Welcome to Edition #11 of Ask Gorick Anything. This AMA is part of Gorick's Newsletter, where Harvard career advisor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Gorick Ng shares what they don't teach you in school about how to succeed in your career.
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→ Read time: 5 min
ASK GORICK ANYTHING
“How do I switch careers?”
Subscriber’s question:
“I have been working in CPG (the food industry) for 7 years in different roles. Now, I want to pivot and build my career in marketing/brand management. I don’t have the experience that companies look for, and I have gotten rejected from interviews so far. I’m thinking of doing an advanced degree (MS) in Marketing in order to make this career change. I have also considered an MBA, but it’s a costlier option for now.
Is my career pivoting strategy rational?
PS: I have a Master’s Degree in Food Safety and Technology, but never really got to use that knowledge in the food industry. I discovered too late that the degree is not aligned at all to my interests.”
—"Rita” from Cleveland, OH, USA
Gorick’s response:
Hi Rita,
Thanks for your question, which is both specific and broad enough that I hope my answer can help a lot of people.
So, let me respond in general terms (so the lessons apply to anyone reading) and then layer on your specific circumstances.
As you may know from my answer to last week’s question on “Should I take a lower-paying job?”, I like to break problems down.* So, let’s break it down!
General question #1: How do I transition between two (seemingly unrelated) careers?
- Specific question: How do I transition from working in CPG to working in marketing / brand management?
General question #2: Would a graduate degree or MBA help me in the job search?
- Specific question: Should I get a MS in Marketing or MBA if I want to work in marketing / brand management?
*This can lead to pretty lengthy posts that apparently risk getting cut off in your email, so, for the sake of thoroughness yet concision, please see next week for General question #2 on the pros and cons of a graduate degree or MBA!
General question #1: How do I transition between two (seemingly unrelated) careers?
As I talk about in my answer to the question, “What are my exit opportunities?”, the world of work is organized like the board game Battleship.
Imagine a table with rows and columns.
Rows = industries (types of companies, e.g., insurance, media, publishing)
Columns = functions (types of departments/teams/roles inside of companies, e.g., R&D, finance/accounting, marketing)
The intersection of an industry and a function = a specific job (e.g., brand management at a CPG—consumer packaged goods—company).
Before making any career switch, it’s important to first ask yourself:
Which of 4 types of career transitions am I looking to make?
- A. Both industry and function (hardest of the 4)
- E.g., From a food scientist at a CPG company to an inside sales rep at a tech company
- B. Industry only (not easy, but easier than A)
- E.g., From a food scientist at a CPG company to a food scientist at an academic research lab
- C. Function only (not easy, but easier than A)
- E.g., From a food scientist at a CPG company to a marketer at a CPG company
- D. Neither industry nor function (still not easy, but easiest of the 4)
- E.g., From a food scientist at one CPG company to a food scientist at another CPG company
Nothing is easy in life, but there are harder paths—and the bigger your pivot, the harder it will be because fewer of your assets will carry over.
Why? Because the gatekeepers in your new job won’t understand or appreciate the experience, skills, and knowledge you’ve built up in your old job.
So, you’ve got two paths ahead: the harder path and the easier path.
The relatively harder path? “Transition Type A”: change everything.
The relatively easier path? “Transition Type C”: just change functions—but stay in the same industry, at least for now. (And then make “Transition Type B”—the industry-only switch—later.)
I like doing things the easy way (hence my course, Fast Lane to Leadership), so let’s take this path.
But wait! There are still 2 sub-paths you can take:
- Making a lateral move inside of your current company
- Making a lateral move outside of your current company
Option #1: Make a lateral move inside of your current company
- Find a way to be in the same room as someone you’d like to work for (e.g., attend one of their company presentations / lunch and learns, join one of the volunteer efforts for which they’re an executive sponsor, or go to a happy hour where they’ll be present)
- [If you’re attending a talk of theirs] Ask them a thoughtful and well-researched question
- Approach them and introduce yourself
- Chat with them while casually dropping hints of what you’ve accomplished in your prior role and that you are interested in working on what they’re working on
- Send a follow-up email
Option #2: Make a lateral move outside of your current company
- Look through your LinkedIn contacts, alumni databases, and friends lists and make a list of people who are in the roles you want (or who can introduce you to the relevant people)
- Message them asking if they’d be open to chatting about their experiences
- Chat with them while casually dropping hints of what you’ve accomplished in your prior role and that you are interested in working on what they’re working on
- Drop phrases like “Is there anyone else you’d suggest I speak to?”, “What would you do in my position if I’m looking to transition from X to Y?”, and “What’s your advice on how I can best stand out in the process?”*
- Send a follow-up email
Not every conversation will magically transform into a job offer, but try this often enough and you’ll eventually meet the right “sponsor” who’ll respond with, “Oh, you’re interested in _______? I’m hiring next quarter. Let me put you in touch with _______.”
This is frankly how many positions are filled—through networking.
And by the way, your next job move doesn’t have to be your final destination, so take your transition one step at a time. A step closer to your dream job is progress nonetheless. Celebrate that!
*Like my fill-in-the-blanks? Get your own flashcards here (+ free shipping on all orders over $40): https://www.gorick.com/flashcards
See you on Tuesday for our next story (and don’t forget to check back in 1 week for my answer to Part 2 of this question: “Should I get an MBA?”)!
—Gorick
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