Making a career transition can seem like a daunting task. The intent of the second part of this two-part article is to focus on specific actions you can take by applying the ideas from “Career Transitions, Part 1 — Mindset.” If you haven’t yet read “Mindset,” this piece assumes the previous one was read and provides the most benefit when understood in the context of both articles.
Before You Apply
In the weeks leading up to your application submission, networking is very useful and typically has a more direct approach in the conversations you make. As your network grows, you will have access to larger libraries of knowledge obtained through the experiences of others. Your goal is to use conversations with colleagues, friends, acquaintances, and strangers to learn more about your industry of interest — including positions within the industry, specific companies, and potential job opportunities.
While applying for jobs in a new industry, reflection and introspection are also key parts of the process. Reflecting on the following starter questions should give you some insight about you and your career transition:
- Why do you want to make this change?
- What aspects of previous positions did you like or dislike?
- What do you need to be comfortable, financially or otherwise, in your next job?
After your time of reflection, start examining your industry and positions of interest within the context of your insights. Using knowledge gained by networking and other methods of researching, identify any skills or knowledge likely to be needed for the first phase in your career transition, and get a snapshot of the current status of your desired industry. With that information at the ready, it is time to put the knowledge to work. First, prepare your résumé, which may need an overhaul, given that you are seeking to change careers. My method is to begin with a master résumé, exhaustively comprehensive and definitely longer than one page; it serves as a starting point but would never be submitted to an employer. Instead, I cut and tweak my master résumé to create résumés customized for particular positions (developer, product manager, etc.). My last step is to fine-tune my position-specific résumés, making them specific to the company. Much of this fine-tuning consists of changing my verbiage to match the company’s own vocabulary. For example, if a company’s value is implementing an iterative approach or taking risks, reword the descriptions of your experience to emphasize that particular value.
Applying
Once you have studied up on your new field of work and perfected your résumé, you are ready to apply with abandon. We are all the gatekeepers of our own success — nowhere is that more apparent than when making a career transition. Too many people make the mistake of not shooting high enough. If you applied to ten jobs and received ten job offers, I believe you failed in at least one sense — by not testing your limits. You likely only applied for jobs for which you met all the stated requirements, and you possibly did not apply for jobs for which you were qualified, because you failed to see that you were sufficiently qualified. The following advice applies especially to those who were advanced in their previous careers when they decide to make a transition: Do not assume you will have to take a lower level position back for this change.The advice I give to those applying to jobs is almost identical to the advice many give to high schoolers applying to colleges: Apply to “reaches, targets, and safety” positions.
If you happened to make a strong connection with an employee of a company you are interested in, I highly suggest you ask them about the referral process for the company. Referrals are a great way to stand out from other applicant as they typically bring in applicants that would fit into the company culture better as referrers know the company more intimately than applicants. Do not feel distresses if you are not able to secure a referral as the rest of the advice assumes you applying through the standard process.
Interviewing
Having applied to several companies, you likely will have received some rejections and at least one expression of interest with an interview request. This is the time to strengthen your network by making contacts at the company where you will be interviewing. The more people you meet at a company before your interview, the better idea you have of company culture, expectations for the new role, and qualifications for a candidate. Before any interview, extend your knowledge of the company and the position by studying the company’s website as well as news articles about the company and its executives.
As you prepare for the interview, have your story in mind — your personal, academic, and professional narrative. Be sure you understand how this position fits in the larger context of your experiences. The better you can explain how this particular opportunity is a natural and logical progression from your past, the easier the interviewer can picture you at the company. Your emphasis when sharing your story should be aligning with their culture rather than displaying your skills and knowledge, which your résumé should have communicated already. Fine-tuning your story to illustrate how you could be a valued member of the company is analogous to fine-tuning your résumé. But remember:
We never have complete control of how our story is received, but we can promote a particular perspective.
Negotiating and First Days on the Job
Congratulations! You made it! You have received at least one job offer complete with all the associated numbers and benefits. I previously have stressed the importance of expanding your network and viewing it as a knowledge-filled structure that can provide valuable insights regarding your career transition. Now is the time to selectively activate your network by identifying its most trusted members. Share with those members pertinent details of the offer, so they can share their perspectives on its merits. One important reminder: Never share details of the offer with anyone at the company making the offer.
Be prepared to negotiate any or all aspects of a job offer — base salary, signing bonus, paid time off, start date, work schedule, or anything else. Such negotiation is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. You may not get everything you want, but, unless you relentlessly negotiate in a tactless way, the original offer will not be retracted. Remember first to highlight your experiences and the value you plan to add to the company and then to ask for what you think you deserve. Successfully negotiating your offer has advantages beyond a more valuable starting compensation package.
Your signed final offer sets a precedent for future promotions and positions — even at other companies.
On a related note, be prepared to say no to an offer. Decide whether this opportunity would fit well in the broader context of your career story. My best advice is to trust your intuition. Indiscriminately hopping from one industry or role to another should not be your goal, even if the new position has better compensation or is in a more desirable industry.. Taking some time to reflect on what brings you joy in your work and personal life allows you to more confidently evaluate your offer.
Lastly, once you accept a position and start working, find a way to expand your scope of work beyond the job description. This is best done once you are sufficiently competent at your basic job functions that you can do them with no supervisory assistance. At that point, ask your manager for additional work on current projects or on an intriguing external project. Taking on such work develops transferable skills and expands knowledge for your future roles while also exhibiting your proactive, ambitious nature to your manager.
Conclusion
My goal for this two-part article was not to create a one-size-fits-all guide to navigating career transitions. Rather, the goal has been to encourage job seekers to reflect on the reasons you want to make the change, to frame your mindset, and to create a job application that accurately represents you. Transitioning can seem like an overwhelming task, especially if you aren’t completely sure what you want to do next. Without a general direction in mind, decision paralysis can become crippling, but, if successful, this article showed you some ways to understand your career aspirations while also recommending steps to attain your goals.
NOTE: This was adapted from a virtual QuestBridge alumni session held on Wednesday, May 5, 2020. While I hope this article has some longevity, I understand that it was created within a particular personal and environmental context that may limit its future potential. That being said, I welcome all feedback.
The Mentorship Series is composed of knowledge that I have shared and hope to share with mentees. My goal is to help others navigate life post-commencement, using knowledge I’ve learned firsthand or through my mentors. Each article in the series provides perspectives I have found useful and outlines steps to apply these insights. Mentorship is inherently personal, so this series should be seen as a starting point for relationships with mentors rather than a substitute for those irreplaceable relationships. Topics for future articles can be suggested by contacting me through LinkedIn.
