Square pegs and round holes don’t mix. You’ve known that since kindergarten. Unfortunately, the job market is dealing with a bad case of “square peg — round hole syndrome” these days. There are too many workers with one set of credentials bumping up against too many jobs that claim to require a different type of background.
You may have run into this yourself in your own job search. The job description looks great, the employer is interesting and you’d love to work there, but your background — your past work experience, your education — just doesn’t seem to match the job posting’s requirements. Or so you thought.
[See: 7 Ways to Crush a Phone Interview.]
You might not be able to change the “round hole” of the job you want, but you may not realize that you can round off the edges of your “square peg.” In fact, a recent article in The New York Times explains that people have the opportunity to change jobs more easily than they may realize — provided they think about their skills more broadly instead of focusing narrowly on their past experiences.
The Times did research into a huge database of the activities and skills that jobs entail and found there’s a great deal of overlap between many occupations that might seem different at first. According to the report, for example, “Service industry jobs … require social skills and experience working with customers — which also apply to sales and office jobs.”
Here are three ways you can take a broader look at your skills to get the job that you want.
1) Take Off the Blinders — “Once a salesperson, always a salesperson” is not the credo to live by anymore, and this applies regardless of your occupation.
When you’re searching for a job or looking to make a change, think broadly about how your experiences can apply elsewhere. If you are in a customer-facing role, you are probably a good communicator. Those skills can translate well into sales, marketing, public relations and a host of other roles. Don’t narrow your options before you’ve even started exploring them.
[See: The 25 Best Social Services Jobs of 2017.]
2) Use Your References as Allies — When you’re making the case for how your skills can apply to a role you may not have been in before, your job references can be your greatest friends. They are the people who have seen you in action in the workplace. They’re in the best position to vouch for your knowledge, abilities and aptitudes.
Help your references help you. Talk to them in advance about why you’re a good fit for the job you seek. Explain the clear connections between what you did when you were working with your references and what you’ll be doing in your ideal new role — especially if it’s different from what you were doing before. Your references can help flesh out the narrative you’re building when you’re talking with prospective employers. Their voices are critical when you’re trying to connect the dots between your past work and what you’re aiming to do now.
3) Tailor, Tailor, Tailor — A one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to your resume and cover letter is a terrible way to tackle any type of job search, and it’s especially bad when you are looking to move into a different type of position. Make sure to call out how your background and skills match up neatly with the expectations of the role. For example, if the job you seek requires strong sales experience and you’re coming from a non-sales position, you might highlight your experience and success selling your ideas internally.
You should take the opportunity to make the same points during your job interviews as well. Practice giving answers where you pivot from a question about how you might lack a certain kind of experience by explaining why your past work actually dovetails nicely with the job you want.
[See: 10 Ways Social Media Can Help You Land a Job.]
There’s a major factor working to your advantage in the job searching situation: It’s a very tight job market right now. A recent jobs report notes that unemployment now sits at around 4.3 percent, a 16-year low. Employers are being forced to open their eyes to candidates who may have more varied backgrounds than perhaps they thought they might need to consider. You can capitalize on this dynamic by taking these simple steps.
Here’s the bottom line: Let employers know that they are not taking a chance on you. You have real skills that can translate directly to the job you seek. Be ready to make your case!
More from U.S. News
25 Best Business Jobs for 2017
Tips for Surviving a Career Transition
3 Ways to Bridge the Skills Gap and Get the Job You Want originally appeared on usnews.com
