Career change just like any other change in life is inevitable. Everyone comes to a point in their professional career when they want to make a change in their career.
It can be for various reasons starting from wanting a salary hike to entering a new industry.
But the most important thing about career change is having a mindset of change and a transition plan.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to make a career change easy for you.
What is a Career Change?
Career change occurs when a worker makes a change in their job. It can be any type of change like –
- Taking a new job in another organization
- Taking a new job at the same organization
- Changing industries or departments
- Changing your job role or responsibilities
- Starting your own company
Career change is not necessarily defined by taking up a new job at another organization, but it is a major change in the career trajectory of a person.
Whether the person wants to join a new role or start a new company, it all depends on them. People usually seek to change careers when they want to see professional growth.
Quick Guide on Career Change
If you also want to make a career change and have no idea where to start, you are in the right place. In this blog, we are going to talk about how to make a career change –
1. Self- Assess Your Current Career
Some people want to make a career change immediately while others want to mull it over. Everyone is at a different place in their professional career, so it is alright to take the time to decide.
In the meantime, you can always take a step back and assess your career. But how to assess your career to ensure that you make the right career choices?
You can always ask yourself a few questions regarding certain aspects of your career that will help you examine your situation better –
a.) Evaluate and Decide Your Career Goals:
You need to examine your goals and determine where you will go next. Assessing your goals will give a clear idea of what you have accomplished and what you want to do next. You can ask yourself these questions to define your goals while making a career change –
- What were your career goals?
- Did you achieve them?
- Do you have new goals?
- What career goals do you plan to achieve in the future?
- Will your current role help you achieve your newly aligned goals?
b.) Evaluate Your Strengths:
Self-awareness is essential when you want to grow. So, reassess your skills, strengths and weaknesses. This will help you know which area you excel in and what needs to be improved. Ask yourself these basic questions –
- What are your skills?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- How can these skills help you in your career?
- Do you need to learn something new to go to the next level of your career?
c.) Assess Your Accomplishments:
Make a list of all the accomplishments that you are proud of and determine whether that has resulted in professional growth. If it hasn’t you can make a career change that helps you grow –
- What are your biggest wins in your current job?
- Have those wins led to your career growth?
- Are you happy with the results?
d.) Job Satisfaction:
52.5% of the employees are dissatisfied with their work. You need to assess whether you are happy and satisfied with your job. This is an easy question to answer, and you can also ask yourself all these questions along the way-
- Do you feel fulfilled at your work?
- Is your job stagnant or ever evolving?
- Are you enjoying your work?
Once you have assessed your current job role, you can consider how it aligns with your future goals and whether you want to make a change.
2. Identify Your Career Goals
You need to decide your career goals and consider whether the current job is the suitable place to be. Accordingly, envision your future and try to identify your goals.
Your work life is part of your life too. So, you need to consider your future life goals as well when making these decisions.
How do you want to live your life? How flexible do you want your work to be?
These are all the general questions you can ask yourself to have a clear idea of your future goals. Here are some questions to clarify your career goals –
- What type of company do you want to work with in the future?
- How do you envision your life? Do you want to work a 9-5 or do you need flexibility?
- What skills do you currently have, and do you want to learn new skills?
- What kind of job responsibilities do you want to undertake?
- Is work-life balance a deal-breaker for you?
Having a clear idea of what you want and what you do not want will help you set a transition plan that can help you make a smooth career change.
