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Submitted by acorn24 on
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First off, thanks to Mike & Mark for putting together such a valuable resource and for cultivating a place for a diverse range of professionals to both learn and share. The wealth of smart people up here has inspired me to post.

I’m currently working in a medium-sized (250 employee) family-owned organization where I report to the VP of Operations, who in turn reports to the owner of the company. Even though I’m successful in terms of both job performance and compensation, I’m not particularly happy at the company, as I have no real opportunity for advancement, and don’t feel especially fulfilled or valued. Further, my wife and I want to move from the small Midwest town where we currently reside to a location closer to family, which is scattered up and down both coasts.

I have worked in the same industry my entire professional life (I’m in my late 30’s). The industry in which I work is very small - the entire industry generates less revenue per year than Apple, for instance. There are not many organizations within my current industry that excite me or offer much in the way of career advancement, so I’m looking to make a change to a new industry with greater opportunity.

I’ve held Director level Sales, Marketing and Business Development positions in both the retail and manufacturing sides of my industry at $10 million to $100 million companies, and have built a solid reputation within my industry as a result of my successes. Almost all of the positions I have held over the last 15 years have come to me through my network, which is of limited value to me as I seek opportunities outside my current industry. As a result, I’m not sure how to best approach making a change.

I’ve managed to update and rework my resume so that it is now a lean, mean 1-page document, but I’m looking for a little advice about where to go from here. As I don’t have any established relationships with any recruiters, I’m not sure about the best way to find, evaluate and approach the right one(s), or what other resources I should look to take advantage of.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark's picture
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So, just to be clear, you don't care which industry, but you just want to do what you're doing in a different industry, but on either coast?

Mark

acorn24's picture
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Most of my experience is in the tech sector, but I'm flexible and interested in seeing what's out there.

Mark's picture
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Would you go anywhere for a great job, or MUST you be on either coast?

Mark

acorn24's picture
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If a phenomenal opportunity presented itself somewhere other than one of the coasts, I'd strongly consider it.

Mark's picture
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Okay, good (as in thanks for clarifying, not good that you're more open necessarily, though it certainly is better career decision wise, as long as it's tolerable family wise.)

So... what's a phenomenal opportunity? You have to start there, by keeping the boundaries pushed back. The great thing about job searches is that being open to really great things that aren't in your defined sweet spot actually increases the chances you GET your sweet spot.

Mark