Introduction: Why Are Workers Changing Industries
Today, career pivots are increasingly common for two reasons.
One: Workers seek greater fulfillment, job security, and flexibility across sectors.
Two: Jobs are considerably less stable, and have shorter tenure than they used to.
The second reason is worth talking about…
Unstable Jobs
Jobs today offer significantly less stability and shorter tenure than in previous generations, particularly for younger workers. According to data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Generation Z employees average under 2 years per job, a sharp contrast to older generations like Baby Boomers, who average over 8 years per position.
Furthermore, this trend is part of a broader shift toward short-term employment and high turnover. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this pattern, sparking the “Great Resignation,” where workers sought flexibility and career growth over long-term stability (ScienceDaily​).
All of that leaves us with a work culture where people don’t stick around, hopping jobs more frequently – or at the very least, trying to.
How Many People Are We Talking About?
Research shows that nearly 6 in 10 workers have considered changing careers, and many actively pursue this goal; about 44% have a specific plan to transition into a new industry. Dissatisfaction with current roles, pursuit of higher salaries, and a need for better work-life balance drive this shift. (sources: Novoresume, Apollo Technical​) The World Economic Forum also reports that workers now hold an average of 12 jobs between ages 18 and 54, a considerable increase from the past (World Economic Forum).
In other words, it is safe to say that nearly half the workforce is always looking for something better somewhere else.
Changing Careers Comes With Benefits
Switching industries – when done right – brings benefits beyond salary increases. A well executed switch often allows workers to better match their skills and long-term goals.
Moreover, if the switch is into an emerging high-growth field; which are universally filled via career switches, as there aren’t enough graduates to field open positions, there are additional benefits associated with stability and faster career growth. Fields such as technology, healthcare, and green energy currently exhibit high growth rates – between 30% and 60% annually – making switches into these industries appealing (Apollo Technical​, World Economic Forum).
Is It Worth Switching Industries?
It depends on the details. The details matter.
In other words: Not all pivots are worth it, but the well executed ones are…
And what exactly is a “well executed career pivot?”
A well executed pivot is one where you change industries and it positions you for greater job security and satisfaction. In our book, for a pivot to be worth it, it needs to:
- Immediately provide you with a title promotion
- Set you up for a near term title promotion (6 – 12 months)
- Or increase your optionality (give you more job opportunities within 6 months)
The Essence of Career Pivots: Position Yourself for Success, Not Setbacks
If you’re ready to pivot into a new field, your PRIMARY AND MOST IMPORTANT focus should be on leveraging what you already know to establish credibility fast, rather than starting over at the bottom.
Remember: The most important thing about your job is where it places you in the pecking order…
Which is why: Taking the traditional, step-by-step route to “earn” experience and prove yourself in a new industry is a grossly inefficient path in career pivots – and it often creates unnecessary delays and missed opportunities.
Instead, a pivot should mean moving to a similar or higher level of authority and responsibility, IMMEDIATELY upon transition – it just happens to be in a new setting.
Otherwise it’s a setback not a pivot.
Let’s clarify with an example…
Let’s say you’re currently a manager in IT, and you’re looking to break into entertainment. For it to be worth it, it’s essential to target roles where you can apply your managerial experience and lead similar initiatives rather than stepping into a junior position as an assistant or entry-level coordinator.
Getting the former kind of job where your status transfers from one industry to another takes real career skills. Getting the latter kind where you start from the bottom is, however, trivially easy – all you have to do is sell yourself short (which is what some sources erroneously recommend for career transitions!).
Remember: Taking a step down would mean wasting valuable time working your way back up, when you could instead be positioning yourself as a high-value professional from day one.
Positioning Yourself Without The Experience
In the context of achieving a career pivot where your authority transfers, there are a number of techniques you need to use. These are briefly outlined below.
1. Spin Results-Oriented Experience
If you can show that you’ve achieved concrete (measurable, quantifiable) results in a field that parallels your target industry, you can spin this experience to demonstrate your ability to perform.
For example, if you’re aiming to pivot from tech sales to healthcare business development, identify any successes (i.e. sales) and express it in terms of the target industry (i.e. patient outreach, training, etc.)
