How to Enter an Industry as a Young Professional

3 Homework Assignments to Get the Head Start You Need

Photo Credit: Chris Suzdak

Whether you’re interested in launching your career in a certain industry, or pivoting to a new one, it can often seem overwhelming to know where to start. Here are some important first steps to getting a firm grasp on how to dive in with confidence:

Learn the Lingo

Buzz words can be overrated, but if you’re not fluent in the most common industry parlance, it will make it painfully clear that you’re new to the industry or don’t yet have practical knowledge. Avoid being automatically labeled as a “newbie” by increasing your consumption of relevant materials:

• Subscribe to industry newsletters published by top employers, industry-specific news aggregators or research groups.
• Read 3 recent books released within the past 3–5 years that are highly rated that focus on a related topic.
• Enroll and complete a free online course even if its an “Introduction” or “101” class on Udemy, Coursera, etc.

Understand the Unspoken

Dig deeper to discover the many ways to enter and thrive in your target industry:

• Read job descriptions for different levels of jobs, and then compare them with actual people in those types of jobs.
• Identify top “feeder” experiences such as schools and programs — often top industry employers pick a disproportionate number of their entry-level hires from specific universities and fellowship programs.
• Map untraditional career routes by looking at the previous employers and roles of mid-level professionals on LinkedIn. You may notice that there are ways to enter an industry from an adjacent sector later on instead.

Connect with Key Players

They help connect the dots to resources and perspectives about the industry that you may not have known existed.

• Follow industry influencers on social media to see their opinions on news and industry developments.
• Conduct outreach calls with junior and mid-level individuals in that industry to ask them about their experience and career learnings.
• Attend information sessions hosted at conferences or local

You don’t have to become an expert overnight, but being intentional about taking time to learn about your industry is also an important test. If you find even these 9 simple suggestions overly burdensome or boring, you may want to reconsider your career aspirations and expand your industry horizon!