What a Long Strange Trip - Changing Industries

In less than a month I’m going to have the opportunity to go back to my alma mater (Bryant University, Smithfield, RI) for a reunion (40th!). It’s interesting that in the "prehistoric career ages" it was common to join a company with the thinking that you would be able to advance your career and stay with the same company for a long period of time. Certainly, there would be opportunities to do different jobs, and it was that type of movement within the company that could afford you the stability to go on and raise a family, take vacations, save money for retirement (or be enrolled in a pension), and have a little retirement party in the office when you were ready to ride off into the sunset.

If this were audio, right about now I’d be playing the sound of the needle scratching the record. The topic of changing industries now more than ever is front and center for a job seeker. As someone that has had as many industries in his career as a cat has lives, I thought I would devote some commentary this week to the topic of changing industries. By the way, changing careers is an equally interesting topic, and I’ve done that as well, but I’ll leave that for another day.

Overview

The thought of changing industries and/or careers is something so many people dream about. Those that are unemployed, those that are underemployed, and those that have been doing the same thing day in and day out for way too long.

For those that had a specific academic pursuit – think…medicine, law, engineering or a specific vocational direction – think…electrician, plumber, carpentry, law enforcement – those careers are pretty well laid out and for many, a career in that chosen field might be just the right fit. But, even people with those types of specific skills and experience can find themselves drifting away from their chosen professions, daydreaming of a different life – different work, customers, work responsibilities. In these uncertain times accepted wisdom might be to leverage your strengths and experience, and play it safe by striving to get employed by companies in industries that you know and have experience in. No one would fault you, and if you’re trying to maintain or upgrade your position it makes all the sense in the world.

I want out of my industry - now how do I do it?

Keep in mind I represent an “N” of one. Others may have different thoughts on this, but reflecting back on a lengthy career here are four key areas that I think you’ll need to have working in your favor.

1. You Have to Demonstrate Competence and Accomplishment in your work history

Just wanting to work in a different industry isn’t enough. You’ll need to be able to share stories of accomplishment in the companies you’ve been in. And, it has to be real stuff. Not the fluff that puffs up your resume and makes you look good. By doing this you at least give the interviewer a window into your capabilities. To the degree that you can relate any of your experience to the company you're interviewing in is key.

2. Your Work History

Have you proven you have staying power at a company and have advanced in that company or have you been jumping around. You're asking someone to take a leap of faith, and if you’re a high-risk candidate managers are going to shy away from taking a chance. The position you are interviewing for may be just too important to guess wrong.

3. Your Ability to Adapt

Of anything I’ve written, this statement – Your Ability to Adapt, might be the most important one. On day one with your new company in a new industry you have to be all in. No pining away for your old life. Your objective is to make them forget that you came into the company with no industry experience. It’s good to tuck your experiences in different industries in your back pocket since you may be able to draw parallels and even utilize some of the ideas you’ve had in other places and apply them at your new address.

4. The Willingness of those Hiring

The one thing that has been a constant when I’ve taken on a new career or industry is that the person hiring me has an ego. This is a good thing, and don’t underestimate the importance of this. Smart managers understand that most of the work they’re responsible for doesn’t include splitting atoms. When I’ve made an industry switch the constant is that each manager was hiring for talent – not industry knowledge. They were open to an outsider for the following reasons:

1.?????? They could train them the way they wanted, and they didn’t want someone coming in with preconceived notions.

2.?????? They wanted to bring industry diversity to their team.

3.?????? The prospect of bringing in "talent" outweighed the belief that someone from the industry would be a better selection.

BONUS POINTS – Carrying a chip on your shoulder

During this first month I was out to dinner with my boss and another colleague and we talked about the topic of carrying a chip on your shoulder. I was honest. I talked about the job search process over the past year, and I was annoyed that companies – all staff that I met from HR/Staffing to the hiring managers and everyone in the process were two-faced. When hiring they would be fair-minded about what they were seeking, but when it came down to selection they “turtled” and opted for the “safe and comfortable” employee selection - but if they themselves had to search for a position they would behave like every candidate they met with – frustrated because they had good experience but were not getting a chance to interview.

Having a chip on my shoulder makes me hungrier – I want to learn as much as I can about: the industry I’m in; the customers we support; the companies we compete against. I wasn’t ready to be put out to pasture, and achieving success in my new role by helping the company is my prime directive.

What about you? Have you been through industry changes, and how has that gone for you? God knows, like it or not, the industry you started in decades ago may not even be around in five years. If it is? It might look completely different than it did when you were in it all those years ago.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

For the lion's share of my career I have been a B2B marketing and product management professional. I've recently taken on a new role as a Customer Success Manager for a small 3PL fulfillment company (www.gofetchfulfillment.com) in Lakewood, NJ. I'm looking forward to applying my knowledge and experience to the role, and I anticipate doing some writing on their behalf (once I figure out what I'm doing, of course!).

You can still find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states on occasion), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the Week

Scooby Doo where are you? A few Saturdays ago he was down in Seaside Park, NJ at the Park Bakery. A couple of years ago it was a "Back to the Future" theme (complete with a DeLorean). On this day I was out on a bike ride and couldn't resist stopping by to take a pic with this life-sized classic cartoon character.