Episode 57: What to Do When Your Industry Is in Crisis: Resume Strategies and Job Search Tips to Help You Pivot Careers in a Tough Market

If your industry has been hit hard by cuts and layoffs, how do you adapt your career and stand out in a competitive job market? In this episode of Careers at the End of the World, host Jenn Walker Wall shares practical strategies for making a career pivot and finding opportunities beyond your current industry. From adjusting your resume to look more industry agnostic, to tailoring your job search for new fields, Jenn offers clear, actionable resume strategies and job search tips that help you stay competitive. Instead of vague advice, she provides grounded tactics to help you create possibilities, highlight transferable skills, and keep your career moving forward in a tough market.

Episode Highlights

• Practical career pivot strategies for professionals navigating layoffs and industry upheaval.
• How to create an industry-agnostic resume that highlights transferable skills across fields.
• Tactics to stand out when switching industries in today’s competitive job market.
• Why adjusting your resume language is essential for opening new opportunities.
• How to identify and pursue career paths beyond your current industry.

Episode Timestamps

• 00:21 – Why career pivots feel harder in today’s job market
• 01:48 – Rethinking pivots: from 180-degree changes to smaller shifts
• 04:22 – Pivot #1: Changing the structure of your work (consulting, freelancing, contracts)
• 06:00 – Pivot #2: Making an industry change with an industry-agnostic resume
• 09:17 – Pivot #3: Adjusting transferable skills for roles impacted by cuts (DEI, HR, recruiting)
• 11:59 – Why precision in your resume, LinkedIn, and networking is critical right now
• 13:00 – Pivot #4: Location pivots and why onsite or hybrid roles may create more opportunities
• 15:47 – How to avoid burnout in a long search

Resources and Links

• Episode 56: How to Create Income Without a Corporate Job: Portfolio Careers, Self Employment and Other Ways to Make $$
• Episode 27: Through Lines, Hinges, and Sponges: Resume Advice You Won't Get Anywhere Else
• Episode 55: How to Make a Hard Job Search Easier in 2025
• Career Alchemy for Death, Loss and Rebirth Retreat Night Workshop: October 28, 2025 7:00pm ET.
• Revive Your Job Search Workshop: September 30th (tickets $47 or free for community members)
• Work Wonders Careers Job Search Community

Credits

Podcast editing by Vienna DeGiacomo, Good Story Branding