Looking to Change Industries? Here’s a few tips….
Changing the industry in which you work in can be difficult, however we’ve put together some tips to help you change industries.
Workers have always had to adapt to change and embrace new technology. Some more willing than others
However, the introduction of BIG DATA, analytics and key words as a means of recruiting and acquiring people and job applicants has radically changed the landscape in ways no one could have foreseen or at least not this fast.
This change is a challenge to even the most adaptable workforce, and that is especially true for anyone trying to cross over into a new industry.
Now days its very rare that companies hire for the person and train the skills. More often than not only looking for the hard skill keywords and ignoring the “soft skills”.
There is a way to help you challenge this trend. It all starts adopting the concept of transferable relevance. It is the idea that one’s existing set of skills (hard or soft) in one industry can be used just as efficiently and effectively in a separate industry. Rob Gallacher of PeopleStart HR says “employees with strong soft skills transition easier into new jobs & industries”
Go above and beyond other job seekers if you want to make a successful crossover into a new industry.
Be prepared, be precise, be pro-active, and be deliberate. Know all there is to know about you!
You have to know who you are, what you want, and why you want it before you can even begin.
Start at the very beginning. Know exactly the industy, company and role that you desire…..and why?!
Don’t rely on submitting resumes and cover letters through online job boards. Without any direct experience, you can’t afford to be passive. Nobody is looking for you. Treat the process as if it were the biggest opportunity of your life- because it is.
Assume an employer will believe you aren’t qualified
Therefore, the burden is on you to prove you are!
Without the key words needed to unlock the gates of recruitment management systems, the system is pre-programmed to see you as unqualified, undervalued, and unworthy of an opportunity. Don’t waste your time blindly sending out your resume.
Grab the bull by the horns and go direct. However risk mitigation is the key, make it easy on them—present yourself as a subject matter expert, and demonstrate that you have the ability to be ready to go on day one.
Get creative about relating your relevance. Relevant experience can come from unexpected places.
Regardless of your job, company, role, or industry, you have skills that apply to all sorts of positions for which you may not have even thought about. Working as a Sales account Manager for an online real-estate publication cannot be that far removed from the same at an fashion magazine. Take a step back and start a deep dive in to identify the common threads and the fundamentals that exist between your current industry experience and the one you want to enter into. Practice how you communicate the relevance between the two. Create a communication blueprint.
Stress the soft skills: work ethic, attitude, and self-awareness.
In the absence of any direct experience, you are going to have to help the hiring manager see three things that can’t be seen on a resume.
Work Ethic: You have the ability, and more importantly the willingness to focus on what must be done and then do it. Coming to an interview with a well thought out and professionally bound executive summary on the industry and the company gives evidence for the kind of time and attention you’re willing to put forth if hired.
Attitude: Your glass is half full and the grass isn’t greener on the other side. You are an optimist, you take responsibility, and you hold yourself accountable.
Self-Awareness: The ability to recognise and understand the differences in yourself and other people is a primary key to success in the modern day work environment. In an interconnected world—being a consensus thinker is invaluable. Show that you have situational awareness, and assimilation comes naturally.
Make it a point to emphasise those three things–and ask them for the chance to learn the rest.
There are no shortcuts. Be willing to make the investment in yourself and do the hard work.
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