Success story · Career change · Relocation
How James Keogh moved from fund accounting to business development at PitchBook Data in London
James Keogh moved from fund accounting in Dublin to business development at PitchBook Data in London, with a higher salary, relocation package and signing bonus.
By How to Job
A new role. A new city. A higher salary.
James Keogh was working as a fund accountant in Dublin and wanted to move into business development in London. The challenge was showing how his technical experience could translate into a commercial role.
Working with How to Job, James targeted people already doing the job he wanted. Informational interviews developed into recommendations to senior hiring decision makers. After a meeting, he applied, was shortlisted and secured a role at PitchBook Data.
James's search at a glance
- His previous role in Dublin
- Fund accounting
- His new role at PitchBook Data
- Business development
- An office-based move
- Dublin → London
- Conversations and recommendations
- Gambit strategy
Start with the role you want to understand.
James targeted people doing the exact type of role he wanted. These informational interviews helped him explore the move into business development and understand how to position his existing experience.
They also created opportunities to discuss the company, its product and what the work involved. For a career changer, those details can help connect a previous role to a new direction.
- The work
What does success in this role look like?
- The connection
Which parts of my experience would be useful?
- The product
What should I understand about its customers?
From a useful conversation to a recommendation.
James used the Gambit strategy: reaching out to multiple relevant people across a targeted list of companies, starting conversations and developing those conversations into recommendations to senior hiring decision makers.
The first person he contacted did not need to make the hiring decision. They could help him understand the opportunity and recommend a conversation with someone more directly involved in hiring.
- People in the role
Learn about the work and the company.
- A recommendation
Develop the conversation with relevant people.
- Hiring decision makers
Discuss experience, motivation and fit.
Technical knowledge with commercial relevance.
James’s fund accounting background gave him technical experience he could connect to PitchBook’s venture capital data product. His task was to explain how that knowledge could support business development, including conversations about the product’s value to business owners.
He also spoke about his personal goals. Together, those conversations helped him communicate relevant experience and a clear reason for making the switch.
A meeting. An application. A shortlist.
James submitted his application after a meeting and was shortlisted. By then, he had already had the opportunity to discuss his background, motivation and transferable experience.
The application was the next step in a process that had started through conversations. Those conversations gave him space to explain a career change that a job title alone might not fully communicate.
- Meeting
Discuss background and motivation.
- Application
Take the formal next step.
- Shortlist
Progress through the hiring process.
Business development at PitchBook Data in London.
James secured the role and moved from Dublin to work in PitchBook Data’s London office. The move came with a much higher salary, a relocation package and a signing bonus.
His story brings together targeted informational interviews, recommendations to hiring decision makers and a clear explanation of how technical experience can transfer into a commercial role.
Common questions
What was James doing before the move?
He was working as a fund accountant in Dublin.
What role did he secure?
A business development role at PitchBook Data, based in the London office.
What was the Gambit strategy in James’s search?
He contacted multiple relevant people at target companies, including people doing the role he wanted. He developed those conversations into recommendations to senior hiring decision makers.
Did James still submit an application?
Yes. He applied after a meeting, and his application was shortlisted.
What did his offer include?
A much higher salary, a relocation package and a signing bonus. These were James’s individual outcomes; the case study does not specify the amounts.
Your next chapter
Show how your experience fits the move you want.
Changing roles starts with understanding where your experience could be valuable. Book a free strategy call to discuss your next move and how How to Job could help you approach it.