In a recent LinkedIn post, Eric Sim discusses the significant challenges and strategic approaches involved in pivoting to a new career. Sim, an experienced professional, emphasizes that while difficult, successful career transitions are achievable by focusing on three core factors: developing transferable skills, leveraging a robust network, and actively signaling one’s interests.
Sim begins by acknowledging the inherent difficulty of career pivots, noting the hurdle of convincing hiring managers to invest in candidates lacking direct technical experience. He states:
Pivoting to a new career is really hard because you are asking hiring managers to take a bet on someone who has no relevant technical competency.
Despite this, Sim offers a practical framework for overcoming these obstacles, drawing from his own experiences to illustrate his points.
The Power of Transferable Skills
Sim highlights that many skills acquired in previous roles can be directly applied to new fields. He recounts an anecdote from his early career after graduating with an engineering degree, where his experience as a bartender proved instrumental in securing a role in FX sales.
He explains that during an interview, his ability to manage customers, remain calm under pressure, and maintain conversations was framed as valuable “client handling” skills. This demonstrates, according to Sim, that interpersonal abilities are often highly valued in new domains.
The most important transferable skill is the ability to sell and deal with demanding people.
As Eric Sim points out, this underscores the importance of identifying and articulating these soft skills effectively during the job application process.
Leveraging Your Network for Opportunity
Another critical component of a successful career pivot, as detailed by Sim, is the strategic use of one’s professional network. He shares how a connection from a previous role led to a significant opportunity at Citi.
After a less successful stint in FX sales, Sim transitioned to risk management. An ex-colleague, Terence, reached out about a front-office role with Citi’s Sales and Trading team. Terence’s recommendation to his boss was pivotal, ultimately leading to an eight-year tenure at Citi.
I got the job! Thanks to Terence for putting his neck on the line for me. I worked for Citi for eight years.
Sim argues that cultivating relationships within the desired industry can provide invaluable insider knowledge and access to unadvertised opportunities. Expanding one’s network in the target field, he suggests, significantly increases the chances of making a successful transition.
Signaling Interests Through Social Media
Sim also addresses the role of social media in career transitions, reframing it not as a pursuit of influence but as a method of signaling interest and expertise. He recounts how a Facebook post about a guest lecture he delivered led to an invitation to teach a full module at a university, eventually paving his way to becoming an adjunct associate professor.
He criticizes the reluctance of some individuals to share their interests online, even when seeking a career change. Sim contends that passive interest is insufficient; active signaling is necessary for the network to be aware of and supportive of one’s aspirations.
If you want your network to help you, they need to know where your interests lie. Post your projects, your experiments and your learning. Get people to think of you when there is an opening.
According to Eric Sim, these public displays of engagement serve as a crucial signal to potential mentors, collaborators, and employers, making them more likely to consider the individual for relevant openings.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Eric Sim on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on January 13, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →