How to Change Careers From Retail

Software to Hardware. Banking to Tech. B2B SaaS to ClimateTech. [insert basically anything] to AI. ↔ Career shifts come in all shapes and sizes, but shifting an industry can be challenging, particularly in a tighter hiring market where experience is valued. Over the years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people who are looking to move into a new industry and I’ve found a few things influence whether or not someone will be successful at making the leap. 1️⃣ Find the thread - If you want to make a change, it’s your responsibility to craft a story that makes sense. Don’t force the person reading your resume or interviewing you to guess why you’re able to make this jump. At MuleSoft, I interviewed a program manager at a non-profit for a recruiting role. Sounds completely unrelated, but throughout the interview, she did the best job showing me how many of the things she had accomplished in her role actually translated incredibly well to recruiting. She took the guesswork out of it for me and actually convinced me over the course of the interview that she knew enough about the job and had enough of the skills that she could make the pivot. As you’re prepping for your interviews, make a list of all the things you’ve done that translate to working in the new industry and make it a point to share those in your conversations.  2️⃣ Do your research - I’m the biggest fan of benchmarking conversations when you’re hiring for a role on your team. The same logic applies here - find people who are experts in the industry you want to pivot into and ask if they’d spend 15 minutes with you so you can get advice on how to pivot. Come prepared with great questions and soak up the trends, lingo, etc. Doing even 3-5 of these calls will make you sound exponentially smarter and better researched for your interviews. 3️⃣ Ask great questions - Basic, surface-level questions, “what’s it like to work here?” indicate you haven’t done your homework and send a red flag that you’re potentially unable to make the shift. At Dropbox, I interviewed an equity analyst from a big bank for an Enterprise AE job. Sounds like quite a jump, but he asked the best questions about the product and company. He understood the role we were hiring for and sounded like he had been in our industry for years. His intellectual curiosity sold us on his ability to make the jump. 4️⃣ Network hard into companies - Part of the challenge in making a career shift is being able to get your story across on why you can make the leap. A reference at the company where you hope to work can do this for you. Maybe it’s not an obvious connection, but see if you can dig deep. For example, you may find a past coworker who knows an investor in a company you’re interested in, and that investor may be able to forward your information, with the appropriate color, to the hiring manager or recruiting leader so you get a proper look. What else have you all seen that’s been useful for those trying to switch industries?

I changed careers 5 times in 15 years and here's what I learned... 1️⃣ Learning a new industry isn't harder than learning a new company. Focus on transferable skills over industry knowledge. Even when you switch jobs within the same industry, there is a big learning curve for how another company operates. Focus on understanding your transferable skills more than harping on lack of knowledge about the industry. This was true for me when I switched from finance -> consulting -> hospitality -> two sided marketplace startups. 2️⃣ Convincing hiring managers of your value is key. Seek workplaces valuing diverse backgrounds and ideas. It's frustrating that people don't want to give you a chance just because you come from a different industry. But you won't succeed working under someone so narrow minded anyways, so look for places to work where they value diverse backgrounds and ideas. Some functions naturally look for specific skillsets like former ibankers or consultants because they value how a person thinks over specific industry experience. 3️⃣ Networking is crucial for career changes. Recruiters and hiring managers may quickly pass on your resume when lacking context given the number of applications they receive. However, when you can explain to someone why you want to switch careers and emphasize those transferable skills, you're more likely to get into the interview process vs. cold applying. So tap into your network and see who can pass your resume along or fill out an internal referral form on your behalf. 4️⃣ Your next job doesn't have to be your forever job. Which means look for an opportunity to switch industries where its easy for you to get your foot in the door. Often that means applying for the same type of job you had previously, but in the new industry, even if you want to move out of that type of work. It will be easier to move internally if you pick the right company, than to switch industries and functions all at once. When I left consulting I didn't want to keep working in "strategy" roles, but those were the roles more apt to hire former consultants. So I took one of those strategy roles and then leveraged my success to move into other parts of the organization after 2 yrs. 5️⃣ Progress takes time. Embrace step-by-step changes for long-term success. Sometimes when we are ready for a change, we can get impatient and want it to all happen immediately. Instead, aim for progress and step wise change as it will fuel you over the longer term which is necessary for making big changes. It took me 3 years to make my last career change, but I took the process step-by-step and couldn't be happier now in my current career. --- What have you learned from making a career switch? #careerchange #careercoach - - - - 🖐🏽 I’m Jess Wass, CEO & Founder of Reworkit 💥 I help overachievers find the best places to work and help organizations who want to become the best place to work.

Here’s how to actually pivot into a new career successfully 👇 (As someone who did it 6 times) Yes, the job market is tough, and changing careers makes it even harder. But it’s totally doable. The key is clarity and strategy: 1. Get specific: ➞ The clearer you are about what you want, the easier it is to get there. ➞ Pick a role that excites you, research what it takes, and align your skills. 2. Rebrand yourself: ➞ Tell the story of why you’re the right fit for this new path. ➞ Highlight transferable skills, quantify your impact, and use keywords. 3. Build real connections: ➞ 80% of jobs aren’t even posted. ➞ Show up where the right people are. ➞ Comment on LinkedIn posts, join industry groups, and connect. 4. Play the long game: ➞ If you keep hearing “you don’t have experience” start creating it. ➞ Take on freelance projects, build a portfolio, get certified. 5. Apply smarter, not harder: ➞ Leverage referrals. ➞ Customize your resume for each role. ➞ Prepare for interviews like it’s your full-time job. 🧡 BONUS TIP: Get a mentor in your target industry. Find someone who’s already made the switch and learn from them. A quick 20-minute chat with the right person can save you months of frustration. Who here has successfully pivoted? Share your best tip below! 👇 PS: If you need help mapping out your next career move, make sure to steal my FREE Career Clarity Journal from my profile. I've got you covered.