Author: Konstantina Dee, Alumni Careers Manager Warwick Business School
When was the last time you talked to a professional who has remained in the same role and company for over 15 years?
Employees in the UK are estimated to change between five – seven jobs in their working lives (Office of National Statistics (2021)). It is likely that for Gen Z and Alpha this might be higher. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics reports that the average American has 12 different jobs throughout their career. About 60% of UK employees consider career changes in mid-life, when priorities get re-balanced. Research by Aviva (2024) suggests that the career changers feel that it was worth the efforts, despite challenges with skills gaps and job hunting.
If you are looking for inspiration, consider examples like Jeff Bezos, who was a Wall Street executive when he started Amazon from his garage to build the business into one of the world’s largest retailers. Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, was an executive in Apple and PayPal and leveraged his knowledge of network theory to build the platform we use now. Chris Anderson, Head of TED, was initially a journalist and publisher leading an organisation with a profit driven ethos and became the leader of a mission- driven organisation, promoting knowledge and community building.
Transitions happen within our alumni community too and I reached out to alumni to get insights on the best strategies for career transitions. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Imane Radouane, MBA Class 22-23 and Monica Vargas, MBA Class 21-22 for their contribution
Leverage on What You Already Have
“Build on your strengths and differentiation points to find an open door in the target industry. For me it was the work in Africa and the languages I know. I wanted to go to ESG and impact in finance but kept my focus on institutions operating in emerging markets.”
Identifying your transferable skills and unique differentiators is a good start. Imane saw where her previous experience and ability to speak multiple languages were going to help. We often ask students to share a career achievement with a partner in order to help them discover strengths which they might not have been aware of. You can do this with any trusted friend.
You will also need to do research into your target industry to be able to map what its requirements are. You can do this through informational interviews with people working in your desired function and industry. According to Imane: “You learn a lot even if you don’t meet your future employer”. Lots of industry and company information is now available online, you can read industry and company newsletters and reports, and you can get familiar with job descriptions to understand the required skillset.
Using industry-relevant terminology, reframe your past experience and achievements. Use AI to help you with this. For example, if in a previous role you managed supplier relationships, you can easily reframe this into: ‘Developed and implemented strategic supplier partnership programmes’ when mapping to consulting.
Update your CV and LinkedIn with the newly re-framed skills and achievements. Imane says: “Find points in common between your experience and that required for the next move, for example establishment of processes, coordination of some kind, and orient your CV towards those key words.”
Look Out for Opportunities to Gain Exposure
After 12 years of experience in the banking sector in Latin America, Monica Vargas wanted to explore new industries in the UK market. Not only did she succeed in transitioning into a new industry, but she also succeeded in that industry, receiving a promotion in less than two years after her transition.
Monica tells me: “The WBS MBA was key in helping me achieve these goals. As part of the programme, we participated in a Talent Book, where I had the opportunity to gain visibility by showcasing my professional profile to the UK market. After the Talent Book was launched, two consultancy companies invited me to get in touch with them.”
Seek out opportunities to contribute to projects that allow you to build the skill, gain experience to advance in your desired field and also to experiment. You can volunteer your expertise in cross-functional projects or additional initiatives in and out of your existing organisation.
“Change happens not by grand design but through experiment and adaptation.” (Herminia Ibarra, “Working Identity: Unconventional strategies for reinventing your career”)
Monica continues: “One of my main tips is to connect with people who work at the company you are targeting and be proactive in gathering as much information as possible about the company, its strategic plans, relevant recent deals, and how you can match with its culture and contribute to the organisation, focusing on your transferable skills.”
Your research into the industry will also identify additional qualifications or learning you might need to complete. You can also complete your further training online and often when I speak to alumni they share their ongoing learning with me, examples include project management, data analysis and financial management courses.
Establish Your Personal Brand
Building your personal brand is key and you need to be in charge of that. As Dorie Clark says in “Reinventing You: Define your personal brand, imagine your future”: “If you don’t take control of your personal brand, someone else will define it for you.”
You can start building your brand by creating a narrative, which reflects your abilities and aspirations. This can be done in three domains:
Industry knowledge – market insights or comments around challenges in your target industry, your predictions of how AI will impact this field
Technical expertise – sharing best practices and case studies, use of specific tools to improve processes
Thought leadership – sharing your views and insights on the bigger picture, including industry perspectives and strategic visions, innovative ideas and even recommendations from your dissertation research.
And remember use a professional tone and an engaging style including relevant key words and hashtags.
