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Career-change redux: Get experience in your target fieldPeter Gray
One reader complained that with pointers like "don't quit your job to look for another" and "look for happiness at your current employer," I took the easy way out by catering to those still employed and ducked the reality that many aspiring career changers are already unemployed. Guilty as charged. "What if you've been pushed out or bought out, or you've already quit your job in hopes of finding a new line of work?" he wrote. "Now what?" Another reader offered a good answer, along with a personal success story. "I must say I was miffed by the recent article on career change," she wrote. "It had a very limited perspective. I have changed careers many times ... In addition to having been a banker (SVP group manager), I have been a pottery teacher, a student services director at a prestigious college, a career counselor, assistant dean in continuing education, and now am in charge of annual gifts fundraising at a major national charity. My approach to my career is to think of skill base, not job description! To work at what you love to do and do well, you need to formulate your skill base and translate that for an employer so they understand how it can achieve their goals." She is right that articulating transferable skills is a key interview skill, but I would go further. Employers usually hire people who combine transferable skills with relevant industry experience. So you need to do what it takes to be perceived as an expert in the field you want to career-change into. Do the research and industry reading. Network and socialize with the experts. Go to the panel discussions and conferences. Look for activities in your target industry (such as volunteer work, writing, research projects or consulting gigs), paid or not, that will give you a foundation of expertise and credibility. Since employers prefer to hire someone with a track record over an aspirant, you have to find ways to build some kind of track record even before someone hires you in your new target field. A successful interview will be a dialogue about what you've accomplished and how it might help the employer solve a specific business problem, not just a pitch about your skills and career ambitions. If readers heard me voicing caution about career change, it's because I've seen too many people switch careers for the wrong reasons, only to discover that the grass didn't get any greener. There will always be boring routines, irritating co-workers, office politics and disappointing raises. No industry is immune from wrenching restructurings and bruising layoffs, though some are more susceptible than others. And another factor is a constant: You'll still be you, with the same strengths, the same quirks you'd like to overcome, and your own inner motivation for change and growth. That said, there are practical reasons to decide to change careers. A new career track may pay more, offer the stable lifestyle you want, or simply present the right opening at the right time. Some career-change decisions are made not for practical reasons at all, but out of passion to try something new. And if you have a job transition forced on you, why not expand your horizons? If you're committed to staying in the Madison area, you may find that there isn't a new job just like your old one anyway. Whatever your situation, you'll succeed at changing careers by building your base of expertise in your target field before you start interviewing, and then by communicating your transferable skills and industry experience. Peter Gray is the head of executive recruiting at QTI Professional Staffing in Madison. If you have a question or idea for a future column, contact him at peterg@qstaff.com. peterg@qstaff.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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