Supporting those impacted by humanitarian crises.

Like many of you, I have been on the edge of my seat following the missing submersible, but have also reflected on how inequitable our response has been when compared to the response to the hundreds of lives lost on the capsized ship of refugees. I talked about that in this post earlier today.

Yesterday was World Refugee Day, and if you’d like to support those who are desperately trying to find a path to a better life, please join me in donating to some of these organizations (or others of your choosing!)

1. Tent Partnership - this organization works with companies to train and employee refugees

2. Doctors Without Borders - medical care in areas where people have less access

3. International Rescue Committee - support for those impacted by war, natural disasters, and other humanitarian crises.

-Any money gained from sponsorships (for example, this week, that’s Teal!)
-Any money gained from affiliate links this week
-And $5/new subscriber to this newsletter between today and the time the next issue goes out

As an immigrant myself, I was lucky to have a relatively smooth process as a result of my family’s education and financial resources. I know that so many do not have that experience and are risking everything simply for a chance at a better life. And that should not be as hard as it is. Anyone who has the bravery to leave the life they know deserves a chance to realize that better life.

Do transferable skills matter?

I hear this a lot - you’ve built a lot of the skills needed for a job but aren’t getting considered because you didn’t have the title.

So what should you do?

1. Really lean into the lingo and tools. For example, maybe you feel like you’ve demonstrated all of the skills of a project manager in your role. But if a company wants a Scrum Master or someone who knows Agile and Waterfall methods, then you need to use that language and show how you have implemented those specific methods; simply talking about how you’ve managed stakeholders towards outcomes won’t be enough. Get to know the commonly used tools (ex. Asana) and implement them in your current work or in personal projects. And most importantly, make sure these buzz words are in your resume!

2. Talk to your manager about stretch opportunities or externships. If you’re fortunate to currently be employed, are there opportunities for growth within your role? Is there an opportunity to restructure your work towards the area you hope to pivot to? For example, if your work is lighter and another team has a major initiative, maybe you can lend them support for a quarter. Maybe someone is taking parental leave and you can offer short-term coverage. If a significant amount of your work can be related to a new type of work, then I think it’s OK to include that title on your resume, and certainly you can include those projects on your resume.

3. Be flexible about the industry and work location. Target lesser known companies or industries, and consider on site/hybrid over remote. Remember that the more well known or desirable a field is, the more competition there is. And the chances of a recruiter needing to consider candidates with transferable skills over those with formal experience are lower. But a local non-profit may have fewer options and be more willing to train someone up.

4. Leverage content creation. Talk about the areas you want to move into on LinkedIn. This will help build your credibility and could help a recruiter realize that you’ve got a lot of the knowledge and skills. Follow people in the roles you want to be in as well as those who manage people in the roles you’d be in, and comment when they talk about work. This might help you build relationships that could lead to opportunities in the future.

It will always be tougher to make a pivot to a new field or land a role at a higher level than it is to make a lateral move. But it’s not impossible, and hopefully a few of these tips will help you if this is the direction you’re taking your career!

👀 Here’s some interesting stuff in my world! 👀

Here’s a fun one! I hit 350k on LinkedIn, and decided to invite some recruiting friends to join me for a LinkedIn Live! If you want to connect with me and 3 seasoned recruiters, join us this afternoon!!

🙋Answering Your Questions🙋

Each week, I’ll answer a few of your questions in this section. You can submit your questions here.

I’m sorry you’re having such a tough time making a move into a new space - I suspect this question resonates with a lot of readers as I know many people are trying to make these kinds of moves and running into the same barriers.

A few thoughts:

1. When applying for roles that you’re “overqualified” for, consider ways to communicate your why and show that you are intentionally pursuing this opportunity. You can use a summary statement on your resume, a cover letter, or networking messages to convey this. Focus in on the work that’s most aligned to the roles you’re target. I’ve seen people who are applying for roles at a lower level but then fill their resume with more senior work - and in these cases, you’re not being rejected simply for being overqualified; you’re being rejected because you didn’t actually show how you have done the kind of work you’d do in the lower level role! If you’ve been more strategy focused but are going for a tactical execution role, then focus on showing those skills and experiences on your resume.

2. Companies like to see some sort of upward trajectory. If this wasn’t in the form of title, then show this through how your scope and impact increases. You can also break up a long tenure into a few roles with years to show how it evolved.

3. Use the language of your target roles where possible. For a title, you can use the title that’s more relevant and then your formal title in parentheses. Ex. Sr. Project Manager (Operations Associate).
   Describe the work using the language and metrics that are most meaningful for the field you’re moving into.

Finally, stick with it! We’re in a very competitive market so you can be super skilled and qualified and still not land the role because you’re up against other equally awesome candidates.

Good luck!

🛫 Community Connections 🛬

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The In-Flight Amenities 🍱

Each week, I share job openings within my network and a featured jobseeker that I hope we can all support in their job search.

Jobs you need to check out:
Zapier is hiring as always!
Here’s a cool opportunity for a writer with a great school network!
Quite a few Bay Area-based engineering roles here!
I love seeing recruiting roles, and here are a few opportunities!
Several exciting opportunities posted here for those in UX or Product Management!
And don’t forget, I’m sharing roles nearly every day on Twitter (which is why this list is a bit shorter!)
Interest Media is hiring!!
And as always, I share jobs regularly in my Talent Collective! (If you’d like to share jobs, we’d love to have you!)

A jobseeker you need to hire: Meet Barbara McDowell!
My job search journey began after learning I was part of a large (85 people) layoff. In my previous role, I led talent development for the consulting arm of a professional services firm. My accomplishments include evolving curriculum programming, creating engagement by establishing an onboarding program specific to the practice, and progressing the development of employees towards competency mastery.

What I’m targeting is a role within talent development and/or HR strategy that leans more to fuller scope organization development (remote and open to industry). I have direct senior leadership experience from my previous role in both managing a team, designing the development strategy for a consulting division, and launching national initiatives. My advanced skills include change management, competency design, learning strategy, and employee and leadership development. What I am targeting are these or comparable titles: Director/Senior Director/Vice President of Talent Development, Talent Management, Learning and Development, Change Management, and/or Employee Engagement. My previous roles were within HR, L&D, and Operations departments.
Think you might have a role that’s a good fit for Barbara, or be able to help make a connection? Add her on LinkedIn, or email her, and let’s get Barbara hired!

Interested in having your story shared? Sign up here!

_{For more resources to support you in your search, check out my Linktree.}
My content is seen by over 4 million people each month. Need help getting the word out about your brand? Let’s connect!