I got my last 3 jobs w/o applying for them, companies found me.
I spent 7 and 9.5 yrs. at previous two employers and approaching 3 yrs. at my current employer. I have been looking for a TPM role for 2 months and finding it really difficult. I have an electrical engineering background, but I have been a TPM for the last 13 years. I work really well with the technical teams. I have been told by engineers in my program that I have a really high aptitude for learning. It's been really discouraging to get "sorry we have decided not to proceed with you" emails. I know I can project/program manage in any industry. What is the best way to show that I can do the job and excel at it even though I don't come from the same industry? With so much experience in the same industry, no one is willing to take a chance.
Anonymous
09/23/24 at 6:21PM UTC
How much does your resume focus on the transferable skills and appear to be geared towards the TPM role you want?
I'm asking because I have years of experience in software QA and automation testing (unfortunately, not a good field right now) and I have sometimes gotten recruiter inquiries for manufacturing QA and for "automation" in manufacturing, which is not a setting I'd work well in or work I'm particularly qualified for. I've once or twice Easy-Applied to those because I was on a roll and then cringed (oops) . . . but where I'm going with this is that with your background, I'd be concerned companies might see your resume and think you were doing a "spray and pray" for anything with a few keywords in it or even easy-applied before realizing the difference in roles--except in your case, it IS intentional and you DO want the job they've posted. I've worked with some great TPM's and it's accurate to say there are so many experienced people looking right now, but you might want to see if there are product/tech meetups that look interesting for networking opportunities, especially if they are local and you are open to onsite/hybrid work.
Anonymous
09/23/24 at 1:39PM UTC
It may not be your experience in a single industry. It could very well be what all of us are experiencing right now which is a horrible job market filled with layoffs and hundreds of applications for each position.
Anonymous
09/23/24 at 3:12AM UTC
I’m right there with you! I have tons of transferable skills and pivoting into a new career but not much luck. I’m willing to take a contract role in order to get the exact experience under my belt to add to my resume! Good luck to you!
Anonymous
09/21/24 at 3:36PM UTC
It's really common for people to take a step back into a lower level position as part of a switch in fields. If you've got the transferable experience, you can expect to move up way more quickly than someone new to the workplace in general. Think about it in these terms - if you're new to the field, you're going to require some basic training in the actual work of the new field before you can effectively manage the new work. The most likely trainers are going to be the people working under you. Who may have applied and been turned down for the role. We see those stories often. If you can afford to take a role that will give you field-specific experience for a year, it will be much easier to be successful in the higher roles in the new field.
Anonymous
09/24/24 at 6:33PM UTC
I agree with you all. I told one recruiter I would be willing to take a pay cut to move to a different industry and she said she would discuss with the hiring manager. I never heard back even after I followed up. With many years of experience, I do customize my resume to include position-specific skills. I am now in my 50's and I know there are many younger and cheaper candidates with the latest skills in the market. I do proactively try to keep up with technology trends when time permits. I actively volunteer in a local PMI chapter. It just occurred to me to reach out to my previous peers. I am thinking about working on the AWS certificate.
