If you have 20 or more years invested in one line of work, you have a specific set of skills and expertise, which you might think doesn’t translate elsewhere. Besides, people know you for being in a particular industry and/or role, and your own network is more likely stocked with people from the field you want to leave. Finally, you have less time in the latter arc of your career to make a change. Is it ever too late to pivot your career?
I once coached a marketing executive who had 20 years in financial services before landing a top operations job for a retirement community. Vickey Barron, currently a top New York City real estate agent, spent 20 years in health care on the West Coast. Dr, Regina Lark was 50 years old and laid off from a job in academia, when she pivoted to building, A Clear Path, a professional organization business that now has 13 employees and seven figures in revenue.
These successful later-in-life career changers share three traits:
Success trait 1 – Be willing to tell old connections about your new direction
“At the time of my layoff from my university job, I was still living very close to the campus, so in that first year, I rode my bike all over campus, connecting with friends and former colleagues. I told them all what I had just started doing, and for two years, while I was still living close to the campus, I was hired by several departments and faculty to declutter and organize those spaces. I learned so much about what I was capable of doing and selling and how to think about it all. Because of my background, as an adjunct professor, I knew I could teach, and all around Los Angeles County I was brought in as a speaker to talk about what I began calling, ‘Declutter, 101: from chaos to clarity.’” – Dr. Regina Lark
Lark’s story from laid-off to seven-figure entrepreneur is more involved than simply tapping her existing network (read my full interview with Dr. Reginal Lark). However, a common thread among successful career changers is being able to start with what you have, which for many people in the latter half of their career includes a significant network. Your colleagues, classmates, friends and family already know, like and trust you. It might be for a different skill set or expertise, but that trust can be the bridge to your first opportunity in a new field.
Success trait 2 – Embrace your beginner status and learn again
“I did my homework. And real estate is no different. By the time I got my license, I had already studied many of the buildings on the Upper East Side and memorized the lay of the land, when they were built, the architects, and the average price per square foot. That knowledge helped me build confidence when I got started, and it paid off.” – Vickey Barron in “Every Move Matters”
Every Move Matters by Vickey Barron tells her story from earliest job in health care to current job as one of the top-selling real estate agents in NYC. Barron spent 20 years selling health care plans and recruiting doctors to Saipan and Guam – two roles with no obvious tie-in to real estate. Yet, she was able to pivot by doing her homework. She didn’t expect to rest on the laurels of her previous career, but was willing to study and learn a new field.
There will always be gaps between your previous career and the new area you want to enter. These gaps aren’t insurmountable if you don’t mind beginning again. Unfortunately, some career changers aren’t willing to acknowledge this beginner status (at least for some things) and insist they have nothing to learn. This is a red flag with recruiters when vetting candidates entering a new industry (see this video clip with executive recruiter Bucky Keady on the “switching gears” mindset job candidates entering new fields need to demonstrate).
Success trait 3 – Accept that there may be multiple stops along the way
My client who went from marketing in financial services to operations in elder care first pivoted her industry (staying in marketing but now in elder care) and then pivoted her role (moving from marketing to running a retirement community). The elder care company was interested in her extensive marketing experience, and once they knew,, liked and trusted her in that role, she sold them on a role change.
Making an industry pivot to a new company and then making a lateral move within the same company is one example of a multi-step career change. Another one of my clients pursued a lateral move as she tried to pivot from project management to data analytics. While waiting for the right role to open up, she shored up her analytics bona fides teaching at a university, sitting on an advisory board for a data analytics program and pursuing analytics-related consulting projects. Though the lateral move never materialized, all her outside efforts in analytics (marketed on her LinkedIn profile optimized for the dream career) got her noticed for the field she wants, with more money and a title bump to boot.
Surround yourself with success stories for inspiration and ideas
A career change has many moving parts. You will experience ups and downs, as you balance the excitement of moving towards a dream with the reality that not every job application moves forward and not every networking invitation is accepted. Success stories, like the ones above, can inspire you during the down times and give you ideas when the moving parts seem overwhelming.
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