Career change tips : Leaving family business

I'm looking for advice on how to approach my resume and potential interviews with experience that's limited to working for my family's business for over 20 years. I'm in my early 40's and have worked for my father since I was 22. Our family business was recently sold, leaving me without a job and no clue where to go from here. My father owned several service stations, and over the 20 years of working for him, I did everything from bookkeeping to managing one of our stores. Most of those years were spent working indenpendently and essentially being my own boss. This was never my dream job, but being a single mother most of those years, it allowed me the flexibility I needed to be there for my son and I was paid very well. Of course now that it's all gone, I feel pretty much like I sold my soul to the devil to have a fairly comfortable but far from extravagant life. (My father being the devil who's now driving a new Bentley while I'm struggling to pay my mortgage and taking out loans to cover my son's college tuition.)

Now I'm without a job, and feel like my experience is so limited and specialized that I have no idea where to go from here. I have decent computer skills, work great on my own, very organized and able to learn quickly. But after going from a salary of over $60,000 a year, I find it difficult to take on a job as an administrative assistant or office clerk making maybe half of that amount and working potentially twice as many hours.

I know this may sound like I'm whining and being unrealistic, but I feel like I'm in such an unusual and unique situation that I'm looking for others who may be able to relate or suggestions of where to start.

It's embarassing to admit this, but due to my previous career, I've never even had to create a resume. I've tried a few times, but with only having one job for all those years, it just seems like I have little to add to a resume.

Thanks for reading and letting me vent.. feeling a little lost and just looking for something to get me on the right track.

My last four years has been handling all the office duties of my husbands small business and now I am trying to get back into the regular workforce. I thought maybe I wasn' t getting calls because I spelled out the name of the company and they were relating the family connection so I changed the company name to his initials. Still no calls.

There are many resume samples to review on different sites. I suggest you find an outline that appeals to you and input your information. I have used wording of the job postings to help make my job duties more professional sounding. I am also looking for a salary in the $50k-$60k range and no luck finding one. There have been a few jobs for Full Charge Bookkeeper, Accounts Payable/Receivable Manager, Office Manager, and Payroll Manager in the $45k-$55k range.

I think you need to first give some consideration to what you want to do. Of course, "want" will likely end up being not just something that will get you motivated to get up and go to that job every day, but something that will make use of your abilities and pay the bills.

With your background in management and book keeping, plus industry-specific experience, I wouldn' t think it would be necessary for you to work as an office clerk or admin. asst., unless that' s what will make you happy. If it is, then you might want to look at executive-level admin. positions that will have the potential to get you into a more appropriate salary range.

You might consider taking some of the self-assessment tests, like the JASPER (available on Monster), and see if any of the potential job matches strike your fancy.

As far as your resume, from your experience, I would think you' d have a boatload of skills and accomplishments to make a strong resume. You can' t do anything for 20 years and not have something to offer.

Having never done one, I' d suggest making one from scratch the hard way - that is to pick up a book or two (Resumes for Dummies, etc.) where, through various exercises, they will help you to extract your skills and accomplishments and put it together in a way that reflects your abilities. And, you' ll learn about formatting, key words, developing objectives and lots of other helpful tips on developing a resume.

Because of the exercises in these kinds of books, they really make you take notice your own skills and, eventually, your value to a potential employer, which I think is important for someone feeling the way you do.

Alternatively, there are lots of paid services, including through Monster, that will help you create a resume, and in many communities, there are career services that can help with resume writing, too, often at no charge, being state-funded.

And, last but not least, there is the Resume Tips board here on Monster where there are lots of people with good advice and the willingness to help.

I think the most important thing I want to leave you with is something I' ve sprinkled in a few times; I can appreciate that you' re feeling lost, but after working for 20+ years, the last thing you should be concerned with is that you have little to offer.

You' ve got good experience. It' s just a matter of extracting it to get it on paper, and decide how you want to apply it to the next stage in your career.

I am just going to add a little here.

Sit down with a pad of paper and think about the Roles you have played over the years. Document those roles. Office management. Bookkeeping. Purchasing. Payroll. HR.
also document the growth of the business. It may have been your father' s business, but it sounds like you were an essential part of the growth. When you can package your experience as being part of and contributing to getting the organization from X to Y in size (locations, staff, revenue, market share), then you have a more powerful statement to make. And a differentiator...in that a growing business might recognize in you someone who can grow with them.
I highly recommend you come up with Stories about specific times that you have made a difference and contribution. This is one of the most powerful things I do with my clients, based on their feedback and is particularly important when you think you have been doing the same job in the same organization for a long time.

