Job in an Unrelated Field
A job in an unrelated field refers to a job that is not related to an individual’s previous work experience or field of study. It requires the person to learn new skills to do the job effectively. Although such jobs may not directly relate to an individual’s career goals, they can provide new experiences, help develop transferable skills, and broaden their horizons.
Individuals often realize they are in the wrong career after working for a certain period. This realization can decide to choose a new career path difficultly. While sticking to the same field may present several opportunities, venturing into a different field can be daunting, especially if one lacks experience.
Abundant advice is available online, but few sources offer a realistic perspective. Merely dreaming of a career change is insufficient without knowing how to secure a job in an unrelated field.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to land a job quickly in a new field, keep reading as we provide a step-by-step guide.
First, Let’s Look at Why you Want to Make the Transition
There are many reasons to change your field and try to land a job in an unrelated field. But why do you do that? What’s most surprising is that many people who want to change their area don’t have any solid explanation. If you ask them, they would say – “Yes, I want to land a job in a different field because my field is not good enough for me.” That’s vague. If you’re not clear why you want to change your field and land a job in a new area, how would you take steps to achieve it?
Use these steps to be clear about why you want to land a new job in an unrelated field:
- First step: Take some time out and sit with a pen and journal. Don’t get distracted. If you want to stay away from home to reduce distraction, do so.
- Second step: Think through. Ask yourself – “After investing so many years in this field, why do I want to step aside and land a job in an unrelated field?” You would have many answers. Keep on writing all ideas that are rushing into your head. Put them down. Don’t reject any idea at this moment.
- Third step: Use a filter. When no idea is coming along anymore, stop writing and go to each option and ask yourself – “Is this a real reason to change my field and land a job in a new field? Or is this a pseudo-need?” If you go through each reason and think through it, you will see that 80% of your reasons are false. The actual reasons may be just 20% of the whole list. Use three factors to filter all your reasons.
- “Can I solve it by remaining in this job (maybe by tweaking something)?” If the answer is ‘yes’ to the above question, cross it off the list. If the answer is ‘no,’ go on and ask yourself the second question
- “Would a new job in an unrelated field solve the issue?” If ‘no,’ stop and cross it off. If ‘yes,’ go ahead to use the third and last filter
- “Would it be possible that even in your new job, the issue would get raised again?” If ‘yes,’ cross it off. If ‘no,’ go ahead and tick it as one of the possible reasons you should consider a job change in an unrelated field.
- Fourth step: Once you have a few reasons, research using the above filter. You need to find a way to help you stand out from the crowd.
Now that it’s all about understanding yourself and your needs more than anything, we need a strategy to create a blueprint to make you successfully land a job in an unrelated field.
Let’s begin.
Guide on How to Land a Job in an Unrelated Field
To land a job in an unrelated field is tricky. But if you follow the below step-by-step guide, you can increase your chances of success by at least 30-40%.
According to Career Expert Ramit Sethi, the first step is crucial. So, don’t skip it.
Step #1 – Pick your Field
You know that you need to land a job in not the field you’re working in currently. But what occupation would you land a job in? How would you know? Most people get confused in this area. They have the least ideas about picking a job in an unrelated field to help them land the desired job. This step is critical. You need to know what to do to find your field.
- To land a job, you must be precise about what fields/skills will help you get a career. You need to go through a brainstorming session to find out which field you should choose. Sit with a pad and paper and write down the top 5-10 skills. And then also write down the top 5-10 fields you can work in.
- Now is the time to pick the top 3 from the list. This is tricky because if you’re doing this exercise for the first time, you will get confused about which to pick and which to let go of. At this stage, think through your interest. Which of these 5-10 fields do you like the most? Start with that. You need to research the field to find out the potency. But for now, choose the top 3 according to your interest.
- Lastly, do your research. Start with the first one. How many people can land a job using your skills in that field? This should be the question you should ask yourself. Go to Linked-In or any career portal and search about that field.
Step #2- Ask Questions
Once you decide upon the top 3 fields and know their potency to offer you a lucrative opportunity, it’s time to ask many questions.
