Because I specialize in client re-invention (I have done it four times myself) many clients come to me when they want to make a career change. A typical career change may involve a client moving from a consulting role to a corporate role (sounds easy, but it is NOT); someone moving from a product development role to a product management role; or from a design role to a project management role. In some extreme makeovers, over the years, I have helped a software engineer become a zookeeper, and an analog engineer, a sommelier at an upscale restaurant; such transformations are rare—yet doable.
So, what is the one secret ingredient for making such transformations practicable? Apart from having and showing the knowledge (and not necessarily the experience, of course!) the most important element is knowing how to correctly use the language of the destination career that you want embrace.
Why is the ability to use the correct language so important?
Here’s why: When making a career change the person selecting you to join their team is most concerned about your embracing the ethos of the space in which they play their part. Of course, the most basic requirement for embracing the ethos of any culture is the understanding of the nuances of the lexicon they use in their everyday work. So, if you are able to fluently converse with the right language, most of the objections that are likely to be raised during such a career transition become less important—even irrelevant. My view is that it is much easier to overcome the lack of experience in the space where you intend to move by showing your passion, interest, and insight. Being authentic helps, too!
I think that some object lessons will drive this point home:
Case-I: Going from a consultant role to a functional role in the corporate world.
Consultants are known for their problem-solving prowess and for analyzing complex situations. They are also known for their ability to recommend a course of action to achieve what their client is seeking, before engaging them. They are rarely commissioned to produce results by implementing their ideas. I call these characteristics as being a “Greek.” Greeks in ancient times were good at philosophical discourses and for coming up with solutions to complex problems using their analytical powers. However, they were not known for winning wars. Romans were famous for their warrior roles. So, metaphorically, consultants are seen as “Greeks” trying to get into a culture, where being a “Roman” is more valued. The corporate world thrives more on execution and less on analysis of a complex problem.
So, when going from a consulting role to a functional role in the corporate world the consultant must learn how to use the right language steeped in the following areas: socializing change, political savvy, execution excellence, driving results, and measuring success. These areas of focus make them more “Roman” than “Greek.” If you are able to marshal the right language during your selection process, you are more likely to be seen as a worthy candidate for a functional role in the corporate world.
Case-II: Going from a development role to a product management role
Being a product manager requires the knowledge of the market, competition, customer, and how to make money from a given product. So, familiarity with product life-cycle (not development life-cycle), solution space (not technology space), and how customers make buying decisions (not how design trade-offs are made) for a given product or solution are important things to know. Thus moving from product development to product management requires a very different language set to convince the hiring team members that you have what it takes to play an effective role in product management space. Showing them how great a designer or programmer you are will not work because they will not understand that language.
These are just two cases of transition where different language and knowing how to use it correctly will help make these transitions easier. There are, of course, many others.
Once you’ve decided to make a career change one of the first priorities for you is to understand the language of your destination career. How quickly you learn to translate your language from your existing area to your destination career will speed up your success in this transition.
Good luck!