Is your current career not what you expected? Have you lost passion for what you do? Or do you just feel the time is right for a new challenge?
No matter what your reasons, if you feel like a career change is in order, it’s important for you to take the time to think this through. You need to establish why this change is necessary for you and whether it is your profession or your job that is the issue.
You’re not alone in wanting to jump ship and try something new. Recent studies highlight that many professionals change career several times during their working life. That’s changing career, not job.
Plunging into something new and unknown can be exciting, and a little bit scary! Take a look at our 7 top tips to discover how to change your career successfully:
1. What’s your current situation?
A lot of the time it’s the job that is the problem, not the career. You may feel like you’ve lost your passion and don’t enjoy what you do, but that could be down to the company you work for or the boss you dislike. Perhaps the company you’re at is just a bad fit for you.
To establish whether it’s a change of job or a change of career that you need, you should try to take a step back from your current role and look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What are my interests and hobbies?
- What do I find exciting and motivating?
- What am I passionate about?
There’s no rush, so take the time to consider the answers to these questions and think about what they suggest about your career.
2. Conduct research
Once you’ve answered your questions, it’s time to conduct some career research to see what might be the best fit for you. High salaries and great company perks may be a distraction, but try not to lose sight of what you enjoy when you are looking at different career options. If you go for salary and perks alone, you’ll probably find yourself in the same “I need a career change” situation a year down the line.
Conduct as much or as little research as you think you need. However, if you are considering something very new make sure you do know enough about the career/industry to make the right decision.
3. Consider your transferable skills
When it comes to a career change your transferable skills are massively important. You’re definitely going to need them when it comes to getting your new job. When you’ve settled on a new career choice, think about what relevant transferable skills and experience you have. When it comes to beginning your job search, you need to make sure that these are clearly stated in your CV.
Great transferable skills include:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Planning
- Time management
- Team player
4. Get networking
Who you know could make a big impact when it comes to making a career change, so be prepared to up your networking game. You never know who may be able to help you out; family members, friends, old colleagues? Everyone you know has their own network and one of their connections could turn out to be valuable to you.
Talk to people about the changes you are considering making. They may be able to offer you guidance and information about different industries or companies that you are interested in. They may even know someone that you should talk to and help you make that all-important first connection.
5. What training or experience do you need?
If you have a new career in mind then you need to find out whether it requires any specific training or experience. What do you need to do to develop your skills and expand your industry knowledge?
Are there any courses that you may consider doing before embarking on your new career? Perhaps volunteering may be an option to gain some relevant experience? You need to be thinking of ways to enhance your skills and experience so that you are in a strong position when it comes to applying for jobs.
Sometimes it’s necessary to start at square one when it comes to changing your career. However, with enough passion and determination, you will be able to make this change a success.
6. Be a job search expert
It’s time to take action and jump in with the rest of the job-seeking world. There’s plenty of competition out there, but there is also plenty that you can be doing to get noticed. Find out more about becoming a job search expert with these job searching tips.
7. Prepare to be flexible
When looking for a new job or career you are likely to have a list of requirements that you want to fulfil; location, perks and salary. When changing careers, however, you may have to be prepared to be more flexible when it comes to these factors. It’s likely to be difficult to find a role that ticks all of your boxes so set yourself achievable goals and consider where you are prepared to make compromises.
Changing careers can sometimes feel like a big step backwards so make sure you are prepared for that and remember that you’ll be better off in the long run.
To make your career as successful as it can be you need to develop a passion, have drive and enjoy it. You don’t always find the right option for you straight away and this is where a career change may be necessary. You’ll progress much quicker if you’re in a role that is right for you.
Post contributed by: Jobandtalent
JobandTalent is the leading job matching platform; it’s purpose is to simplify the job searching process for all types of professionals. Now the jobs find you.
