Making a Career Change at 30 Without Starting Over

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

Stop disqualifying yourself from jobs. Start connecting your transferable skills instead 👇🏼 A hard truth I've learned from years as a career coach: Most qualified candidates never apply because they focus on what they lack instead of what they bring. Last month, I worked with Alex who wanted to transition into project management but kept saying "I don't have PM experience." Wrong mindset. This thinking keeps amazing candidates on the sidelines while less qualified (but more confident) people get hired. I helped Alex reframe his background using 3 strategies that landed him 2 offers: ✅ 1 // Map your transferable skills to their actual needs. Don't focus on job titles—focus on problems you've solved. Alex coordinated cross-functional teams, managed budgets, and delivered complex initiatives on time. That's project management, just without the official title. ✅ 2 // Highlight measurable achievements that translate across industries. We repositioned his "event coordination" as "managed $500K budgets and 50+ stakeholders to deliver projects 2 weeks ahead of schedule." Suddenly, his experience looked relevant. ✅ 3 // Reach out to decision makers before jobs are posted. Instead of waiting for perfect job postings, Alex researched target companies and connected with department heads on LinkedIn. He shared insights about challenges they were facing. The result? Two interviews for positions that were never advertised publicly. Both companies extended offers. They were impressed at how well he communicated his experience. The unfortunate reality is most people eliminate themselves from opportunities before employers ever get the chance to. Remember: Companies hire people who can solve their problems, not people with perfect resumes. 📌 Question: What's a role you've talked yourself out of applying for? What transferable skills do you actually have?

If your background is in oil & gas and you want to switch industries, don’t sell yourself short just because you haven’t worked in that exact space yet. I’ve helped many O&G clients move into mining, renewables, heavy construction, manufacturing, and tech. The biggest mistake? They assume they’re “starting over” — so they accept lower pay, fewer benefits, and no room to negotiate. Here’s how to keep that from happening: 1) Talk about what you’ve done — not what you haven’t. One of my clients said, “I’ve never worked in wind energy.” But when we looked at his background, he’d managed multi-million dollar projects, handled field teams, stayed on top of safety, and kept jobs on schedule. That’s what matters. We reworded it to show: “Led $75MM facility builds from concept to startup — with full control over budget, contractors, and timeline.” That speaks louder than saying you’re new to wind. 2) Get paid for the experience you bring — not just the job title. Just because your next role isn’t “drilling superintendent” doesn’t mean you forgot how to manage crews, solve problems under pressure, or get work done without hand-holding. Another client moved into geothermal ops after 17 years in oil and LNG. His first offer was 13% lower than what he’d made previously, so we held a strategy session to help him push back, show proof of his results, and land a higher-tier role with stock options and remote flexibility. 3) Don’t guess what the pay should be — ask around. Talk to folks already working in that space. Ask what the job really pays. A third recent upstream O&G client almost took a ~$30K pay cut moving into hydrogen — until we found out most senior-level hires were making more than he did in O&G. He renegotiated and walked away with a 22% raise instead! Bottom line: You’re not starting from zero. If you’ve handled money, managed risk, and delivered work that mattered — you’ve got leverage. #oilgas #oilandgas #oilandgasindustry #engineering #petroleum #energystrong

Most career transition advice is garbage if you're mid-career and don't want to start over as a junior. I'm tired of seeing experienced professionals told to "take a step back" or "pay their dues again." That's not how smart transitions work when you've already built serious expertise. Here's what actually works: 1. Reverse mentoring - Find senior leaders in your target industry who need what you know. Tech adoption, generational insights, emerging markets - you're the expert they need. 2. Build thought leadership first - Start speaking at industry events, writing for trade publications, getting on conference panels. Establish credibility before you make the move. 3. Join advisory boards - Startup or growth company boards give you industry experience and senior-level connections without leaving your current role. 4. Skill arbitrage - What's common knowledge in your industry but rare gold in another? That's your unique value proposition right there. 5. Interim executive roles - Get intensive industry exposure and network building at the C-suite level, not the intern level. 6. Partnership development - Use your expertise to help companies expand into your sector. These often become bridge opportunities. 7. Innovation projects - Cross-functional initiatives expose you to new business models and industry applications. The goal isn't to abandon what you've built, it's to leverage it strategically. You're not starting over; you're expanding your empire. What unconventional transition strategies have you observed or implemented in your career development? Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://vist.ly/3y8qb #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careertransition #midcareer #executivetransition #careerstrategist

Career change does not mean starting over. You are not behind. You are not broken. You are not too late. If you build the right skills — you can pivot into tech. I’ve helped non-technical professionals land data roles at Microsoft, Roku, and Zendesk. Without computer science degrees, bootcamps, or coding backgrounds. Whenever I coach career changers, I teach them this: Your past experience only matters if you know how to make it matter. Here’s the exact 4-step framework I give every student: Build top 10% skills — and have proof through projects, not just words. Translate your past experience to align with your target roles. Emphasize your ability to lead and work independently. Highlight soft skills that actually get noticed by recruiters. Because tech doesn’t reward the most “qualified.” It rewards those who can clearly communicate their value. Were you a teacher? You already know how to break down complex topics. An Uber driver? You understand logistics, service, and decision-making under pressure. A nurse? You lead under stress, collaborate across teams, and handle mission-critical situations. This is not about starting over. It’s about reframing what you’ve already done. And if you follow the right framework, you will stand out. Thinking about making a career switch? Comment “SWITCH” and I’ll send you the roadmap I use with my private students.

