Interview Chatter

Industry Experience - How Important is it in Your Job Search?

by Darlene McDaniel on May 13th, 2008

Here is a scenario from one of my colleagues in the career niche, Chris Russell of Secrets of the Job Search.

“One of my best friends is going through a job search right now. He is a smart guy with an MBA who’s not even 40 years old yet in the financial management industry. His biggest challenge seems to be that most jobs he sees always have one little requirement he cant meet. The old “experience working in [insert industry here] is required“. What ever happened to transferable skills? Why are employers so adamant about only wanting candidates who work in their industry? Its especially frustrating for him since he is a Finance Manager which almost every major company is hiring for. I mean they’re just crunching numbers right? Anybody with good finance management skills should be able to do the job in my opinion. But employers still seem stuck on the perfect candidate.”

Let me begin by answering the the question of industry experience - how important is it in your job search? Given the tight job market it is VERY important. But it is not an insurmountable obstacle for you to get over in your job search. This issue of transferable skills, and communicating them to a hiring is manager comes down to finesse. When you are interviewing for a job and you don’t have all of the skills and abilities they are looking for, you better be bringing more to the table than what they are looking for. You can’t bring 80% of the skills and abilities and not bring 20-25% more than what they are looking for to make up the deficit.

What am I trying to say? Prior to going into the job interview, it is very important to understand the “pain” the organization is having - what are they really missing in the role, or opening they are attempting to fill? What is in your “tool kit” that will give them more than what they are looking for. If you don’t know, then you are not ready to sit down and discuss the opportunity.

Most people walk into the interview hoping they meet the minimum qualifications, but it about adding value. How do you differentiate yourself from the competition and from the job description they are using as a baseline for the new hire?

To Chris: If you would like me to speak to your friend, I would be happy to help. I may be able to help him approach his interviews differently. Please feel free to share my contact information. To my readers: I challenge you to think outside the qualifications, skills and abilities outlined in the job description. What more, do you bring to the table? If you are not sure, let’s talk and let me help you see beyond the job description to bring value to the organization you are interested in working. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Image Credit: Newscom

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POSTED IN: Preparation & Planning, The Interview