Career Swings and Roundabouts, not Ladders.
4 Steps to pivot back into a previous career after a slight detour.
Careers aren’t ladders, they are jungle gyms.
This simple phrase was a foundational aspect of my early hiring experience.
The idea is simple. The best people don’t always have a linear path in their career (or life). Sometimes, the very fact they have unique and diverse experience is one of the reasons they are so valuable.
Last week, I was speaking with two clients who had pretty interesting situations;
One had a long career in design, had spent the last 5 or 6 years in another field, and wanted to pivot back.
One had qualifications in the literature and publishing space (completed a Masters in 2016), but for various reasons hadn’t pivoted at the time of graduating into that space. They wanted to now but felt like it might be too late.
Both at different stages of the job search, but both felt stuck and anxious.
Had they left it too long?
Was there any hope in jumping back?
Would recruiters view them negatively because of their unconventional path?
Let’s dive into how they (and you) can navigate this situation.
Step One: What’s Your Why?
Most pivots can be difficult due to an individuals lack of experience in a certain field. They are starting from zero. They may need to build up voluntary hours, work on the side of their 9-5 or go back to school in order to build up the necessary qualifications or experience for their new career.
The U-Turn is a bit different. For U-Turners, they have all of that experience already. They just don’t have it recently.
So the first thing you need to clarify (for yourself and the job market) is why you want to jump back into this career.
Is it a passion that you can’t help but jump back into? (Why now vs. before?)
Is it a career decision after trying your hand at something new? (Why this career vs. the one you were pursuing?)
Step Two: The Rebrand.
Once you’ve figured out why you’re pivoting, the next step is to rebrand your profile.
This doesn’t mean you wipe all your recent experience from the record (there are things you can learn from every role) but it does mean you need to be strategic with how you present your experience.
You can do this in two key areas:
Your CV: by making sure you are emphasising relevant experience on page one, versus the standard reverse chronological order.
Your LinkedIn Profile: specifically your headline and summary (make sure you highlight the relevant job title or keywords in both) and the experience section (highlighting the most relevant experience related to your new target role).
Step Three: The Network.
The network.
Take a shot every time I, any online career coach or LinkedIn influencer mentions networking…
Networking isn’t a cure all, but it does definitely help. As a U-Turner, you likely have a step on those making a complete pivot into a new space.
Why? You guessed it. Your network.
Whether it’s 2, 5 or 20 years since you were in the space, you have folks you worked with and for who can vouch for your experience.
Here’s how to get started:
Connect with old colleagues: They may be in more senior positions in the space you are in, and as a result likely have contacts that may be looking to hire. Nab some time in their calendar for a coffee. Get their insight into the market and what they would do in your shoes.
Connect with groups: online groups and communities are a wonderful way to find out about the latest news, trends and job openings. Getting used to the lingo, and being able to ‘talk the talk’ will help when you’re speaking with companies too.
Find new friends: This doesn’t mean to ditch your current network but rather reach out to folks in roles or companies you are interested in but have no connection too. This is a slow burn, but you’d be surprised how your social feeds will change as you build connections in a specific niche or area.
Step Four: Your Pitch.
This is where people can mess up. They do a lot of work, but they can’t speak up for themselves in an interview setting.
Instead, they focus on all they don’t have; recent and relevant experience.
This can kill your chances when speaking to companies. It can come across as a lack of confidence or lack of commitment in your choices.
If you find yourself in this position, now is the time to flip the script. Here a couple of key concerns and how to address them.
Lack of commitment (i.e. what happens if you won’t like it and revert to your most recent experience?)
How to Flip:
I wanted to give my previous role some time but honestly I have been waiting for the right time to jump back into this space.
I have been doing this for personal projects ever since I left the space and to do this full time again is my number one career goal.
my future is in this space, I am looking at this as not just a one or two year thing but I want to spend my career learning and developing in this area.
Lack of passion (i.e. why you waited so long?)
How to Flip:
I was so focused on working hard I never really took time to ask myself, do I enjoy what I am doing? Once I did, this was the area that was screaming out to me.
I had different personal/financial commitments and wasn’t able to take the time needed to commit 100% to this change. Luckily I am in a different space right now personally/financially, and am super excited to commit everything back into building a career in the space.
Lack of relevant experience (i.e. will your skills be super outdated?)
How to Flip: while it’s been a bit of time since I did this full time, I have kept my skills up-to-date by:
joining various groups
taking part time courses
doing some personal projects
working with some local businesses
To wrap up…
Ultimately, any career change is super difficult but far from impossible. You just need to focus on what you can control, what you can offer and how you can develop your skills and experiences proactively.
Once you’re in the interview - trust the work you’ve put in. You can add value through everything that you’ve done. Don’t downplay your experience. It can be your greatest asset.
You’ve got this.