Your perspective in life changes as you grow older. There are certain aspects of your life that you handle better now that you have the experience and courage to know and do what’s best for you. Your priorities in life also change and this may extend to your career.
You may feel the need to change your career after some number of years in a field in which you might have had a lot of success. The decision to change careers is a major one and requires a lot of thought and consideration so that you don’t regret it and for it to be successful.
Here’s what you should do to have a successful career change.
Know what you want
A lot of people confuse jobs for careers and this leads them to making erroneous decisions that they soon regret. When contemplating about changing careers, examine whether it’s your job with a particular employer that you hate or everything about what you do that even changing jobs won’t help.
You don’t have to necessarily hate your job or career to make a change but you should have concrete reasons why you need a change. Do you want to explore your other interests? Did you find yourself in a career you had no interest in but now you are bold enough to pursue your passions? What’s your motivation for moving to a new career?
You need to answer all those questions truthfully to know what you really want.
Do your research
Conduct your research on the career you want to move to. You need to know what is involved in the career you want to move to, the skills needed and the earning potential. This information you can get from a Job Application Center.
More importantly, known the level you will join the field in since there might be financial implications like a salary cut when you have to start at a junior position to your current role.
You also need to talk to people who are already in that career and get first-hand account about what it really is like to work in the field.
Evaluate your skills
Evaluate the skills you have against the skills need in the new career. Certainly, there are some skills you hold that are transferrable to your new career.
If there are requisite skills that you lack then find ways to bridge that gap before you take the leap so the transition is smooth and you can fit into your new role faster. This may require you to undertake some professional training or go back to school and learn new concepts.
Network
Your current professional network is likely to be made up majorly by those in your current field. While they are still important connections to maintain, you need to start making connections with those in the field you want to migrate to.
These new connections will give you the information, guidance and mentorship you need to excel in your new career and might also be the leads you need to get a job opening.
Revise your resume
Your resume needs to be tailored for the job you are looking for. Having the same resume you have used for years in your old career doesn’t help you cause for a successful career change because it’s full of irrelevant experience and skills for your new job. It is also recommended to get the professional opinion of an experienced resume writing service for your resume.
Instead, revise your resume to contain only the transferrable experience and skills that are relevant in your new career.