3 Tactics for Getting the Job When Making a Career Pivot (Ep 26)
So you’ve decided to make a career leap. Now, how do you land that next position? Sure, you can go the traditional route by applying for openings on job boards, but that’s not the only way (or best way) to get a job. There are plenty of effective job searching methods, so let’s find the right one for you.
In this episode, I’m sharing three different tactics for finding and landing jobs in a new field. I’m explaining how to use your network to your best advantage and how to fill the gaps in your knowledge before you leap. Plus, if you want to go the traditional application route, I’ve got a few tips for that, too.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
Which factors might be working against you during your career pivot [1:57]
Why the traditional job application process isn’t always the best approach [4:43]
Tips for applying for jobs the traditional way on job boards and listing sites [5:54]
Alternative job search tactics for when you get fed up with sending cold applications [8:26]
How to fill the gaps in your knowledge before making your leap [9:46]
How to search for internal opportunities in your current company [13:34]
Why networking is one of the most valuable tools in your career pivot toolbox [16:01]
The value of your community during your career pivot [19:58]
If you’re considering your own courageous career leap, be sure to tune into this episode.
Want to gain some clarity before your big career leap? Download my FREE Change Planner today
Links mentioned in this episode…
Episode 19 with Jennifer Dillan
Decisive by Dan and Chip Heath
Transcript of Episode 26: 3 Tactics for Getting the Job When Making a Career Pivot
If you're trying to make a job change without talking to at least 5 to 10 other people, you're underutilized in your network. Networking works when you have a plan and stay organized with who you're talking to and what you learn from them and what you'll do next. It works when you stay consistent and make it a practice set a goal of talking to at least one person a week about your career plans.
Welcome to Leap Like Me If you can't shake the feeling that you're not on the right path. If you feel called to change things up but don't know how to begin, you're in the right place. I'm your host, Lisa Hoashi, and my specialty is coaching people at those crossroads moments in life when you feel called to take a new direction. Sometimes that means taking a leap. I want to share practical advice and inspiration for your leaps and how to keep going after your dreams in a challenging world. This season, we're talking all about career leaps. Come along for the conversation.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Leap Like Me. I'm Lisa Hoashi. In the last few episodes with me, we've talked about the importance of clarifying. What kind of job is right for you at the outset of our career change? How important it is for you to know what you want and what your bigger vision is for your career and life.
On today's show, we are switching to the big question of how to actually go out and get that new job when you're ready to make a career pivot. I'm sharing three tactics that will help you land your next job in a new role or field, and I'll share when they work best and when they don't. First, we need to talk about the fact that when you are making a career pivot, there are a few things that are potentially working against you and it's good to be aware of them.
First, your experience may not exactly align with the new role that you want to get. You might have transferable skills and experience, but in every role and in every field and industry, the jargon and the language can be a bit different. You have to be able to translate your experience into this new language.
Second, you may lack some experience or skills that you actually need to go out and get. And finally, you might be feeling a bit out of your comfort zone or even a lot out of your comfort zone when you're making a career pivot. So you also need to make sure as you go out there to look for that job, you're not always firing back on job search tactics that feel safe and easy, like LinkedIn, easy apply versus job tactics that are actually going to get you your next job like networking when you're making a career pivot. The more traditional ways of getting a job may not work as well. For example, you might have a harder time getting in through a typical job opening at a company. I call this getting in the front door of a company. You see a job opening. You apply with a cover letter and a resume. The thing is that many companies use applicant tracking systems or talent management systems to manage all of the applicants that are coming through. And these databases are often set up to look for specific keywords and types of backgrounds for advertise positions, which means that good candidates like you who are switching careers can potentially slip through the cracks, especially if you haven't translated your experience with all those specific keywords for that role.
By the way, these systems are also where you need a well-written resume. If a resume looks too different or is too complex. Sometimes these tracking systems can't scan it or interpret it properly. Another typical way of getting a job that likely won't work when making a career pivot is getting noticed by a recruiter. As we heard from Caroline Kobo in episode 21, recruiters often search for candidates on LinkedIn. So if you've worked in communications for 15 years and now you want to pivot to leadership development, recruiters will likely continue to contact you about communications roles because those five communication jobs that you have in your LinkedIn profile keep turning up in their searches.
