Integrating Career Changes

STOP underestimating your "unrelated" skills and experience when you're looking for a new job. When I was in college, I had a bunch of odd jobs including working at UCLA’s Campus Call Center. My main objective was to jump on cold calls and convince high schoolers who got accepted to UCLA to come to the school. I knew I really wanted to work in sports, media and entertainment. And this job at the time didn't make any sense to my career growth, but I had to make some money one way or another to pay the bills because my financial aid only got me so far. But with this job, I didn’t see any route or direction that would lead me to my goals. Up to that point, my only "real" jobs were working at Forever 21 as a summer retail associate, YMCA as a referee, and as an afterschool assistant for an elementary school. So each day I’d dial 100+ of calls for work. Then I’d get home and apply for 100s of jobs for me. And it'd lead to rejection after rejection. I couldn’t figure out what I needed to say or do differently to get noticed by organizations. It wasn’t until I realized my current job wasn't just about me making calls. It was about me using skills like: - Relationship management  - Persuasive communication - Marketing strategies By reframing my experience, I transformed my “unrelated” job into a stepping stone for my career. This mindset shift was what helped me finally land a job at UCLA Athletics in student-athlete recruiting where I was now convincing high school athletes recruited by UCLA to commit to our programs. So keep in mind that every experience you’ve had, no matter how small, may already be the game changer you’ve been looking for. The key is identifying those transferable skills that align with your dream opportunities. Questions to ask yourself: - What skills am I truly developing? - How can I articulate these skills to potential employers? - Where else could these abilities be valuable?   What are “unrelated” skills / past experiences that have helped you in other roles? #CareerAdvice #SportsBiz #Media #Entertainment 

Experience isn’t just about years—it’s about depth, diversity, and impact. In HR (and many other fields), I’ve observed three patterns that often differentiate good careers from great ones: 1️⃣ Length vs Depth: Spending many years doing the same tasks doesn’t automatically make you more capable. Depth comes from tackling challenges that stretch your skills, from handling complexity, and from truly understanding how HR drives business outcomes. 2️⃣ Diversified experience > Domain restriction: Working across industries or multiple HR sub-functions—be it Talent Acquisition, L&D, Compensation & Benefits, or OD—broadens your perspective. Interestingly, solutions from one industry often spark innovation in another. What you learn in retail could transform logistics; what works in IT could enhance healthcare HR practices. Cross-industry insights can be surprisingly powerful, often in ways you wouldn’t expect. 3️⃣ Expanding your role vs switching jobs: It’s tempting to chase titles across companies, but deepening responsibility and stretching your current role often delivers more value. Taking ownership of new initiatives, leading cross-functional projects, or designing strategic interventions within your existing role accelerates growth far more than hopping for the sake of a resume. The takeaway? Your career is a portfolio of experiences—choose breadth, depth, and strategic stretch over mere chronology. Curious to hear from my network: which cross-industry or cross-function insights have transformed your approach to HR?

Career pivots at the senior executive level require more than experience—they demand the ability to translate your leadership skills into new industries or roles. If you're navigating this transition, here’s how to position yourself for success: 🔍 Identify Transferable Skills Start by isolating the core leadership skills you've mastered. Strategic thinking, operational excellence, change management, and stakeholder engagement are valuable across industries. Align these strengths with what your target industry prioritizes. 🗣️ Bridge the Language Gap Every industry has its own language. Research how your target sector talks about challenges and success. Replace industry-specific jargon with universal leadership terms that resonate in your new field. ⚡ Highlight Adaptability and Learning Agility Senior roles in new industries often require quick learning and adaptability. Share examples where you led through market shifts, integrated new technologies, or managed cross-functional teams—proving your capacity to thrive in unfamiliar environments. 🏆 Showcase Relevant Achievements Select accomplishments that demonstrate impact aligned with your new goals. Led digital transformation? That’s relevant to tech-driven industries. Scaled operations globally? That’s valuable in any growth-focused sector. Frame your results in a way that speaks to future employers’ pain points. 🚀 Craft a Forward-Looking Narrative Your story should connect past success with future potential. Communicate how your experience equips you to solve challenges in this new space. Phrases like, “My experience driving operational excellence positions me to...” help bridge the gap. A successful pivot isn’t about starting over—it’s about leveraging your leadership in new and meaningful ways. For those who’ve made a successful transition, what worked for you? Let’s share insights below! 👇 #careers #executivecareers #jobsearch