3. Do Your Research
After identifying career goals, you can start doing your research. You need to become a researcher in your niche and try to learn everything about the market. Here are some things you can do to help your research while contemplating career change-
a.) Research Potential Careers:
Create a list of job profiles that match your skills. You can do market research and find jobs in your industry that pay well. Having a pro-con list for all potential careers is advisable. You can also create a checklist that helps you align your goals with the potential career options you have.
b.) Read Job Descriptions:
Go to various job boards and search for the potential careers you want to pursue. Mark the skills and requirements that pop up frequently. For example, if you are a content writer and the “Technical writing”, or “UX writing”, comes up consistently across job postings then you need to highlight those parts in your resume because HRs are looking for those skills. HRs who are using recruitment management software parse through multiple resumes using ATS (application tracking system). So, to stand out, you need to highlight the most sought-after skills.
c.) Talk to People:
Doing your own research is all well and good but you can also consider other people’s opinions. Do your own mini survey on which career path seems like a better option for you and try to chart your course accordingly. Talk to people who are already doing the job you aspire to land; this will give you an idea of what all is required for the role.
d.) Attend Conferences or Seminars in Your Field:
To gain more knowledge about your industry, try attending relevant conferences and seminars. You get to connect with various people from across your industry who can give you much needed advice on how to advance your career.
4. Make a Transition Plan
With the research done, now you can focus your attention on formulating a transition plan for career change. Let us see how you can create a transition plan
What data have you collected from your research? You need to use it. Let us see what possible path you can follow for your transition.
Job research> Aspiring roles> Frequently appearing skills> Add to resume
- So, after doing your research you decide on roles you aspire to be in.
- All these roles will have skills and requirements that constantly appear on job postings. Note the skills down.
- Highlight the required skills that are preferred by recruiters in your resume, portfolio and cover letter.
- Identify skills you lack for the aspiring role. Try to take training or courses to upskill yourself.
- Find freelancing or volunteering opportunities for aspiring roles, so you can test-run your newly acquired skills.
This is a rough representation of how your transition plan will look like. It can be flexible, depending on your individual goals and skills.
5. Rework Your Resume
Just gaining new skills is not enough when you are looking to make a career change. You need to rework your resume according to the new job roles you want to apply for.
a.) Transfer Prior Experience to New Job Sector:
When you want to make a career change, it may seem like your prior experience is useless. But it is not! Try to transfer your prior experience into your resume as well. Present it in a better way that the experience aligns with the role you are applying for.
b.) Prioritize Skills Over Experience:
If you are making a career transition, remember you prioritize skills over experience in your resume. Recruiters will want to know what your skills are and what you have achieved with those skills rather than knowing how many years of experience you have.
c.) Add the Newly Achieved Certification or Skills:
While reworking your resume add the new certifications or skills. Make sure you take an internship or freelance work, so it validates your skills as well.
6. Do Your Job Search
When your resume is ready, and you are mentally prepared to make the jump, you can start by applying to new jobs opportunities.
- Utilize job search engines: Go to LinkedIn, Indeed and other job portals and start applying. Make sure you apply for jobs that align with your goals and skills.
- Company websites, and networking connections: Sometimes job portals aren’t enough, and you need to dig a little deeper for better roles. So, go to companies where you want to work and inquire about openings. Connect with recruiters and share your profile and resume with them.
- Prepare for interviews: After applying for jobs, you can start preparing for interviews. Get mentally ready for assignments, research potential employers and prepare for interview questions.
Tips You Can Use While Making a Career Change
Career change can be a stressful decision. Sometimes you are forced into it and sometimes you think it out, but no matter what it is not an easy decision. You can follow these tips to make your career change a bit easier
- Act don’t think take small actions even imperfect ones. Do not think about the huge transition before you. Just focus on one day at a time and keep following your plan.
- Look for people to work with rather than looking for a job. A good team can help you grow so pay attention to the company culture and teammates while making a career change.
- Avoid relying on your current network, rather try to reach out to new connections and look for better opportunities.
- While making a career change for a new job role you won’t necessarily have experience in the field so try to pursue freelance and volunteer opportunities for related jobs.
Conclusion
Career change is a necessary evil. You don’t like doing it, but you must do it at some point in your life.
While this process may seem overwhelming, you need to stick to the plan if you want to witness any career growth.
Making a career change is no cake walk but following the above-mentioned steps can make it a bit easier.
