Dear Annie: I work in finance at a company that is being acquired, and my boss has told me that my department will probably be eliminated in the merger.

I don't want to leave the city where I live -- my whole family and most of my friends are here -- so I'm thinking of job hunting outside my industry, even though I have no experience in any other business.

I'd also like to get out of finance into a more creative area, like marketing. Is this realistic? Will employers be willing to give me a chance in a different industry, or a different field? --Moving On

Dear MO: In a different industry, probably. But a different functional area? Not so likely.

Between 30 percent and 40 percent of employees who get laid off these days are taking their skills to different industries, reports Boston coaching and outplacement firm ClearRock. What matters most is your functional experience, not what kind of company you've been working for, says ClearRock managing partner Annie Stevens.

"It's much easier to transfer the experience you've acquired from one industry to another than it is to try to get a job in a completely different field," says Stevens. "You'd have more success in trying to switch from being an accountant for a manufacturer to being an accountant for a hospital, for example, than in trying to get a new job outside of accounting."

"Employers are more apt these days to consider candidates from other industries," says Jim Lanzalotto, a senior vice president at Yoh, a Philadelphia staffing and outplacement firm. "Pharmaceutical companies are hiring, for example, and they have changed their outlook. They used to want only people with pharmaceutical experience, but now they're looking at people with strong brand-building experience, regardless of what industry they come from."

Still, it might help to focus your search on industries that are related to the one you know best, says Greg Gostanian, another ClearRock managing partner.

"Out-of-work banking industry employees, of whom there are many right now, should search for jobs with mortgage companies, credit unions, financial planners, and the like, as well as applying for jobs with other banks," he suggests.

Luckily for you, thanks in part to Sarbanes-Oxley and other recent developments, a strong finance background is an asset just about anywhere. Another thing working in your favor is that, judging from your e-mail address, your current employer is a large, well-known company.

"Anyone who has worked for a big brand-name company with a good reputation, and was successful there, has a real advantage, especially in moving to a different industry," says Lanzalotto. "Hiring someone is really a leap of faith, and interviewers know they can only tell so much about you from the interviewing process, so having that brand name in your background is important. It's almost like an endorsement."

To get a foot in the door in a different business, he suggests you call on your network of friends, relatives, and former colleagues. "It's like a sales job, with yourself and your skills as the 'product.' Target the companies you might want to work for and build a plan," he says. "Whom do you know there? Whom do you know who might know someone there and could introduce you?"

While you're at it, says Annie Stevens, study up on the businesses in which you're searching, and learn the lingo. "Every business has its own buzzwords, so you need to be up to speed on the terms and trends in the industry in which you're job hunting." Read trade publications, and go to a conference or two if you can: "It's important not only to 'walk the walk', but to 'talk the talk' as well." Good luck.

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