This one technique opened the job opportunity floodgates
How to write an effective career change announcement for LinkedIn
When I first announced to the world I was changing careers from HR to UX Writing just over a week ago, I thought my message would go mostly unheard.
But the outpouring of support is much more than I could’ve dreamed of. So much so that I had multiple people, both inside and outside of my network, reaching out to me about job opportunities.
If you’re changing careers and want to gain a few unexpected warm leads in your job search, follow my lead and announce your intentions on LinkedIn.
Here’s how to write an effective career change announcement on LinkedIn.
1. Start with an engaging story
People resonate with personal stories. By starting your announcement with a relatable story about how frustrated you were in your old career, or what excites you about the new career you are pursuing, you draw people in. We’ve all been annoyed or thrilled with our careers at various times, so build on that by starting your post with a story.
2. Tell us what you’re doing next
Once you’ve shared your story, give us a one-line sentence about what you’re doing next. Then, in the next paragraph, expand upon this career change. How have you prepared for this transition? What skills have you gained that will help you once you land a new job in the field?
3. Let us know how your experience translates
You can do this before or after step 4, but let us know how the experience you’ve gained in your past career will benefit you in your new one. Ideally, you’d tie this experience to common pain points hiring managers list in their job descriptions so you have verifiable proof of your past success.
4. Give us a CTA (Call to Action)
This is where you put the power of your network to work for you. Let people know exactly what it is you’re looking for. For my post, I said: “I’m actively looking for UX Writer and/or Content Designer positions and am available immediately.”
If people in your network know of opportunities matching your new career, they now have an invitation to reach out.
If you want to see how I structured my career change announcement post, you can find it here.
