Dear Annie: A friend sent me your article about how more managers are moving to find jobs, which interested me because I'm about to move halfway across the country. My wife, who was unemployed for two-and-a-half years, got a fantastic job offer in a different city, so, now that we've finally sold our house, we're going.

    Just one problem: Our destination is pretty much a one-industry town and, unfortunately, it's not my industry. I've put out some feelers with big employers there and I am getting the impression that lack of industry-specific experience is going to make it tough to get hired, even though I'm highly regarded in my field, which is finance and compliance. I know people do manage to move from one industry to another, but how do they do it? Any suggestions? -- Trailing Spouse

Dear T.S.: Just wondering, does your wife's new employer offer job-search assistance to so-called trailing spouses? A 2012 Atlas Van Lines survey found that more than half (56%) of big companies do, so it's certainly worth asking if you haven't already.

    Whether or not such help is available, there's no question you're facing a tricky hurdle here. "Ordinarily, people have a choice about where to move, so they try to be strategic about it and pick a place where there are likely to be lots of opportunities," says Amanda Augustine, resident job search expert at TheLadders. To help with that, data analysts at TheLadders have come up with a new map that shows where in the U.S. the competition for management jobs is most, and least, intense.

    Although the choice has already been made for you, your lack of industry experience isn't insurmountable. Finding a job is just going to take a lot more focused effort than it would if you weren't making the switch. Augustine recommends a three-step approach:

    1. Tap your network. Of course, every job seeker has to do this, but you need to cast the widest possible net. "Reach out to anyone you know on LinkedIn, or from your college fraternity or alumni association, or former vendors, clients, and colleagues," Augustine says. Don't discount relatives, neighbors, or anyone else you meet in your new city: "Even if they don't work in the industry you're trying to get into, you never know who they know."

    While you're at it, you might speak with some of your wife's friends and professional acquaintances, too. "The goal is to find people with whom you can do informational interviews -- not asking for a job, but finding out as much as you can about what's happening in your target industry and where your skills might fit," says Augustine. If you can wow one or two of these folks with your talents, it may get you in the door: "Our research has shown that you're 10 times more likely to be hired without industry experience if you have a referral from someone on the inside who will be in your corner."

    2. Research, research, research. "Often, you can sell your achievements based on what a given company is going through at the moment," says Augustine. "For instance, if a potential employer is doing a major restructuring, and you have experience with making that work, say so in your cover letter and, on your resume, emphasize your role in a similar restructuring. The point is to find common ground between your past successes and what an employer needs right now."

    Obviously, figuring that out will take lots of detailed study -- online, in the trade press, on each company's website, and in public documents like annual reports. "Set up Google alerts for the company and for keywords that are important in the industry," Augustine suggests. "In your cover letter, and later in an interview, it makes a great impression if you can offer insightful comments and ask smart questions about current industry trends and things the company is doing." 

亲爱的安妮：一位朋友把您的一篇专栏文章发给我看，文中提到越来越多的管理人员开始找新工作，这让我很感兴趣，因为我即将搬到横跨半个国家以外的地方。我的妻子已经待业两年半，如今在另外一个城市找到了一份很好的工作。所以，我们已经卖掉了房子，准备搬家。

    只是我还有一个问题：我们的目的地是一个产业单一的城镇，不幸的是，那并不是我擅长的行业。我曾尝试与当地的大雇主接触，他们给我留下的印象是，如果没有行业经验，要找到工作可能很困难，尽管我在自己的领域（金融与合规）拥有较高的声誉。我知道有人成功从一个行业跳到了另外一个行业，但他们是如何做到的？您有什么建议吗？——T.S.

亲爱的T.S.：不知道你妻子的新雇主是否会给所谓“随迁配偶”提供求职协助？据搬家公司Atlas Van Lines最近的一项调查发现，一半以上（56%）的大公司会提供随迁配偶求职协助，所以如果你还不确定，不妨问一下。

    不论是否能够获得类似的帮助，你正面临同一个非常棘手的障碍，这一点毋庸置疑。高管求职网站TheLadders的常驻求职专家阿曼达•奥古斯丁说：“通常情况下，人们可以选择搬到哪里，所以他们会尽量进行战略思考，选择一个存在大量机会的地方。”于是，TheLadders的数据分析师制作了一幅地图，其中显示出了美国管理职位竞争最激烈和最不激烈的地方。

