As a reminder, if you are a mid-career high-achiever with the goal of entering the C-suite, let’s talk about my new coaching program, Highly Promotable.

Here’s the link to learn more: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/highly-promotable

Let’s start today’s topic with my definition of a career pivot: Think basketball. If you aren’t dribbling the ball, you have to keep one foot on the floor at all times.

So then, a career pivot is keeping one foot in either your current industry or job function, while pivoting out of the other.

Some examples:

-Pivoting out of human resources into marketing while remaining in the CPG (Consumer Product Goods) industry

-Pivoting out of manufacturing and into CPG while remaining in accounting

The alternative is a Career Reinvention, which involves moving out of both your industry and your job function. I don’t recommend this unless absolutely necessary, because it often means starting over at or near the bottom.

You could consider a two-step pivot, which achieves the same goal as a Career Reinvention but may allow you to stay at or near your current level.

Some examples:

-You want to move out of marketing and into operations. To be more marketable, you stick with your current industry – tech – to make this move. However, your ultimate goal is to be in real estate operations, so you look for an employer who might be able to make that happen down the road. 

-Your ultimate goal is to move from non-profit operations management into for-profit sales of something that leverages your passion for animal welfare (this is the type of non-profit you work in). You initially look for an operations role in the for-profit sector, say in a company that makes high-quality animal feed or products – with the goal of moving into sales as you learn the business and become a known quantity with your employer.

Now, what do you need to do in your job search if you are pivoting careers?

You need to know what you are pivoting to.

You MUST have a new job goal in mind so that your marketing materials can be tailored accordingly. It is not enough to know you are moving out of, say, CPG or accounting, but also what you are moving TO.

You need a transferable skills resume.

This is a more difficult proposition than writing a linear resume, so I highly recommend getting help with a transferable skills resume.

This entails understanding the skills you’ve developed in your current industry and job function – and how those skills translate into your new industry or job function. You can’t expect the employer or the ATS to intuit this – it has to be explicit on your resume.

You need to understand the issues and vocabulary.

In addition to understanding your new industry or job function for the resume, you also need to “talk the talk” for the interview. You don’t want to come across as a know-it-all – they KNOW you don’t know it all – but rather show that you have enough interest and intelligence to have done your homework.

If it is a new industry, what are the major issues of that industry? Who are the competitors, and where does the company you are interviewing with rank?

If it is a new job function, have you completed a certification or done other coursework/training in that function? It is not enough to SAY you are interested in this new job function – you need to show evidence of your interest.

It’s also a great idea to speak with people in the new industry or job function to get the real story about what you’re getting into.

You can’t rely on job boards.

To be clear: I don’t want ANY candidates to rely solely on job boards. However, when you are pivoting, you simply CAN’T.

When you are pivoting, you will always be in the middle third of the pile of applicants, even with a world-class resume like the ones I write.

The reason? The top third will be populated with people who have industry AND job function experience; the bottom third will be populated with people who have neither. You’ll be in the middle.

What’s the solution to move further up the candidate pile? Two things:

-+1 approach – doing one thing in addition to just applying online like everyone else.

-Networking. You want to get facetime with decision-makers who can see you as a dimensional professional with the qualities they are looking for. Top companies recognize that, in most instances, they can train you on the industry and the job function – but not on qualities such as motivation and fit with company mission.

DIY vs. DFY

DIY

I’m not going to talk about DIY’ing your resume as a pivoter, because I don’t think you should attempt this. So let’s talk about how to DIY your decision process for what industry or job function you want to pivot to.

This is the time to take a step back and reflect on your career thus far – what, specifically, have you enjoyed /not liked about your previous positions? What do you want to leave behind, carry forward, do more of? What are your Motivated Skills and Burnout Skills?

AI can help you here – ask ChatGPT some questions about various occupations or industries. Also, informational interviews can be extremely helpful.

I also recommend signing up for my five-day course, “Professional Purpose,” here: 

https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/free-resources

DFY

What might a career coach, such as myself, do to help you plan your pivot?

-Self-assessments, along with expertise in helping you understand your results and their application to your decision

-Assigning homework, such as informational interviews (as well as helping you know HOW to conduct an info interview, and with whom)

-Coaching you to come to the best decision for you – not advice, but rather guiding you through the decision-making process with coaching skills and expertise

If you would like to schedule a complimentary consult with me to discuss career coaching, here’s the link to my calendar: 

https://calendly.com/lesaedwards/zoom-meetings2