Last updated on July 8th, 2023 at 03:25 pm
Here I share insights from Jess Singleton, a career services professional with experience in higher education. She has a passion for connecting educators with meaningful work and helping teachers capitalize on their strengths to land other roles. Her advice is a goldmine of practical and actionable tips!
Interview with a career services professional
Hey, Jess! Can you give us some background of your professional experience and what you do now?
“After graduating college, I worked in a few different roles my first few years (including admissions, social media, supervisor at a coffeeshop) until I went to graduate school to study counseling and education with the intention of becoming a school counselor after graduating. I worked as a school counselor for three years amidst the pandemic and transitioned to higher education, where I am currently. In my present role, I work in a career services role where I teach, coach, and support students in their undergraduate experience to find and pursue internships and jobs post-graduation. I teach lessons around career development and preparing for the future.”
Tips for teachers in transition
Because you’ve been in the education sphere but not a classroom teacher: Do you think there are job options for classroom teachers who might be interested in making a switch if they don’t want to leave education entirely?
“Absolutely–classroom teachers bring so many skills to the workforce. It often breaks my heart to hear that there are professionals who say they “can’t do anything else” because that’s simply not true. Transitioning to a different education sphere is probably the easiest way to get a different job, because it’s a similar environment and familiar territory. Often, you may still be working with students, too. A few that come to mind include higher education, non-profit organizations that support students in schools (think Girls Who Code or YMCA), kids ministry in churches, training or instructional design in the corporate world, coaching in the school setting, and more. There are fields that gladly welcome any and all backgrounds–insurance companies, sales, etc. Generally speaking, teachers are hard-working professionals who bring a level of organization, personalization, and creativity to many roles. When applying to jobs, emphasizing your transferable skills is incredibly important.”
Advice for navigating the current job market
Do you have any suggestions as far as teachers bolstering their resumes or portfolios in order to attain other positions?
“One thing many people forget to do is to change the language of your resume to the field you’re applying to. For example, teachers often create lessons for their classroom–change “create lesson plans for elementary students to understand 3rd grade math concepts” to “design learning experiences to enhance engagement around subject matter to ensure understanding at benchmark level”. Both of these
things say the same thing, but one tells the responsibility of your current job, not your future job. Be confident and ready to sell your skills! You have so many great skills to bring to the table for many roles in the job market.”
How to gain a more balanced role
Do you have any ideas for educators who are searching for roles that will provide more work/life balance?
“When interviewing for roles, ask the hard questions. Ask about work/life balance, over-time, company culture, and turnover. The interview process includes you interviewing the company and team; it’s important to ask the tough questions and go with your gut. Also, most workplaces do not work their people as much as schools work their staff–keep that in mind. Even if a company has a busy work culture or high performing seasons (most jobs do), it’s very rarely as high intensity as working in a K-12 environment, where you have expectations from supervisors, parents, the community, and students. In addition, conduct informational interviews with people you know or you have found on LinkedIn! I think informational interviews are incredibly helpful when you are looking for a new job or new industry. Know someone who has a job that sounds interesting? Ask them to meet for coffee. Did you meet someone at a sports game who works at a dream employer? Talk to them and ask about their experience. Find people on LinkedIn who have shared experiences (there are a lot of ex-teachers out there in a lot of industries) who have jobs that would be of interest to you and message them! It’s completely okay to ask for help, meet people who have walked through your seasons, and have conversations with other successful people.”
Know someone who has a job that sounds
Jess Singleton, Career Services Professional
interesting? Ask them to meet for coffee. Did you meet someone at a sports game
who works at a dream employer? Talk to them and ask about their experience.
What are some of your professional goals? How can we keep in touch with you?
“I really enjoy my work with professional and career development; I have also greatly enjoyed developing and designing curriculum for young professionals. Currently, I am obtaining a certificate in instructional design through my employer, and love what I am learning! I would love to continue bridging those skills in the work environment to benefit growth both with individuals and organizations at large. I’d love to connect on LinkedIn! I often share job opportunities and current job market trends, so feel free to read up on any information! I love helping other educators grow their career and pursue different roles–it’s important and okay to do!”
Thanks so much, Jess! Your insights into education-related fields have been invaluable, and you’ve given so many meaningful tips. Connect with Jess on LinkedIn here!
