Repurpose skills that make me good as a Buyer and reword them for an Engineering position.
In transitioning careers, you can do everything a base engineer does, plus.
Transferable Skills are skills you’ve acquired naturally through hobbies, previous jobs, etc. They are not specific to any one domain/industry.
Can you communicate how your transferable skills are relevant to the position you are applying/interviewing for?
Book Recommendation: What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles
Once you determine your skills, follow three steps: Ready, Aim, Fire.
How are those skills relevant to the position you’re applying/interviewing for?
Problem solving, creativity, pattern matching. How do my previous life experiences pertain to engineering?
Talk about skills that are relevant to that actual job opening.
Sell value, not features.
Don’t use resumes like car window stickers to list skills (features). I have to determine what I can offer the employer that is valuable to them.
Have different approaches to how I sell myself based on each job posting and interview.
In an interview, ask the hiring manager what gaps they have in their current team to figure out where I fit in.
Tell a story; be a human.
Sell a story of how good their team would be if you were there. Don’t let them imagine the job without you.