"Can I really change careers after 10+ yrs?" I get this question a lot. Here's my answer ↓ For most experienced professionals looking for better career options, they're not starting over. If you've got 10+ yrs in one role/industry, avoid the temptation to frame your job search as a RESTART. Instead, view it as a TRANSFER. You’re building on a foundation of relevant skills, experiences, accomplishments, and execution. All of these things are valuable and attractive. The question is - How Much? I recently worked with a Director from education who wanted to move into learning technology roles. He was worried his experience wouldn’t translate. So we reframed his background:. From: “Educational Operations” To: “Leading complex, regulated systems in high-stakes environments” We also adjusted the value language: ✅ “academic systems” became “enterprise-grade reliability” ✅ “student throughput” became “scalable infrastructure” He stopped applying cold and started networking with former colleagues in adjacent industries. Within weeks, he landed interviews—and eventually, a new career in a new industry. Remember: Your experience isn’t the problem. In most cases, it’s how you’re framing it. If you’re considering a pivot, focus on aligning your narrative with your target industry’s needs. You’re not starting from zero. You’re bringing a wealth of experience that, when positioned correctly, is incredibly valuable. Have you made an industry pivot? What strategies worked for you? ♻️ Reshare for folks in your network looking to pivot

Here’s how to actually pivot into a new career successfully 👇 (As someone who did it 6 times) Yes, the job market is tough, and changing careers makes it even harder. But it’s totally doable. The key is clarity and strategy: 1. Get specific: ➞ The clearer you are about what you want, the easier it is to get there. ➞ Pick a role that excites you, research what it takes, and align your skills. 2. Rebrand yourself: ➞ Tell the story of why you’re the right fit for this new path. ➞ Highlight transferable skills, quantify your impact, and use keywords. 3. Build real connections: ➞ 80% of jobs aren’t even posted. ➞ Show up where the right people are. ➞ Comment on LinkedIn posts, join industry groups, and connect. 4. Play the long game: ➞ If you keep hearing “you don’t have experience” start creating it. ➞ Take on freelance projects, build a portfolio, get certified. 5. Apply smarter, not harder: ➞ Leverage referrals. ➞ Customize your resume for each role. ➞ Prepare for interviews like it’s your full-time job. 🧡 BONUS TIP: Get a mentor in your target industry. Find someone who’s already made the switch and learn from them. A quick 20-minute chat with the right person can save you months of frustration. Who here has successfully pivoted? Share your best tip below! 👇 PS: If you need help mapping out your next career move, make sure to steal my FREE Career Clarity Journal from my profile. I've got you covered.

After 2+ 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 since leaving oil & gas labor analytics, here's my 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 for industry transitions: The steps below helped my journey, but the market has changed. Read to the end to see what I would add now. 1. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 ↳ Prioritize technologies to solve the industry's unique problems  ↳ In healthcare, Excel remains foundational (pivot tables, charts, complex formulas).  ↳ SQL and Python provided a competitive advantage. 2. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ↳ Learned core SQL functions (SELECT, JOINs, and WHERE).  ↳ Develop Python skills through consistent practice.  ↳ Utilize platforms like DataCamp and Udemy for structured learning. I have extensive experience with Excel. (Yet, I still completed some courses.) 3. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 ↳ Update profile picture with a clean headshot. ↳ Targeted headline and about sections for key data terms. ↳ Reach out to potential hiring managers/recruiters for desired roles. 4. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 ↳ Target courses or platforms that give certificates.  ↳ Download certificates and share in posts as completed. ↳ Two years ago, this was all I posted on LinkedIn, but it got attention and helped me stand out. What I'd add today: 5. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 ↳ Create end-to-end solutions (ETL lite processes, not just dashboards).  ↳ Develop automated reporting systems with regular refreshes.  ↳ Demonstrate database integration capabilities. The key here is to solve a real problem that is core to your target industry. 6. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 ↳ Share posts to establish industry credibility on LinkedIn.  ↳ Help others while reinforcing your knowledge.  ↳ Showcase advanced techniques (window functions, complex queries, Pandas). Post consistently to demonstrate your critical thinking skills. You'd be surprised what opportunities emerge from sharing your process. Your competitive advantage isn't sending 1000 resumes. It's strategically positioning yourself as a problem-solver for your target industry. Are you looking to transition into a different industry? Share below! #DataCareer #CareerTransition #HealthcareAnalytics #DataSkills