Mid-Career Blues
I am often asked the following question: How do I shift careers, mid-career? My question back to the person is always: What have you done to demonstrate your desire to switch career paths? This question often results in a blank, I haven’t thought about that before, stare.
Never apply for a position that you don’t have any experience in and expect that your basic transferable skills are enough to land the gig! Sometimes folks are lucky, and a transition happens seamlessly. Most of the time, however, applicants fall flat in this scenario. Here’s why… Recruiters are always seeking to identify on an applicant’s resume demonstrable experience in the industry of pursuit. If seeking a career change, having basic transferable skills matter, but being able to walk into an interview with some relevant, tangible experience will speak volumes about your drive and determination to land a job in the field of interest, despite your career/professional history. For instance, let’s say you have a finance background, but you aspire to work in event planning. You should be able to tell the recruiter about multiple projects you have done to build your portfolio in the event planning field. Additionally, recruiters as well as hiring managers are constantly working against tight deadlines to get their job openings filled in an expeditious manner. They don’t have time to train from the ground level. They want a candidate who is prepared to hit the ground running, should they land the job, especially if the candidate is switching career lanes.
Relevant “side hustle” experience counts as experience – it’s all about how you convey that experience on your resume and articulate that experience in an interview. So, even if your experience is garnered as a result of multiple projects you pursued on your own time outside of your day job (e.g. Craigslist gigs), it matters and may be valued as relevant experience by an employer. It also shows a recruiter/hiring manager that you are willing to do whatever it takes to persevere above your current professional path to gain the skills that will get you closer to where you desire to be professionally.
Be resourceful and join LinkedIn Groups, MeetUp Groups, and attend events in your area of interest. Did you know that LinkedIn has a GROUP tab where you can research groups that exist in a specific area of interest and join them? Joining these groups is a great way to expand your network in an area where you have zero direct connections because if you are granted group access, you are immediately able to connect directly with people already working in a specific industry of interest. The key to a successful pivot is being strategic and resourceful when it comes to the people connection game.
THE CANDID TRUTH: Relevant experience isn’t always enough to get you the job of your dreams. But look at it from this perspective – the job of your dreams is not always the right job for you. Timing is everything! It will take time to transition to another field/industry, but stay encouraged and take the initiative to do projects and develop a network outside of your 9 to 5. The proactive strides you make to build experience in a particular area of interest outside of your comfort zone will undoubtedly prepare you for future interviews. Eventually, you will get a breakthrough.