The Step By Step Guide To a Career Change.
The current unexpected events are disturbing our daily routines, taking us out of our comfort zones and causing us to ask big questions about what counts and what is worth it. It's no wonder that many people are rethinking their jobs amid the current pandemic. It's not easy to make a career change and can be daunting-otherwise everyone would be doing it. However, it is possible.
It's a little unclear what constitutes a "career change," but think of it as taking up a position in a new industry where you can continue to develop your personal and professional expertise.
Here's a step by step guide to help you increase your chances of success:
- Self-Assessment
Assessment of yourself, write an action plan and set small, achievable goals. Honesty is key here, the more honest you are to yourself, the more accurately you’ll move forward. If you think you have all the skills you need to enter a new industry and lie to yourself, you’ll find yourself stitching yourself up in the future.
Self-assessments will help you explore various opportunities and validate career types which could be right for you.
What's the value of a self-assessment?
- Identify the qualities you bring to a job.
- Write more comprehensive personal resumes and cover letters.
- Consider careers you have never thought about before.
- Read about jobs which are a good fit for you.
- Determine where you need more experience or training.
- Create a list
Online career assessment tools will help you build a long list of opportunities that suit your self-assessment well, or you may already have some ideas of career opportunities that interest you. Build a list of all the careers you want to pursue and try to narrow that down to a list of around 5 strong possibilities and start looking in-depth at each of them.
Once you've identified a new career that suits your personality, abilities, beliefs, and interests, you'll need to build your list of 'to do.' Will you apply for training courses? Could you volunteer to gain experience in that role? Add dates by which each step of your plan will be completed. The more detailed and focused your action plan is, the more likely you are to succeed.
- Make Connections:
Start by exploring without expectation, giving yourself time to explore without consequence allows you to get a wider feel of the market. Don't depend on your current network, have proactive discussions and build relationships with new individuals in different industries. The secret to your transition is to find influential people.
"Opportunities do not float like clouds in the sky. They're attached to people. If you're looking for an opportunity, you're really looking for a person." – Ben Casnocha.
Look for people, not for jobs.
Job sites, recruitment consultants, CVs / résumés and Google all have their uses in your career change. But they're not the place to start. Think of the change in your career as an expedition, not as a short day-trip.
If you were climbing to the peak of the mountain, you could do it on your own, but you'd most likely want to go with others, a guide, or a support team. It makes the trip easier, faster and much more enjoyable.
Don’t Rely Solely On Your Existing Network
Your immediate professional network may not be the strongest source of motivation. In the process of trying to find people to chat about your proposals, you may find that you are less likely to meet people who have done what you want to do in your current professional network.
While it may feel unnatural, make an effort to surround yourself with people that are aligned with your desired future, rather than just those from your past.
- Record Your Success!
The reason why you make small goals and actions is to manage them properly at a steady rate. This is where the honesty highlighted previously will really pay off. Accurate recording will also allow you to adjust your plan as you move through the process, identifying key strengths and weaknesses in your activities.
- Don’t Rush The Process.
Make it clear to yourself why you’re walking away. If a job loss has motivated your decision to change careers, you don't have to think about leaving your position. Unless you're currently working, you'll have to leave your job and deal with some possible feelings of remorse or anxiety about the changes in life you're about to make.
Know when to leave your current position, you can’t rush this process. Try to only leave your current position once you’ve got a new position secured.
Conclusion
Be true to yourself. Regardless of how difficult or elongated your career change journeys may be, many accomplished individuals have proven that going off the beaten path to do work that matters more to them was certainly worth it.
