The job market is smoking, and opportunities are ripe...

While employers are crying out for talent to fill skills shortages and in-demand roles, employees are reassessing their careers and life goals. If you’re thinking about changing industries, it can feel like a giant, daunting leap into the unknown. So, here are a few ways to successfully switch careers to meet industry demand.

#1 Get your head inside the other industry

​If you’re only starting this journey, you may not have created a strategic career plan to know what industry you want to switch into just yet. Most people are motivated to find a sustainable and financially secure career, such as in technology. 

So, your first step is to research the most in-demand roles and industries, then explore job advertisements to learn more about the organisations hiring and their requirements. For example, what does the day-to-day life look like?

Some places ask for things that can be learned on the job, while you may possess highly desired transferrable skills and experiences that don’t come as naturally to others. 

#2 Plan your moves

​Once you have a sense of what’s involved, you can plan your switch:

• ​​Upskill​

If there are qualifications you must have, explore study options to increase your opportunities. You might start with free or inexpensive online courses to get a feel for the subject matter first, before committing to something more formal.​

Even being able to demonstrate partial (continuing) study in combination with years of transferrable experience could be enough to get you in the door.

• ​​Consider a stepping stone​

Consider volunteering, temporary roles, or short-term entry points to acquire additional skills, expand your network, and learn about the company or industry. For example, you could look at a short-term admin position in the unit or company you want to get into or a temporary contract at a junior skill level.

• ​​Infiltrate networks​

Reach out to people already in your network to seek their support, and genuinely connect with interesting people on LinkedIn. Once new contacts are warm, see if they’ll give you 10 minutes to talk about their role and ideas for getting started. ​

Explore and attend industry events (online webinars or in-person workshops) and join online industry networks and communities. You could join a LinkedIn or Facebook group, follow a relevant industry hashtag, or frequent popular forums.

#3 Re-jig your resume and LinkedIn profile

​When switching careers, you’ll need to reposition your profile to highlight your relevant transferrable skills to have any chance of making an impact. These are usually along the lines of:​

• strong communication​
• people / teamwork / customer service
• problem solving and negotiation
• organisation / time management / prioritisation
• leadership

How you perceive your use of these skills in your every day can take some practice. For example, you may look at leadership quite literally as formal experience managing a team. But it could be that you’ve inspired your teammates through change, led a challenging project, led a fundraiser. Once identified, showcase your transferrable skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile, ensuring they’re tailored to your desired future role.

In-demand roles may be more flexible

Remember, an in-demand role is in-demand for a reason. Demand outstrips supply. That’s why transferrable skills can help get you over the line. Do your research and show employers that you’re enthusiastic and willing to learn and adapt.

Need a hand?

​Here are the top transferrable skills for our most in-demand careers: Change Management,Salesforce, and Dev-Ops.

You can also talk to us for advice.