Career Transition
By: Drea Chicas, Community & Business Builder
Looking to shift gears? Tips for leaders ready to make a career pivot
Leaders at all levels in the organization must understand the shifting realities of the US workforce. First, the workforce has never been more diverse. People vary by age, experiences, places of origin, ethnicity, political affiliation, education-level, socio-economic status and more. Second, the only constant in the workforce is change itself. Whether companies downsize and lay people off; or companies upgrade technology systems and expect their workforce to up-skill, we must each stay ready to make changes in our careers at a moment’s notice.
Personally, I spent ten years in the public sector before I pivoted to consulting in the private sector a little over a year ago. It was not an easy journey, and it took close to 7 years to successfully make a parallel jump from one industry to the next. I read many books, interviewed over 100 people, applied to jobs, and received many more rejections. Along the way, I learned helpful resources and tips that I often share with others who are looking to make a career pivot. I’ve summarized these tips (and resources) below and hope they will inspire many more to action:
1. Arm yourself with the right knowledge. Whether your jam is listening to podcasts, reading books, or conducting informational interviews, start by casting a wide net, and then focus on the information that will help you make the desired change that’s right for you. While there is no one-size-fits-all methodology to career pivots, career transitions are nothing new. Plenty of people have pioneered changes in their career. Many resources exist where people share stories on how they did it. I found The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention, a book by Pamela Mitchell, to be one of the most helpful resources. In it, Mitchell offers strategies and tactics on how to create an effective plan to successfully move from one sector to the next. This book also includes reflection exercises and even email templates that lay out how to approach industry leaders with an ask for a referral. In the tech industry, for example, submitting an application with a referral makes a huge difference.
2. Network with a purpose. I applied to the current company I work for 3-4 times, and each time I either got an automatic rejection email or got ghosted by a recruiter. Sound familiar? A few years later, I went to a networking event called “Network to Networth,” which was co-hosted by the company. I learned about the event from my mentor’s LinkedIn page. At the time, my mentor was a Managing Director for the company and had generously provided a referral two years earlier, and coached me on how to position my skill-set. I still remember the first time I met my mentor (we were connected through a mutual friend) for a 30 minute informational interview on a stormy, rainy day in a coffee shop after a long, 1.5 hour bus ride just outside of Seattle, Washington. You have to do whatever it takes sometimes. Little did I know, I would be attending a networking event in Oakland, California two years later, with my mentor there, and forge more connections with other leaders from the company who organized the event. One leader in particular, sealed the deal. I explained to her that I had applied 3-4 times to the company, but did not make it very far. She then said she’d help me find the right role, and ultimately used her positional influence to deliver my application directly to the recruiter of my division. Her stamp of approval, along with my mentor’s referral, helped to place my resume at the top of the pile. I cannot overemphasize the importance of people from the initial search process all the way to the successful pivot. Once you distill the right information and find the right people, nurture these relationships and continue to network with your end goal in mind.
3. Be value driven. Career pivots hinge on knowing yourself and knowing your why. As you learn more information, and find the right people to help guide you, the ultimate step to shift careers is to do personal reflection work. It is important to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why are you hoping to switch careers? What will this help you accomplish? Why now? Answering these questions will help you get closer to your core values and your belief system, which drive our behaviors. Understanding your internal landscape will help reveal blind spots, identify strengths, and your unique skill-set, while helping you to craft a more compelling story to help get at your why. All of this will help, of course, when you land that big interview for that role that leads you to level-up and step into your new career.
To conclude, in a shifting workforce, I am passionate about spreading knowledge to help others take charge of their own careers and their future. What tips and resources have you found most helpful on your journey? Feel free to share these in the comments below.
Podcasts I love: LatinxAmerica, Tech Queens,In Progress
Books that I love: 10 Laws of Career Reinvention; The Startup of You