It’s something we speak to candidates about almost daily.
“I know I can do the job… I just haven’t done it in that industry.” Or…“I’ve spent my whole career in agency… will anyone take me seriously in-house?”
These are some of the most common moves happening in the market right now.
But they’re also some of the hardest to navigate.
Why it feels harder than it should
From a candidate’s perspective, the crossover often feels obvious.
You’ve delivered results.
You understand the channels.
You know how to solve the problems.
But hiring decisions aren’t always made on potential alone.
They’re made on risk.
If someone has done the same role, in the same industry, in a similar business…they’re often seen as the safer option.
That doesn’t mean you’re the wrong hire, it just means you need to make the case more clearly.
The agency to in-house move
This is one of the biggest crossover points we see, and one of the most misunderstood.
Agency marketers often bring:
Pace, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities
Exposure to different sectors and audiences
Strong channel knowledge and performance focus
But in-house teams are often hiring for:
Ownership of long-term strategy
Depth within one brand
Alignment to internal stakeholders and commercial goals
The gap isn’t usually experience.
It’s how that experience is positioned.
Moving industry doesn’t mean starting again
Most marketing roles are solving the same core problems:
How do we reach the right audience?
How do we communicate value?
How do we drive engagement, pipeline, or revenue?
The context changes, the principles don’t.
If you’ve marketed to senior decision-makers in a long sales cycle, that’s relevant across:
SaaS, fintech, professional services, and more.
If you’ve built campaigns that generate pipeline, that experience travels.
The key is helping someone else see that.
Where candidates go wrong
The biggest mistake we see is this:
Transferable experience isn’t made obvious.
CVs become lists of responsibilities instead of a clear narrative.
And when a hiring manager is reviewing quickly, they won’t take the time to join the dots for you.
If you don’t make it clear…they’ll move on to someone who has.
What we advise candidates to do
This is the advice we give every week:
1. Be explicit about relevance
Don’t assume the connection is obvious.
If you’re moving industries, call out the overlap clearly.
For example: If you’ve worked in B2B SaaS and are applying into fintech, highlight your experience targeting senior decision-makers, managing longer sales cycles, and influencing high-value deals.
2. Lead with outcomes, not activity
Responsibilities don’t travel well. Results do.
Instead of: “Managed paid media campaigns”
Say: “Built a paid media strategy that generated £1.2M in pipeline over 9 months”
That’s what makes someone transferable.
3. Show you understand their world
Even if you haven’t worked in the industry, show intent.
Reference:
Their audience
Their competitors
Their growth challenges
That signals you’re already thinking in their context.
4. Address the gap directly
Avoiding the gap doesn’t help.
A simple line in your CV or interview can make a big difference:
“While my experience has been in agency, I’ve worked closely with in-house teams to deliver long-term strategies, not just campaigns.”
It builds confidence quickly.
5. Tailor more than you think you need to
These moves rarely work with a generic CV.
You’re asking someone to take a more considered decision.
Your application should reflect that.
A note for hiring teams
Some of the strongest hires we see come from outside industry.
Or from agency into in-house at the right moment.
Different perspectives can:
Challenge existing thinking
Bring new approaches
Unlock growth in ways like-for-like hires don’t
It’s not always about finding someone who’s done the exact same role before.
Final thought
These moves are harder.
But they’re also some of the most valuable career steps you can take.
The key is making it easy for someone else to believe what you already know: That you can do the job.
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Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash