Dear J.T. & Dale: For the past 15 years, I’ve been working in customer service, and I want to switch careers. But every time I apply for a new job, I get rejected. I was told that because I don’t have any experience, I can’t get a job. How is somebody supposed to get experience? — Hunter
DALE: Let’s start by standing for a minute in the nicely polished shoes of hiring managers. They are probably overworked — that’s one reason they are adding to the staff — and they probably make the mistake of considering hiring to be a distraction from their “real work.” Thus, they get HR to give them a list of candidates who need as little training as possible, which is another way of saying someone who has worked in a similar job. That means they aren’t being close-minded or rigid, much less seeking to be uncharitable to newbies; no, they’re just struggling to do their jobs and meet their targets.
J.T.: And there you have the sad reality: The current process for applying to jobs basically excludes anybody who is looking to switch careers. The simple solution is to focus on contacting employers directly to share why you are switching careers. You should be prepared to explain all of the transferable skills and why they will help you be a good fit for this new type of position. Studies show that only 39% of people who get hired have the exact experience for the job, which means 61% of people are getting hired because of their personality and their ability to learn new skills on the job. That’s what you need to be hyping to employers; however, that’s only going to work if you contact them directly.
DALE: Even so, if you’re someone well into a career, you don’t want to be starting over and dropping back to entry-level pay. That’s why you’d evolve into a new career. You’re in customer service but you’d like to be in, say, project management. Seek to move closer, step by step. You might do that by finding a job in customer service in a company with a big project management staff. You’d work at knowing those people, and they’d learn to trust you and want to help you learn their field. Thus, you become an easy hire. Or, a different evolution, you seek to head up projects in your field of customer service, ones where professionals in project management see kinship. Essentially, you make yourself a project manager within customer service, then do your move. The point: don’t be the rookie; be the easy hire.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a new manager. She is extremely kind and caring and is worried about everybody’s mental health. Unfortunately, I find this to be overbearing and as invading my personal space. She’s always “checking in” and asking me how I’m feeling and if everything’s good at home. I find this really unprofessional. How can I politely tell her to back off? — Valerie
J.T.: I would ask to meet with her one-on-one and tell her that you really appreciate that she cares so much about her employees. Then, tell her that you’re a private person and that her repeated attempts to draw your feelings out of you is actually making you feel uncomfortable. Ask her if she would be OK with accepting the fact that you are fine and if you aren’t fine you will be proactive and reach out to her. I would just be very gentle with her feelings — my gut says that if she is this caring about everybody else, she’s highly sensitive herself and may take it personally if you’re too direct.
DALE: Right. Say something and you’ll probably alienate this kind, caring person, who, without meaning to, would begin to think less of you. After all, you’d be proving you’re not a fit for her holistic approach to managing. You’d risk all this downside, why? So you can keep your “personal space” in a cone of silence. You’re on the wrong team. Go work for some distant, bureaucratic manager — they’re easy to find.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “Experiments Never Fail: A Guide for the Bored, Unappreciated and Underpaid.” Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
