About 10-15% of my practice is working with clients who want to pursue an un-trodden path to follow their careers, many of whom want to reinvent themselves. Often, this quest starts on the client’s part with being frustrated with posted jobs, or even in their current job in their career. Some want to radically change the way they are engaged: going from corporate jobs to non-profits, or going from the dog-it-dog world of high-tech jobs to the more rewarding biotech or pharma jobs. With the radical changes now in the silicon chip industry many want to get out and do something that is more “stable.” So, how do you go after jobs for which your current résumé is not a fit?
Take a different approach!
With the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) now screening incoming résumés for jobs that require nearly perfect matches to the job descriptions it is nearly impossible for someone to go after a job that they have not done before. Studies have shown that nearly 74% of submitted résumés never see a human eyeball and are rejected outright by the ATS filters. So, how do you go after jobs that take you on a different path? Here is what has worked for me (I have changed four careers and am currently in my fifth—in as many industries—and have helped many of my clients make similar changes during the past 12 years). Here is that recipe to improve your odds:
- First uncover the reason for your unhappiness in your current job or career. Do a serious audit of where things are for you and what are some of the structural issues causing you the grief. You do not want to end of with the same frustration after going through the change, looking for yet another.
- Once you do this audit make sure that you are not just running away from something, but are also running towards something worthwhile.
- After you decide what job or career is more suited to match your passion, interests, and skills make a list of gaps that you’ll face in making a transition in the areas that interest you. Find resources that provide avenues to build those skills by taking courses (look for many of Massive Open Online Courses—MOOCs), many of which are now free and some even offer certifications.
- As you get the flavor of what you are in for through these courses look for the right jobs that are openly posted on job boards. Once you narrow down the list of such jobs (in some cases go down a step or two because you are breaking into a new area) find someone with that job through your network and have an informational interview with them to get a good sense of what that job entails and if you can see yourself doing what they are doing.
- If the job is within your own area of work but not openly posted or if the job is in a different area of expertise research the companies that interest you and make a case for why such a job, if opened, will create new, unforeseen value for the target company. To make this case you must have some insights about the company, your own abilities to address the challenges the company is facing, and how your transferable skills will help you create value for that company that is not obvious to them.
- Identify someone at least two levels above the hiring manager and see how you are connected to them through LinkedIn or through someone you already know.
- Draft a letter with a Point of View (PoV) outlining how the company is missing out on an opportunity and how you can help them with it. This step requires some research and discovery around company’s customers and others familiar with its product or services. If possible try becoming their customer and experience that yourself first hand!
- Deliver that letter (without your résumé) to the targeted person. If you do not have someone internally to do that send that letter by overnight courier or similar means (even the US Mail).
- Follow up in a few days by calling the person you targeted and see if they’re open to a meeting with you. Over the years I have found that a well-researched letter sent to the right person results in a hit rate that is about 30%. In other words about a third of such letters result in the next step of discovery with the targeted company.
- Once you have that discussion with the right person create your résumé, now highlighting the right message and send it to the person you just talked to, to further the dialog.
Taking this approach is a much more efficient way to land a job in a new area or to pursue a job within your career that is not posted. With this approach you have no one else competing with you, and once you get the attention of the interested person you become the only candidate of choice. In the case of one client back in 2001, when even Apple was going through lay-offs I helped a client write such a letter addressed to Steve Jobs with an idea, FedEx’d to him. Steve Jobs’ AA called in a few days asking my client to meet with Steve! That letter is in my first book, The 7 Keys to a Dream Job (on page 295).
Good luck!
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