Whether you’re wanting an entirely new career or just hoping to start up a brand new business, the idea of getting into a whole new industry without proper experience sounds nearly impossible, right? You’ve invested so much time and energy in all of your work, it sounds almost crazy to just start over in a new field doesn’t it?
There are plenty of reasons why someone would want to start over in a new industry. Maybe they grew restless in their job having to do the same thing repeatedly. Sometimes people go into a career that they’re not passionate about because, at the time, that’s the only job or option that was available to them.
There are loads of reasons why a career may no longer be fulfilling to someone. Sometimes people just realize that their career isn’t what it was cracked up to be. This happens all the time, and it’s important to know that it truly is never too late to try and change careers. It’s all about having the right strategy when trying to change careers while getting into a completely new industry. Sure, the idea of stepping into an entirely new industry, especially at the peak of your career sounds unachievable but it indeed can happen. Will it be easy? Most likely it won’t be, but it doesn’t make it impossible.
By leveraging your experience and even transferring your skills, you can find plenty of opportunities that await you in the new industry that you’re hoping to get into. A positive side to this would be the fact that hiring managers and recruiters will even welcome candidates who have little to no experience in their industry. It’s always helpful to have an outside perspective and this can help companies and other organizations grow and continue in staying innovative. So want to know how to get into a whole new industry without having to start over from the bottom? Then continue reading on to find out how!
Do thorough research
Do you know what industry you’re hoping to break into? Is there something that you’re very passionate about that you’re wanting to pursue? A good step in the right direction would be to do some research and maybe even take a course or two. This will help you out in obtaining the skills and even learning some of the adequate terminologies for the industry.
For instance, let’s say you’re wanting to step into the agricultural industry. You specifically would like to be involved in livestock, maybe even horses. In this instance, it would help a lot to go to Equestrianmag.com because then you’ll be able to learn a lot about horses such as how to care for them and the sports they’re involved in. Just finding the right websites is a great step in the direction of allowing yourself to learn more.
Think about the skills that employers want
If you’re hoping to work for an organization rather than running a business then you’ll need to look into the skills that employers want from candidates. This is fairly easy to do. You can go on plenty of job websites for the role that you’re wanting in a specific industry and see what some of the requirements are.
This can include certain skills such as coding, graphic skills, leadership, or even other skills. Some other requirements could include a certain degree (these requirements tend to be flexible), certifications, and licenses as well. It’s helpful to look for a pattern such as keywords or reoccurring requirements as these can help you out in figuring out what you need to obtain in order to get into a new industry.
Ask yourself what your transferable skills are
What are some skills that you already have that you can bring with you into your new career? These can include hard and soft skills. Even though you’re planning to step into a new industry it’s safe to assume you’re going to have transferable skills. Your skills and experience aren’t only going to be relevant to the current field you’re in. Sometimes the skills you have in one field can be far more valuable in another one, so this could work to your advantage.
Think about how you write your resume
Did you know that you have to cater your resume around the job and in the industry that you’re applying for? The whole resume business can be so confusing as it’s hard to fully determine what’s right and what’s wrong. So it’s best to figure out what your resume objective is.
How can you catch the attention of employers? How can you make yourself look like a worthy candidate? You’ll want to do some research on this. It may even help to look on LinkedIn at profiles of people who have similar roles to something that you’re after in the industry that you’re trying to break into. This can give you an idea of what keywords to use.
Think about your branding
Everyone has a brand, it’s how you sell yourself to prove that you’re worthy and reliable. This isn’t just something that businesses have. You’ll want to think about your branding and how you can reposition that so you’ll come off as a desirable candidate for the industry you’re wanting to step into.
You’ll want to highlight your transferable skills and even prioritize these. This is another part of building your resume and your online profiles such as LinkedIn.
Start networking
Even when you’re trying to break into a new industry you’ll still need to network. You should let your network know that you’re actively looking for job opportunities as 85% of positions are filled through referrals alone. So it’s best to think about the colleagues you have, ask your friends, family, and even reach out to strangers and network with them.
Sure, it’s honestly very intimidating but networking has been known to help out a lot. You can even reach out to someone through a networking website and ask them for coffee or dinner so you can get some advice. It’s also best to just write down some questions to ask. It can even help out to just go on certain forums that are industry-related and ask for advice there as well.
Read also: How To Grow Your New Business
