A career pivot can sound bigger and scarier than it actually is.
You may hear the word pivot and immediately think you have to start over, go back to school, get a completely new set of skills, or somehow convince an employer to take a huge chance on you.
But in many cases, that is not what is happening.
A career pivot is often about learning how to take the skills, knowledge, abilities, and experience you already have and connect them to the work you want to do next.
That is the real work.
Start With What You Already Have
If you want to move from one job title, industry, or position into another, do not begin by assuming that everything you have done before no longer matters.
Go back through your experience and ask yourself:
- What skills have I built?
- What knowledge have I gained?
- What am I especially good at?
- What problems have I solved?
- What responsibilities have I handled?
- What experience do I have that could matter in the role I want next?
Those experiences may have come from your current job.
They may have come from a previous role.
They may have come from volunteer work, coursework, projects, your own business, or responsibilities you took on outside of your official title.
The important thing is identifying what can travel with you.
Connect the Dots for the Hiring Manager
One of the biggest mistakes people make during a career pivot is expecting the hiring manager to figure out the connection for them.
Do not make them guess.
You have to make it clear.
You want the employer to be able to see:
Here is what I have done. Here is what I learned from it. Here is how it applies to the work you need done now.
That connection should show up in your resume.
It should show up in your cover letter.
And it should definitely show up in your interview.
You may not have the exact title they are looking for, but if you can clearly explain how your experience relates to the role, you give the employer a reason to consider you.
Focus on the Skills That Matter Most
You do not need to carry every part of your previous career into the next one.
Focus on the parts that matter for where you are going.
Look at the job description for the role you want.
What skills are they asking for?
What knowledge matters?
What abilities are important?
Then compare that to what you already have.
That is where your transferable value lives.
Your job is to highlight those connections clearly enough that the hiring manager can recognize your fit.
You May Not Be Starting Over
You may simply be repositioning yourself.
And sometimes that is the mindset shift you need most.
You are not throwing away everything you have built.
You are learning how to use it differently.
If you are looking to get a job that is a pivot from your current title or position, do not overthink it.
Start with what you already have.
Identify the skills, knowledge, abilities, and experience that can move with you.
Then connect the dots.
You’ve got this.
You are not behind. You are becoming.
xoxo
Chauntel
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