Just because you have spent 15 years in one particular industry does not mean you are destined to stay there until you retire. With the current talent shortage we are experiencing, why not consider embarking on a new career in a completely different industry?

In order to illustrate this, have a think about teambuilding exercises. They involve taking an experiential activity and then transferring the experience to a real world understanding in the context of the workplace. We can then apply the same principles when we look at the industry skills required for say, civil engineering, and see if any of those skills are relevant to say, accounting.

How is this possible?

A key measure is to look at your behaviour preferences. For example, the civil engineer will possess a love of science and have a tendency to logically examine facts, situations and being exact. These traits are also present in accountancy where analytical and precise behaviours are needed, combined with the enjoyment of calculating and mathematics. Here we can see a clear correlation, which indicates an opportunity for a potentially successful industry transfer. However the civil engineer would have to sacrifice their love of building and constructing things, to that of building a love of numbers.

So if two careers as different as civil engineering and accountancy can do this, does this not support the idea that a successful transition across a wide range of industries is possible?

Since we approached the subject of construction, consider a teambuilding exercise where teams are required to design and build a model bridge to certain criteria and objectives. This exercise does not really require any sophisticated knowledge of structural engineering, stress loads and complex mathematics but rather an ability to work in a team, share ideas and take initiative.

These traits are readily experienced through the exercise and during the debriefing; the experience is locked down into how it applies to your industry. A computer analyst might report that that the bridge building relates to pooling together the collective talent of the team and passing on ideas. Then team members take steps to proceed with what is necessary to accomplish the project.

This in turn relates to a computer project where team expertise is found, each gets on with their own work and the objectives are brought together to successfully achieve the results needed. An experience similar to that of bridge building could mean something different for a sales manager in the hotel industry. They might report instead that the bridge represents a client’s expectations, and the linear approach to completing the design accurately reflects the sales process and the involvement of other hotel departments to close the sale.

So let’s consider a few other industry-specific jobs. The financial manager who decides to change and become a community social worker might appear to be totally unrelated. But not so if we carefully look at the similarity of essential performance behaviours both jobs require.

A financial manager needs to demonstrate that they are analytical, organised and want challenges. So too does the community social worker. The financial manager then needs to build on their warmth, empathy and influencing skills. These are traits which they should possess but need greater attention and development if the financial manager wants to move into the people-focused world of the helping industry.

Another example could be a marketing research professional considering to move to the teaching profession. Again, looking at the traits they already possess, this should include analytical, numerical and interpersonal skills. The interpersonal skills will enable them to work effectively with other people, in this case students. The numerical skills could slot into teaching mathematics or science subjects.

The individual can consider using their strong organisation skills to develop their planning skills, an essential trait necessary for successful teaching. After some professional training, the former marketing research professional could be ideally primed to becoming a fully qualified and valuable teacher.

A successful transition for a wide range of industries is possible and could go a long way to beating any talent shortages. Remember that any change can be challenging and be sure to ask yourself what it is you are looking for in a new career and if this will meet your needs. Deciding which industry to enter into is also difficult and a good place to start is a behavioural analysis of your preferred tasks. Internet searches can lead you to researchers who provide reports, which are benchmarked against a list of careers and are matched to fit your behaviour preferences.

Once you have this guideline, you can engage a development plan or embark on some specialised training. Do some research on the qualifications needed and seek assistance from friends, family and professional business contacts.

David Simpson

Director

Team Building Asia

www.teambuildingasia.com