Looking to transition to a new industry
Hello! I hope everyone is fairing healthy during these times. I am a 7+ year veteran in one particular industry and am looking to transition into a new one. I know we have a virtual session coming up next month on this, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how I can make a successful transition. Resume ideas? Buzzwords to include? Any necessary certifications?
Would love some advice from anyone that may have some to share. Thank you in advance!
You mentioned above that you want to transition from CPG to Tech in project management (hopefully)
do you have project management skills?
If yes, then use your project management skills to leap from a CPG job to a tech job. I would suggest looking for a tech company that supports (or focuses on) the CPG industry, where you will bring a huge set of skills being familiar with the CPG industry.
Don't know any tech companies in the CPG industry? I'm sure you do. What software is your current company using for any number of process? Any of those software companies are potential future employers for you.
If you don't have a project management background), then I would:
- get some skills in project management by taking an online class (not an expensive class to get started watch youtube, take some linkedin or Udemy or similar classes and perhaps engage in a more formal online education path), learn about project management software by watching some Youtube videos, so you have a familiarity with the language of project management
- see if you have any project management experience in your past that you can use to flush out your resume (did you lead a project or plan an event, did you manage a budget, did you schedule other employees at your current job that allowed you to flex some project management skills)
- then I would look for an entry level project management job at a CPG company or a tech company that focuses on the CPG industry.
Great advice! I do have a couple of courses in progress on Udemy. They both come with an informal certification. Looking maybe to do a formal cert after I get through them.
And I am a current project manager now for a large CPG company. Just trying to see what skills would be necessary to highlight.
I work in the tech space and I have hired many project managers.
Here is what I look for in a resume:
1. working on software implementation or software creation
- this is important to me because I work in software
2. evidence of working across multiple teams in multiple department
- I want to see that a PM can work with both technical and creative types across projects Have you worked with technical writers, analysts? Can you work solo without a supporting project team? Have you worked with an external team? Have you worked with an overseas team?
3. Successful project completions with examples of the outcomes to the company or client
- seems like a logical item for a resume
4. Experience with a modern project management tools
- not just excel or MS Project. I'm not dissing Excel or MS Project, I just like to see experience with other tools. Side note: I also don't like hearing "I only use PM tool XYZ because it's the best" (cause there is no such thing as "best" when it comes to software, there is only the best or good-enough tool for a particular team or project)
5. What other skills you bring
- I usually don't like to hire a PM for technical writing, or QA script writing or product requirements ('cause it's better, if possible, to get a technical writer, product owner or QA person for those tasks) but it's nice to know what other skills you bring to the table (just in case).
6. I don't care about PM certifications (I look for project experience) but many companies do care and I am not anti-certification. For me PM certifications are a great bonus.
7. And lastly, if I am hiring a Project Manager, then I want to hire a project manager and I look for a strong project management focused resume.
- I have not had good luck, in the past, working with project managers who say they can do everything: project management, product management, marketing, communication, social media, SEO, email marketing, song and dance. I am not against people having different backgrounds (we all have unique paths in our careers, and leaning into those unique paths make a person a great asset). I just don't like hiring someone who focuses on the fact that they can do everything for me. Just because you worked on one email deliverability project 4 years ago but that doesn't make you a current email deliverability expert, it only means who are a PM who worked on email deliverability project and you are familiar with the world.
When interviewing, this is what I look for:
1. Ability to communicate clearly
- you can't be a good PM if you can't communicate clearly
2. Project artifacts examples (if possible)
- I let interviewees know ahead of time that I would like to see examples of their project artifacts (without them stealing any intellectual property from their previous employees), what is their go-to project update document look like, how do they communicate weekly with project sponsors, how flexible are they with their reporting artifacts and processes. If they can't provide, I don't hold that against them but I ask them to talk to their processes.
3. Project failures or near-failures
- how they identify, communicate, help resolve failures or near-failures
- how many difficult conversations have they had in their careers with project sponsors (more junior PMs may not have experienced those difficult conversations yet)
4. Questions
- you can't be a good PM if you are too shy or too arrogant to ask questions
5. AND a really strong team player (which is sort a good think for a PM)
good luck in your industry change. I moved from working as a medical laboratory scientist to the tech startup world about 20 years ago and it been a great ride ever since!
Thank you so much for this! This is way more advice than I thought I would get! I will definitely look to update my resume and include these items. I don't think I was being specific enough. Now I know where to focus. Thank you!!!
What industry are you looking to go into?
Looking to transition from CPG to tech? Project management hopefully