- How do I want to do this (on the side or as a full-time job)? Do you want to land a job just as a freelance opportunity, or do you want to land a job as a full-time employee? The time and effort invested in freelancing and a full-time job would differ. This question will set you apart from the crowd and help you limit your expectations.
- How do I want to do this – virtually or locally? In this age of the internet and technology, this question is obvious. Do you want to use your expertise by working in a firm locally? Or do you have plans to work from your home and reach your clients all over the world? Set your expectations and act accordingly.
- Is this lucrative enough? You need to think that if you land a job in this new field, would it be lucrative five years from now? For this, do your research. Find out the past trends of this industry. Look at the industry’s attrition rate and figure out how this industry would look in the next 5-10 years. Does it look lucrative? Does it solve the issue for which you want to land a job in this new field?
- Is this intellectually stimulating? Most people don’t ask this question. Their primary focus is always on money and growth, but if you don’t find it intellectually stimulating, soon enough, you will lose interest and leave. Moreover, you won’t be able to grow in any profession if they don’t meet your need to learn more and enhance your interpersonal skills. Thus before you do anything, ask yourself this question and save yourself years of boredom and regret.
Step #3 -Tweak your Resume
Many people make the mistake of sending out a collection of information. But they forget to realize that the resume is not a place to showcase all the information; rather, you need to discern the relevant information from the irrelevant information. Here are some tips to make your resume awesome –
- Make it short. Now you may ask – how short? Our answer is – As short as possible. One to two pages are enough to describe you as a professional. You need to cut the fluff and offer concrete and relevant information. Concentrate on making the resume ‘tight.’
- First, write everything you need to write to start drafting your resume. Everything means everything. Then begin the summarization. You need to make it shorter than you think.
- Use the key information and skills relevant to the job/s you’re applying for. If you don’t have relevant skills, think through what you did in your previous jobs. Did you do anything at a minor level that you don’t consider a skill but a task? Show it in your new resume> as a skill. In the meantime, get better at the job. Follow the rules given by Josh Kaufman, the author of “First 20 Hours,” in which he says you can master the basic part of a skill just in 20 hours of study and practice.
- Mention your accomplishments or some other kind of experience. You also have an interest in music, sports, or hobbies. That will help you stand out.
- Get rid of all the typos and grammatical errors. Write error-free English to help you win over other job seekers.
- Use simple formatting. Don’t try to use any colors. Use only black and white. Mention your contact details and email id/s at the top.
Step #4 -Make a list of Transferable Skills
To land a job in a new field, you need to concentrate on skills you already have. Yes, you can develop other skills as you go along. But for now, to land a job, you need to know which of your current skills are transferable. If you’re in Human Resources and want to enter Marketing, the transferable skills would be ‘cold calling.’ In ‘Human Resources,’ you have already called people for interviews as an executive or manager. Use this as a skill for marketing. In marketing, you need to connect with many people, and you need skills. Human Resources and Marketing are two completely different fields. Still, like cold calling, there are a few other skills like team management, interviewing people, taking care of the reports, crafting a strategy to increase revenue and reducing cost, etc. Get creative. Use ingenuity. And make a list of all transferable skills.
Step #5 -Prepare for the Interview
There are two things we need to tell you here.
- First, don’t let the current job go before you land a job in the new field.
- Second, prepare yourself for the interview.
For the first part, you know why we’re telling you not to quit the job yet. We will explain the second part in more detail.
Preparing for the interview means there are three steps:
- Find out the company’s number one problem (where you’re applying).
- Then craft a one-page analysis of how you would solve the problem. Use facts, figures, and statistical techniques if you can.
- Along with your resume, send that analysis report.
If you take these three steps, this will set you apart from the crowd. Everyone sends out a resume, and most of them get ignored. Your job is to fetch attention.
Conclusion
The above steps are a proven method to success. You don’t need to learn rocket science to land a job in an unrelated field. All you need is common sense, strategy, and the ability to present yourself well. And guess what? You would land a job in an unrelated field.
