Develop yourself toward the desired role

If you have considered changing jobs, you would have read many JDs (job descriptions). JDs are an excellent way to plan your development plan. Let me elaborate. 

In every JD (even badly written ones), you have a list of responsibilities and requirements. 

The requirements will list down what the company desires to have in the person. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t meet the requirements. Instead, use the requirement list to spur you to develop yourself. 

The easiest place to start is often the technical skills, qualifications, and certifications. While some qualifications like MBA, CFA, and CPA may take a couple of years, other certifications like PMP and Agile may take a couple of months. 

If you look at data analytics roles, you often see programming languages like R, Python, or SQL and data visualization programs like Tableau and Power BI in the requirements. Picking up those skills will be a good place to start. 

The most difficult part to gain quickly is the track record. If you have not sold certain products or services in a specific region, you cannot gain the experience easily. Every company wants to hire someone who can hit the ground running. 

Here is a suggestion. Embark on an intensive learning and research journey, and develop a presentation / report / business plan to show that you know enough. The process may take you weeks or months. Don’t just rely on desktop research. Talk to people who are in the industry. Gather insight and logically share the information. 

In many jobs, it is often difficult to find the perfect candidate. If you show that you can learn something new, synthesize information, and even develop a business plan, you can be a convincing candidate.