5 step survival guide to positioning yourself as an industry changer.

Switching industries?

This one is for you.

I went from retail to corporate in the middle of the economic meltdown that was 2008.

In 2012, I went from travel to #bigtech.

In the next 10 years, I hopped job families three times.

So yeah, I have some practice changing industries and job families.

Below are my top tips on positioning yourself in a new industry - what would you add?

P.S. Want more? Check out the extended guide here - it even has 3 tips just for Amazonians making a jump.

Here are my top 5 tips if you’re changing industries:

1. Master the dialect Every industry has its unique jargon. Decode it. From "learners" in education to "users" in tech, each word carries weight. The secret? Dial into your network, spark conversations and let the lingo rub off on you.

2. Geek out on trends News digests, press releases, podcasts - your tools to stay trendy.

Scope out industry giants, analyze growth metrics, regulatory shifts.

This will help you get a handle on a) competitive trends, b) growth outlook and c) legal/regulatory trends. These insights help you reframe your experience for the

new industry.

3. Practice interview questions with people in your target industry Practice interview rounds should be on everyone’s list – but it is doubly important for industry changers.

Have your interview partners call out the gaps in your narrative - where you used lingo, skipped context, or glossed over impact.

4. Drop the crystal ball “Is 5% a lot?” A question that hit me in my first loop with Amazon. Assume your interviewers have zero knowledge about your past industry. Be the narrator, introduce your past industry context – trends, competitors, scale, impact.

5. Show, don't tell ''Big impact'', ''massive growth'' are passe. Quantify your achievements. Flesh out numbers with context.

Example?

Rather than: drove significant adoption

Try: drove 25% adoption within 30 days, the fastest in 2022..

Want more? Download my free workbook with 3 pro-tips just for Amazonians.