Career Pivot
Same kind of work, different industry: often the shortest move, rarely effortless
An accountant, marketer, analyst or operations manager can often do much the same job in another sector. The difficulty is the domain: its vocabulary, rules, customers and rhythm. This session covers how to choose an industry, how to learn it fast, and how to think about the trade-offs.
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A function travels more easily than a domain, and employers know it.
Somebody who has done finance, sales, HR, operations, design or analytics in one industry has a skill that is useful in many. What may not travel is the knowledge of that industry's customers, regulation, vocabulary and ways of making money, and some employers value that knowledge heavily.
How hard a switch is depends on the function, on the two industries, on how regulated the target is, and on the state of hiring at the time. Nobody can tell you in advance, and this session does not pretend to.
What it offers is a way to think about the move and to test it with real information, from people in the target industry, before changing anything.
How to think about an industry switch
30 topics across 6 areas. Six areas, from choosing the industry to the first year in it.
Choosing the Target IndustryBeyond 'it sounds exciting'.5
- What the industry sells, and who pays for it
- How it makes money, and what makes it fail
- How it treats the function you do
- Whether it is growing, steady or shrinking, checked from more than one source
- Whether the work pattern suits your life: hours, travel, location
Look at the industry's own annual reports, trade publications and job postings, not only the stories people tell on social media.
Which Roles Move More EasilyA general pattern, not a rule.5
Check what the target industry actually requires. Some regulated fields need specific qualifications or registrations before you can do certain work, and the rules differ by field and change. Look at the regulator's current requirements.
- Functions that exist in every industry: finance, HR, operations, marketing, sales, analytics, design
- Roles that rely on industry-specific knowledge, which are harder to enter
- Regulated fields, where certification or licensing may be needed
- Roles at the edges of an industry, such as supplier, vendor or consultancy
- Moving in at one level and working up, versus moving in at your level
Learning the Domain QuicklyWeeks of focused effort, not a new degree.5
- The ten terms and numbers everybody in the industry uses
- How a typical product or service moves from idea to customer
- The main regulations or standards, at the level of knowing they exist
- Two or three companies in the industry, studied closely
- Trade newsletters, industry bodies and public talks
Pay and LevelThe conversation people avoid until the offer.5
The session does not quote salary figures. Pay differs by industry, city, company and year, and published numbers go out of date quickly. Participants learn how to find current ranges from several sources and from people in the field, and how to read them cautiously.
- Moving sideways, moving down, or moving in at the same level
- What another industry pays for the same function can differ, in either direction
- Comparing total pay, not only salary: variable pay, benefits, stock where relevant
- What happens to the next promotion
- What you will not accept, decided before the negotiation
Getting InWhere people actually find the way.5
- Internal moves, if your employer works across industries
- Referrals from people already in the target industry
- Companies that hire for the function and teach the domain
- Contract or project work to get a foot in
- A resume built around the function, with the domain interest visible
The First YearBeing the person who does not know the domain.5
- Asking the basic questions early, without embarrassment
- Finding a colleague who will explain the unwritten rules
- Keeping a glossary and a list of what you have learned
- Being patient with a flatter first-year curve
- Checking in with yourself at six months
Common mistakes in an industry switch
- Choosing an industry from headlines alone
- Assuming the function works the same way everywhere
- Applying only through portals
- Skipping the pay conversation until the offer
- Learning the domain from a single source
- Under-estimating regulated fields
What participants leave with
- A comparison of their industry options
- A four-week domain learning plan
- A list of people to talk to
- A view on pay and level that is their own
- A resume with the domain interest shown
How the session runs
Two or three people who moved the same function into a different industry describe what changed and what did not: the learning, the pay conversation, the first year. A short walkthrough of how to research an industry follows, then small groups work on a target of their own. Evening or weekend sessions, in person or online.
What your students leave with
- A way to compare two or three industries on things you can find out
- A plan for learning a new domain in weeks, not years
- Knowing which roles tend to move across industries more easily
- An honest view of the pay and level question
- A list of people in the target industry to talk to
- A resume that shows the function and the domain interest together
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
The function can travel. The domain has to be learned.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.