I’m in the Wrong Field. How Can I Get a Job in Another One?
ASK ANNIE
Here are some tips on how to market yourself for a job in a different industry. Plus, how to deal with colleagues being outsourced, and stinky fish in the office.
Feb 07 2005
By Anne Fisher
Fortune.com
Dear Annie:
After graduating from college three years ago, I took a job with a company where I had been an intern the previous summer—not because I was thrilled about the company, or the job, but because it was the only offer I got. Now, after working here a while, I realize I made a mistake, and I'd really rather be in a completely different industry. A golfing buddy of mine has set up an interview for me with someone at his firm, but I'm nervous about my total lack of experience in the business. How can I persuade the hiring manager that I'd be a good bet?
—Mulligan
Dear Mulligan:
Well, for one thing, although you lack industry experience, you can certainly gather information. Before the interview, read a few recent issues of major trade publications in the field (most are available online) to get a sense of what the major trends and issues are in the company's industry. Visit your prospective employer's website, too, and bone up on what's new at the company. The better informed you are about where you see your skills fitting in, the better your chances. And what skills might those be? Ah.
Contrary to popular belief, what you do (and have done in the past) is far more important than where you do it. If you're good at listening to customers and solving their problems, say so, and give examples. In any industry, after all, a customer is a customer. Or, if you excel at motivating a team or at meeting tight deadlines, describe how you've accomplished those things. Again, teamwork is important everywhere, and so are deadlines. Most people, if they really think about it, can come up with a list of portable skills that travel well across industries. So before you sit down with that hiring manager, give some thought to yours, and to how you'll present them.
You already have one advantage. For most people trying to switch into a different industry, the hardest part is not impressing an interviewer, but getting an interview in the first place—and it's no coincidence that you got yours through a friend. This is why career experts are always harping away about networking. Sometimes knowing someone on the inside really is the only way to get a foot in the door.
Dear Annie:
I just heard that most of my 50-person department is about to be outsourced. Our jobs aren't going overseas; they're just going down the road to a company that specializes in providing the same services for less money. But rumor has it that two of my colleagues and I will be staying here. Is there anything we should be doing? How do we adjust our career expectations to this outsourcing deal?
—Soul Survivors
Dear Survivors:
I ran your question past Shawn McCray, a partner in a firm called TPI (http://www.tpi.net) that advises companies on outsourcing, insourcing, offshoring, and so on. McCray says TPI strongly recommends to its clients that they communicate honestly with their employees and spell out exactly what the new strategy will mean for them, but alas, that doesn't always happen. So you'll have to go on a fact-finding mission. "Ask your boss how he or she sees your future," he suggests. "Get as many details as you can about how your role will be affected and in what time frame."
The good news is that, if you play your cards right, this turn of events could get you a promotion or make you more marketable. "For employees who remain with the company, outsourcing can lead to a net gain," McCray says. "It may free you up to think strategically, or put you in the position of managing the company's relationship with the outside service provider to make sure your employer's needs are met. These are big roles in companies now, and there's a growing market for people with this kind of experience."
Dear Annie:
Recently, in our Georgia office of a big national company, we got the following announcement: "Urgent Notice! Effective immediately, DO NOT microwave FISH or other food items that cause a strong odor throughout the company. Today, an item was heated in the microwave that caused an unbearable odor throughout the office. Continued misuse of the microwave could lead to immediate termination. If you have any questions, please see me." It was signed by the boss. Is this legal?
—Fish Lover
Dear Fish Lover:
Believe it or not, yes. The dominant principle of employment law in the U.S. is "employment at will," meaning that people can be fired for any reason or for no reason, absent an employment contract or union agreement that says otherwise. Still, getting canned for catfish (terminated for trout? sacked for salmon?) would seem to carry the principle a bit far. Look at the bright side: This gives y'all a perfect excuse to go out for lunch, even if it's just a quick nibble.
Send questions to askannie@fortunemail.com.
