Alexandra Levit has just published the book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career, which is a great resource if you’re looking for a job or trying to find more happiness in your career. And it got me thinking, one of the myths I see over and over is that job-seekers or those looking to switch careers don’t think they have the skills or experience they need.
What a cop-out.
Of course, any career has a set of knowledge specific to that field. As an architect you probably have some technical knowledge about the size of a door jamb as well as general education about your specialization, like hospitals. But now that you’re ready to move to a new field, you don’t feel you have the gutzpah (experience, skills, knowledge) to apply to that journalism position or get into business development.
Very few employers are actually looking for someone with high level of expertise in a topic, but rather someone who can gain results. This is especially true the higher up the ladder you get. Look at the CEO of Yahoo Carol Bartz who originally came from the AutoCAD industry (architecture and design software).
As an unintentional job-hopper, the next job never hired me because of my body of field knowledge, but my track record of results which is a skill-set suitcase that travels with me and increases (one day, I hope it’s bursting open) to any job.
Those transferable skills are what’s most useful to employers: problem-solving skills, project management, marketing skills, business development, staff management, training and development; communication skills, etc. – and those are what should show up on your resume, how you should talk about yourself when networking, and what to include when writing your cover letter.
New Job, New You goes into great detail on these issues so definitely check it out for a motivating way to start the New Year. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you:
Could you have any job you want? If not, what’s hindering you or holding you back? Do you have a skill-set suitcase? How do you define it?
28 replies on “Can you have any job you want?”
Great piece and the brilliant Bartz is such a good example. She’s always strategizing and finding a way to get it done.
Yes, it’s about results. And to be invited to provide the results, a job seeker has to be able to articulate what they have that means they’re the match for getting those results.
@ Marsha – Thanks! And yeah, I’m a huge fan of Carol Bartz. The weaknesses of job-seekers is they under-sell themselves and their abilities. Hopefully this is a good reminder to believe in yourself!
Strong encouragement for your targeted audience (those who undermine themselves, having doubts about their abilities to find desired job opportunities in different fields).
Yes definitely, you can have just about any job you want if you put your mind to it. If a job exists then it’s meant to be filled by a suitable candidate.
I suppose I do have a ‘skill-set suitcase’ – project management, client-relationship management, people management, networking, business development and marketing. Good term there, ‘skill-set suitcase’! It’s served me well in the 4 jobs I’ve had over a span of nearly 5 years.
@ Stanley – Yeah, I just wish people would sell themselves a bit more instead of talk about why what they’re doing isn’t working.
@ Jules – I wonder, do people want to take the energy to put their minds to it though? Thanks for sharing your skill suitcase! Dealing with people effectively is difficult, so it’s awesome you feel your strengths lie in that area.
Seth Godin’s new book, “Linchpin” is about this. I’m 100 pages in and it’s not typical Seth. Nonetheless, he points out – as do you – that it’s not about being able to learn something to follow rules. It’s about bringing something unique to the table.
As he says, if you want a job where you just follow the rules, then you’ll get a job where that’s all you get to do. If, however, you want a job where you can dream big and take risks, don’t settle for somewhere that won’t have you.
So yes, I think I could get any job I wanted – I just need to be careful enough to understand what it is I want.
@ Sam – I’m not usually a fan of Godin, but I’ll have to check Linchpin out. I think that’s a big part of it; it’s easier and more comfortable to follow the rules and conform. And that’s a good point about being careful to understand what you want. Obviously that’s why I job-hop from place to place, but luckily I get closer with each job I take. Thanks for the comment!
Most people fail to understand how “transferable skills” can really help them find a different job in a different industry. So this point is very important.
Having said that, there are certain areas where you must have the check mark for the skill. The PMP certification. The Microsoft Server certification. The license to practice law.
If you have those check marks, you get the opportunity to show the rest of your stuff. Without them, you may not get the shot.
So it’s not like you can just become an astronaut when what you’ve done is programming.
Just a caution; most people have skills for most jobs and don’t even realize it…
@ Scot – Agreed. But the certifications aren’t what gets your foot in the door (and I would argue you can always get those later). For instance, I was a designer when graduating college, and technically you need an NCIDQ certification to practice. I redesigned an office anyway as part of the scope of my first position and they just had an architect sign off on everything to make it legit. I hope people don’t let something like certification get in their way!
i don’t understand. I spent 12+ years in school learning to be on time, obey authority without question, follow procedure, conform to my peer group’s standards for behavior, have the same skills as everyone else, and generally tolerate boredom and nonsense. i learned problem solving skills but only in terms of finding the same pre-existing solution as everyone else. are you telling me that my entire educational experience was for naught?
