October 2009
October 2009
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Many people conducting or considering job searches have spent years in industries that have been heavily impacted by our current economy and job market. To many of them, it seems pointless to look for jobs in their current industry, yet they worry that they lack the experience or skill set that will allow them to land positions in a new industry or job function. In this Career Corner article, I would like to profile one of our alumni who recently switched industries as part of a successful job search.
In 2009, Beth Bjorlo (Evening MBA ‘08) left a position at John Deere as a Dealer Development Manager and accepted a new position with HealthSouth as Director, Marketing Operations. In her role with John Deere, Beth acted as a small business consultant, reviewing and analyzing financial statements, improving organizational processes and conducting customer/employee interviews. The role provided her with a great opportunity to look at a business from the top level and offer recommendations that could make the business more profitable, more efficient and continue to grow.
Beth’s goal in her job search was to return to the sales and marketing world, where she had nine years of previous experience. She also wanted to make a radical shift in industry. Due to the national attention to healthcare and the momentum for change, she felt that this industry would require strong leadership and direction and she wanted to enter what she felt was a very exciting new industry. She wanted to bring a fresh perspective and apply her business acumen to help guide HealthSouth through these changes and was attracted to the idea of working to help patients have easy access to quality health care.
One of Beth’s biggest concerns in interviewing for this and other positions was how to handle the perceived gap in knowledge. Her recently acquired MBA helped show her ability to succeed at new challenges and learn new subjects, demonstrating that she could adapt and contribute in a new industry. She also stressed that her major strengths - like successfully building relationships, creating solutions to sales challenges and managing finances - all were universal skills that translate across virtually all industries. And she analyzed her top accomplishments in the manufacturing industry and demonstrated how these lessons and successes could be applied directly to the health care industry.
In her own words, here are some words of advice Beth would like to share with others attempting to switch industries or conduct a job search in your current field:
“Networking does work! Leverage your contacts. I received an interview for this job due to a former colleague who offered to distribute my resume to some of his best contacts. I was pleasantly surprised and very appreciative of the efforts of the people I’ve worked with throughout my career and how willing they were to help me start this new chapter in my career.
Keep your mind open to new opportunities. Pursue all leads. You never know what may materialize that will pique your interest and lead to your next opportunity.
Have confidence. At times, a job search can be exhausting, frustrating and demoralizing. Looking for a job is a full-time job. Stay positive and keep yourself busy. I met lots of new contacts by getting involved in new organizations like the American Marketing Association, Advertising Age Talent Works, and the Carolina Club. I was fortunate to have a great support group of friends, family, colleagues and mentors who reminded me of my strengths and helped me to believe that I could succeed in whatever came next."
I hope Beth’s story and her advice has been helpful. Please contact me at john_worth@unc.edu if you have questions or would like to arrange an appointment.