September 4, 2012

Pivoting your way to career change

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If you're like most job seekers, chances are you're looking for positions similar to those you've held within companies and industries you're already highly familiar with. If you're contemplating a career change, however, it might require some significantly different thinking than you've engaged in previously.

One option you might consider is "pivoting" your way to a new opportunity.

In one of the best business books I've read in quite a while -- "The Start-Up of You," by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha -- two acclaimed entrepreneurs share their combined wisdom on the subject of business/career success and the ways in which the path to getting ahead has changed. (Hoffman is the co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn.)

Among many great insights in the book, the authors emphasize that many companies today are founded on a Plan A, in terms of how they expect the business to unfold, but eventually end up pivoting to a Plan B -- following a new business model, or opportunistic angle, that turns things around and takes them even further than their original plan envisioned.

Even in the Seattle area, I've seen examples of companies reinventing themselves, on the fly, in this fashion. For example, Coinstar was founded simply to provide grocery-store customers with a handy machine for counting up and cashing in their spare change. The company has since expanded its horizons and added complementary services such as DVD-rental boxes in a quest to dominate the easily forgotten "fourth wall" of the grocery world: the front of the store.

Similarly, there's Classmates.com, which used to strictly serve as a Facebook-like application built entirely around school alumni groups. The company has broadened its focus and rebranded itself as Memory Lane, a site focused on helping people track down the music, movies and memorabilia they loved as they were growing up. This seems like a sensible pivot on the original business model, offering ample new revenue possibilities.

Job hunters can follow similar principles if they want to break out of a rut or explore a new direction. For example, if you're not 100% thrilled with your current career situation, consider exploring opportunities with:

• Companies in related industries. If you've worked in the restaurant industry for many years, you might think about targeting the hotel industry, given the shared emphasis on customer service, reservation systems and hospitality.

• Companies that leverage the same tools/technologies you're skilled in using. If you used SharePoint software quite a bit in your last role, look for other companies that also use it heavily in their operations and communications.

• Companies that sell to similar customers as the employers you've been with. If you previously worked with high-net-worth clients in the banking industry, for example, try approaching high-end real estate developers or luxury travel companies for potential opportunities.

• Companies that sell/market their products in a similar way as your previous employers. If you worked for a firm that sold its products through call centers, contact employers in other industries that rely on telesales to drive revenue.

• Companies that would value your network of contacts. If you've amassed a large circle of friends in the public sector, based on your previous work in a government agency, ask yourself what firms are looking to do more business in the business-to-government (B2G) channel.

• Companies that are bound by similar regulatory restrictions as your previous firms. If you worked in an organization that had to comply with strict requirements from the FDA, EPA, SEC or a similar regulatory body, explore opportunities with other companies that are also under the purview of the same agencies.

Sure, you can always pursue an occupation that has nothing to do with your career path. But don't discount similar roles that you could easily pivot into. This seems to be a strategy that many companies are following these days -- and when job hunters get creative and follow suit, interesting possibilities seem to materialize.

Matt Youngquist is the president and founder of Career Horizons, a career counseling and corporate outplacement firm. Email him at myoungquist@nwjobs.com.

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Read more
book review, career change, research, target company identification

2 Comments

Avid Reader on September 5, 2012 9:54 AM | Reply

Matt - if you are looking in a different industry for a position that utilizes your highly smilar skills and knowledge, how do you get past the resume reviewers when your experience isn't precisely the same as the job description requires? I have applied for similar skilled jobs in different industries, only to be screened out because I hadn't worked with financial industry regulations but had worked for years with tax industry regulations. Seems difficult to understand why a recruiter would think that it would be impossible for you to do the same type of work only with different subject matter - but it seems to happen regularly. Advice appreciated.

Matt Youngquist on September 5, 2012 3:58 PM | Reply

Avid Reader: Thanks for your comment, and you're right, NOTHING about the job hunting process right now is going to come easy, simply given the tight economic conditions we continue to be facing. Even highly qualified candidates don't make it through the rigid resume screening process, most of the time. This being said, those job seekers who get creative, wean themselves off advertisements, and focus on getting their message out to appropriate hiring managers and companies via networking (or even direct solicitation) can at times get somebody to take a chance on them, assuming they're prepared to deliver a compelling message about why they'd be great in a certain role despite the lack of "perfect" experience. It's not common, mind you, but it's definitely possible. So if you're trying to change careers in some capacity, focus on gaining conversations through trusted relationships, not resume submissions. Sending in resumes doesn't generally work for people who aren't an extremely strong fit, on paper, with the exact requirements of any given job opening that gets published. Good luck!

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