Action Step: Quantify your achievements in a results-oriented language. Replace vague metrics with specifics like “increased sales by 35% within six months” or “reduced onboarding time by 20%.” (This is what you need to do for all jobs, of course.)
Then, explicitly draw a line between these results and the value they’d bring to a healthcare setting. This is easily done by adding related keywords next to your accomplishments. For instance: “increased sales by 35% within six months” becomes “increased sales by 35% within six months (relevant to patient outreach)” or “reduced onboarding time by 20%.” “reduced onboarding time by 20% (related to efficiency in healthcare onboarding and training)”
2. Craft a “Portfolio of Evidence” to Match Industry-Specific Competencies
The next step is called creating a “Portfolio of Evidence,” which is a collection of projects, case studies, or examples that simulate the experience you’re pivoting into.
This is particularly effective in fields like consulting, marketing, or tech, where a portfolio of proven concepts can carry more weight than the conventional years of experience.
Action Step: Choose 3-5 relevant projects from your current or past roles that demonstrate competencies valued in your target industry. Reframe them by shifting the context.
For instance, let’s say you are shifting from finance to energy. If you’ve managed data in finance, create a hypothetical case study showing how you’d apply those skills to optimize operations in the energy sector. Assemble this evidence into a sleek, professional PDF (or white paper), with each example directly mapped to skills crucial in the new industry.
In other words, you take your experience in one industry and translate it in terms and processes that are applicable in your target industry.
This doesn’t even need to make perfect sense. For example, you can literally take a technical design document from a server architecture you’ve built for the tech industry and turn it into a short movie storyboard to target the movie industry.
This is because the purpose of this portfolio is NOT to create value. The purpose is to show that you are accomplished in a language that your target industry can relate to. The movie producer will have no idea about the value of your tech design document, but a storyboard will resonate with them.
3. Adopt the Role of a “Shadow Consultant”
The best way to build credibility in a new field? Start offering industry-relevant solutions right now – before you know what you’re doing, and before you have the relevant titles.
As a “shadow consultant,” you’ll offer valuable, actionable insights to individuals or companies in your target field on a project-by-project basis, without waiting for official permission or a formal title.
Basically, you do the work without the title, and then, advertise yourself as worthy of the title.
Action Step: Identify pain points within the industry by analyzing industry reports, forums, or online discussions. Reach out to industry professionals or startups who might need assistance, pitching a solution you can deliver for free or at a discount.
Your job is to gain a track record of experience, not the title or money. The track record later turns into the title.
For example, let’s say you are moving from business development to UX. Use what you have (business development) to generate a consulting opportunity with a small business… Like offering a mock design audit of a small business’s website.
The goal is to document every step and result, then add these to your portfolio. If your designs get used, great, you now are a designer. If they don’t, also great, you now have a bigger portfolio.
(Note: This method not only builds credibility but often opens doors to paid roles through the relationships you establish.)
4. Reverse-Engineer Job Descriptions to Build Directly Relevant Skills
Every job description is a treasure map to what employers want. To move into a new industry, break down job postings into the core skills and keywords, then immediately acquire familiarity with those skills – you don’t need to be immediately functionally competent with these skills, but you do need to be conversationally competent with these skills.
Action Step: Choose three or four representative job descriptions for your target roles. Highlight all recurring skills or industry-specific keywords, and align your current projects or personal projects to demonstrate these.
For instance, if you see “financial modeling” listed as a required skill, use The Language of Value on the term “financial modeling” to showcase your current experience in a relevant way.
Remember: the majority of corporate job skills can be broken down into sub-skills you already have, and the rest can be learned (usually learned on the job by people who have been awarded that job due to their power relationship with capital).
Also remember: Just because you lack official experience in something doesn’t mean you are not capable of doing that thing or doing it well. Sometimes you need a break. Other times, you just need to be noticed.
Above all else: Don’t get stuck on the maze of words HR uses to control the workforce. Break things down to their material, concrete, process reality and market what you can really do.
