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Career Pivot Advice?
I've worked in higher education administration for 12+ years and I've been trying to transition to a career in tech or marketing - perhaps in Ed Tech or Education Management.
Since earning my MBA two years ago, I've worked with a number of career coaches, recruitment companies, and conducted countless informational interviews trying to figure out my direction and how to best position myself as a strong candidate. It's been really frustrating because I feel like I'm not being selected because I lack direct experience in these fields. But when I compensate for that by applying to entry level positions, I worry that I'm not being selected because I'm viewed as overqualified. It also seems like no one outside of the higher education field understands what I do and therefore my experience is not viewed as valuable elsewhere. I know that isn't true but how do I convince hiring managers/recruiters?
Does anyone have any advice on how to strategize this job search? Maybe what I'm attempting is not possible and I should just give up? Has anyone ever made this kind of career pivot successfully?
Thanks!
Carlisa RobinsonOperations Manager
27
11/21/20 at 4:05AM UTC
Thanks! That’s a good idea. I’ll reach out to that office with that question. I’m definitely don’t use their resources enough.
Suzanne TaylorCareer Consultant // Higher Ed Expert
92
11/21/20 at 3:25AM UTC
Hi Carlisa! I am a former student affairs professional turned career coach, so I have some insight to both working in higher ed and making career transitions.
What caught my attention reading your post was the MBA you casually dropped in. I used to work in a business school and know that most MBA programs have dedicated career services staff to help their students find internships, network and get jobs. I bet, even as an alumna, they would be more than willing to assist with your branding and job search (and it would be a free resource).
You may have already tried that route, but I thought of it because I think you'd actually be a good candidate for an MBA internship where you can gain corporate experience at a level that's appropriate for you. I would guess that it's easier to get an MBA internship if you're working with your program's career services, but you could also just try applying to them on your own. After the internship, I bet that a lot more companies would be willing to take you on!
Jessica Bendell
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11/18/20 at 4:31PM UTC
Agree with what m513 said - I immediately thought of learning & development roles as well for either consulting companies or internally at companies. Another search term could be training and development and also e-learning or online learning. With the emphasis on remote learning these days there are likely many opportunities in this space. Best of luck!
Carlisa RobinsonOperations Manager
27
11/18/20 at 5:30PM UTC
Thanks, Jessica!
M513If you want to go far, go together.
13
11/17/20 at 3:38PM UTC
Hi Carlisa, Reading your comment, I thought about Training and Development roles. Some companies are making transformational changes that require them to reskill and upskill their workforce. They need new leaders to help their existing Trainers with this as well. If you look at some Learning & Development job ads you may find key words that match up with your skills but don't match up with your higher ed. terminology. If they match, you may see more interest using their language. Keywords may help your resume pass the applicant tracking systems most companies use. Good luck!
Carlisa RobinsonOperations Manager
27
11/17/20 at 5:47PM UTC
Thank you! I'll add those terms to my job search alerts.
Aly BrineHelping Corporate Hippies thrive on LinkedIn!
1.59k
11/17/20 at 2:46PM UTC
Hey Carlisa, don't give up! Any vision can be made logical. What's your networking strategy look like?
Networking would be my recommendation here instead of applying to job, especially since you said folks don't seem to understand what you do just on paper. Having in person conversations give you the ability to control the narrative about your experience and help you explain better to a decision maker.
Since you already have a general idea of which direction you'd like to transition to, I'd recommend starting with identifying folks who are working in similar roles at organizations you'd be interested in being a part of. I'd also recommend using the LinkedIn alumni tool to do so! People are innately wired to help and especially want to help if they have something in common with the person asking. In this case, it's the alumni connection. I went to Ohio State and we all totally drank the Koolaid and will help any fellow alums! LinkedIn's data is an amazing place to start. I have a quick free video overview of how you can use the tool here: https://www.alybrine.com/LinkedInAlumniTool
After you identify folks, ask for informational interviews. You're not asking for a job, you're asking for information. Maybe it's their opinion on how to better write your resume to convey your experiences and make you a more viable candidate or maybe it's learning more about their background such as how they chose their role. It's a way for you to get a better understanding of the job as well as gain insights. Obviously, you'll have a chance to talk about yourself and what you're looking for in these discussions and if they have any other leads or advice, they'll give it!
Don't give up, just change your strategy!
Carlisa RobinsonOperations Manager
27
11/17/20 at 5:55PM UTC
Thanks! I've done a lot of informational interviews trying to figure out what positions would be a good fit for me. A couple have led to internal referrals . But honestly, most people don't respond to cold outreach. I will check out the tool you provided! I do think there's more features on LinkedIn I could be taking advantage of.
Aly BrineHelping Corporate Hippies thrive on LinkedIn!
1.59k
11/17/20 at 8:35PM UTC
Tell me more about your process for asking these folks for an informational interview? Are you finding any commonalities with them? Are you indicating what you're looking for with your ask? I teach this process in one of my courses so I'm curious to see if we can troubleshoot!
Carlisa RobinsonOperations Manager
27
11/17/20 at 10:24PM UTC
Hi Aly! Thanks for helping to troubleshoot.
I message them over LinkedIn (if I'm unable to find a direct email address), I state in a sentence or two who I am, what we have in common, and the transition I am trying to make. And then I ask a specific question about their background or company. "I would love to learn more about xyz. Would you have 20 mins to chat sometime this week?"
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