How To Change Industries Early In Your Career

Thinking about not only changing jobs, but changing industries? It’ll be tough — but the good news is that it’s often easier to change industries earlier in your career, since you haven’t yet built up decades of knowledge around a single topic. Right now, the skills you have are more important than what you know (since, as a younger professional, you don’t know a whole lot quite yet). Still, there are a few things you should be doing to prepare yourself to switch sectors. Here’s how to change industries as quickly and as smoothly as possible:

Focus on Transferrable Skills:

If you want to change industries but stay in a similar role, then the key is to focus on the skills that will still serve you well in your new industry — and there should be a lot of them. Take a look at job postings for your desired role in a new industry and take note of the “required” and “preferred” skills and qualifications listed that you already possess; these are what you’ll want to highlight throughout the entire job hunting process, from the resume to the interview. In your cover letter, clearly illustrate that you understand what particular skill or skills will be required in the role you’re applying for, and then use an example from your current job that shows you’ve already mastered that skill. Don’t try to hide the fact that you’re coming from a different industry!

Also, if you notice in the job postings you’ve perused that they require skills that you possess but that you don’t use in your current job, find a way to highlight them. For example, you could add a “Skills” section to your resume and list all the skills you possess that aren’t covered in your “Employment” section.

Speak the Lingo:

Even though there’s no need to hide the fact that you’ve worked in a different industry, you still need to convince a hiring manager that you know what this new-to-you industry is all about. You need to speak the lingo or jargon — the specialized “language” unique to the industry. To become familiar with an industry’s special language, find online courses or community classes you can take in the field (then you can also list these courses on your resume to bolster your cred). Spend time on the websites of major companies in the industry; a lot of the time, companies will also have robust blogs that really drill down into the issues the industry faces. If you have any friends in the industry, take them out to lunch to “talk shop.” Your research will really show if you make it to an interview; the interviewer will be impressed that you won’t need to ask for clarification as he or she explains how the company works. To show off your lingo some more, ask the interviewer a question or two about how they differentiate themselves in the industry (just be sure the question isn’t easily answered with a glance at the company website).

Gain Experience:

Remember, you’ll be competing for a job with candidates who’ve most likely been in the industry for years — so you need to give yourself every advantage possible. Sure, you may not have held a full-time job in the industry, but maybe you can snag yourself an internship before you apply. If you’re still trying to keep your current job while you look for new options, consider virtual internships or internships at companies that keep odd hours. If you can’t swing an actual internship, see if you can shadow someone on the job for a day or two. While these experiences will definitely bolster your chances of being taken seriously by a hiring manager, they’ll also give you insight into whether the new industry you’re considering moving into is really right for you.

Have you moved into a new industry already? Share your tips for an easy transition in the comments below!