5. Use Informational Interviews as Mini-Consulting Sessions
Informational interviews, if done strategically, can be powerful platforms to both learn and showcase your value to potential employers. Approach these interviews to position yourself as a problem-solver from day one.
Action Step: Request informational interviews in your target industry.
6. Strategic Volunteering for Case-Building
In many industries, nonprofits and small companies need professional help but lack resources. Strategic volunteering lets you offer assistance on industry-relevant projects that will add credibility to your career pivot.
Yes, you work for free. No, you should not do it for too long – just long enough to spin your track record. Yes, it’s worth it.
Action Step: Seek out volunteer opportunities in roles that would allow you to apply and showcase the skills required for your target position.
For example, if you’re pivoting into digital marketing, offer to help with SEO or content creation for a nonprofit. While you’re helping, document outcomes like audience engagement metrics or increased site visits. Then, use this documented success in interviews to show evidence of experience.
By the way, when using this tactic, the specific industry you come from does not matter, but your rank does. For instance, if you’re an executive, it’s easier to network with other executives and pitch them services at the executive level. (In the above example, as an executive, you wouldn’t create the SEO/content yourself, but lay out a content strategy and setup staffing plans and structured goals for a content marketing team. The principle is the same. Your scope of operation is different.)
How to Transfer Authority in a Career Pivot
The techniques listed above show you how to quickly gain credibility in a new industry where you lack official experience, which is useful for getting an entry-level job.
But as someone switching industries, you don’t want entry-level. You want to preserve your rank and status.
For instance, you may be a Senior Human Resources Manager in a large corporation, and you want to pivot into a role as a Marketing Manager or even Marketing Director in a creative agency while preserving your rank, not start as a new Marketing Associate.
Of course, there’s a trick to it… It’s all about how you get classified.
Let’s say you have ten years of experience in HR. When you switch to the marketing industry, will they classify you as someone who “brings ten years of relevant experience” in managing teams and driving organizational initiatives? Or will they see you as a newbie with just the bare minimum to be entry-level in marketing?
If you try to compete in marketing you’ll lose. If you compete in HR and organizational leadership, you’ll win.
Be warned though: your competition (colleagues at your level or below) will want to underqualify you to reduce their perceived threat to their own careers. They may highlight their direct marketing experience, attempting to portray you as an outsider.
In the same vein, those who would benefit from your presence, will overqualify you and focus on the unique strengths you bring to the table, downplaying your lack of experience as novelty or a “fresh new perspective”.
In other words, how you get classified will depend on who you start your conversation with
It’s not about you. It’s about them…
Which is also why you need to circumvent peers and gatekeepers, and directly talk with individuals who will benefit from hiring you – meaning – you need to use the warm application process and target executives.
The Key To Authority Transfer
The easiest way to transfer authority is to target people who will benefit from giving you authority.
For instance, continuing the example from above, HR may hesitate to bring you in as a manager in marketing, but the Marketing Director who urgently needs to build their team may recognize the value of your extensive experience working with people. They can see how your skills in HR can translate into successful marketing initiatives. They can see how they can use you.
In other words, preserving authority in a career pivot is all about who you talk to, and aligning your presence with their incentives.
Remember: It’s a numbers game. It’s also a peoples game.
And in this game, there are no rules, but the ones you make up.
Final Takeaway: Track Record Without Waiting for Permission
When you’re pivoting to a new industry, you have a fantastic chance to redefine your career.
The real game-changer? It’s all about how you control the narrative around your experience.
Instead of waiting for someone to validate your worth, take the initiative to showcase what you can do.
And in showcasing what you can do, remember that your track record is a powerful asset, so don’t hesitate to leverage it – even if it doesn’t make immediate sense or relate to your target industry – it doesn’t matter!
What matters is the fact that you can spin your experience in one context using the language of people in another context.
For instance, “success hiring people” is obviously not the same as “success in marketing”. But if you get people to focus on the word “success” rather than “people” or “marketing”, you can control the narrative.
It’s all about the spin. It’s 100% about the spin.
There is nothing in the corporate world but the spin.
And if you ever for a split second doubt that, just watch an earnings report, or a CEO speech, or even… The White House…