跨行跳槽5步走

Q168

作者: Annie Fisher   
数管理者都拥有可以跨行业应用的技能，他们自己却没有意识到这点。但缺乏行业经验会是一道很难跨过的坎。然而，只要遵循一定的步骤，做足功课，依然能够如愿以偿。
亲爱的安妮：我从2006年开始担任电子商务经理，近来这份工作我越做越不开心。一则我不喜欢去年接管我部门的上司。再则，我这一行的增长已经陷入停滞，而且似乎短期内难以复苏。所以，虽然在我这里颇有成就，但现在却觉得有点像在泰坦尼克号上工作一样没有前途。

    我希望能从事另一个行业——比如医疗保健或高科技，我听说这些都是现在的热门行业。但是我缺乏针对性的行业经验，这会扯我后腿吗？您对如何跳槽有何建议？——新年，新事业

Dear Annie: I've been in my current job as an e-commerce manager since 2006, and lately I've been growing more and more unhappy with it. For one thing, I don't like the boss who took over my division last year. For another, growth in my industry has stagnated in recent years and doesn't seem likely to pick up again anytime soon, so, although I've accomplished a lot here, it feels a little like polishing the decks on the Titanic.


    I'd like to look for work in a different business -- maybe health care or high tech, since I keep hearing they're the hottest fields now. But will my lack of industry-specific experience hold me back? Do you have any suggestions on how to make this kind of move? — New Year, New Career

Q168

亲爱的 NYNC：没错，医疗保健和高科技行业目前都非常繁荣，意味着来年他们会招聘大量员工。根据招聘网站 ExecuNet最近的调查，还有三个正在大量招聘的热门行业，分别是生命科学（包括制药和生物科技），制造业，还有能源和公共事业公司。

    此外，虽然当前就业市场充满不确定，但跨行跳槽也完全有可能实现。人才开发和再就业咨询机构睿仕管理顾问公司（Right Management）报告称，2012年前九个月中找到工作的失业者中，有略超过40%的人从事与失业前不同的行业。自2010年至今，这项数据一直没有出现大幅变动。

Dear NYNC: You're right, health care and high tech are booming, which means they'll be doing the most hiring in the year ahead. Three other hotbeds of hiring now, according to a recent survey of recruiters by career network ExecuNet, are life sciences (including pharmaceuticals and biotech), manufacturing, and energy and utility companies.


    What's more, even in this iffy job market, it's clearly possible to jump from one industry to another. Slightly more than 40% of laid off employees who found new jobs in the first nine months of 2012 now work in industries different from the ones where they lost their jobs, reports talent development and outplacement firm Right Management. That statistic has barely budged since 2010.

Q168

即便如此，每天都要处理海量求职信的人事经理还是会经常找理由剔除部分应聘者，而缺乏行业经验可能会使你在进入面试阶段之前就失去竞争机会——除非你在推销自己时多花点心思。“多数人都能很轻而易举地把一个行业的技能转换应用到另一个行业，”安•法斯蒂奇说。“但如何清楚详尽地向你未来的老板阐明为什么他们要考虑雇用你，就得看你自己了。你必须引导他们发现你自己的才能。”

Even so, hiring managers struggling with floods of applications are often looking for reasons to rule out candidates, and lack of industry experience can knock you out of the running before the interview stage -- unless you put some extra effort into selling yourself. "Most people do have skills that can transfer fairly easily from one industry to another," says Ann Fastiggi. "But it's up to you to clearly spell out to prospective employers why they should consider hiring you. You have to lead them to water."

Q168

法斯蒂奇是纽约猎头公司赫伯特矿业协会（Herbert Mines Associates）的总经理，经常运作高级管理人员的跨行业跳槽。比如法斯蒂奇曾经招募前库尔斯酿酒公司（Coors Brewing Co.）董事长兼首席运营官弗里茨•帕岑（Frits Paaschen），担任喜达屋酒店及度假村集团（Starwood Hotels and Resorts）的首席执行官。

    法斯蒂奇认为：“电子商务行业的技能和经验在其他行业会很有用。”所以你其实还颇有优势，听到这一点你会颇受鼓舞吧。另外，她还为你的职业变动给出了以下五条建议：

  Fastiggi, a managing director of New York City-based headhunters Herbert Mines Associates, has frequently steered senior managers across industry lines. One example: Fastiggi recruited Frits Paaschen, current CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts (HOT), from his old job as president and COO of Coors Brewing Co.


