When a construction contractor thought he didn’t have the needed experience to apply for a district sales manager position with a hardware company, he came to me for advice.
Did he have the necessary ten years of sales experience? He hadn’t sold a single product, but he’d been selling the services of two different businesses for more than a decade. Plus, he had an intimate knowledge of the products to be sold because he had used them extensively “in the field.”
If you’re hoping to execute a career pivot, you may similarly find yourself struggling to express your relevant work experience in a resume. Below, we’ll discuss several strategies for leveraging your valuable experience and transferring your skills to your new career.
Step 1: Lean Into Transferable Skills
When you’re pivoting careers, it is important to prove you have the skills needed to do the job well. Odds are, you have already spent a lifetime cultivating some of the most sought-after skills, no matter what industry you’re coming from or entering. How?
Soft skills are those traits that can’t be taught in a classroom. They include personality traits like empathy or patience as well as honed skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, time management, good communication, and organization.
Scour the job description for mention of soft skills, then be sure to highlight these in your resume. No doubt you can think of a time that you worked through a problem for a good result, resolved a conflict between team members, stayed calm in a difficult circumstance, or communicated effectively.
Even if this experience seems small in comparison to everything else you did at your job, lean into it to prove you have the required skill.
Your desired job may even require some technical skills in common with your previous experience. For example, spreadsheets like Excel are used in many industries—and not everyone knows how to use them.
We’ll discuss those technical skills you don’t already have in a later section.
Step 2: Search for Crossover Activity
When you sum up your past experience, you probably focus on the day-to-day tasks you were expected to perform. But you might find relevant experience in unusual or infrequent tasks.
Think about times you broke down organizational silos or collaborated with other teams. Did you ever work with another department for a limited time while completing a specific project? Were you ever temporarily assigned to a different role? Did you receive training for a department you did not work in?
Step 3: Upskill
Once you’ve identified your transferable skills and other relevant experiences, you may still have a list of needed skills that you don’t yet have. Don’t let that discourage you. It simply means it is time to upskill.
If you’re still at your current job, consider asking for additional training in a relevant area. You might be able to take a company-sponsored course, attend a workshop, or get some on-the-job training.
You can also take courses or even get certified on your own time, especially if you need computer or technology-driven skills. For example, Coursera and similar resources offer thousands of options.
Step 4: Build Your Brand
The internet has really changed the way employees brand themselves, offering both opportunities and challenges.
Today, most hiring managers Google their prospective hires, and social media often tops the search results.
First, examine your social media pages to make sure there is no content that could hinder your job search or work against your rebranding efforts. Remove anything inappropriate for work, like images of drinking or partying. Also remove potentially inflammatory content, such as politically charged or highly controversial posts.
Next, build the brand you want employers to see. You can use your existing social accounts or consider making your personal accounts private and opening new professional accounts.
Start with LinkedIn. It is the most trusted professional network and allows you to set up a resume-like profile, link to your accomplishments as they appear across the internet, and feature your best content. You can also write articles on LinkedIn, positioning yourself as an expert in your field.
Next, work on other social sites. Focus on displaying skills and highlighting accomplishments. For example, you could post photos of yourself with your printed certificates, chronicle the progress of a project, or create educational videos. You can also create a professional website to really cement your online brand.
If you want to take your rebranding efforts to the next level, consider self-publishing a nonfiction book, such as a trade manual or how-to book, using Amazon Kindle, Blurb, or a similar service.
Key Takeaways
Rebranding for a career pivot can be an engaging challenge—one you are definitely qualified for. Lean into your transferable skills, especially those highly sought-after soft skills. Look for tasks and activities that cross over into the field you’re transitioning into. Take classes or otherwise educate yourself to fill in any gaps in your skills. Then put your best foot forward by building a professional brand online.
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