;-) – justin locke
ps re: certification, fyi, 4 of the 5 richest people in america are college dropouts.
@Rebecca — exactly. If it is a needed license, e.g., a license to practice law or be a doctor, you won’t get the work unless you have it.
For all else, there is usually a way to support getting the skills you need (in fact, a good reason to take a particular job is to acquire new job skills).
Getting the certifications, et. al., for a job might help you compared to another candidate. But only if the rest of your stuff shows results.
@ Justin – Ha, that is why I wrote my education series a couple weeks ago. You’re right. It takes guts to not follow the rules when that’s all you’ve been taught to do!
@ Scot – I wish I could run an experiment and see if I could bypass getting a license for even being a doctor or lawyer (even though these aren’t the cool professions anymore supposedly). That might be too extreme though! Ha.
This is a wonderful post! One of my first questions to Penelope when I first joined her group on Brazen was about this – how to transfer skills from one sector to another (or in my case, from nonprofit fundraising to nonprofit programming). Her advice was similar to what you are saying here – but I even more appreciate you delving into the topic further. My “skills suitcase” has been trying to seek out new opportunity within my job, but also to maintain a close connection with coworkers who are doing some of the types of things I really want to get into. They help me develop secondary skills as well as keep me realistic about WHERE exactly I will fit in best.
Great post!
You bring up very practical points, especially by mentioning those transferable skills which I think a lot of people forget about or don’t capitalize on.
Looking forward to checking out the book and nice to see a video post/review :)
@ Beth – That’s great to hear. Building relationships is one of the core things in any job so if you’re already excelling at that, you’re light-years ahead of most! ; )
@ Grace – 36 second book review has to be some kind of record, right? Seriously, most career books are so boring. Alexandra did a good job including a lot of stories to make it enjoyable.
I think it’s only natural for us to feel “trapped” in our job from time to time – but the only thing trapping you is yourself. I’ll side with the optimistic “learn something from everything” perspective in that any job, good or bad, can add to the “skill set suitcase” that you mention. If you’re working, you should be learning and adding something to your arsenal that you can take with you to the next (even better) job.
Good stuff Rebecca…
I could not agree with you more. Too often we get bogged down in a job/career/life we don’t want or grow bored of because we feel all this experience can only be applied for one career. Not only is that entirely untrue (unless you’re a brain surgeon), but ALL our experiences and past jobs can be applied to anything as long as we’re creative and open-minded. In fact, I would rather work with someone any day who understood that rather than stuck to one career path.
Planning to write a post that ties into this well about the forgotten value of research.
I think it has something to do with the great deal of annoying research you have to do when you’re in college. Once you graduate, you feel like you’ve done you’re share of research, and now that no one’s telling you to do it, you won’t have to.
Experience is only half the game. The professionals and entrepreneurs that really go far are the ones taking in as much information as possible related to their topic. Read books, blog posts, case studies…anything you can to make yourself more savvy.
You gain skills and knowledge by doing, but you can gain so much more knowledge on top of it by taking the initiative to research.
I think I just wrote my blog post ^_^
David
I say the answer to “any job” is no, based on my experiences.
I’m almost 38, and have been unemployed 8 years because of a combination of suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and losing my former career (Virtual Reality/Multimedia Development for Training) due to how the entire industry is run (inappropriate deadlines, 7 days a week work, office politics, etc.)
I’d need to switch careers, but can’t go back to school because I have a degree, so I’m not eligible for a grant. (Can’t go into debt with loans, if they’d clear my credit rating.)
My experiences were all niche tools, etc. If I try to hire for web development, a company is going to take one of the thousands of college grads fully fluent in 12 scripting languages over me, with knowledge over the deveopment cycle.
Ideally, I’d love to be able to develop games. Well, there ate no game studios in my city. Besides not wanting to move, moving is not automatic. You must have a place to move, moving costs, first/last month’s rent, security deposit, etc. Also a good credit rating- (mine was destroyed by an employer not paying me over $7800.)
I’ve been stuck for 8 years trying to figure out what I can do, and can’t solve the issue. Those who can run blindly into an entirely new career are a rare breed, and some of us will never have that ability!
“Very few employers are actually looking for someone with high level of expertise in a topic, but rather someone who can gain results. This is especially true the higher up the ladder you get.”
They are looking for people who have demonstrated sustained results. And the higher up you go, the more critical those past results are to your future.
With respect to Ms. Bartz, she gained her position at Yahoo based on that. The demonstrative part.
