3 Mistakes I Made In My Career Transition
Switching careers or industries? I’m going to share the mistakes I made in my career transition so you don’t repeat them.
I applied to all sorts of roles. Any opening in EdTech, instructional design manager roles for which I was not qualified, FAANG positions, contract gigs even though I needed benefits. I was wasting my time and theirs.
Overcoming #1: I made a specific list of what type of job I wanted and only applied to very targeted roles that met my criteria. If I wasn’t excited about a position, I moved on.
I used my teacher application materials. Seriously, I applied to corporate ID roles with my teacher resume and portfolio. Recruiters didn’t care that I taught a three month long history unit on the rise of Mao.
Overcoming #2: I studied up on marketing a little bit to craft a short summary of who I am professionally in a nutshell (the sage brand archetype helped, btw). Then I translated all of my experience into a refreshed resume, AND created all new work samples for my digital portfolio.
I relied on upskilling for interview prep. Figuring I learned some new tools and had the LinkedIn learning certificates to prove it, my expertise would magically come through in interviews. Welp…I bombed the first couple interviews.
Overcoming #3: I prepared “anecdotes of success.” By recording a couple key stories that highlighted how I positively impacted an organization, I was able to sound more credible and successful. Then I found a way to work those narratives into each interview. Yes, I brought notes!
My big takeaway is to be intentional. Do your research and make a plan for your job transition.
Because I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, I used the self-guided path from TPLD, which is free.
Learning from my mistakes can save you time, money, and headaches.