Trade up on your skill set: One of the things I’ve done very well in my career is to leverage my existing skills to step into a role that would offer me the opportunity to learn new technologies of interest. I offer something I’m very good at in exchange for something I’d like to learn or achieve. Let’s walk through some examples: To land my first SE role, I traded my deep knowledge of bioinformatics pipeline development for an SE job where I could learn deeper software engineering concepts and software development in an engineering team. To get promoted, I leveraged the skills I learned + the knowledge I had about on-prem HPC to learn about deploying a robust system in Azure where our compute could be elastically scaled based on need. Then, I leveraged my deep experience in bioinformatics software engineering to land a role on a team doing bioinformatics on GPUs. The team needed someone well versed in bioinformatics, who was also a software engineer with HPC experience. There I was able to learn GPU development and CUDA / C++ from experts. After some time, I was able to leverage the knowledge I had gained about GPUs + existing knowledge about HPCs to land on a team needing this experience, where I could learn about ML deployments and kubernetes while providing technical insights about the GPU and HPC setups. The advice here is to take time to get very good in a domain, and then trade that experience at a place where you can leverage it, but also learn something new. I’ve found that learning to do your job is the most effective way to learn. It’s accelerated because you: 1. Have knowledgeable people on the team to learn from 2. Spend most of your day working on the thing you are learning (not small windows after hours) 3. Have to do it to get paid This is a pathway to keep expanding your skills and broadening your marketability. It not only solidifies knowledge in one area, but also keeps that brain building new neural connections. It’s scary at first, but once you realize you can do it, the opportunities are immense. #softwareengineering #learning

When I transitioned from banking to storytelling, I found my industry experience to be an invaluable asset. During my corporate experience, I was exposed to many personalities, from junior salespeople to senior leaders. It gave me confidence and comfort when dealing with leaders and juniors. My corporate experience also gave me street credit. I understand the pain points that organizations are trying to solve. Here’s my take on how your experience can advance your career too: 🛠️ Skill Application: The soft skills from my banking days, like client communication, are still pivotal. Your existing skills can address current problems and fit emerging trends. 🌐 Networking Insightfully: My initial audience for What’s Your Story Slam came primarily from my banking and business school network. Your existing connections can provide insights and opportunities. 📚 Mentorship and Leadership: Leveraging my background, I now mentor entrepreneurs in non-traditional fields, emphasizing storytelling and communication. Sharing your knowledge can extend your influence. 🔍 Identifying Opportunities: Understanding corporate pain points has been crucial in my new role. Your experience positions you to spot market gaps and innovate. 💡 Continuous Learning: My journey into speaking, storytelling, and comedy was fueled by a commitment to learning. Combining your experience with new skills keeps you relevant. 🚀 Personal Branding: Sharing my journey on LinkedIn has built my personal brand. Thought leadership can open new doors for you, too. Leveraging industry experience isn't just about your past roles; it's about applying what you've learned to forge new paths. P.S. What’s one skill you’ve gained from your industry experience that you find invaluable? #whatsyourstory #storytelling #transferableskills #careeradvice #lifelonglearning

I often talk about my love of tennis. Like most sports, we learn nuggets of wisdom that can be applied to all aspects of life, work and beyond. Here is my latest learning. Recently, I have been spending time playing with a friend in her 70s. In her 20s she was a tennis coach, then went on to law school and on to build a company. An impressive resume. Equally inspiring is the way she navigates around a tennis court. You might assume she wouldn’t be the fastest player on the court—but you’d be wrong. She moves with purpose, anticipates every shot, and consistently outplays younger, stronger opponents. She is an all-around smarter player than most, so anytime we play I make sure to take advantage of her strategic wisdom. Recently, she pointed out to me that many tennis players think the only way to win is by hitting the ball the hardest, which might work at the pro level but not at the amateur level. This is where brains versus brawn comes in.  She says “Hit the ball where your opponent isn’t.” So simple. She’s not expending energy just to show power—she’s being strategic with every move. The same is true in our careers. Success isn’t just about working harder or longer hours—it’s about working smarter. Leveraging smart tactics including: ✅ Recognize your unique strengths and lean into them. Too often, we focus on what we lack instead of sharpening what we already do well. If you’re a strong communicator, double down on it. If you’re an analytical thinker, find ways to make that your superpower. The more you embrace what sets you apart, the more effective you’ll be. ✅ Identify the gaps—not just in your own skill set, but in your company, industry, or market. The best players (in tennis and in business) don’t just react—they anticipate. What skills do you need to sharpen? Where is there an unmet need in your field that you’re uniquely positioned to fill? You don’t have to be good at everything—just be smart about where you can make the biggest impact. ✅ Be intentional with your energy. Not every challenge requires maximum force; sometimes, a well-placed, strategic move makes all the difference. Instead of saying yes to everything or working yourself to exhaustion, think about where your efforts will have the highest return. Are you putting your energy toward things that truly move the needle? Advancing in your career isn’t about exhausting yourself—it’s about being focused, adaptive, and strategic. Where can you redirect your energy today to work smarter?

