How to successfully change your career

Over the last few weeks we have discussed why you might want to change careers, yet how can you make it happen? How can you make a successful transition from one job to the next?

In this article we shall cover 7 simple steps that can help you to get started.

• Step One: Decide once and for all – are you happy where you are?

Like we divulged last week, there is a difference between being unhappy because you’re unchallenged/bored, and being unhappy because of the people/environment you work in. For this reason, you must first decide once and for all whether changing your career is entirely what you want.

• Step Two: Assess your skills, interests and values

Once you know you are truly unhappy, it is important that you take some time to self-reflect and think about what you want to do next.  A good way to get started is to consider what makes you passionate, excited or helps you to forget time. Likewise, you should review your current skill set, interests and values. This will help you to determine what you’d like to do instead, as well as will help you to identify where you need to improve your skills/acquire more qualifications.

• Step Three: Update your CV

Whether you’ve already got the skillset required to apply for a different job, or you need to complete an online course to build up your experience; it is important that you update your CV.  For instance, you should tailor your CV to promote the skills, qualifications and work experience you have in your new chosen field. If they are not already there, add them. Otherwise, expand on them so prospective employers can see you are capable of doing the job you’re applying for.

TIP: if you haven’t got enough experience, consider shadowing somewhere within your chosen niche or volunteer at an organisation to gain experience. Alternatively, you can use your research to connect and network with others in this profession. Each of these will help you to gauge whether you want to pursue this new career or not.

• Step Four: Create a list of careers that interest you

If at this point you know you want to change careers, but haven’t decided on a particular one, you can use your new and improved CV to help you figure out where you want to work.  Alternatively, you can grab a blank piece of paper and can mind map ideas of where you’d like to work (including, how they make you feel/why it would be a good move to switch to that career).

• Step Five: Research your list of careers

Once you’ve got a list of ideas, start researching them in detail. This can include – what skills/qualifications do you need to apply; what the job entails; salaries; job availability, etc.  To get a clear view of the positives and the negatives of the job, try to speak to someone who is already doing the job.  Using this research, you can begin to narrow down your list of options and start to shape out your plan of action i.e. what you need to change and what qualifications/skills you need to develop.

• Step Six: Apply for jobs

At this point you are ready to take all of your hard work and use it to apply for jobs. Good places to start your job search include: LinkedIn (we suggest you create a profile if you wish to apply through this platform as it will allow employers to learn more about you); Job Sites (TotalJobs, Indeed and Monster); recruiters (they can help you to source out jobs based on your desired criteria i.e. location, salary, etc.) and applying directly to an organisations HR department.

• Step Seven: Prepare for your interview

You’re now one step away from your dream role, yet before you relax you need to prepare for your interview. We recommend researching the organisation you’re applying to and practicing questions, including why you are right for the role so you aren’t put on the spot during the interview. Make sure to highlight your skills, qualifications and qualities so you stand out from the competition.

And now you’re ready to make your dreams a reality!! Simply follow these 7 steps and you can change your career for the better.

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