Q: My son has a BA in International Affairs and 6 six years experience as a county police officer.

He really wants to break into a new career drawing on his interest and education in political science and international affairs but has had no success in landing an opportunity or even an interview. What can he do to discover a new direction and land an interview? Thanks!

A: The first thing your son should do is review his resume and make sure that the resume reflects skills that will translate into his desired field. In other words, make sure that a hiring manager can easily understand the aspects of his current career that are relevant to the job he aspires to. If he needs help in creating a winning resume he can contact Ultimate Resumes at www.ultimate-resumes.com. Once his resume is in order he should start networking among his current contacts in case someone he knows has a good contact in education/political science.

There are also some great online networking websites like LinkedIn which your son can use to search for people who have jobs in his dream field. He could also check out the Teaching Jobs website for open teaching positions for grades K -12. He should start contacting some of those individuals to network.

Finally it would be helpful if your son can volunteer in a field related to education or political science. Your son could investigate Bridgestar, an organization that matches individuals with not-for-profits who need board members or volunteers. The more information he can add to his resume that relates to his desired career the better the chance that someone will give him an opportunity.