You may not know it, but I can do that! professionaldiva.com You just found the perfect career opportunity! You could do amazing things in this position, you just know it! But, on paper, your resume won't show that you have the necessary experience and skills because your career has been in one industry and the position you want is in another. So how do you convince the hiring company that you're the one they want, considering your lack of direct experience or skills for the position? Almost any experience from your current and past jobs can be used to help you in your next career move no matter how unrelated it might seem. It's all in how you present your skills and experience. Here are a couple of tips on assessing and presenting your skills to help you land that new position: 1. Figure out how the job/field you want is similar to your current experience. 2. Research the position you're going for and figure out what it really requires. 3. Talk to people doing that kind of job. You may have useful skills for the employer that they didn't even know they wanted. 4. Assess, your current position, the high-level requirements of the position you are seeking and identify parallels between what you've done and what this job requires. 5. Don't underestimate soft skills. Some skills are desirable and transferable, regardless of field or industry, including: public speaking/presentation skills, training experience, foreign languages, supervision, and budget/project management. Don't forget experience outside of work. Maybe you work in HR but do volunteer work for a local charity, with Marketing and PR duties. That's experience and it counts. Be sure to consider those skills and experiences in your self-assessment. Don't be discouraged by the job description. So many times, perfectly qualified people opt not to apply for a job because they don't fit the exact description of the desired candidate in the job ad or description. Job ads are a wish list. Sure, there will be certain, non-negotiable skills the employer won't budge on, but if you present a compelling case for why your past experience and skill sets will allow you to perform the job well, you can be a contender. The secret is to approach your career progression as a whole, not a step-by-step process. You are more than the sum of your parts! Assess all of your experience, get some objective help and be creative in presenting yourself -- you never know where it will take you!