Career changes can feel incredibly daunting. And networking
for that change? Even more so. All your contacts know you for your current role
and responsibilities, so how do you even begin networking effectively for your
new desired role?
Like the career change itself, this particular step probably
won’t be as dramatic as you might imagine (no,
really). In fact, much of the networking you’ll be doing will be the same,
with just a couple of exceptions—and these sometimes make things easier, not
harder!
1. Let People Know
Even though many of the people in your immediate network
won’t be in your target industry, you never know who might be in their
networks. So let people know you’re thinking about making a change, and see if
they know anyone you can connect with. (This
“Help Me Find a Job” template can be easily adapted to a
career-changing situation.)
Likewise with your social media network, especially if your
career change is actually a fairly well worn path (think leaving
your corporate job for a startup). You might just attract the attention of
a recruiter and cut down on the networking you need to do.
2. Do Your Research
Even beyond your immediate network, you likely have more
resources at your disposal than you realize. Before you start reaching out to
people who are a little further removed from you, do your research. Does your
university give you access to an alumni database? Have you searched on LinkedIn
for people in your target role to check out their career paths? What are the
professional organizations that are active in your area? This might not feel
like networking to you, but it’s important to lay the foundation for your
future efforts.
3. Find Others Who Have Done It
Once you get a sense of the different ways you’ll be able to
meet more people, know that the most useful people for you to connect with are
those who have already made the career change you’d like to make. LinkedIn can
be particularly useful here, since you can see people’s career paths right
there on their profiles. While reaching out to people who have an extensive tenure
in the industry can be helpful to learn more about the trade, other recent
career changers are often able to offer more strategic advice about breaking
into your new field.
4. Seek Advice
Networking is hard work—especially the meeting people and
talking to them bit—but magically, it’s actually easier when you’re new to an
industry. Think about it this way: Networking is all about telling your story,
asking questions, and getting advice. As a career changer, your story is going
to be more interesting than most and, being new and all, you’ll naturally have
questions and require advice. Use this to your advantage! Once you’ve looked up
people to talk to, set up a bunch of informational interviews and go to town.
5. Go to Industry Events
Finally, put yourself out there. Go to local events related
to your industry. Professional organizations frequently have both social and
professional development events—and you could benefit from both. Learn
something new and create some luck for yourself. You might just end up in the
right place at the right time and meet the person who ends up giving you your big
break into the field.
It feels really big right now, but if you take it step by step and remind yourself to be patient, before long, you’ll be the one people reach out to wanting to learn about changing careers. Of course, you’ll still remember how intimidating it all felt and offer some words of wisdom or open a door or two. Right?
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