- Company Type: Leverage your knowledge about the kinds of companies you've worked for. Nonprofit organizations have certain similarities. So do family-owned or owner-operated businesses and, to a certain degree, public companies.
- Transferable Skills: In most cases, skills you've honed in one career will be relevant in the next. Project management, team leadership, sales, customer service, analytical capabilities, problem solving, hiring, training and numerous other abilities are all common transferable skills.
- Experience: Use any startup, shutdown, merger, product launch or corporate crisis you've lived through as leverage when you talk to companies dealing with similar issues.
- Job Environment: If you've ever worked in a pressure-cooker environment, you'll be no stranger to a similar environment in another industry. The same will be true if you've ever dealt with unions, worked for an entrepreneur or worked without supervision.
- Networks: Leverage your current relationships to find entry points into your new field. All it takes is a different type of conversation to get started. Ask contacts what they know and whom they know related to the field you want to enter. Follow up on their leads, and you'll make progress quickly.
The prospect of changing careers is both exhilarating and daunting. If you know exactly what you want to pursue, don't become stymied by the enormous challenges the career-change process presents. Employ these powerful strategies to make that career change a reality.
Determine Your Leverage Points
Inventory the skills and experiences you can leverage in your career switch. Examples include:
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