All right. So I've just told you that applying for job openings are hoping to hear from recruiters might not be your best tactics in your career. Pivoting. I'm starting at this place because it's important to know that making a career change, although it has many benefits and lots of payoffs in the future, it's often a big investment and a process of many months and sometimes even years. It takes a lot of time and energy. This is why you want to be strategic and use the right job search tactics. You can go the route of searching job boards and sending out multiple applications each week, but it's not likely the best use of your time. And sending out endless resumes and cover letters is time consuming and can be really disheartening. So be strategic and also flexible and creative. Now the applying for job openings tactic can work. If you have a really well-written resumé and cover letter that demonstrate you're an excellent fit for the position or if it catches the right person's attention.
So if you do use this tactic or plan to rely on it, here are some tips. First, you'll need to do your research upfront on how to write a good resume and a cover letter and really dedicate some actual time to researching this. There are so many good resources out there online. And there's really no excuse for muddling around in this because there are just so many good resources out there. And you can also hire someone for, you know, a hundred or $200 to write to help you write your resume so you can get, you know, really nail this down. It is important. I think sometimes we can kind of get into the mindset of being a little bit cheap when we're thinking about, you know, what kind of resources do we want to put in to find their next job? But remember, by hiring help and really figuring out how to do this well can really have a big payoff in terms of your future happiness and also like how much you earn next year with your next salary. It can really have some potentially really big returns on your investment. The other thing that you can do is really start to learn how to read position descriptions. It can actually be pretty tricky sometimes to figure out what a position description is trying to say.
But when you really spend time trying to understand what they're looking for before you apply, it really helps you to tailor your application. I have been both a hiring manager and I've also been on many interview panels and when we were doing this election, it's like the number one thing that we wanted was someone who showed that they got what the job was. If I see a candidate who clearly knows what this job is all about, obviously they're going to rise to the top of the list because I want someone who gets the job. I don't want to have to explain or wonder if they're a good match or not. I want to really know about from what they have presented, you know, in their application materials. Also, before you apply to an opening check to see if you have any connections to the company or to the hiring manager. So you can find out a little bit more about the position potentially and what they're looking for and then tailor your application that much more. Plus, if you know someone who can help, make sure that your application gets noticed in that company, of course, that's going to be really helpful.
Now, whenever I have a client who is starting to get frustrated by the feeling that she's just sending applications out into the void, it always nearly means that it's time to switch tactics so it can be time to send out less cold applications and start networking more. It can be time to attend some professional events and conferences. It can be time to reach out to more contacts, to take on related volunteer opportunities, and really just to do anything to get more active in the field or the role they want to transition to. It's time to kind of shake things up and try something new, and especially if it's starting to put you in a bad headspace. Your energy is definitely an important part of this. Now, if you have been sending out applications and getting discouraged or if you haven't started yet, but that was the main tactic you thought you would use.
Let's talk about the other tactics that you have. When you make a career pivot, I have three of them for you. And for each one, I'm going to tell you when they work and when they don't. Plus, I want you to know that for each of these tactics, they've come up again and again in our interviews with guests on the show. So I also be highlighting which of our career leap guests have used each one and when. Here's tactic number one for how to get into your next job when you're making a career pivot.
First, you want to make sure that you have the right training, education and experience to make the pivot and fill the gaps if needed. So here you are. You know what you want to do next. And now you need to figure out which gaps you might have that you need to fill to get where you want to go. Do you need to invest time and money in additional learning? The majority of folks who we've had on the podcast this season have answered yes to this question, and master's programs have been a common theme among our guests, although not all of them have done that. Jennifer Dillon. She got her master's in real estate development. Sika Stanton is getting her MFA in cinematography, and Jack Mengel got his masters in data science, although he did say that the experience he got online outside of school was more helpful for him on the job. Carolina Cobo, who want to become a software developer. She did not do a masters. She started with a low priced boot camp and then she went on to a coding institute. Everyone figured out what their gaps were and if they could be filled by investing time and money in additional learning.
