How to Successfully Switch Industries and Grow Your Career

You may have noticed my new and improved LinkedIn profile picture! We recently had a very talented photographer come in and upgrade our professional photos. In doing so, he inspired this article!

I asked him how long he has been a photographer and was very surprised when I was told that his switch was very recent. Prior to pursuing photography, he was an architect! That’s pretty inspiring as it is, but what was even more mind blowing is that his final product was better than of those photographers I have used previously who were tenured in the industry!

What made this photographer stand out among the others was passion that oozed not only throughout the session but also in presenting the final product. He also closed the door on his prior life. He has no other option but to succeed as a photographer; so he does!

Here are some things to keep in mind as you embark on your career growth within a new industry:

Invest in yourself. Before you can expect someone taking a chance on you, take a chance on yourself. Research the industry and question whether this would be beneficial for your development.

Utilize your network. Tap into your network within your target industry to discuss if your skills are in fact transferrable. Some people even go so far as to “shadow” someone in the target industry to get inside view. Seek out the guidance of someone who successfully switched industries and how they went about it.

Seek out mentorship. One of the sure ways to learn what it takes to succeed in the new industry is to seek out the perspective of someone who proved to be successful.

Identify and target. Job search becomes more complex when you are looking to switch industries. Laser focus into what you want. If your resume and approach are too vague, it will be difficult to explain why and how you are looking to switch industries in addition to what skills are transferrable.

Be in the know. After you identify target industry, employer, and role, set Google alerts for any changes or newsworthy notifications. You should be more informed than someone within the industry.

Rework your resume. Print out the job description of your target role and highlight all the words that you can say are related to your skill set. Ensure that those same words appear on your resume. Stay clear of industry jargon and focus on job function to ensure that your resume is populated within database searches. Craft each resume specific to each role and draft each cover letter explaining how your skills are transferrable and why you are interested.

Craft your elevator pitch. Quantify your accomplishments, discuss what you would bring to the table, and eliminate any doubt whether or not you can get the job done. For more on this, read “Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch” https://tatiyanacure.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/crafting-the-perfect-elevator-pitch/

Obtain experience. We all know of the vicious cycle of having experience prior to getting employed. Take on a side gig, freelance, or volunteer within your target industry.

Get the interview. If you are simply answering job ads, realize that your application will be among hundred of others who are most likely industry incumbents and are tenured in their field. Be diligent in your approach of selling yourself. Remember, less than 10% of deals are closed upon the first sale and more than 50% of closed deals are result of 8^th to 12^th interaction. Remember these statistics when you encounter the first 7 rejections from your targeted employer.

Ace the interview. Throughout your interview, show extreme enthusiasm and hunger to succeed. Ask specific questions whether the firm had successfully employed individuals who switched industries and how the on-boarding processed differed from those who came from within the industry. Discuss how you would overcome the challenges that they may have had in the past. For more, read “Interview Like a Pro” series: https://tatiyanacure.wordpress.com/blog/

Leverage your fresh perspective. It has been proven that an individual identifies the most areas of improvement in an organization within their first 90 days. By entering a new industry, if you offer new solutions, your perspective would be invaluable.

Choose to succeed. The key to success is attitude. You can choose to sabotage yourself or you can choose to exhibit passion and confidence.

 

I learn from you just as much as you learn from me. Please follow the link http://goo.gl/IhEgsW to record your answer to the poll: What was the biggest challenge to overcome in the last time you switched industries? Comment below on your success stories of overcoming these challenges.