Five top tips to help you switch sectors successfully

The beauty of a career in project management is that it allows you to jump from one sector into a completely new one. However, to find your feet quickly and thrive in your new role, preparation is vital. Here are five top tips to give yourself the best chance of success.

1. Know your stuff going in

Research is key. Gleaning information from news sources, LinkedIn and the websites of potential employers and industry associations will help you gauge how you can apply your toolkit before you even start.

“Read up on the sector to understand what’s important there, because if you’re completely green when you get the job, it’s not a good start,” says mentor and coach Susanne Madsen.

For this reason, it may be worth beginning as a consultant. When Madsen herself became a project professional in financial services, she did so after completing three different projects in the sector as a project consultant for JP Morgan. She was then approached by another bank for a project management role.

As well as gaining knowledge of the new sector, you should ensure you understand your own motivations. If you’re coming from another sector, interviewers are unlikely to see you as the obvious candidate. They will want to know why you’re looking to switch. Be specific.

2. Be confident in your knowledge and abilities

You should enjoy stepping outside your comfort zone. Don’t let fear stop you from sharing the experience and fresh perspective you offer. That means trusting your experiences of work and your project management toolkit. Project managers have a huge range of valuable skills, from communication to conflict management. Shifting sectors is about adapting them to new realities.

Marion Thomas, a specialist in leadership training for project professionals, also once moved into financial services, from manufacturing. At first, she says, it was “like being dropped from the top diving board into the sea”. But despite the abundant differences, she soon found commonalities that meant her skills and expertise easily translated.

“Building a picture in the new role is about filling in the gaps,” she says. “It will probably mean taking jigsaw pieces from your previous experience and building on what you already know. That means having the confidence to trust yourself and to know you’re adding value — and that you’re there because people want you to be.”

3. Use your existing networks — and build

Contacts are vital when looking to enter a new sector. It’s much easier to get a foot in the door if you know people who can give advice and insider information on what will be important in your interview.

Networks are also key once in the job, for getting up-to-speed and benefiting from mentorship and encouragement. But it’s not just who you already know. The same logic applies to finding new people who can give you ongoing support. So you need to be proactive about finding and connecting with people who will explain things to you. Take time to have coffee with people, to make those connections — and do so in a way that shows you’re genuinely interested in them.

Your network should include anyone in the business around you who can help you navigate the new sector — not just project professionals.

4. Be humble, curious and open to learning

Confidence is, no doubt, a desirable quality. But when switching sectors, it should be tempered with a strong dose of humility. You’re unlikely to know as much about your new sector as your new peers, who won’t take well to a know-it-all joining the company saying they’ve seen it all before.

The key is to strike a balance between showing up as confident and being humble and curious with it. Embrace being the newbie by proactively starting conversations and asking questions from day one. Extrapolate from your knowledge and previous experience, but keep in mind that you’re in a different territory.

One way to do so may be to say: ‘I’ve seen something similar elsewhere, but can you explain how we do it here?’

5. Keep taking notes

It’s down to individual choice how we gather new information in new environments. Pen and paper note-taking may feel old school, but it’s a powerful tool when absorbing vast amounts of new information.

You don’t want to be seen asking people the same thing twice. And rather than getting sucked into your phone notes when someone’s giving you the low-down on new sector-specific insights, the act of listening and writing in pen shows you are actively engaged.

And not only does a physical notebook provide a lasting resource you can refer back to, using a pen and paper has been shown to aid memory, so you may be less likely to need to refer to it anyway.