-view-of-you-how-to-develop-a-job-skills-inventory" rel="follow">your holistic skillset</a>&mdash;to your potential employers and give yourself a bit of grace along the way.&nbsp;
At CareerCircle, we help candidates navigate every step of their job search and <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/how-equitable-staffing-recruiting-companies-match-candidates-careers" rel="follow">match them to right-fit employers</a>&nbsp;through our exclusive talent network.&nbsp;
Members gain access to upskilling resources, mentorship, career coaching, and more. Our mentorship team can help you define your career goals, revamp your resume, prepare for job interviews, and more through our free, candidate-focused online platform.
<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates/signup" rel="follow">Become a CareerCircle member </a>today to get started.

This blog will explore several steps you can take to reignite your career after taking some time away from work.

Three Ways to Address a Gap in Employment

Whether you're a mom returning to the workforce or bouncing back from pandemic-related unemployment, navigating your workforce re-entry can be intimidating, especially if you have a gap in your employment history.

Your Return to Work: Three Ways to Address a Gap in Employment

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139 Articles

3 Tips for On-the-Go Job Searching With the CareerCircle App

The 360° View of You: How Transferable Skills Can Help You Make a Career Change

Your Return to Work: Three Ways to Address a Gap in Employment

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