Martha Heller responds to readersu2019 comments. The majority of readers who posted online or sent e-mail in response to my column Switch-Hitting: How to Change Industries agreed that with the right effort it is possible—and even advisable—to switch industries. As Scott Hicar, CIO of Maxtor, writes, “An opportunity is created in switching industries where you can represent ‘out of the box’ thinking amongst a team of industry veterans. Many best-in-class IT solutions have some portability that might not have been seen as standard practice in an industry with a different history.”But others were less convinced of the upside to industry switching. “You can change industries if you want to, but at what cost to your career?” asks Mike Anderson, CIO of Cosmetic Essence. “There is an unspoken ‘birds of a feather flocking together’ philosophy in business that means a retail CEO would rather pick a CIO with retail experience than one without it.If what truly differentiates one CIO from another is business prowess, then specific industry expertise is imperative for any CIO who wants to sit at the big table with all of the other grown-ups.”These competing opinions did not surprise me since I encountered them during my column research. What did surprise me was how often readers mentioned recruiters as a major obstacle to switching industries. “I am interested in making a switch from the technology services side to the client side,” a reader comments. “I think my relationship-building and project leadership skills are transferable, but I am having a hard time convincing recruiters.” Recruiters are hired to execute on their clients’ wishes. Any good recruiter will do her best to broaden a client’s horizons about the talent pool for a particular job at the outset. But if a retail CEO—who knows his business better than the recruiter—is set on a retail CIO, the recruiter would be failing in her service delivery if she brought in nonretail candidates.Getting recruiters to change their criteria is not the real challenge. The real challenge is to get in front of companies in a new industry by other means. Dust off your Rolodex and see who you know in that field. Brand yourself as an expert in a skill that transcends industries, like supply chain management, and attend related events to network with peers from your target companies. These contacts may refer you to their CEO as a potential CIO candidate. If the CEO is willing to look outside the box, he will typically ask the recruiter to reach out to you to assess your candidacy. Now you’re halfway over the industry hurdle. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe