Making a complete career
change, whatever the reason, is a really big undertaking that can have huge
ramifications in your life if you don’t take the time to think things
through. Jumping too quickly can result
in more unhappiness in your career than you’re feeling right now, so it’s
important to avoid making a few common mistakes.
First, have a plan. Probably the biggest mistake you can make is
attempting to change careers without a plan. A successful career change can
often take months to accomplish when you have a strategy, so without one, you
could end up adrift for an even longer period.
Having a detailed action
plan (including items such as strategies, finances, research, and
education/training) is essential to your success. Without a plan, you might
take the first job offer that comes along, whether it is a good fit for you or
not.
Don’t make the mistake of
confusing hating your current job with hating your current career. Take the
time to analyze whether it’s just the job, another employee, or your boss that
you hate, or whether it’s the career, the skills necessary to do the job, or
the work that you dislike.
The same goes with if you
are feeling bored or lost with your job; review whether it’s the job, the
employer, or the career. Whatever you determine, it’s best not to leave your
job -- if possible -- until you have a plan for finding a new career.
Many people make career
changes based solely on the prospect of making more money or because of better
benefits. This, too, can be a
mistake. Certain career fields are very
alluring because of the salary and other benefits they offer, but be very
careful of switching careers because of all the dollar signs.
Keep repeating to yourself,
“Money won’t buy me happiness.” Remember that you may make more money, but if
you hate your new career, you’ll probably be spending that money on stress- and
health-related expenses. A career that’s hot today could be gone tomorrow, so
dig deeper if this is the only reason you want a new career.
If you have people in your
life who are pressuring you to switch jobs, it can be very stressful, and you
might be tempted to change careers just to “shut them up”. Don’t let your parents, significant others or
anyone else influence your career choice. They don’t have to live that career
every day; you do.
If you love what you do and
earn a reasonable living, why is it anyone’s business but yours? If you switch
careers because of outside pressure to have a “better career,” and then hate
your new career, you’ll end up resenting whoever pressured you to make the
switch.
It can be very helpful and
even necessary for you to seek out the help of someone when making a career
change. Having a mentor when you start
this new career can be very valuable. As
soon as you have identified the career field you want to switch into, begin
developing new network contacts. Conduct informational interviews. Join
industry associations.
People in your network can
provide inside information about job-openings and can even champion you to
hiring managers. Networking is essential for all job-seekers, but even more so
for career-changers. And use a current or new mentor as a sounding board to
help guide you in the transition.
Examine all possibilities
before “diving in”. Don’t jump career
fields without first conducting thorough research into all the possibilities,
including career fields you may never have considered. By conducting research
into careers you have never considered or been exposed to, you may find the
career of your dreams.
Talk to people in your network,
read career and job profiles; meet with a career management professional. The
more information you have about various career choices, the more successful
you’ll be in making a career change.
Although we’ll talk about
this a little later, you really need to do some self-reflecting and really
thinking about what you and what you don’t like. Self-assessment of your skills, values, and
interests is a critical component to career-change success. Make a list of the
skills you love doing: in your job, in
your hobbies, in all aspects of your life.
Then list those things that you never want to do again.
You may want to consider
taking one or more assessment tests, especially those with a career component.
Preparing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) Analysis is
also a useful activity. All these activities are designed so that you better
understand yourself -- your product -- so that you can find the best career for
you and then sell yourself to employers in that new career.
DO NOT change your career
just because you’ve seen others succeed in that field. It’s human nature to fall into the trap of
comparing ourselves to others. Just because your best friend or neighbor is
successful in a certain career does not mean that you will be -- or that you
will be happy doing it -- so certainly consider the career field, but make sure
you do the research before jumping into it.
Finally, just to add yet
another cliché, too many job-seekers switch careers on the assumption that the
grass is always greener -- and often times find out that is not the case.
You have to have some
experience or education for almost all career fields. If you have neither for the field you want to
get into, you’ll most certainly fail. As
a career-changer, you must find a way to bridge the experience, skills, and
education gap between your old career and your new one.
While transferable skills –
those that are applicable in multiple career fields, such as communications
skills - are an important part of career change, it is often necessary to gain
additional training and experience before you can find a good job in a new
career field.
Research whether you need
additional training, education, or certifications. And try to find time to
volunteer, temp, intern, or consult in your new career field -- what some
experts refer to as developing a parallel career -- before quitting your
current job and searching for a full-time position in your new career field.
If you’ve been in your
current position for quite some time, chances are good that a lot of things
have changed in the job market since you were last out there. If you don’t take the initiative to update
your job skills – such as computer skills – then you won’t enjoy as much success
as you might want.
Review your resume-writing
techniques, master networking, and polish your interviewing skills. What’s the
sense of doing all this research and preparation in attempting to change
careers if you are not current with your job-search skills?
We mentioned a SWOT Analysis. This really is a useful tool when considering
changing careers as well as in finding a job in general. Next we'll look at how to construct your own SWOT
Analysis.
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