    虽然你已经无法改变决定，但缺乏从业经验并不是难以克服的障碍。只不过相比继续从事之前的行业，你需要付出更多的努力。奥古斯丁建议采取“三步走”的策略：

    1. 充分利用自己的人脉。诚然，每一位求职者都会这么做，但你需要撒出尽可能多的网。奥古斯丁说：“联系你在LinkedIn上面认识的所有人，或者大学兄弟会或校友会里的朋友，或者之前的供应商、客户和同事。”别忘了自己的亲戚、邻居或你在新城市遇到的其他任何人。“就算他们并不在你打算求职的行业内工作，可谁知道他们还会认识什么样的人呢？”

    与此同时，你可以与妻子的朋友和职场上的熟人沟通。奥古斯丁说：“目标是找到你可以进行信息性面试的人，而不是请求一份工作。要通过他们尽可能了解你的目标行业，以及你的能力会否有用武之地等。”如果你能用自己的才能打动其中的一两位，或许就能为你打开进入这个行业的大门。“我们的调查显示，如果有业内知情人士愿意当你的推荐人，那么没有从业经验被聘用的可能性要提高十倍以上。”

    2. 调查研究。奥古斯丁表示：“通常情况下，你可以根据一家公司当前的现状来宣传自己的成就。比如，如果潜在雇主正在进行大规模重组，而你恰好有这方面的经验，你便可以在求职信和简历里强调自己在类似重组工作中的作用。重点是找出自己以往成功经历与雇主当前的需求之间的共同点。”

    很明显，要明确雇主的需求必须进行大量细致的研究——比如在线研究、行业刊物、公司网站，以及年报等公开资料等。奥古斯丁建议：“针对目标公司和行业内重要的关键字，设置谷歌（Google）提醒。在求职信和后续的面试当中，如果你能提出建设性的意见，而且对于行业当前趋势与公司的业务能够提出明智的问题，必然会给雇主留下深刻的印象。”   

    Pay particular attention to each company's culture. "Often an employer's web page, their tweets, and even their Facebook page can give you a sense of their corporate personality and how they see themselves," notes Augustine. "It matters. In most interviews for management jobs, we've found, only about 20% of the discussion is centered on specific skills. The other 80% is all about how well you'll fit into the team and the overall culture."

    3. Be enthusiastic and willing to learn. "The right attitude can motivate a hiring manager to take a chance on a candidate despite lack of industry experience," says Augustine. "You want to emphasize that, although you do come from a different business, you've studied theirs thoroughly, and you're eager to keep learning more about it."

    As with so many things, making this kind of jump gets easier the more times you do it. Augustine has seen some job candidates who have spent their whole careers hopping from one industry to another -- and who turn their adaptability into a selling point: "It's a little ironic, but people who have already made the leap from one industry to another a few times, and been successful at it, can point to that and say, 'I've adapted and added value in a different business before, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.'"

    Good luck!

Talkback: Have you ever gotten hired in an industry where you had no previous experience? What helped you make the move? Leave a comment below.

    尤其要注意每家公司的文化。奥古斯丁说：“通常情况下，雇主的网页、Twitter和Facebook页面能够让你了解公司的个性和他们对自己的看法。这一点很重要。在大多数管理职位的面试中，我们发现仅有20%的讨论会集中在特定的技能上。另外80%都是关于求职者如何融入团队和总体文化。”

    3. 充满热情，乐于学习。奥古斯丁表示：“正确的心态能激发招聘经理的兴趣，使他们愿意冒险给没有从业经验的求职者一次机会。你需要重点强调，虽然你来自不同行业，但你也一直在研究他们的行业，而且你迫切希望继续学习。”

    与其他许多事情一样，所谓“熟能生巧”。奥古斯丁曾接触过许多求职者，他们整个职业生涯都在不同行业之间跳槽——而且他们甚至把自己的适应能力作为了一个卖点：“这有点讽刺，但那些成功完成过许多次跨行业跳槽的人可以说：‘我之前适应了不同行业，还给这些行业增加了价值，所以我很期待再来一次。’”

    祝你好运！

反馈：你是否曾经进入一个完全陌生的行业？你是如何完成这种转变的？欢迎评论。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