From: annieadm@TIMEINC.NET
Here are some tips on how to market yourself for a job in a different industry. Plus, how to deal with colleagues being outsourced, and stinky fish in the office.
Feb 07 2005
By Anne Fisher
Fortune.com
Dear Annie:
After graduating from college three years ago, I took a job with a company where I had been an intern the previous summer—not because I was thrilled about the company, or the job, but because it was the only offer I got. Now, after working here a while, I realize I made a mistake, and I'd really rather be in a completely different industry. A golfing buddy of mine has set up an interview for me with someone at his firm, but I'm nervous about my total lack of experience in the business. How can I persuade the hiring manager that I'd be a good bet?
—Mulligan
Dear Mulligan:
Well, for one thing, although you lack industry experience, you can certainly gather information. Before the interview, read a few recent issues of major trade publications in the field (most are available online) to get a sense of what the major trends and issues are in the company's industry. Visit your prospective employer's website, too, and bone up on what's new at the company. The better informed you are about where you see your skills fitting in, the better your chances. And what skills might those be? Ah.
Contrary to popular belief, what you do (and have done in the past) is far more important than where you do it. If you're good at listening to customers and solving their problems, say so, and give examples. In any industry, after all, a customer is a customer. Or, if you excel at motivating a team or at meeting tight deadlines, describe how you've accomplished those things. Again, teamwork is important everywhere, and so are deadlines. Most people, if they really think about it, can come up with a list of portable skills that travel well across industries. So before you sit down with that hiring manager, give some thought to yours, and to how you'll present them.
You already have one advantage. For most people trying to switch into a different industry, the hardest part is not impressing an interviewer, but getting an interview in the first place—and it's no coincidence that you got yours through a friend. This is why career experts are always harping away about networking. Sometimes knowing someone on the inside really is the only way to get a foot in the door.
Dear Annie:
I just heard that most of my 50-person department is about to be outsourced. Our jobs aren't going overseas; they're just going down the road to a company that specializes in providing the same services for less money. But rumor has it that two of my colleagues and I will be staying here. Is there anything we should be doing? How do we adjust our career expectations to this outsourcing deal?
—Soul Survivors
Dear Survivors:
I ran your question past Shawn McCray, a partner in a firm called TPI (http://www.tpi.net) that advises companies on outsourcing, insourcing, offshoring, and so on. McCray says TPI strongly recommends to its clients that they communicate honestly with their employees and spell out exactly what the new strategy will mean for them, but alas, that doesn't always happen. So you'll have to go on a fact-finding mission. "Ask your boss how he or she sees your future," he suggests. "Get as many details as you can about how your role will be affected and in what time frame."
The good news is that, if you play your cards right, this turn of events could get you a promotion or make you more marketable. "For employees who remain with the company, outsourcing can lead to a net gain," McCray says. "It may free you up to think strategically, or put you in the position of managing the company's relationship with the outside service provider to make sure your employer's needs are met. These are big roles in companies now, and there's a growing market for people with this kind of experience."
Dear Annie:
Recently, in our Georgia office of a big national company, we got the following announcement: "Urgent Notice! Effective immediately, DO NOT microwave FISH or other food items that cause a strong odor throughout the company. Today, an item was heated in the microwave that caused an unbearable odor throughout the office. Continued misuse of the microwave could lead to immediate termination. If you have any questions, please see me." It was signed by the boss. Is this legal?
—Fish Lover
Dear Fish Lover:
Believe it or not, yes. The dominant principle of employment law in the U.S. is "employment at will," meaning that people can be fired for any reason or for no reason, absent an employment contract or union agreement that says otherwise. Still, getting canned for catfish (terminated for trout? sacked for salmon?) would seem to carry the principle a bit far. Look at the bright side: This gives y'all a perfect excuse to go out for lunch, even if it's just a quick nibble.
Send questions to askannie@fortunemail.com.
From: annieadm@TIMEINC.NET
posted by sayong at
2/09/2005 03:58:00 PM
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