Nancy,

First off, let me say, at least you are getting to the interview stage. In today’s job market, that alone is an accomplishment. Always remember, the single purpose of the resume is to be a marketing piece and to get you in the door for the interview.

In terms of direction with your resume and job search as a whole, here are a few ideas:

1. Be aggressive and do not be intimidated by the fact that you might not have as much Internet recruiting experience, as the employer would prefer. Instead, make sure your resume clearly and quickly highlights those other abilities and accomplishments that match the other skills the employer is seeking. If you are going to take this approach, you must understand that the phone will be your best friend. Make lots of calls to prospective companies and establish a contact before submitting your resume. Make sure you build up a rapport with the Human Resources Manager first so this manager can hear and see your other skills that are valuable. This approach simply involves proving that you are more qualified than other candidates in other ways, and that you are a quick learner so you will be able to pick up these skills

2. Seek a position with a headhunter/staffing firm. These recruiters are the most Internet savvy you will find. You probably will learn more in a week about how the Internet is used to recruit and manage candidates than in a year taking classes or working in a typical HR setting. Headhunters, for the most part, are commission-based and are hungry to make placements. Generally they will be using the latest techniques to find and place great candidates.

I think you will find that the Internet has changed the face of the job-search and recruiting, but it has also created a huge bottleneck of too many candidates. From what we hear from the recruiters/headhunters out there, good old “guerilla” tactics and recruiting, combined with using the Internet, are still the most fruitful.

3. Take some classes that will teach you about Internet recruiting. At a minimum, make sure you are very familiar with the complete MS Office family of products. Unfortunately, from what we hear, these classes might not be as helpful as the companies offering these courses might have you believe. The Internet and Internet recruiting changes so quickly. Not only in terms of who the major players are, but the new software and techniques that are always being developed. I think you will find Internet recruiting is for the most part on-the-job training.

4. Seek a position that is a step back as you say in an administrative role. If you take this approach, make sure you start by customizing the headline in your resume. State something to the effect that you have “Over X years of administrative experience as a recruiter and HR professional.”

This is the first thing your reader will see, so be clear and highlight the admin side of your background. I would venture to guess that much of your experience as a recruiter is related to general administrative skills; you simply just need to point them out. Customize your skills summary to illustrate the skills that are RELEVANT to an administrative position. Exemplify your typing skills, computer knowledge, grammar and proofreading skills, etc. right away in your summary. Focus on the administrative aspects as you list your accomplishments. Your recruiting skills will then end up being a benefit to your desired position.

In closing, since you have 10+ years of experience, I still would suggest that you continue searching within the recruiting field and get the training you need on the job rather than stepping back with your career. Continue moving forward from where you are.

Best of Luck in your job search,

The ResumeDoctor