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot

This might be one of the most underrated career transitions I've ever seen: 9 years with the New York Giants. Team Captain for four consecutive seasons. Two Super Bowl victories. Two Pro Bowl Championships. And now? Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Here's what this teaches us about strategic career moves: NFL careers end. Everyone knows that going in. But most athletes struggle with the transition because they think their experience doesn't transfer to the corporate world. Justin Tuck proved them wrong… He didn't start over. He leveraged exactly what made him valuable on the field: Leadership under pressure. Team performance. Strategic execution. High-stakes decision-making. Those skills don't disappear when you change industries. They just need to be positioned correctly. Most senior professionals make the same mistake: They think switching fields means starting from scratch. They believe they need more credentials or to "prove themselves" all over again. Wrong. Your experience IS your leverage. Tuck understood this. He repositioned the same leadership qualities that made him a two-time Super Bowl champion for Wall Street. Whether you're moving industries or companies, the principles are identical: Your skills are more transferable than you think. Strategic storytelling makes pivots profitable. Position your experience as future value, not sunk cost. You don't need to start over. You need to reframe what you already have. The professionals who thrive in career transitions aren't the ones with the most credentials. They're the ones who know how to position their experience strategically - and move while they still have leverage. Your current company will survive without you. The question is: are you staying because it's right, or because you don't know how to make the move?

PSA: If you’re applying for jobs outside your degree or aiming for a career change, read this! Career transitions don’t just 'happen' because you apply for enough jobs - they happen because you’ve deliberately built and communicated the bridge between your past and your target role. If you’ve sent 100+ applications in your target field and still haven’t secured an interview, this is the most likely reason: 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐕 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. This applies to both junior and senior professionals. Too often, there’s 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭. Example: You studied Marketing at university. After graduation, you started your career in Sales at an SME. Three years later, you’re sick of sales and are now aiming for a Communications role at an MNC. It’s not impossible to make that jump, but hiring managers think in terms of credibility and risk. When they read your CV, they'll think this: “Why should I choose someone who hasn’t spent most of their career in this field over someone who has?” So in order to position yourself as a credible candidate, you need to close that gap. Ask yourself these 3 questions when revising your CV: 1️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞? → Review multiple job descriptions and spot repeated skills. These are industry requirements. 2️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞? → Frame these specific skills upfront and expand on them, with measurable results - the more detailed it is, the better you position yourself for the role. You can remove irrelevant experiences, they just add fluff and distract the recruiter. 3️⃣ 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬? → If you’re changing fields, share your motivation in your summary and draw a clear line between your past and target role. The connection have to be so clear you can spot it from space. I’ve applied this strategy successfully several times - I transitioned from a Law degree → Corporate Comms → Programme Management → Recruitment - all in 7 years. If your CV doesn’t show a clear, deliberate path to your next role, you’ll keep being seen as a risk no matter how capable you are! You need to write a CV that builds trust, not one that raises doubts. Right now, which one is yours doing? If you need support in doing this, I provide CV review services here > bit.ly/CVReviewbyYasmin _________ Let's connect - I share career tips & opportunities > Sharifah Hani Yasmin Kindly repost ♻️ for your networks!

The leverage you have as an RD or NDTR often has little to do with MNT and everything to do with what you did before you entered this profession. Let me explain. It is no longer enough to master a single clinical task. Because nutrition and dietetics touches systems, technology, operations, people, etc., your edge comes from using all your skills holistically. Below are a few of my previous titles and how my seemingly unrelated, tech-forward experience translates directly into dietetics. 𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 What I did: worked on mission-critical weather satellite software in tightly regulated federal programs. How I applied it to dietetics: built and managed the digital stack for a telehealth and remote diabetes program for older adults, including tablet provisioning, mobile-first data collection, accessible workflows, and training that increased use and adherence. 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 What I did: led sprints, standups, planning, and retros to ship software on time. Agile is a short-cycle way to run projects that helps teams reduce schedule slips and scope creep. How I applied it to dietetics: ran Scrum for multiple community-facing nutrition apps, kept the backlog healthy, wrote clear user stories and acceptance criteria, and removed blockers so engineering, researchers, and program staff stayed aligned and shipped usable features every two weeks. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 What I did: used CMMI to create repeatable systems and processes so private-sector and federal organizations could scale reliably. How I applied it to dietetics: mapped a community-based nutrition research program end-to-end, built lean SOPs and checklists, and automated reporting. Interventionists cleared bottlenecks and increased activity, and PI approvals moved from days to hours because deliverables arrived in consistent, ready-to-sign packets. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 What I did: identified, shaped, and won opportunities by aligning solutions to buyer priorities, building partner teams, and producing fundable, compliant proposals. How I applied it to dietetics: turned nutrition-tech pilots into investable programs with clear outcomes, cost models, implementation roadmaps, and risk plans so health systems and funders could approve and scale with confidence. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻. Use this quick formula to translate your past roles into present value: “As a [Title], I [Core capability] ([Proof]). In dietetics, this strengthens [System lever] by [Use case], resulting in [Outcome].” If you want help turning your roles into a post or a carousel, drop your past titles and I’ll draft them with you.