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06.11
Getting a Job in
a New Industry or
Being Hired for a Different Role
By Debra Feldman,
JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent
Company closings, staffing
cutbacks, mergers, consolidations and other
circumstances have decreased the number of jobs
in certain industries, forcing individuals to
seek employment in industries that are new to
them. Other successful professionals have found
that they must switch roles and emphasize
different skills in order to find a new
position, whether in the same or a different
field. It’s a matter of choice for some to take
their careers in a new direction.
In general, it is usually more
difficult to switch industries or change careers
than to seek a new opportunity where you have
direct experience. Employers are risk adverse
and tend to hire talent with a background that
is relevant to the challenges in their field.
Employers want to hire someone who has proven
that he or she can do the job. They want
evidence of having been successful working in a
similar role within the industry. The recession
has added an additional roadblock for those
seeking a career change by producing an
oversupply of great talent; companies do not
have to go outside their comfort zone to fill
one of their limited openings. It’s a very
competitive job market overflowing with
top-notch prospects, so those who are not
perfect are marginalized.
While making a change can be
extremely challenging for candidates, employers
are also struggling with how to choose from the
variety and volume of prospects. They are
deluged with resumes spanning from the
overqualified to ones that are totally
inappropriate. Establishing trust and
credibility is one of the biggest obstacles for
candidates. Candidates must demonstrate that
they can do the job and solve the employer’s
problems. They have to help hiring decision
makers feel confident that despite not having a
background which conforms to their ideal
applicant, they want to, can and will reliably
produce results and can quickly come up to speed
and contribute to success.
One of the best ways to
facilitate a change is to find an industry that
appreciates your credentials and needs your
knowledge. This includes suppliers, vendors,
partners, competitors of your current industry
as well as new sectors that may not have a depth
of talent, but where your skills are easily
applied or are the closest that the employer
will be able to find. One such example is
digital media, which in its infancy drew talent
away from print because it was a brand new field
and no one had years of experience. The few who
were pioneers and had digital experience were
not sufficient to fill the demand, so employers
became more flexible about hiring talent that
could adapt or be trained.
Following are some tips to
facilitate a transition into a new industry or
into a new role:
-
Think like an employer: look
for an opportunity where you have related
experience and skills very similar to those
needed in the new industry or role. For
example, if you drive a car, adapting to a
larger car or a truck makes sense, while
leaping to a piloting a boat or plane is a
bigger stretch.
-
Inventory your strengths and
spell them out with success stories that
highlight your abilities. Rather than
presenting the employer with past duties and
responsibilities in your previous roles,
demonstrate core competencies by describing
the process you employed to solve a
challenge, or how you approached a situation
in order to address it.
-
To succeed in a new job, you
need to adapt to a new environment. While
your experience to date may be in a
different industry or role, you can show
that you are capable of adjusting and are
flexible by detailing the variety and
complexity of assignments which required you
to master new challenges.
-
Network and get referrals to
hiring decision makers. Because your resume
describes experiences which are not
necessarily highly relevant to the
employer’s needs, your credentials may not immediately
capture the employer’s interest, especially when
there are other more “perfect” candidates
available. The best way to remove this
barrier is with a personal recommendation. Having a mutual contact vouch for you is the
best way to get your foot in the door with
prospective employers.
When prioritizing your job search efforts, connecting with individuals who know
hiring managers at your target companies should be top on your list. Getting an
employee referral is one of the best ways to increase your odds of being hired
into a company.
© Copyright, 2011, Debra
Feldman. All rights reserved. Used with
permission.
 Debra Feldman, founder
of JobWhiz, is an executive talent agent with more than 20 years of senior
management consulting experience. She uses networking to identify and connect
candidates with unadvertised new career opportunities in the hidden job market.
For more information, visit
www.JobWhiz.com, and to contact her, visit
www.jobwhiz.com/contact.php.
Comments
may be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
All
right reserved, Debra Feldman 2011
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