I landed four job offers and pivoted into tech during the peak of COVID-19. Here’s my playbook.

Source: author

After 13 years in oil & gas, I decided to call it quits and pivot into another industry. I had been mulling over a transition since completing my MBA. After getting laid off in June 2020, I finally decided to pull the plug.

Switching industries is a tough prospect even during a hot job market and when you are actively employed. Being unemployed during COVID-19 added to the difficulty. But I still managed to interview with 15 companies and land four offers for my dream role in a span of three months. In this series, I will breakdown my playbook step-by-step so you can get similar results.

This isn’t going to be easy. Depending on your circumstances, plan for a six to twelve month transition. There’s a direct correlation between the hours you put in versus the number of interviews you will land. In my opinion, it’s purely a numbers game. At my peak, I was putting in 40-hour weeks for three months straight.

It helps to think of job search in terms of online dating. The more dates you go on, statistically speaking, the higher the chances of landing a long-term partner. And oh, expect a lot of rejections and bad actors along the way.

It helps to think of job search in terms of online dating. The more dates you go on, statistically speaking, the higher the chances of landing a long-term partner.

There is a misconception that networking is the primary activity required for landing your next gig. In reality, networking your way to your dream job is only effective when staying within the same industry. If you are looking to pivot 1–2 degrees into another industry, then networking isn’t enough. You need a more comprehensive multi-pronged approach.

Networking moves your resume to the top of the pile, the resume gets you the interview, and the interview lands you the job offer. A hiring manager needs to muddle through 200+ resumes for a job. Networking is extremely important to get noticed, but you need all three to land the final offer.

Networking moves your resume to the top of the pile, the resume gets you the interview, and the interview lands you the job offer.

Here’s the five-pronged approach I took to land multiple offers with an expected timeline in brackets:

1. Explore (1–3 months): Before you pivot, figure out the “where”. You need to research, research, research to figure out your interests and passions, career goals and aspirations, ideal companies, and your lifestyle needs.
2. Resume (1–3 months): The average resume gets skimmed in six seconds. That’s it. If you don’t pass the sniff test within those precious seconds, it’s game over. To reach that level of precision is easier said than done. Translating your 10+ years of experience succinctly into five bullets per job takes a lot of time and mental energy.
3. Networking (3–6 months): It’s unlikely that you have a strong network in your industry of choice. Networks are built on trust and that takes time. The quickest way to build your network is to join industry groups and start attending regularly to make one-on-one contacts. For example: I joined Product Calgary as I was targeting Product Manager roles in tech.
4. Interviews (1 month): This is where the rubber meets the road. All the exploring, networking, and resume writing has hopefully given you enough ammo to nail your interview. The key here is specificity and relevancy. This is where the company and job research from Step 1 gives you an immense advantage.
5. Generate inbound traffic: you can blog, post relevant content, optimize your LinkedIn page, and work on side hustles. I did all four. The idea here is to get more eyeballs on your profile and increase your reach. Is it exhausting? Yes. But it was also fulfilling and interesting.
6. Managing your mental game: Job search is especially difficult when you are unemployed. It’s a roller coaster journey with a lots of lows and a few highs. Admittedly, I sucked at this. I drove myself pretty hard, but that’s just in my nature. My North Star was starting a family in 2021 so I had purpose. Having one is key as it will keep you motivated.

Parting Thoughts

Find your joy. Spending time with friends & family over video chat, reconnecting with a long lost hobby, or exploring the outdoors are all great ways to avoid burn out.

It is important that you keep sane and ride out the inevitable lows you will experience from numerous rejections (trust me, there will be lots).

It’s going to be 6–12 months before you get to the finish line. There are always exceptions to the rule. I know people who pivoted within a month. These are rare cases and you should ignore them. Most people I know took a year to land their next role.

The main message I want to convey is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. How fast you reach it directly correlates to the amount of time, energy and effort you are willing to put in. The more time you spend, the faster your transition will be, but do take the time to smell the roses to prevent burnout.

In Part 2 of this series, I will share my approach to the explore phase and how I narrowed down the list of options to keep myself sane.