Now I have a few warnings about this tactic. It works when you can swing the time and financial. So investment and you're sure that it's going to get you where you want to go? The worst thing is to invest big time and money into something that doesn't have a good return on the investment. So be careful and especially watch out for confirmation bias as you're making a decision about this. Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret or favor information in a way that supports what we already believe. I learned about confirmation bias in decision making from the book Decisive by Dan and Chip here. Here's how it shows up in decision making.
One of my last purchases on Amazon was a new car seat for my daughter. I already knew the brand I wanted, and so when I found the model that I liked and it was the right price, I was pretty much ready to buy it without much more research. Now, if I just read all the five star reviews, I'd just be adding to my confirmation bias that this was a great car seat and the right one for us. But if I read all the one star reviews, which sometimes I have to force myself to do, I would be countering my confirmation bias. I'd hear from the parents who thought the car seat was too hard to install or it was too big and you couldn't lean the passenger seat back any more because it was too big. Or I would find out if their kid found it super uncomfortable on long car rides. But ultimately, reading the one star reviews is going to help me make a better decision. I've definitely read one star reviews and then completely abandon a product for another. And I bet you have, too.
So if you're considering a very expensive or very time consuming investment in your career change like a master's program and a private university, try to find evidence for why you shouldn't do it. Is anyone out there saying that it's a waste of money? Talk to them. Has anyone made it into the role that you want without a masters? How did they do it? Consider other options. Finally, investing in your experience and skills and education will move you closer to your next role, but it won't necessarily get you the job. So as you move ahead with this tactic, you also need to have the next two tactics in play as well.
Tactic number two for how to get your next job when you're making a career pivot. Scan for internal opportunities. So once you know the pivot that you want to take. Ask yourself, is it possible that you could get partway or most of the way there at your current company? With this tactic, you're leveraging your reputation and connections or current organization to pivot into a new role or area of work, maybe just for short term. This works when you have a solid enough reputation and years of experience to leverage. Your company is big and varied enough to actually have the type of role that you want to have. And you're okay with staying with your current company. Obviously, this tactic doesn't work if you're not currently employed or if the role that you want is impossible or conceivable at your current company, or if you want to totally change fields, or if you are totally done with your company or feel if it's toxic or terrible and you just can not work another day there. And this is a real thing, and it's important to respect those boundaries if you have them, if they're coming up for you, if that's where you're at. So just share an example of someone who use this internal opportunities tactic. That was Jack Mangel in episode 25, who is working as a project manager. That's all he had on his resume when he decided that he wanted to become a data scientist.
So outside of work, he started studying for his master's in data science and building his skills through online resources and communities. And when he felt like he had just enough experience under his belt, Jack reached out to a colleague at work who was in data science and was willing to give him some work in this area. As Jack said, under the table. Then, once Jack gained enough on the job experience and completed an important project with this colleague, he was able to then negotiate a title change, adding data science to his title. When you go back and listen to that episode, you'll hear about how both getting that title and the job experience enabled Jack to complete his career leap and get his first job working full time at a different company as a full time data scientist.
Tactic number three for how to get into your next job when you're making a career pivot. Networking. Okay. What's networking? I think a lot of people are intimidated by now. But really it's just conversations with people you might learn from or who might be able to lend a helping hand. It's building relationships in what's hopefully a mutual or generous pay it forward kind of way. It's putting yourself out there, being open and learning from others. And what I see over and over again is that people who want to make a career change generally underutilized their network. Sometimes maybe they even undervalue their network. But today, some estimates suggest that up to 70% of all jobs are not published on publicly available job search sites. That's 70%. And research has long shown that anywhere from half to upwards of 80% of jobs are filled through networking. All right. These are some pretty impressive statistics here. If you went to college, if you have more than ten years of job experience, you probably have a pretty awesome network if you're trying to make a job change without talking to at least 5 to 10 other people, you're underutilized in your network. Networking works when you have a plan and stay organized with who you're talking to and what you learn from them and what you'll do next. It works when you stay consistent and make it a practice set a goal of talking to at least one person a week about your career plans. It works when you dove into conversations, even when you're not 100% polished, but you keep going and keep refining until you are more polished. It works when you stay on top of follow up and thank you notes. It works when you can monitor your energy and stay in a positive headspace that is open and engaged and feeling good. It does not work when you're inconsistent. When you do too little of it or you don't do enough prep or follow up when you talk yourself out of it, when you convince yourself you don't have a big enough network.
