3 recruiters share their top tips for career changers
From CV tips to the latest hiring trends, we asked three recruiters who are specialists in their field to share their best advice for career changers.
Liz Floyd – Principal Recruitment Consultant, Talent Nation
Talent Nation is the leading recruitment agency in Australia and New Zealand for the sustainability sector.
“I have more than 15 years’ experience placing candidates into sustainability, environment and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) roles, which can be in a whole range of industries from financial services to transport and manufacturing. I also cover more specialist roles in climate change, social impact and renewables, from junior and mid-level roles right through to Executive-level appointments.
I started my own career in industrial chemistry, which is very different to recruitment! But I was always very people-based and absolutely loved the idea of being able to help people through their careers. Now seeing the impact that extreme weather events are having on communities here and around the world, it’s heartbreaking. So I'm using recruitment as my tool to try and make the world a better place.
Liz Floyd, Talent Nation
We get a lot of enquiries from people wanting to change careers into sustainability – so much so, we’ve created a whole section on our website with some very helpful resources.
These are some of the key steps I’d recommend:
Start by digging into your motivation for wanting to make a career change and from that, identify your key areas of interests.
Work out your transferable skills and where you might need to upskill (or you may not need to). More important than ever are ‘soft’ skills. For example, sustainability is often about influencing. You might be the one dedicated sustainability person in a very large organisation, so your ability to influence and educate other staff and bring them on the sustainability journey will be critical.
Network as much as you can. Once a quarter in most capital cities and in bigger regional areas, there are networking events for the sustainability sector. LinkedIn is also a great tool to connect with people. When you connect with someone, always write a personalised note. As recruiters we get invitations on a daily basis, but if someone takes the time to say, “I'm looking for a career change or I'd really like some tips and I’d like to connect with you,” I would accept that because they've taken the time to be a bit more targeted in their approach.
When it comes to applying for jobs, where possible I always suggest being proactive and reaching out to the contact person for the role. By making a phone call or dropping them a personalised message, you can get an understanding of whether the role is going to be a good fit or whether the organisation is going to be willing to hire someone who is making a career transition.
Also, recruiters will be glancing over your CV in a short space of time, like 10 seconds. So it’s critical that your CV is laid out clearly and doesn’t have massive amounts of text. Headlines can be an effective way to grab attention or a short paragraph with your career summary, but the words you use must be genuine and authentic. If you’re using AI to help write your CV, something that sounds good may not be a true reflection of your experience. So don’t rely on AI alone to write what is ultimately a very personal document.”
Rochelle Nolan, Beaumont People
Rochelle Nolan – Recruitment Manager (Fundraising, Marketing and Communications), Beaumont People
Beaumont People is an award-winning recruitment agency in Australia, specialising in areas such as education, charities, health and community services, and professional services.
“I help connect people to the careers and roles they want to pursue, and help charities find the right people for their vacant positions. I spent 16 years as a communications, fundraising and marketing professional – both as a candidate and as a hiring manager – so I have unique insight into each side of the process, the pain points and the nuanced needs that go into making a successful placement.
I love having conversations with candidates who are considering switching industries. It can absolutely be done, but a few things will make the transition much easier:
Research the industry you’re trying to get into. Speak to people within it, read articles, listen to podcasts, be a sponge for what that industry is all about.
Articulate your reasons for wanting to change industries. What is it that attracts you to the new sector or role?
Interrogate your reasons for wanting to change industry. What assumptions are you making? How can you pressure-test them? An informed industry leap is a good industry leap.
Demonstrate to future hiring managers you are invested. Join some relevant networking groups, gain the necessary qualification, upskill via a short course.
Once you have followed the above tips, you should have a better understanding of exactly what skills and experience you have that are different and valuable, and what skills and experience you have that are directly transferable. Highlighting both will help your CV stand out just that little bit more.
At Beaumont People, we personally review each application. What I’m looking for in the first instance is fit for the job ad – if the ad was for a Communications Manager with digital expertise and people management experience, and I can’t see ‘communications’, ‘digital’ or ‘leadership’/’people management’/‘direct reports’ anywhere on the front page, it probably won’t be high on my list to review.
In the second instance, I’m looking for candidates who may not be a great fit for the particular role I’m recruiting, but look like they either have transferable skills, or have fantastic experience relevant to the areas Beaumont People recruits.
I have hired quite a few career changers, both as a recruiter and as a hiring manager! Those candidates stood out because of their presentation – they came across as adaptable people with growth mindsets and could speak in detail about how they would use their existing experience and transfer it to a new environment.”
Felecia Oxton, Harrier Talent Solutions
Felecia Oxton – Client Director, Harrier Talent Solutions
Harrier Talent Solutions works with some of the biggest brands in Australia to provide ‘whole of talent’ solutions, including customised recruitment services.
“I’ve worked in recruitment throughout my career and in my current role, I work with big organisations that outsource their recruitment, providing customised solutions to help them find the best candidates.
“There’s some amazing tech out there now that is changing the way organisations hire. We use a system call Vervoe, which puts candidates through a virtual ‘day in the life’ experience of the role they’re applying for. For these candidates, it’s not about their CV, but how they perform the tasks at hand. So a recruiter will set up an assessment that could include video, audio or basic tasks that simulate what they’d be doing day to day. Essentially, it’s “show us” what you can do as opposed to “tell us”. It’s the future of recruitment.
This is good news for career changers because traditionally, hiring managers would be looking for candidates with direct experience in a role. But in some organisations, we’re now seeing a broader range of applicants being considered who may not have been an obvious fit on paper. I can think of a couple of examples, but one in particular was a florist who had been running her own business for years. We put her forward for an executive assistant role, which she subsequently landed, after outperforming every other candidate in the assessment.
A few other tips for career changers:
Building networks is key. Look for recruiters who specialise in the field you’re interested in and build solid relationships with them because they have direct access to employers and will advocate for you.
Tailor your CV but keep it simple. People will create their CVs in Canva and do fancy stuff – for me, I just like to see it really neatly laid out. Keep the information relevant to the role and for mature candidates, I would showcase no more than 10 years’ experience to avoid ageism.
Your headline on LinkedIn is crucial. We’re always searching for candidates on LinkedIn and a lot of it is done on keywords. So make sure your headline is tailored for the type of role you’re going for. For career changers, this might include the transferable skills we’d be searching for, which you can generally find by looking at job descriptions.
I’d also say to women, don’t be afraid to go for roles even if you don’t meet all the criteria. We know that men will apply if they meet the criteria by 60%, whereas women feel they have to tick every box. You have to tick some, but with my recruiters, I always get them not just to look at a CV but the whole person.”
Ready to make a career change of your own? We have more great tips in our Career Change Kickstarter course to help you craft a standout CV and land your ideal role.
