Career Changer:
Leveraging Your Assets
By Kathryn Oakley, Ph.D., Director, Graduate Business Career Services
Many people pursue a graduate business degree as a strategy for implementing a career change. In most cases it takes more than a degree to realize this goal. Over the past eleven years, MBA students and alumni have sought my advice on this topic. Some are considering more dramatic changes than others, but most have been successful at achieving their goal.
Stephanie Christiansen, MBA '06, was working at a bank, but wanted to utilize her biomedical undergraduate degree along with her MBA to work for a medical device company. She was able to reduce her hours at the bank to just Saturdays so that she could take an internship at American Medical Systems in their clinical affairs area. After three months they offered her a full-time job.
Since the average age of the Full-time UST MBA student is 27, most are in a position where they are willing to give up a full-time job in order to pursue their MBA. In addition to making this big move, there are other steps a person can take to expedite a career change. Here are some to consider:
- First you need to determine your transferable skills. Be able to communicate to the prospective employer how your past experiences relate to the position you are seeking.
- Tailor your résumé so that it clearly communicates to the reader what type of job you are seeking. It should include key words found in job descriptions for the types of positions that are of interest to you.
- Take on new responsibilities at your current employer to gain additional skills in the area of work you are seeking. If you are currently working as an engineer, but want to go into finance, inquire at your current place of employment about taking on budgetary responsibilities or volunteer to conduct in-depth financial analysis for a project.
- Try to make the career change at your current employer. Frequently it is easier to make a career change with your current employer who knows you and knows your performance history.
- If you are not able to make the change within your current organization, consider companies that will appreciate your work experience. For example, biomedical companies would be interested in a nurse who came back for an MBA.
- Informational interviews are a great way not only to learn more about a new career and or industry, but also to gather information about specific companies. These contacts can later be used for networking or employee referrals.
- Engage in volunteer opportunities in your area of interest. If you are making a career change into finance, consider approaching your place of worship about being on their finance committee. If you are seeking a job in marketing, but lack marketing experience, take on a marketing role for your favorite association. Be sure to choose a cause for which you have passion. This passion will be reflected in your work.
- Consider a "stepping stone" job that will lead to your goal job. Individuals wanting to get into medical device marketing, for example, might first take a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative while working on their MBA.
- Network, network and network some more because according to an article in The Wall Street Journal over 60% of job seekers find their job through networking.
If making a career change is your goal, know that it can happen for you and that you don't have to go it alone. The UST Graduate Business Career Services office offers workshops and individual coaching to assist you. Contact us by email or call 651-962-8807 for information on workshops or to set up a time to meet with a career coach.
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