    You may be encouraged to hear that you have a bit of a head start since, according to Fastiggi, "e-commerce skills and experience tend to travel well." Beyond that, she offers these five suggestions for making your move:

Q168

1.想清楚为什么想换行。“通常人们认为自己想在职业上做些重大改变是因为目前的工作存在问题，但这些问题可能在一两年内就会好转。比如说，如果你对上司不满，你大可选择等他走人（同时寄希望于下任上司比现任的强），因为多项调查显示，企业高管平均每两年就会调动一次。

    另一方面，如果你真的认为你在这家公司已经不会有发展，而在其他行业看到了自己感兴趣的挑战，认为在那里你才能真正创造价值，那准备好深入阐述这些问题——这也是第2点要谈到的。

1. Think hard about why you want to change industries. "Often people think they want to make a big career change because of a problem in their current job that could get better in a year or two," Fastiggi observes. Take your feelings about your boss, for instance. Since plenty of research shows that senior managers change positions every two years, on average, one option would be to simply wait it out (and hope your next boss will be an improvement from your current one).


    If, on the other hand, you truly believe you've done everything you can at this company, and you see challenges in another industry that interest you, and where you think you could add real value, be prepared to discuss those in detail -- which brings us to step No. 2.

Q168

2.仔细研究潜在雇主。不管找什么工作，这一点都很重要。尤其是当你尝试进入新领域时，它要么能成就你，要么会毁掉你。“必须尽可能全面地了解这个行业以及你应聘的每家公司的现状，”法斯蒂奇说。“想清楚雇主们面临着什么挑战？你能在哪方面贡献价值？真奇怪很多人都没有做到这一点。”

    一旦对哪里最能发挥自己的才能和经验有了明确的想法，你就可以精心制作每一份简历——每家公司都要单独专门制作简历——和求职信，详细阐述为什么他们需要你。

2. Research potential employers thoroughly. This is important in any job hunt, but when you're trying to break into a new field, it can make or break you. "You need to know everything you possibly can about what's going on in the industry and at each company where you apply," says Fastiggi. "Think about the business challenges facing employers and exactly where you would be able to add value. It's surprising how many people don't do this."


    Once you have a clear idea of where your talents and experience would fit, craft each resume -- a different one for each employer -- and cover letter to emphasize why they need you.

Q168

3.和你目标行业的从业者聊聊。打开Linkedln或其他社交网站，找几个你目标行业的从业者联系一下，看看你的技能和特长与他们的有多少（或有没有）相同之处。“甚至可以考虑问问对方，能不能让自己跟随几个小时，直接观察他们的日常工作模式，”法斯蒂奇说。“这样真的可以让你大开眼界。有些行业并没有看上去那么美。”
3. Talk to people who already work in your chosen industry. Tap your network, on LinkedIn and elsewhere, to contact a few people who are currently doing the kind of work you want to do. Find out how (or whether) your skills and proclivities match up with theirs.

    "You might even consider asking if you can 'shadow' someone for a few hours, just to see firsthand what their average work day is like," Fastiggi says. "This can be a real eye-opener. Some industries sound more interesting or glamorous than they really are."

Q168

  4.展示工作激情。“活力和渴望大有帮助，”法斯蒂奇指出。“面试官希望能看到你具备足够的热情和毅力来应对这一重大职业变化。对于这个机遇你必须感到由衷地兴奋。”运气好的话，你的乐观也会感染面试官。
4. Show enthusiasm. "Energy and hunger go a long way," Fastiggi notes. "Interviewers want to see that you have the enthusiasm and stamina to do what it will take to make this change. You really need to be genuinely excited about the opportunity." With any luck, your optimism will be contagious.

Q168

5.问对问题。“进入第二或第三个面试阶段，离得到工作越来越近，可以问问未来的雇主他们从其他行业招聘员工效果如何，这是个聪明的做法，”法斯蒂奇说。“问问他们入职通常有哪些流程。如果回答没有流程，说明他们希望你一入职就快马加鞭地展开工作。”

    她还补充说：“比起希望你一上岗就创造奇迹，最理想的情况是，能让你先花点时间了解一下公司及其运营状况。”如果你得到不止一份聘书（希望如此），对于新工作即将带来的压力有一定思想准备，同时确定你能否应对这些压力，可以帮你挑选出最有前途的那份工作。

    祝找工作顺利！

    留言板：你有没有跨行跳槽的经历？你成功最重要的助力是什么？如果你是人事经理，一个完全没有行业经验的人怎样才能打动你？请留言评论。
5. Ask the right questions. "At the second or third interview stage, where they're getting close to making you an offer, it's smart to ask a prospective employer what kind of track record they have at bringing people in from other industries," Fastiggi says. "Ask what the usual onboarding process is. If there isn't one, they will expect you to 'hit the ground running.'"

    By contrast, she adds, "the best situation is one where you'll have a chance to spend some time getting to know the company and its operations before you start making changes -- as opposed to being expected to work miracles right away." Having some idea of how much pressure you'll be under from the get-go, and whether you can handle it, will help you choose the most promising offer if (here's hoping) you get more than one.

    Happy hunting!

    Talkback: Have you ever moved from one industry to another? What helped you most? If you're a hiring manager, what would persuade you to take a chance on someone with no experience in your industry? Leave a comment below.