Often in a career people find themselves at a turning point. Sometimes it’s a desire to try something new, or perhaps a change in market demands. Sometimes that turning point is a change in industries. Whatever is driving you toward change, how do you a) determine which skills transfer and b) sell interviewers on your capabilities? Just as a marketing professional selling a product, a candidate looking for a job needs to know what their selling points are. This is especially critical when a candidate wants to switch industries.
The first thing that is needed is an inventory of your skills. Get specific. Don’t use terms like: “I led an event planning team.” That doesn’t tell the potential employer anything about your skills. Did you manage a budget? How large were the teams led? Did you deal with contracts? These are skills many industries utilize. Review each of your recent jobs and identify what skills were used. Next, make a list of quantifiable statements for each skill. For example, if your skill is “managed budget” then one of your quantifiable statements would read something like this: “Managed $5M budget” or “Reduced budget by 10%.” Statements of this sort clearly identify your skill and how it has been used in your previous industry. Now that you know what your product is, the next step is to sell it to a potential employer.
There are many candidates vying for each opening. As someone trying to switch industries it is imperative for you to tell the interviewer how your skills will transfer. You have to do the work of connecting the dots between the work you’ve done before and the work you can do for their company.
The job description tells you what the position requires. Analyze it. Determine what you believe will be the skills that best fit the job. When you determine those skills, see which of them match your experience. Now look back at your quantifiable statements. These are the things you want to communicate to the interviewer. For example, if you are asked “Do you have any experience managing financials?” Your answer could be “Yes, when I worked at XYZ Company I reduced our annual budget by 10% in less than two years.” Be ready to tell how as well.
There are shelves and shelves of books that can provide instruction on the process of determining transferable skills. A quick Google search of “Job Skills Transfer” will yield a variety of instructions and tools to assist in identifying your transferable skills. Another alternative is to partner with someone who has a wider view of the marketplace and can guide you in your job search. The InSource group is a great resource for assisting you in clarifying your transferable skills. In addition, they have the reach to locate potential positions for candidates with your skill set. Partnering with a trusted staffing provider can strengthen your appeal to potential employers and also provide you greater visibility in the local job market.