|  January 19, 2013

How to switch industries without starting over

Sometimes you know what you’re currently doing is not for you and you know you have to make a big move – but how can you switch industries without starting over?

You know what they say about those not-so-good work experiences — how sometimes it is just as important to learn what you don’t want to do? So many young professionals will spend a few years in a role or a career path and then find themselves wondering, “Is this really how I want to spend the next few years?”

If you do decide to make a career change, the next uphill battle is making it without starting from scratch. Inspired by a recent interview with my dear friend Tracy, I came up with a list of tactics to do just that.

1. Find your relevant skills.
Just because you’ve worked in a different type of role or industry doesn’t mean you don’t have the skills to do the job. Go through the job description and find examples from your past experience where you have done similar tasks or have used similar skills. You’ll want to incorporate this into your cover letter or emails. If you land an interview, you’re going to need this information once again. It is critical to drive home the fact that you can leverage your past experiences in this new role.

2. Go the extra mile in getting your resume seen.
Since your background might be seen as nontraditional, it’s very possible that it might be turned away during the screening process. You are going to have to jump off that resume page and take some extra steps in getting your resume seen and considered. Do what you have to do to get in front of people directly. Find people at that company on LinkedIn and reach out (either with email, inmails, or cold calls) so you can make your case.

To see more tips on how to switch industries without starting over, read the full article on The Levo League.

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