Angie Chen left her job at an investment bank to become a campaign marketer after feeling burnt out. She suggested tips for networking and reviewing your resume when changing industries. Chen was attracted to marketing’s creative freedom and analytical, data-driven role.
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A year after starting her investment banking job, Angie Chen received a bonus. She then gave two weeks notice.
“I felt pretty cool to say I worked in finance and investment banking, I’m not going to lie,” she told Business Insider.
But Chen said the status of a career in finance was not worth the demanding work. The coveted six-figure starting salary (which can reach millions of dollars if you successfully climb the banking ladder) usually comes with long hours. With typical 80- to 100-hour work weeks, some junior bankers complain of burnout and fatigue.
Chen said she knew what it was like to work on Wall Street, but after graduating from college, she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“As I’ve gotten older, I think I’ve come to value my free time, independence, and personal interests and passions more than working 24/7 for a company,” she says. Ta.
Chen, who created content about her career in investment banking on TikTok, said social media inspired her to consider entering the marketing industry.
“I loved the creative freedom it gave me,” she said. “When I was considering a career change from banking, one of the roles that came to mind was marketing.”
Chen, who is now a campaign marketer, said she has received some comments claiming she has been “downgraded” in her career, but she doesn’t particularly care, as many say marketing is a low-paying industry. He said he believed that. However, there are some more “analytical, data-driven” and higher-paying positions on offer in this field, she told BI. Salaries for different marketing roles vary, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average salary for a marketing manager in the U.S. to be $166,410.
For those considering pivoting their careers, Chen offered the following advice:
understand your strengths and weaknesses
You may not be happy with your current job or company, but it takes time to understand why, says Chen.
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She suggested listing the positive aspects of the company as well as the reasons you don’t like your current role. Chen said this can help you visualize what you want from your next company and narrow down your priorities when considering various opportunities.
“For some it might be culture or the team, for others it might be money or prestige,” she says. “For me, the biggest factor was retirement opportunity and second was salary.”
Ultimately, Chen has narrowed down her ideal position to campaign management, growth marketing, and product management marketing, and hopes to eventually work in these areas.
“I thought this was the perfect blend of my interests in marketing, background in analytics, and technology coverage,” she said. “It combines everything into one single role.”
Chen also said he felt the marketing culture was not as overwhelming as the bank’s, and said he had trouble finding senior leadership.
“My current manager is very involved in my daily life,” she said. “So there’s a lot of opportunity to just gain visibility and show added value.”
Other experts also advise analyzing whether you’re being “pushed” out of your current job because of something you don’t like, or if you’re being “pulled” toward another opportunity. If something is forcing you out of your role, consider implementing certain changes that can fix your role, such as switching teams.
A network with “warm connections”
While cold messaging on LinkedIn is a common strategy, Chen suggested trying to get “warmer contacts,” contacts suggested by mutual connections.
“It’s definitely more quality contacts than quantity,” she said. “I don’t like to get too formal when networking.”
Ms. Chen said she was very transparent with her colleagues at the bank about her interest in marketing, and some of them offered her contacts in the industry.
“I was also lucky because I shared my career journey on social media,” she said. “In fact, a lot of people have reached out to me to give me advice and recommend roles and people to talk to.”
He also said people should do their own “basic homework” before reaching out and narrow down a few roles that might potentially interest them. Chen said that during his research, he broke down various sub-verticals within marketing and eliminated areas that were of no interest to him.
“And ask them why they chose this industry, what their long-term goals are, and if they have any advice,” she said. “And if any of those resonate with you, it might be the field for you.”
Please review your resume
Don’t think your resume is complete just because it’s useful in your current industry.
Chen said that when she presented her resume to marketing professionals, some of them “had no idea what I was talking about.”
“My resume was very economical,” she says. “We had to completely rework it to reduce financial jargon and make it more marketing friendly.”
Chen spoke to many marketing professionals to “understand how they speak” and become familiar with industry jargon. Based on their feedback, she simplified the resume by removing trade- and finance-specific nuances and emphasizing “transferable skills” that can be applied to both industries.
“Data and analytics were important because that’s the direction of our marketing and our relationship with our customers,” she said. “Presentation and project management skills as well.”
Career coaches advise job seekers to be specific with their resumes and include specific keywords tailored to their new industry.