The Story Formula is

C: What was the challenge? Objective, project, crisis, problem?
A: Actions. What did you do to address that challenge? What obstacles did you have to overcome to get it done.
R: Results. What specific tangible and intangible outcomes did you produce?

Force yourself to do at least 10 of these stories. They provide resume information. They provide you with specific examples to give at interviews (which by the way, is what you need in these days of interviewing). And, the stories might also help you realize everything you' ve done and where you have excelled.

Thanks for all the great responses and the tips on getting started with my resume.

For now, my biggest challenge is going to be figuring out what I want to do. I think I know more of what I don't want than what I do want, so maybe that's where I'll need to start. I think I also need to work on building up my self-confidence and learning to be less critical of myself.

Just as a little extra background, since losing my job in May, I've started my own portrait photography business. It's something I've wanted to do for years, but never had the time. This is something I truly love doing, but it will be a long time before it pays the bills.. if ever. One thing it's made me realize is how unhappy I was with my previous "job", and how much more rewarding it is to do something that I enjoy. How would I incorporate this experience into a resume? Or would it even be a good idea to mention it?

It would be ideal if I could find a job that would help pay the bills, maybe even something that allowed me to be a little more creative than bookkeeping or typical office work, while still allowing me the time to do my photography. I've considered getting a part-time job, maybe 20 or so hours a week, but what I'm finding is that most part-time jobs in my area are retail which means nights and weekends.. the time when people want to schedule portrait sessions.

I've also been thinking of looking into temp agencies.. that way I'm not committed to something that may not be right for me, and have less likelihood of getting into a rut again. I know nothing about temp agencies or even if they still exist, but it had crossed my mind. Any thoughts about this idea?

Thanks again for the great advice.. at the very least, it's making me think more about what I may have to offer and also about what I would be happy doing.

So, you were holding out on us, huh?

It' s amazing what doing something you love can do for you, isn' t it?

I know you need to pay your bills, but I' ve often read of those who have given up a higher salary in trade for doing what they love and are happier in the end. But, I know you have your son' s education to be concerned with.

What you might do is develop a resume suitable for "paying the bills" jobs, and another one that supports your "what I love" job.

Then, if you can manage working both, find yourself a "pay the bills" job, and continue to develop your photography business. With your passion as motivation, hopefully at some point, your business will become both the "pay the bills" and the "what I love" job.

I know they probably clash with your scheduling dilemma, and I have no idea what they pay, but is it possible to try to find work in a department store' s (Sears, J.C. Penney' s) portrait center to help you get some more experience and possibly networking exposure in the field?

I also see lots of ads for Lifetouch, which, as they do a lot of work with schools, might be more conducive to your scheduling needs.

Perhaps a path like that could allow you to work at something you might enjoy while still developing your own business.

Temp agencies are alive and well. You should be able to find lots of them in your metro area.

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback and great advice regarding my situation. It really is appreciated! Sorry about "holding out" on the photography business.. didn' t seem relevant when I made my original post, but in hindsight I guess it is very relevant. In all honestly, it feels like more of a hobby than a career/business at the moment.. doing something I love, but not really making a profit.

I' ve thought about the JCPenney, Sears, etc. idea, but worry about any conflict of interest issues. Also, my business is intended to be a better alternative to the typical mall-type portrait studios... most of my customers are converts! I have looked into Costco' s photo lab, however they aren' t currently hiring. It seems to be one of those places where the employees stick around.. have seen the same faces there for years.. which is a great thing, and makes me feel it must be a decent place to work. I' ve gone so far as to fill out their lengthy online application, and will stay in touch with them to see if/when they' re ever hiring.

Great idea on creating 2 resumes. Resumes seem so intimidating to me, but thinking I should get my son (college freshman) to help out there.. he just told me yesterday that part of his final exam for his Intro to Business class was a resume. Time to make him work for some of his college tuition!

Also, I do think I will check into temp agencies in my area. The more I think about it, they seem like a good starting place for me.

I have to say, since posting here a couple days ago, I feel much more encouraged and positive about what I have to offer potential employers and also that I' m not totally alone with my worries about where to go from here.. thanks again so much the encouragement and advice.

I' m happy to help and so glad to hear you' re feeling encouraged. That makes my time spent here, due to my recent insomnia, worthwhile.

I hope you will enjoy success in turning your hobby into a career. It may be a tough road, but it can happen.

I' m sure your services are a cut above the department store photo services, but just thought of it as a starting point to give some "meat" to your photography resume.

When you get your son to build your resume, I' d be happy to look at it if you want some feedback. Hopefully, with his education (in business?) he can help you create a business plan and get your business marketed.

I know it' s easy sometimes to feel that you are, but the last thing you are is alone.

Career Tips

Leaving family business