Starting A Career In a Different Field Without Relevant Experience #2

I read an amazing post here on LinkedIn about a recruiter - Linda Le, who got her first chance into the recruiting field without prior experience, and how she is killing it on the job. I would drop her post below.

Her story is super super inspiring, and I would be sharing two (2) personal perspectives I picked from her story, to help you fast track your career growth if you are in some sort of career transition but lack clarity or doubting yourself because you don’t have sufficient experience or any experience at all, in the field you really desire to make an impact in.

1.????Back door is the 'way' if you are an unconventional candidate: Like Linda when you don’t have experience in the field you are targeting and go through the “front door” ie. the traditional candidate track, you ideally should be ready to experience similar rejections like she experienced initially. However, your focus should be getting through the “back door” and when I say back door I mean leveraging people who have experienced you (ie. see you as a credible professional beyond your paper profile), and are happy to use their influence or credibility for you.

Linda Le just needed to speak to one person – a recruiter in her case, who works for Aerotek and who was happy to influence the decision makers to speak to her and hire her. The influential recruiter spotted something crucial in Linda Lee which was grit, and was happy to become a career ambassador fighting Linda’s cause, even if she had never worked with Linda before. So yes! There is a way to build relationships with people who have not worked with you prior, but have a sense of your capability and or potential.

2.?? You must be clear on what you have and do not have, but stay focused to amplify what you have: Linda Le was clear that she did not have the required recruiting experience but she had something else which that company needed and was flaunting it hard at her interviews, probably by her attitude or leveraging case scenarios which gave credibility to that fact that she had what she said she had.

Truth is companies know what they want, but sometimes they don’t know what they really need. It is your work as a candidate, to show them what they need, that you have. Like Linda who was probably challenged by the interview panel that she did not have any experience in recruiting, but she fought back and probably said “Well having recruiting experience is fantastic, but I have something you would find more interesting – Grit, and this is how I would it use it to shine on my job if you take a chance on me”.

Truth is companies know what they want, but sometimes they don’t know what they really need

As a recruiter I get so sad when I sit in interviews and a hiring manager tells a candidate you don’t have XYZ skill or experience and the candidate does not “fight back” to give perspectives to what they have.

Companies are really suffering because you are hiding, doubting yourself and not advocating for yourself. Linda's employer - Aerotek is now benefiting free publicity and goodwill which can translate to sales and a pipeline of solid talent, simply because of Linda's powerful story. Prior to now what Aerotek thought they wanted was someone that would hit the recruitment numbers (She is doing that and more - giving them what they really need!)

Yes Linda Lee does not have two heads so your story can be like hers, if only you have the confidence and needed guidance. In other news, many people reached out to me asking for the link of the webinar which I would be speaking on later today, however it is strictly an event for African Leadership University students, but I would be hosting similar webinar next month for you simply because you are in my community. If you follow my newsletters and LinkedIn posts, you will hear of it first! *Premium Followership Privileges* LOL :)

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Which of the insights shared from Linda Lee's story resonated the most with you? Feel free to drop in the comment section your personal thoughts about her story. I would be more than glad to engage. Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter, to be the first to read from me when I write here. Till I write to you next time.

Keep Hope Alive,

Ijeoma Nkwonta