5 Tips for Switching Industries

If you are job hunting in a different industry from the one you are in now, here are five things to do to prepare for the search and the interview process.
1) Research your new field or industry.  Read the trade journals. Read the Wall Street Journal. Visit company websites to find out what is going on, read the company’s annual report andpress releases.

2) Build your network – Go to your first level contacts and ask them to introduce you to people in the new industry.  Go through your LInkedIn contacts and find out who works in the industry you are interested in. Ask for introductions to their contacts (your second level contacts).

3) Join the professional organization – Join the association in the new field.  Go to meetings  and conferences. Get yourself known.  When you  meet people and exchange business cards, follow up with an email and then go to Step 4: one-to-one conversation over coffee or lunch.

4) One-to-one – Set up coffees/lunches with people you meet in order to learn more about their industry, their company and their own personal career path.  Ask them, “What do you do all day?”  Ask them about  the trends in their industry.  Find out as much as you can.

5) Connect the dots –  Hriing managers will not immediately see how your skills are transferable to their industry. You need to show a prospective employer that your skills are transferable.  Show you can get results by illustrating with concrete examples of your accomplishments.  You also need to show that you are educating yourself about the industry through the research and networking you have been doing. Be familiar with the terminology, key events and current challenges. 

 Remember: Your job is to learn as much as you can and convince the prospective employer that your skills are transferable to the new industry.(c) 2019 Amy Geffen. All rights reserved
Next Small Group Coaching begins September 10.  Contact me for more information.   5 weeks, 10- topics, 5 opportunities to practice your pitch, review your resume and prepare for interviews