I recently got an email from one of our readers.
“Hi, I’m an experienced software engineer working for an IT company as a software developer. I would like to change my job profile to that of a software quality analyst. I got stuck in a role that does not suit me. I am more interested in the quality analyst line of work. Please tell me how can I accomplish this shift in job role?”
The reader is looking for a profile change from a Software developer to a Quality Analyst. The advice given below holds good for any profile change.
Here are my two cents:
- Try internal jobs: Before you try to change the company that you are currently working for, speak to your boss and let him/her know that you are looking for a role change. Tell him/her why you are interested in the role change. Persuade your boss to change your job role if it is in his/her hand.If things don’t work out, approach a HR. Tell your concerns about your current job role and tell HR that you are looking for a new role (Quality Analyst, in reader’s case). Diplomatically pressurize them to find a role in your company. Threaten them coercively that you would leave the company if they don’t find the role you are looking for. Every company as a part of their policy formally attempts to retain their employees. They would surely try to find a suitable role for you. If you can find out a solution in your own house then why go out?
- Modify your resume: Mention clearly in your resume that you are looking for that role. All the job boards give you an option to mention keywords in your profile. Simply modify your profile and search with the new keywords describing your desired role in place. This is the easiest thing that you could do.There is no serious harm in writing the desired role in your resume or online profile in job boards. As long as you don’t distort any information of your current project, its just fine. Go ahead and tell the job world through the job boards that you are looking for this role.
- Ask your future employer: Apply for a job for the role that you are currently working for, wait for the interview call, clear the interview. Now at the end of the interview you can clearly ask your future employer to find your desired role. Or wait for the HR to call you to discuss about remuneration, tell the HR manager in no uncertain terms that you are looking for a role other than the one that you applied for.The HR manager would want to retain the resource that successfully cleared all rounds of interview, as it would be a long process to find another resource who would clear all the interview rounds. The HR would seriously consider your request.
Good luck for your job profile change!
Do comment below if you have any suggestions for changing job role. Image courtesy
About the Author: Sridhar Jammalamadaka is the Editor of Interview Mantra. He's a typically non-typical Software Engineer from Pune, India. He likes entrepreneurship, web technologies and Micro Controller programming. He enjoys playing cricket and piano (but rarely does these activities). Through this website, he wishes to gather a large community of aspiring engineers, entrepreneurs and professionals from all parts of the globe. You can connect with him on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/sridhar.j