You may change careers at any age for any reason. People change their careers to get higher salaries, reduce stress, and get advancement opportunities and flexibility, among other reasons. It is important to be strategic when making career switches to ensure that the process is smooth and you achieve the goals you set.
Here are a few tips for making a successful career change.
Evaluate Your Skills and Experiences
Before leaving your current job, assess your skills and talents to see if they are sufficient to work in the new position. If they are not adequate or out of date, you may need to retrain or pursue further education. For instance, if you currently work in marketing but wish to pursue a role as a mental health worker, you’ll likely benefit from being proactive and studying to complete a mental health first aid course, as this will help you to gain the skills required for working with adults struggling with serious mental health issues. Similar courses will exist for almost every role in every industry. As such, it’s important to thoroughly evaluate your experience and determine what you need and or do not have for the new career you’d like to go into.
Decide Which Direction You Want to Take
Where do you want to go with your career? What do you want to achieve? How will you achieve the goal? It is important to have a clear sense of direction when making a career change. Otherwise, you are likely to get lost in the new field or end up being worse off than in your current job. Plan the change with an eye on the challenges you are likely to meet.
Upgrade Your Skillset
Review your new career requirements and note the areas you are deficient in. Your chances of success in the new career are based on your skillset and experience. Therefore, if there are gaps in your skillset, you need to upgrade them beforehand. Thankfully today, it is very easy to do so via online platforms that offer specialized courses in basically all fields of work. For example, EPICODE offers comprehensive training courses in IT professions, like this one to become a web developer. Courses like these are very convenient and effective in increasing your skills!
Do Some Personal Rebranding
During the period you have been working in your current job, people have known you for what you do. However, this personality may not work in the new career. You must create a new job image to connect with new people and help create a network in your new field. Employers also need to see a profile that aligns with the new career. Start by understanding the new career, who you serve, and the accepted code of ethics. Follow up by creating a presence both offline and online. Then, create awareness about your new career among your acquaintances and network, and get feedback from those around you.
Let Your Network Know
Your network is your support structure in career life. A strong network offers new opportunities, links you to resourceful individuals, and provides important feedback. It is important to let the network know of your career change as soon as you do it. This will change their perception of you and may help you settle into your new career path as soon as possible. Announce it on social media, network platforms, and when meeting them in forums.
The CV and cover letter are also important in your career change. They showcase your skills and experience and present you as the ideal person for the job. When making a career change, you need to redo them to reflect the transformation and present the new personality and experience required for the new career.
