Keys to Breaking in
to a New Career
There is a lot of talk
about transferable skills – taking skills and knowledge from one
profession or industry and transferring them to a new career. This
makes sense and is an essential survival technique when you come from
an industry or a profession that has been deeply impacted by
downsizing and you realize the jobs might be gone forever. But when
the job market is tight, what chance do you have when an employer may
have plenty of applicants with exact industry and job experience?
What do you do if you are an outsider? First, there are a number of
reasons a manager might actually prefer an outsider. Here are a few:
The industry is changing so dramatically there is a need for new
perspectives and answers. Hiring an industry insider is more of the
same-old – same-old. The critical skills to make someone really
successful are people skills in management or customer service. These
are the hardest skills to train and are the easiest to transfer.
Convenience. They like the person and see that they will fit in well
with their team and do not want the hassle of advertising a position
and wading through hundreds of resumes. These positions make up the
hidden job market – jobs that are filled before an employer resorts
to advertising an open position. Try these five techniques to help
you break into a new career:
- Learn the language. Every profession and every industry have their own terms and acronyms. For example, what one industry calls a “client”, another will call a “customer”. Translate your skills and background using the words a manager in your target industry will understand.
- Ask your network of contacts to introduce you people who have broken into 1/2 your target industry. Find out how they did it and ask them for suggestions about your approach.
- Do a search on the internet for PowerPoint presentations to learn the burning issues in your target industry and profession. Professional conferences are places where the industry experts meet and share ideas about current challenges or opportunities. Often the presentations are posted on the conference website. Do a Google search with the industry or profession’s name, the term “current trends” and “ppt”. In addition being able to articulate current professional issues in an interview, you will also learn the names of experts in your target profession who might make good insider networking contacts.
- Ask people who could hire you what makes someone great at the job beyond the “minimum qualifications” and “years of experience”. Do a gap analysis between the specific needed skills and knowledge that make an employee perform among the top 10% in your dream job, and compare it to your background. Focus on closing the gap with professional reading, targeted classes, and describing your skills and experience to fit the manager’s needs.
- Focus on the hidden job market where the competition is less and there are a greater number of opportunities through high quality networking efforts and industry research.
