If you are thinking about making a job change, consider the old adage: fish where the fish are.
What is it that you want to do next and where are the people who are doing it now? Better yet, who is doing it now and has a big problem? The kind of problem that you know exactly how to fix.
Imagine you have decided that you want to move from the inside customer service team to an outside sales role. You have been feeling hemmed in lately. You really want to get out in field and get face to face with customers.
How about this? Look for a company that has a product that’s the same or similar to yours and then drill down to find trouble.
Trouble could be in the form of a growth spike, a quality issue or wider market acceptance. These challenges are pain points for company leaders. Leaders want to relieve pain. Figure out how to market yourself as the prescription.
An email message might say:
I have been listening to customers like yours for years. I know what they need and how to package your product so that it provides a solution that fits. Couldn’t you use someone like me in the field?
Just attach your resume and hit send.
There is certainly no guarantee that one email will start a conversation but it’s a good job change start.
You can follow Laura Machan on her twitter account @recruiterscouch. A complete list of her articles can be found here.