So can you have any job you want? Probably not. Some jobs (like President of the US) are practically statistical and situational flukes. But can you have most jobs? Yes. Eventually.
Experience matters. Not necessarily the rigid way we often use to think of experience (which I do agree with you on). And results matter. Not just one or two years of results. Multiple years of results, under different circumstances and market pressures led to Ms. Bartz taking over Yahoo.
There are so many versions of education. The technical side as well as those transferable skills: communications, leadership, personal development and success mentality. I have friends who are successful in the traditional career path as well as those career blazers that define their opportunities.
I believe that today and the future to come have so much opportunities to be traditional or not. The big point is that one is responsible and happy with their choice.
@ Matt – Yeah, and to also know that even feeling trapped or being unhappy is teaching you a lot for your next job. Thanks for the comment!
@ Marian – I’m with you – the idea that everything is connected and systems thinking are both themes that I think a lot about and apply them to my career. I think if more people did, they’d be happier.
@ David – I love research and it’s easy to delve into a new field with that idea. The co-founders of Alice have a recurring theme – disintermediation in industries to bring more value back to the consumer, but have delved into completely new industries with each start-up they create. Smart guys : )
@ Jaym – Sorry to hear about your troubles! I think if you just took it one tiny step at a time you may be able to get to your end destination easier. Sometimes it’s not about jumping into a new career right away but taking those baby steps.
@ Lance – Yes, good distinction – I agree with you that it’s demonstrated results. But you don’t need to have those demonstrated results in some special job. I continually go back to the lessons and results from the job I had throughout college – it’s probably prepared more for any job than any other job I’ve had since.
@ Thanh – Love those thoughts. I too agree that you don’t need to be an entrepreneur or career renegade to be happy in your career. I know many, many individuals in large, established companies that are extremely happy. Which is good news for those who may secretly want to be a salesperson or insurance agent or something : )
Hi Rebecca! I’ve been reading your blog for the past few weeks, but this is my first comment. To be honest, I don’t know enough about job-seeking or experience (…I’m only 14.) to have an input on this. Still, some of the blog posts you wrote gave me inspiration, a different outlook on life and what I want to do with it. Thank you!
Rebecca,
I feel that most humans, if they want something badly enough, will find ways and means to procure it.
There will always be those who are hungry for success and mobility, and I’m pretty sure their hunger gives them the energy to go get what they want (I’m a hungry one). :)
I learnt far more from job-hopping or rather being headhunted than I would have by sticking to one job. As you say employers look for people who can bring in results.
Dealing with people isn’t easy or pretty, but I think what has helped me a lot is that I treat people the way I’d want to be treated. A simple way of life, yet so effective both in personal and professional life.
@ Lilian – Thanks so much for your comment. I’m thrilled to have you as a reader; I wish I would have learned this stuff at your age (oh man, do I sound old now? Ha.) Looking forward to more comments from you : )
@ Jules – I too have learned more by job-hunting, but I think you can also learn by sticking to one job. It’s the mindset as you mention that if you’re hungry for success, you’ll reach it. Thanks for sharing your experience!
There is nothing as valuable as your skill-set and ability to transfer those skills from a job you may not be too thrilled about into one that will be more fulfilling and make you happier.
The only thing that came to mind for me was the talents vs. skills question. I see skills as something you can learn, improve upon, gather through education either formally or on the job. But talents – I see that as something you have to have an innate predisposition for and then of course can improve upon.
Some may say this is only in the creative industries – you can’t be an opera singer without some innate ability – but I think it applies to other areas as well. Some people are born leaders and will naturally be a better fit in leadership positions than those who had to simply learn it along the way. Not to say you can’t learn, just that there are some areas where many of us might find ourselves starting with a handicap.
Great post Rebecca – very thought provoking!
Thank you for this post Rebecca. I’m living this post right now. After being unhappy for years in digital media on the Advertising Agency side, I’ve decided to follow my passion and pursue a career in social media on the Client or Publisher side. It’s scary and risky at the same time, but I know it’s a necessity in order to live a happy, healthy, productive work/home life.
As always, you offer great, inspiring advice that EVERYONE should take part in, or else, just be aware of. =]
I hate the saying that “You can get whatever you want if you put your mind to it.” For those of you that believe in it, how do you handle roadblocks or challenges like someone telling you you can’t? or what do you do when you put all your efforts into something to discover that you hate it?
I’m working part-time and going to college full-time. I think what’s hindering me from getting the job I want is lacking the academic credentials and the potential of failure. :/
A skill-set suitcase is defined by how you’ve handled yourself or other people in the various experiences you’ve had in your life.