How To Frame Transferable Skills For New Industries

The Strategic Flaw Undermining Career Transitions   Throughout my career guiding professionals through industry and functional transitions, I've identified a consistent pattern among those who struggle to pivot successfully: they position themselves as inexperienced candidates in the new domain rather than as valuable cross-pollinating experts.   This fundamental positioning error creates unnecessary obstacles in an already challenging process.   Successful career pivoters employ a distinctly different approach: • Value Reframing: Positioning their outside perspective as an asset that brings fresh thinking to entrenched industry challenges • Problem-Solution Alignment: Identifying specific issues in the target field that their unique background equips them to address differently • Strategic Narrative Construction: Developing a compelling story that connects their existing expertise to the future needs of the target industry • Selective Credential Building: Acquiring specific knowledge markers that demonstrate commitment while leveraging existing transferable skills   The most effective career transitions aren't accomplished by minimizing differences or attempting to compete directly with industry insiders on their terms.   Rather, they succeed by deliberately highlighting how cross-industry perspective creates unique value in solving the target industry's evolving challenges.   For professionals considering a pivot, the critical shift isn't in acquiring years of new experience, but in reframing existing experience to demonstrate its relevance and value in the new context.   What unexpected industries have you seen professionals successfully transition between by leveraging seemingly unrelated backgrounds?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careertransition #crosspollination #industryshift #careerstrategist

Software to Hardware. Banking to Tech. B2B SaaS to ClimateTech. [insert basically anything] to AI. ↔ Career shifts come in all shapes and sizes, but shifting an industry can be challenging, particularly in a tighter hiring market where experience is valued. Over the years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people who are looking to move into a new industry and I’ve found a few things influence whether or not someone will be successful at making the leap. 1️⃣ Find the thread - If you want to make a change, it’s your responsibility to craft a story that makes sense. Don’t force the person reading your resume or interviewing you to guess why you’re able to make this jump. At MuleSoft, I interviewed a program manager at a non-profit for a recruiting role. Sounds completely unrelated, but throughout the interview, she did the best job showing me how many of the things she had accomplished in her role actually translated incredibly well to recruiting. She took the guesswork out of it for me and actually convinced me over the course of the interview that she knew enough about the job and had enough of the skills that she could make the pivot. As you’re prepping for your interviews, make a list of all the things you’ve done that translate to working in the new industry and make it a point to share those in your conversations.  2️⃣ Do your research - I’m the biggest fan of benchmarking conversations when you’re hiring for a role on your team. The same logic applies here - find people who are experts in the industry you want to pivot into and ask if they’d spend 15 minutes with you so you can get advice on how to pivot. Come prepared with great questions and soak up the trends, lingo, etc. Doing even 3-5 of these calls will make you sound exponentially smarter and better researched for your interviews. 3️⃣ Ask great questions - Basic, surface-level questions, “what’s it like to work here?” indicate you haven’t done your homework and send a red flag that you’re potentially unable to make the shift. At Dropbox, I interviewed an equity analyst from a big bank for an Enterprise AE job. Sounds like quite a jump, but he asked the best questions about the product and company. He understood the role we were hiring for and sounded like he had been in our industry for years. His intellectual curiosity sold us on his ability to make the jump. 4️⃣ Network hard into companies - Part of the challenge in making a career shift is being able to get your story across on why you can make the leap. A reference at the company where you hope to work can do this for you. Maybe it’s not an obvious connection, but see if you can dig deep. For example, you may find a past coworker who knows an investor in a company you’re interested in, and that investor may be able to forward your information, with the appropriate color, to the hiring manager or recruiting leader so you get a proper look. What else have you all seen that’s been useful for those trying to switch industries?

When you're transitioning into a new industry whether it's from retail to biotech, bedside to corporate, or academia to clinical research there's one thing that must go with you: A clear, compelling personal brand. When your experience doesn't check every box, your brand fills the gap. It tells people: I may be coming from a different world, but here's the unique value I bring. So how do you build a brand that opens doors during a pivot? 1. Own Your Narrative Don’t hide your pivot position it. → I bring a patient-first mindset into clinical research. → I translate scientific complexity into actionable insight. → I’ve led under pressure now I’m ready to lead with purpose. 2. Lead With Transferable Strengths Not the job titles the skills behind them: → Communication. Strategy. Adaptability. Data interpretation. These are your assets. Make them loud and clear. 3. Align Your Messaging Make sure your LinkedIn profile, resume, and even how you introduce yourself all tell the same story: I’m pivoting with intention and I’m bringing results with me. 4. Show Your Work Post. Comment. Engage. Share what you're learning, thinking, and building. Let people see your transition in real time not just read about it on a resume. If you’re in the middle of a pivot, you’re not starting over you’re starting strategically. Your experience is an asset. Your voice is your differentiator. And your brand? It’s the bridge between where you’ve been and where you’re going. Own it. Shape it. Share it. #CareerPivot #PersonalBranding #CareerChange #TransferableSkills #CareerGrowth 

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot

💡Looking to change jobs or industries? Focus on transferable skills. When I was in Corporate Communications, I led and developed quarterly town halls. I would take the business needs of leadership, use that to provide input for creative development, and then deliver it to an internal audience through executive leadership presentations. Now, I’m in marketing. I do not have a traditional background in marketing. But in my role as a Comms Planner, we take the business needs from our Business partners, kick off creative development for campaign assets, and then release it into the wild via our many channels. It’s the same skill set. It’s a lot bigger and involves way more people—but that’s where the learning opportunity comes in (which I’m very grateful my leaders provided me the opportunity to do). But you need to be the translator. Don’t expect the interviewer to pick out the nuances of your job and translate them to the role you are applying for. Understand the core functions of the role, discern what skills are required to carry it out, and then share how you can do EXACTLY THAT by providing a parallel example like above. You have a unique toolbox full of skills that can apply to many jobs across many industries. Make it easy for a new employer to understand how you can use them! #interviewtips #opentowork #marketingjobs #caitcomms #transferableskills #linkedinlearning