In a recent group coaching call I led, a caller asked about transitioning from the public sector to the private sector. Keep in mind that your industry and functional expertise also determine how a transition should be made. But even assuming that industry and function stay constant (e.g., you are moving from a public hospital to a private one and staying in the same department), the transition between sectors alone still needs to be managed.
In a recent group coaching call I led, a caller asked about transitioning from the public sector to the private sector. Keep in mind that your industry and functional expertise also determine how a transition should be made. But even assuming that industry and function stay constant (e.g., you are moving from a public hospital to a private one and staying in the same department), the transition between sectors alone still needs to be managed.
Diffuse any negative stereotypes attached to your current sector. People have assumptions about the sectors. Public sector people may assume private sector career changers are just chasing the next hot area. Private sector people may think all public sector people are bureaucratic.
Position yourself in a way your new sector understands. I once coached a non-profit candidate whom I would have hired for a private sector job in a heartbeat. Why? She had a very clear sense of her organization, its cost drivers and funding sources, and this business savvy could easily translate this into a bottom line-oriented culture.
Get inside even if you have to cold call to do it. We all know the value of networking. But keep in mind that, when you are coming from a different sector, you may not have a robust network in your new sector. Therefore you have to be prepared to build your new network from scratch by actively identifying which people you want and need in your network and approaching them.
Career changes require that you become a changed person, appealing to a different expectation, positioning yourself in a new way, and developing a new network. This is true for sector changes, industry changes or functional changes. It requires work but is imminently doable and puts the direction of your career where you want it to be.
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.
