Have you ever looked up from hours of working at your desk, and thought “There has to be more out there?” Well, we all tend to think the grass is greener. The problem is that sometimes, it actually is greener, or at least you’ll see it as greener as brand new opportunities and creative challenges come your way.

There are many valid reasons to leave a particular field. As AI develops, we imagine one of the most popular reasons is well on its way. But if you’re looking for something new, something more akin to what you’ve always wanted to do, or now you have the transferable skills to shift sectors finally, you might be wondering if a quick shift of sectors is a good idea.

That’s up for you to decide, of course. But from that point on, you might find some value in our advice for switching job sectors, so you can proactively make that call when it’s most needed:

Reformat Your CV

When pivoting to a new field, your resume needs to be reformatted with that goal in mind. It’s tempting to list your previous roles and responsibilities, but healthy to go beyond that. Highlight how the skills and experience you gained are transferable to the new sector, and you can use CV Experts to help you. When you quantify your achievements in a way that's relevant, people are more likely to notice. 

Brush Up On Your Transferable Skills

You may have more relevant abilities than you think for your new chosen career path, but that means refining them too. Take inventory of what transferable skills you already possess - that might involve communication, problem-solving, management, technical expertise etc. From there, consider any gaps in skills or knowledge for that field through research. You may need a basic certification, intro course, or even just reading books in the field to help you understand new responsibilities, or how things work differently compared to your old sector. This is called upskilling, but it’s important if you’re moving laterally.

Prepare For Objections

Hiring managers may be initially (or at least somewhat) skeptical of candidates without direct experience in their field. You'll need to be prepared to overcompensate and justify why you're a strong fit despite that. In interviews, really point to your transferable skills, enthusiasm to learn, and a teachable attitude.

Provide genuine examples of pivoting challenges you overcame in the past. From there you can address any concerns about job-hopping head-on. If you make it clear why you’re switching lanes, you may just cause the possible interviewer to look at you with a sense of respect, after all, it takes courage to try something new in life. Would an interviewer want to hire someone who feels the job is owed to them, or someone looking to prove themselves in that space? The answer is clear.

With this advice, we hope you can switch job sectors with much more success and possibility as time goes on. You’re sure to stake your claim sooner or later.