Thinking about making a move — but worried you’ll have to start from scratch? You’re not alone.
Many of my coaching clients come to me wanting change — more ownership, more alignment, or just something new — but they’re terrified they’ll have to take a pay cut or lose their title to pivot. Some of these career moves include moving from hands-on technical Engineering to more customer-facing roles, Sales to Marketing, or Project Management to Operations.
Good news: A pivot doesn’t have to mean starting over. It just has to be strategic.
First: What Is a Pivot, Really?
A career pivot isn’t a reinvention. It’s a repositioning.
It’s when you take your existing experience — skills, strengths, subject matter knowledge — and apply it in a slightly different direction. Think of it as shifting a few degrees rather than turning 180.
Some common examples:
- From customer success → product operations or product management
- From program management → project management or strategy roles
- From marketing → product marketing or customer insights
- From software engineering → sales or solutions engineer roles
Why Now Is a Good Time to Pivot (Yes, Really)
Despite tech layoffs and economic uncertainty, many companies are still hiring — especially for specialist roles that bridge departments, lead change, or bring human skills to complex systems.
Your mix of experience and maturity is an asset, especially if you can translate it into a business story.
The Keep, Donate, Trash Method for Your Skills
Before you panic about what you don’t know, let’s audit what you do know. Our team uses this framework with our clients:
Keep: Core skills that directly transfer to your target role. These are your golden tickets.
Donate: Skills you can teach others or leverage for visibility (speaking, mentoring, content).
Trash: Outdated skills or responsibilities you’re ready to leave behind. (And that’s okay!)
This clarity helps you see that you’re not starting from zero — you’re strategically editing.
If you are familiar with the Marie Kondo method, you could think of it like that but for your career.
If you are familiar with the Marie Kondo method, you could think of it like that but for your career.
Learn more about how to apply this method to your situation in our blog:
Career Transitions And Pivots, How To Find The Best Career Change Options For You
3 Steps to Pivot Without Losing Ground
1. Own Your Career Narrative (The CARL Method)
Most people’s resumes read like a job description. That’s not enough.
Using the CARL method, you need to articulate:
- Context: The situation you were in
- Action: What you specifically did
- Result: The measurable outcome
- Learning: How this prepares you for what’s next
This transforms “managed a team” into “Led 8 engineers through a platform migration that reduced deployment time by 40%, teaching me how to navigate technical change management — exactly what your product operations role needs.”
You’ll find examples of how to use the CARL method in our blogs:
Career Growth & Development – Why Using The CARL Method May Help You
What Is The CARL Method And How Does It Help You Interview Better
Career Growth & Development – Why Using The CARL Method May Help You
What Is The CARL Method And How Does It Help You Interview Better
2. Map the Overlap
You don’t need to learn everything from scratch. Instead:
- Audit job descriptions of your target role
- Highlight transferrable skills you already have
- Fill the gaps through projects, volunteering, or freelance work — not necessarily another degree
Pro tip: Search based on requirements, not titles. Use tools, keywords, and industry filters to find bridge roles to target companies.
3. Build Strategic Visibility
Start showing up as if you’re already in the role you want:
- Update your LinkedIn headline and summary with relevant keywords
- Share insights about your target function or industry
- Connect with peers and hiring managers in that space
Small changes lead to big results. Start with one LinkedIn post per week about your target domain.
Real Pivots, Real People: Success Stories from the Field
From Data Analyst to Data Scientist (Without a PhD)
The situation: This client had been an analyst for several years, creating reports and dashboards. They were already writing SQL queries daily and had started experimenting with Python for automation.
The pivot strategy: We began working together in spring 2024. Instead of going back to school, they:
- Took on a predictive analytics project at their current job (even though it “wasn’t their role”)
- Completed several online courses on machine learning
- Began strategically networking with former colleagues, recruiter contacts, and hiring managers in their desired field to explore opportunities
The result: Landed a Data Scientist role by fall of this year (with a few pauses in their job search because realistically, everyone needs a break sometimes!). Their business acumen from years as an analyst became their advantage — they could translate model outputs into executive decisions.
From COO to Executive Coach
The situation: This client was burnt out from operational firefighting but energized whenever they mentored founders. They worried that coaching would mean a massive pay cut.
The pivot strategy:
- Started coaching founders in their down time to build case studies
- Documented their framework for scaling operations (their unique IP)
- Gradually shifted from full-time COO to fractional executive + coach
The result: Built a growing coaching practice while maintaining financial stability. Their operational experience became their selling point — they’d “been there, scaled that.”
From Higher Education to Tech L&D
The situation: After years in higher education, this client wanted into tech but kept hearing “you don’t have industry experience.”
The pivot strategy: We focused on how her expertise was being communicated, and updated everything (resume, messaging, interview prep) with the language that tech L&D teams would recognize. Her skills were easily transferable but needed to be presented in a way the audiences would understand.
- Curriculum design → Learning experience design
- Student engagement → User engagement metrics
- Academic technology → Enterprise learning platforms
The result: Began interviewing for L&D and Instructional Designer roles. Their education background helped them bring structure to chaotic onboarding processes — something desperately needed in fast-growth environments.
From Engineering Manager to Leadership Individual Contributor
The situation: This client led a large engineering team and was an exceptional people manager with a track record of personally investing in the growth of their teams but missed being hands-on with code.
The pivot strategy: They positioned it as evolution, not regression:
- Highlighted technical leadership projects they’d driven as a people manager
- Demonstrated how their people management experience made them better at technical mentorship
- Targeted Staff/Principal IC roles that valued both technical depth AND leadership
The result: Successfully transitioned from people management to an IC role within 3 months. They moved to a Staff Engineer role with competitive compensation. Their ability to navigate stakeholders, run technical reviews, and mentor junior, mid and senior level engineers made them invaluable — skills pure ICs without direct people management experience often lack.
The Hidden Advantages You Don't Realize You Have
You don’t need to hide your previous experience. In fact, you shouldn’t. It’s your advantage over other candidates:
- Career changers bring fresh perspectives that elevate teams
- Cross-functional experience helps you speak multiple “languages” in an organization
- Maturity and context mean you can navigate politics and ambiguity better
- Diverse networks give you access to insights others don’t have
Remember: You’re not abandoning your past — you’re building on it.
Every “random” experience is a puzzle piece that, when assembled strategically, creates a unique professional profile that no traditional path can replicate.
The best pivots happen when you stop trying to fit into someone else’s career template and start designing your own.
Ready to Make Your Move?
You’ve worked hard to get where you are. A pivot doesn’t mean walking away from it — it means building on it.
Start small this week:
- Update one section of your LinkedIn to reflect your target role
- Reach out to one person in your desired field for a coffee chat
- Identify one skill gap you can close with a weekend project
And if you’re not sure where to start, you don’t have to do it alone.
👉 Need help clarifying your pivot strategy?
