cvservices.net : a better career : developing from a basic job

the backbone worker's greatest enemy is usually her own resentment at having been used, abused, underpaid and unappreciated for too long; it's time to stop getting mad and start getting ahead
almost all the CVs of backbone workers are mere lists of relatively junior functions; if you define yourself as unexciting people will view you as unexceptional
as you already know, all management roles are specialisms; you may need further training in order to get the buzzwords and the status, even though you already do the job
lots of unappreciated people are stuck because they took time out to have a family and didn't get back on the ladder; in a world of increasingly flexible working patterns this does not have to prevent you making progress, providing you update yourself quickly in terms of knowledge and skills
most under-utilised backbone workers are in that position because they weren't lucky with educational opportunities and did not have ambitious parents (or didn't think career mattered); in order to recover to will need to rethink your entire life in relation to these things

Some actions you can take

have you thought of talking to people experienced in the area you'd like to specialise in; have you saved enough money to fund professional training for yourself; do you have a proper career development plan worked out
have you checked things out properly; I have known many legal secretaries train as solicitors but get nowhere because of their age and attitude, for example; you need to assess the risks and take advice rather than just plunging in blindly
when you promote yourself do you give enough emphasis to your managerial skills or do you simply list out the basics and make yourself look like a secretary
have you thought of combining all your expertise in new and creative ways that will make a far better case for the career uplift that you are seeking
are you working from fact or from fantasy: it's important that ambitious change is also realistic, managed in stages, which could take time

Your ideal strategy

first study all the "professional" roles that are viable and interesting to you and find out exactly what is involved and what kind of qualifications are the norm; most occupations have a professional body with their own website
next, sit down and plan your campaign giving yourself a five year objective and working back from that in terms of steps you need to take
work out what sacrifices are involved and how much it will cost you to re-train; try to fix up temping work to tide you over if you need to study
contact agencies who recruit professional groups you want to join; get past the receptionist and talk to an experienced consultant; get some kind of realistic feedback about your chances
somehow you need to get yourself into a state of mind where you move from being a follower to a leader; there are lots of courses around, personal coaches, training in assertiveness, etc. - without spoiling what is best about you, it may require an attitude shift to build a better career
think of the rewards; I once helped a woman who shifted from being head of a typing pool that was closing down to systems manager at a busy City law firm; she almost doubled her salary in the process and all she had to do was repackage her existing skills in a far more confident way

These topics are covered in greater depth in CV Sage with examples and exercises.
Take a look!