Switching Industries
by Lucas Stahl
Posted on November 29, 2018
Playing the same game but on a different field
It’s not easy as 1 2 3, A B C.
Months after I completed my full stack web developer boot camp, I started applying for marketing roles within the tech industry. From my experience I can tell you, it’s not as easy as 1 2 3, A B C.
The following questions are some key takeaways and journey notes along the way, but don’t get me wrong, I had to build up my resume before making this switch. I took a 6-month web programming certificate to enhance my digital skillset and invest in my future. I believe every life changing move comes to fruition through persistency, you have to be willing to push yourself in order to make your goals a reality.
What were the challenges?
One of the biggest challenges I faced in this new career path was moving from one industry to the other and moving up the corporate ladder. While I had a lot of marketing experience it was limited to the healthcare field. I wanted to move into the tech industry and made that the sole focus of my journey. I also wanted to move up from specialist to manager, but not having that industry background put me a significant disadvantage.
What was the biggest surprise?
I’d have to say the market. I was really surprised to see that the Chicago market was less likely to take a shot at someone with limited industry experience as opposed to the Bay Area which was incredibly more forth coming in their interviewing process. We all know that Silicon Valley is one of the biggest tech hubs in the United States, but Chicago is still a booming location. I really didn’t expect to have to relocate in order to achieve my goal. Out of 18 companies I interviewed with only 3 were located in Chicago, leaving me wondering if I was going to uproot and move out west.
I believe the Chicago market is still dated in the sense that they are more segmented as opposed to the Bay Area where they are more open minded to individuals who can bring something new to the table. In Chicago, it’s really about checking off the main 3 boxes, years of experience, desired field, and position specific. For example, if they are looking for a content marketing manager in Chicago, they want someone that is a content marketing specialist most likely with management experience in x amount of years. The idea of taking on the broader more jack of all traits “marketing specialist” isn’t the desired goal. Just because your bullet point experiences state you do content management, your title doesn’t and can weigh heavy in the automated systems decision to move your further. That’s where automated systems can really play a factor in getting your foot in the door. Which leads me to my next point.
What was the most eye opening during the interviewing process?
The most eye-opening takeaway from 4 months of interviewing was the referral process. Not only was it a huge advantage, it was something I didn’t pay enough attention to and now highly recommend that if you know someone, somewhere, you ask for a referral. This typically bypasses the first round of automated systems that review your candidacy and gets you to an actual person. Once, I figured this out, my phone was ringing, and I was off to the races.
What’s it all mean?
So, to sum it up, switching industries is incredibly hard and the markets may not all be the same. Prepare yourself for the unexpected but highly use your resources around you. If you have someone within the organization that can refer you, I promise you, you’ll move the chains a bit further. I kept at it and pushed until I found the job that kept me local and in the desired industry, I wanted to be in. I did this through persistency. I now work at HERE Technologies a global tech company and am truly excited to see where this next chapter in life leads. It wasn’t the easiest process to go through, the odds were highly against me, but I used the resources around me and the strengths I built up to get the job I wanted. Which is all part of the #MASTERPLAN
Related Resources
I hope this was helpful and feel free to comment with suggestions or questions.
- Man of Stahl
tech
healthcare
marketing
industry
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