A great example of using networking effectively for a career change was Jennifer Dillon, who shared her story in episode 19. Jennifer was doing her master's program in real estate development, and she also needed to get her first job in that field. Previously, she was a creative director for a global nonprofit, so she was totally switching industries. She told us about how she used networking to learn more about her new field. She shared how after a while she started literally mapping out on her wall the different development projects that she was learning about in her home city of Portland, Oregon. She was using the networking conversations to learn about how everything connected and where she also might fit in. She talked about how rusty she felt at first in these conversations, but then figured out how to better navigate them and use them to keep going. And then she finally got an introduction through a mutual friend that led to her first job in the field. It was entry level, and she laughed when she talked about how she had to wear a hard hat and was working out of a trailer. But it was a job and it was networking that got her it. Jack Mengel also talks about how he used networking to figure out his new field of data science, how it worked. And he also said he learned about the things that helped him on the way that he said he never would have learned through YouTube or other online searches. Here's the thing about talking with other people. You can shortcut so much because people know so much and they can customize what they know to your exact situation. You can go so much further in one conversation, not only in pure knowledge, but also through the support that they can give you through a validation of your ideas, affirmations, encouragement.
And this is also why coaches are wonderful source of support, too, because they've got this mix of knowledge and encouragement and just can really help show you possibilities and give you ideas for what you might be able to do next. Also, when you approach others with respect for their time, with some good focused questions and with appreciation, they are often very happy to help. Many of us like to be helpful. My father always says that, you know, people love to talk about themselves, so that's always there. And just don't forget the thank you now and someone has taken the time and share good news with them later. When you get the job or make a breakthrough and leave, being back is always appreciated. And also make time to do it for. Other people when you're asked. All right.
So today we talked about the tactics that are most going to help you when you're looking to pivot in your career. We talked about the moments when these tactics work and when they might not. I also give you lots of examples from real stories, from the guests that we've had on the show so far. So go back and listen to those episodes if you haven't already or if you want to listen to them. These tactics are always mix and match. A consistent theme that we've heard from guests on this show is about staying flexible and responsive every step of the way. If one tactic isn't working, go back and try something else. Tinker, keep your focus. Take breaks when you need to recoup your energy and get into a better headspace. And most important, keep reaching out. Don't underestimate the power of staying connected with others, of sharing the problems that you're trying to solve and getting their ideas for them. There is a lot of support out there for you, including from me. I'm sending it out to you right now.
And if you could ever use some sustained and knowledgeable support for your career or life changes, just reach out. Oh, thank you for listening to this episode of Leap Like Me. If you're enjoying this show and getting lots of value from it, be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss any new episodes and leave us a five star review. Also, do you know anyone who's considering a career change who might appreciate the ideas and inspiration from the show? Please let them know about it. We want as many people as possible to benefit from these shows and know that if you do share it, you can always tag me at least to Hiroshi on Instagram or LinkedIn. By the way, if you haven't already connected with me in those two places. I'm also sharing tons of good stuff there. Speaking of sharing, I want you to know about my new free change planner. This planner is for you. If you'd like to make a significant change in life or work, but you're feeling kind of stuck. My change planner will help you get the clarity you need to take your next steps. Inside us, show you how to understand what you really want and why it's important. How to face your fears constructively so they don't hold you back. And this planner also has a scenario cruncher. I help you get all possible scenarios out of your head so you can find the right one for you. It's my favorite part, and having used it with many clients, I've seen how powerful it is. I know you're going to get many great insights out of this free planner, so head on over to LeapLikeMe.com to get your copy. That's a wrap for this episode. Thanks for listening, for sharing the show and being part of this journey with me. Take good care.