One of the questions I occasionally field from readers has to do with breaking into a new career field. Say you hooked a job in insurance after graduating from college and after ten years you discover your heart is really in graphic design. Or you did the corporate climb thinking that the corner office was the end goal, but the past twenty years increasingly led you to the realization that making a difference through youth counseling was your true life’s purpose. Additionally, us folks in associations often wonder if we can make the jump from the small non-profit to corporate for-profit world.
Today’s career reality makes it both easier to make the leap to another profession and harder at the same time. How?
Easier…the demise of lifetime employment has opened up vast opportunities to rethink how we work. We understand that it is perfectly acceptable to seek work challenges with several different organizations throughout our professional lifetime. We are the directors of our own path and we’re not beholden to our companies to take care of us. As a proud Gen-Xer, it seems that my peers exemplify this shift in the work contract.
Now the harder…there are still hangups and beliefs that exist within us and organizations that maintain some of the old ways. We’re still caught in the mindset of the direct trajectory, that the ideal candidate will be the one who has made a logically relevant beeline in their career. Coming in from a different path may not automatically disqualify, but it probably will get you placed in the hmmm, maybe grouping.
That’s not to say that it’s impossible, just harder. Those of us who are on a divergent trajectory and want to make the jump have to make a much clearer and compelling value proposition explaining what it is that we bring that makes us more attractive than the direct trajectory candidate. Bear in mind that the odds are always against you, but it will be the progressive organizations that will likely get you and what you bring to the table. (sidenote: this is based on my personal experience…if you work for a company that seeks out folks from a divergent trajectory, I’d love to chat with you and profile your company).
Two resources for those of you on the divergent trajectory:
From Louise Fletcher at Blue Sky Resumes…one of the resume models that has been recommended for jobseekers on a divergent trajectory is the functional resume. It’s structured around a candidate’s skills instead of their career chronology. The pros of this approach is that it focuses your experience on relatable skills that match the requirements of the position. Yet, Louise notes that "it’s a favorite tactic for covering up an undesirable background, lack
of experience, major gaps in employment, or any other problem" and immediately gets put to the "no" pile. I can vouch for her advice as it was the same given to me by several professional recruiters I met with when I was conducting my last job search. If you’re using a functional resume, consider a rewrite to a chronological version.
Via Louise, Anthony Meaney at Recruiting.com…the first part of the post is a critique of some job hunting advice, but scroll down for some solid suggestions. Some of the highlights include:
- Join the professional organizations of your target career (as an association professional, I can’t possibly tout this strategy enough)
- Create ways to meet the people in hiring positions (you’ll be surprised at who you’ll be able to meet when you join a professional association)
- Four steps for arranging an informational interview through a cold call
Putting yourself on a divergent trajectory can be a rollercoaster ride. If you’re ready for the thrills, excitement, and fear that go with the process, go for it. Heeding the call of your own soulful work is always worth it.
