If you work in marketing, you may have already discovered that changing your career path is often easier said than done. Many marketers feel they become pigeonholed, particularly if they’ve worked within one discipline or industry for many years. Whether you’re considering a shift from campaigns to brand development, to a new industry, or even from B2B to B2C, getting your foot in the door can be difficult.

Is it time for a change? Reading the signs

Has the initial spark you felt for your role fizzled out? If your professional growth has plateaued or you feel like you’re stagnating, it could be time for a new challenge. However, if the thought of doing the same job in a different setting has lost its appeal, a change in career path may look like an attractive option. While you may feel confident that you’d be more than capable of transferring to a particular marketing field or industry, the true challenge often lies in persuading someone to take a chance on you.

Recruitment roadblocks

Often, the gatekeeper to your next big break is the recruiter. Many recruiters like to play it safe and opt for proven track records over potential. Job adverts can be discouraging too, often demanding specific skills or experience or stating ‘experience preferred’, making you feel like you’d already be at a disadvantage if you applied. Never quite matching up to the job requirements can dampen your spirits too, causing psychological barriers, like self-doubt or fear of failure. While it’s understandable that employers want someone who can hit the ground running, this could prove to be a short-sighted outlook! If you’re strong in your area of expertise and show adaptability and an eagerness to learn, there’s no reason why you couldn’t get up to speed quickly and bring fresh new ideas to the role.

Keep calm and carry on: Making successful job applications

When changing career paths, your job application is your opportunity to pitch your value and fit to a potential new employer.

Sometimes, identifying and highlighting your transferable skills and examples of times when you have demonstrated adaptability can outweigh a lack of specific experience.  However, it does need to be a more open-minded employer. A pertinent example from my own career is when I managed to move into a completely different market that I had expected to be a closed shop – pharmaceuticals, but agency side. The one thing they were after was digital marketing experience, which I had, so this was the decisive factor – but some luck was also involved as the other candidate dropped out!

Here are our top tips for preparing an application that highlights your strengths and aligns your experience with the job ad.

Analyse the job ad – Review the ad carefully and speak to the recruiter to gauge how receptive they are to candidates with different backgrounds and experiences. Use this information to make an informed judgement about your fit for the role.

• Identify and match key requirements – Focus on where you do match what they’re looking for and prepare specific examples to back this up.
• Highlight transferable skills – Make sure you highlight transferable skills and why they will be valuable in the new role.
• Showcase results and achievements – Highlight your past results and achievements to demonstrate your competence and positive approach to work.
• Demonstrate adaptability and willingness to learn – Acknowledge that there will be a learning curve and explain how you have successfully adapted and learned quickly in previous roles.
• Leverage past transitions – If you have successfully changed roles or industries before, use these experiences as proof of your adaptability and ability to thrive in new environments.
• Maintain a positive outlook – Recognise that not every job application will be successful. If a role doesn’t work out, consider it a sign that the fit might not have been right anyway.

Making a career transition is seldom easy and can be particularly challenging in a field as dynamic as marketing. While you may find yourself facing a variety of hurdles, it’s important not to let these stand in the way of your desire to grow and your need for new challenges. Not every job application will lead to success, but each one is a learning experience that builds resilience and helps prepare you for the right role. Changing direction in your marketing career requires persistence, creativity, and a willingness to learn – qualities that, fortunately, most marketers possess in abundance!