By: Lindsay Loebig
When children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, they hardly (if ever) say, ‘I want to be a records manager.’ Personally, I wanted to be an artist. During one of my master’s projects, I asked my archives and records management classmates to share their academic backgrounds with me. I discovered they had an array of degrees from Spanish to law to fine arts. Several of my classmates and I were transitioning from careers unrelated to record keeping. We quickly realised we were not alone.
According to the Pew Research Center, in 2021, around fifty one percent of Americans changed their jobs to a different industry. Some were seeking better pay, a new challenge or avoiding burnout. I was part of this statistic, leaving my decade-long career as a university student services professional. I loved the mission of my work, but I was tired. I wanted to find something that gave me the same excitement my job enkindled in the early days.
During the height of COVID-19, I worked as a university recruitment director, advising prospective postgraduate students online. Many felt it was time to return to school and change their careers. My words of encouragement must have resonated internally, because in August 2021, I found myself on a flight from the U.S. to Ireland to study a master’s in archives and records management. Fast forward to 2024 and I am now working in the record keeping field and loving it!
Changing careers can be intimidating; there is a lot of unknown. While it can be scary, it is also rewarding. It offers new challenges, motivations and skill sets. As someone who recently moved to the record keeping field, here are a few recommendations for those considering a similar transition.
Educate yourself.
Before committing to a career change, learn more about the record keeping field to decide if it is a right fit for you, and determine how to make yourself marketable. This can be through interviewing those in industry, attending conferences, internships or study. I completed a master’s degree, which focused on the practical skills and standards of record keeping. This gave me a better sense of what the profession entailed and gave me a foundation for entering the workforce. In Ireland, a M.A. in Archives and Records Management is required for most record keeping roles, so this step was essential for me.
Identity your transferrable skills.
Even if your CV is missing the job title, ‘records manager’ or ‘archivist’, it does not mean you lack the skills related to the role. For example, my career in higher education involved interacting with diverse stakeholders, retrieving records from electronic systems, balancing multiple tasks and adhering to regulations related to personal data. I was surprised how well these translated into my current role as a documents manager. Pinpoint your strengths and highlight them.
Believe in yourself.
As a university advisor, I discussed the concept of imposter syndrome with students. Imposter syndrome is when a person feels like they are not as knowledgeable or capable as perceived. Even though they are qualified, they fear they will be seen as a fraud. When changing professions, these feelings can sneak up. You are in a new environment with foreign jargon, processes and levels of direct experience. This does not mean you do not belong in archiving or records management. You are an asset because of your life experiences and transferable skills, which is why your employer selected you.
Build your network.
Connections: it is a valuable tool. When I decided to switch careers, I started by examining my network to see if there were links to the record keeping world. I reached out to relevant contacts to get their perspectives and advice. I then committed more time to LinkedIn, posting sector-related content and growing my network. This helped me obtain my first two records-related jobs. Conferences, big or small, are a great place to meet people. Join new professional groups and sign up for opportunities like research showcases and mentorship programmes. Every connection you make provides you with another line of support.
Have others believe in you.
Once you believe you have what it takes to change fields, you need to convince others. Highlight transferrable skills on your CV that relate to the role and demonstrate how your outside perspective is an asset. For example, I was an end user for many EDRMS platforms, so I know the frustrations users face. Working in international admissions at a university, I reviewed the authenticity of academic documents from around the world. In my current role, we need to determine if a signature is real or a photocopy, which I know how to detect. I also introduced colleagues to a digital translation tool to identify documents in foreign languages. My employer gave me a chance, and I made sure to share my unique talents to affirm their decision to hire me.
Keep learning.
Once you get the job, keep learning. Training should be ongoing. Even those with years of experience benefit from conferences, collaborating with peers and reading up on the latest trends. The records management standard, ISO 15489, states that models of business are ever-changing and are going ‘…beyond traditional organizational and jurisdictional boundaries.’ To understand these changes, we must continue to educate ourselves. A records lifecycle is not stagnant, neither should be our desire to learn.
The New Archivist 