by Penny Gardner
After working for the same company for five years, you feel like it’s time to move on. The job no longer excites you and every time you leave work, you feel exhausted and worn out. Perhaps you are looking for a new challenge in a different sector? You need something that sparks your enthusiasm and gives you the right motivation to get out of bed in the morning? If this is you, then you might already be thinking that a career change is what you need.
Obviously nobody said that changing a career was going to be easy. However, it’s something that many people do in an attempt to find out what they really enjoy doing and develop professionally.
So, how can you ensure that your next job will give you everything that you need?
The answer to this question is that you simply can’t, and while that sounds scary on its own, it’s also the most interesting part of a career change. Unless you try it out, you will never know what it’s like to pursue the things that interest you the most and can make you happy.
While there is a lot of uncertainty when dealing with career change, there are many things you can do that will make your transition a lot easier. Let’s go over a few tips that are vital to career change success:
#1 Think about What You Enjoy Doing
Throughout your career, you will have a wide range of experiences. But in order to make sure that you have fun, you need to be certain about what you like and what you don’t like. There’s no point in changing career if you are taking yet another job that doesn’t make you happy. Take some time to think about what you like doing in your free time. Think about any hobbies you have that can relate to a particular job. Then ask yourself if you can turn this into a profession and start getting involved in the things that you have a strong interest in and see where it takes you.
#2 Equip Yourself with Important Skills
If you are willing to start from the bottom and develop the skills necessary for the career you’ve chosen, then you are already half-way to your destination. All that it takes is persistence and hard work to reach it. Since changing careers requires that you start from zero, you need to equip yourself with the relevant skills, experience and qualifications that will ultimately help you get hired. It is also important to identify your limitations and work on them until you feel ready to enter the new field.
#3 Do Your Research and Preparation
Whatever career you’ve chosen, you need to familiarize yourself with current industry trends to make sure that your transition into this unknown world is as smooth as possible. Customize your resume for a career change, and focus on getting all of the information you need on how to succeed in this particular profession. Ask other professionals in the field for some advice if you have to and network yourself to the top.
#4 Demonstrate Your Passion
Once you are searching for a new job you need to show how much you want it. Just like every person who has gone through a career change, this is a crucial part of the transition since it is more difficult for them in contrast to other jobseekers. Employers will ask questions such as ‘why you left your previous job’ and ‘why you chose to work in this profession’ and you need to be prepared to back up your answers. As such, you need to show off your personality and those qualities that make you the hard-working individual they expect to see in every candidate. Focus on that and demonstrate your interest in the job providing some real-life examples and your next job is around the corner.
In terms of managing your career, you need to search for a job that fills you with joy and excitement, no matter what industry you choose. The secret to reaching your true potential is having the motivation to go after your professional goals and to never remaining stagnant.
As previously said, a career change can be difficult. But having a defined goal will help you pursue your passion and carve out your own career journey. Just like Socrates once said, “the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
Karen Adamedes is an experienced executive, author and career-tipster. In her most recent book ‘Professional in Pajamas: 101 Tips for Working from Home’ Karen shares many of the insights she has gained during a decade of working from home, where she has negotiated multi-million dollar deals, led national teams and delivered major projects. She does admit to sometimes working in her pajamas.
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