How to Change your Career without Previous Experience | Q&A with Shadé

1. 0:00 – 0:24

   Javier’s challenge: switching industries without direct experience

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:00

      So Javier

   2. JAJavier0:00

      Yeah

   3. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:00

      ... it's so wonderful to meet you. Thank you for submitting such a fantastic question. Can you please share with us what the question was?

   4. JAJavier0:06

      How can I look for new job opportunities in an industry I don't have work experience in? I think I have the skills, I have the background education, I have experience that could be valuable, but it is not the very specific industry experience. I w- I have been wondering how to address it.

2. 0:24 – 0:55

   Start with self-belief: the non-negotiable foundation

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:24

      Now, usually, when it comes to presenting yourself and marketing yourself, you're thinking about how you can capture your skills, your experience, and your expertise to demonstrate that you are the most compelling hire for the, the hiring manager or the interviewer. Now, of course, when you're trying to transition from one in- industry to another, it's really challenging, to your point, because you say you've got the background, but when it comes to actual experience in the industry, that's where you're lacking. My question would be to you, do you genuinely believe that you can do these roles?

   2. JAJavier0:51

      Yes. I, I, I do gen-

   3. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:52

      Good. [laughs] That needs to be the answer

   4. JAJavier0:54

      ... [laughs] I do believe it.

3. 0:55 – 1:26

   Step 1 — Lead with similarities and transferable skills

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai0:55

      Saying yes is the first place. You wanna say, "Yes, I believe that I can do this." And then it's about, okay, what are the steps that you need to take to make sure you're positioning yourself in the right way? And there are generally four steps or four pieces of guidance that I would always provide somebody. The first one is focus on highlighting your similarities in terms of what transferable skills do you have? There are a lot of skills: analysis, problem-solving, stakeholder ga- engagement, uh, building client relationships. There are a lot of skills that are actually very common

4. 1:26 – 2:26

   Step 2 — Minimize doubt by proving adaptability and learning speed

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai1:26

      across roles and across industries. So you really, really highlight all of your similarities, uh, especially ones that are obvious, but in addition, you know, ones that are not so obvious, helping them connect the dots. So that's your first piece, always start with similarities. The second part is then minimize the doubt in their mind that you might not be able to do the job, because that might be something in their mind, and what's probably happening is you're sitting in that interview room also thinking that, "Oh, no, I might not be able to do the job." And then you almost psych yourself out, you lose confidence. So it's really focusing on how can I minimize the doubt in their mind? What does that look like? Share examples of similar skills, again, like from point number one, but you wanna also share examples of how you've been adaptable and flexible and resourceful in the past. That's a really core skill, being flexible, being adaptable, because it also primes you to be able to position yourself and say, "Yes, I don't know the new industry, but from my track record, I've always been a very fast learner. I've always known the questions to ask, and I get up to speed very,

5. 2:26 – 3:20

   Step 3 — Show how you’d hit the ground running (a 90-day plan)

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai2:26

      very quickly. So I have full confidence that I'll be able to learn what I need to learn." You've minimized doubt in their mind because you believe in yourself, and you're presenting yourself that way. Number three, outline to them how you would be able to hit the ground running. If you were to start tomorrow, what would you do? You basically take them on this journey to realize that you're forward-thinking. Your first 90 days would look like this. You would start in the business knowing that you've got a lot to learn, but you would find out who the people are that you need to meet with. You would strategically arrange meetings with the entire team, with other peers, with other coworkers, so that you can get a lay of the land. Then you might specifically focus on what are the challenges that the team is facing. How can we eliminate them? Then you might look at what are the opportunities. So you're going in with a very strategic approach and demonstrating to whoever is hiring you that you have a plan. You're not just going to get in there and flounder and not know who to talk to and what to do. You're-

   2. JAJavier3:20

      [laughs]

6. 3:20 – 4:14

   Step 4 — Turn your outsider background into an advantage

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai3:20

      ... you know, you are, you're driven. You will figure it out. That's what you want to, you know, reassure them of. Then we move into step four. This is the really, really, um, the interesting one, and I like this the most. You want to think about how could you possibly do the job better than someone else from that industry? So the way to think about it is, how has your unique experience in the past in a different industry, how does that give you a unique perspective? How has that given you a different set of skills? How does that give you the opportunity to maybe ask questions that other people wouldn't even consider because they've just always done it that way? And how can that actually give you an edge? So it's a really different way of looking at it. It's basically saying, "Okay, I know I don't have the experience you're looking for, but actually, look what I bring. Look what I bring that is different to anyone else who has experience in your industry. I bring a completely different way of doing business." When you're in the moment-

   2. JAJavier4:14

      [clears throat]

7. 4:14 – 4:17

   Why preparation matters: avoiding going blank under pressure

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai4:14

      ... sometimes you, you can't think. You go completely blank

8. 4:17 – 4:48

   Practical prep technique: link the job description to your CV with proof stories

   1. JAJavier4:17

      Mm

   2. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai4:17

      ... especially when you've got the pressure of external eyes looking at you, and that's why preparation's actually really important. So if you're, if you know a particular job that you're applying for, what I always do is I have the job description next to me, I have my CV next, next to me, and I will draw the links between what have I done that l- you know, what skills do I have that I can demonstrate through a job that I've had before, a specific project I worked on, something like that, and how can I draw the links? If there's anything that's missing, I focus on transferable skills. And

9. 4:48 – 5:16

   You’re not alone: even senior leaders struggle with interviews

   1. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai4:48

      you can be honest about that. "Yeah, you're right, I haven't done that before, but let me share with you everything else I have done that actually leads me to be very, very competent at doing that." And you know what? Some of the most senior people struggle the most when it comes to job interviews because they haven't done it for so long. They've just been internally promoted without having to go through an interview process. And a lot of my clients actually are very, very senior, and they really struggle when it comes to articulating themselves and what they've done. So you're not alone at all. Uh-

10. 5:16 – 6:09

    Closing framework: mindset, self-belief, and practice

    1. JAJavier5:16

       [laughs]

    2. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai5:16

       ... it's very, very common. But it's, it's all about, you know, the two things. It's the, the... well, actually, the three things. The mindset, being able to think that, "Yes, I can absolutely demonstrate how I fit based on my co- unique combination of, of skills and strengths." The self-belief that, "I believe I can do this, and I'm gonna go in there and show them I believe I can do this." And then what was number three? Oh, practice. Just practicing. Thank you again so much for the opportunity to come on and be able to share some thoughts with you. I wish you all the very best with your, your future job hunt and with all the future interviews. You'll have to let me know how you go.

    3. JAJavier5:52

       Thanks so much for the space. It, it has been really great.

    4. SZDr. Shadé Zahrai5:55

       Thanks so much, Javier.

    5. JAJavier5:56

       And I will listen for sure. Thank you. [outro music]

Episode duration: 6:09