Our parents, grandparents could boast that they worked all their lives in one enterprise. Now such a career can only cause bewilderment. In modern society, it is believed that working for many years in one place - this means degrading. According to statistics, the average person today twelve times changes his career and lingers in one place for four and a half years.
Career trainer Emeline Russetter says that if you decide to take a course in a different direction, then you need to prepare for this serious step in advance, preferably in a year. Changing the field of activity and profession will require a lot of effort, energy and labor, since you will need to learn new skills, gain experience, etc. Here are some tips on how to best do this.
Make a financial plan
A career change may involve not very pleasant consequences: for example, for a while you may remain unemployed. Accordingly, you need to think in advance about the financial side, so as not to be left without money and not get into debt.
Assess your financial situation and set yourself certain financial goals. What is included in them? First of all, the necessary expenses (for example, to get an education or pay for continuing education courses). Calculate how much you will spend in the next four to six months. Make sure you have an “airbag,” that is, emergency funds available.
Think about additional sources of income for a while while you are looking for a new job. You can get a part-time job or do freelance work.
Identify skills and knowledge gaps
Yes, you may have to sit down again at the desk, as you did ten years ago, or even more. However, the game is worth the candle, if you have already decided on a career change. How to understand what you are missing?
Emeline Russetter advises doing the next trick. Take a pen and a piece of paper, divide into two columns. First, write down what skills you have and which are necessary for the new role. Be honest with yourself. There is no need to be modest or, on the contrary, to praise yourself. You should evaluate yourself as objectively as possible. Based on the information received, you can understand what exactly you are missing and what to do about it.
Why is it important to do this exercise? Russetter claims that many people, unaware of this, suffer from the "impostor syndrome." This is when a person underestimates himself, considers himself unqualified, unworthy of a particular position, although in fact he has the necessary set of skills, knowledge and skills. To prevent this from happening to you, do this trick. At the same time, increase your self-esteem.
Fill in the blanks
After this exercise, you need to think about where to find the missing skills. Everything is individual here: someone will have to go to college, someone will only need to take courses. Do not waste your time, but immediately start looking for educational institutions.
And one more tip: if you don’t know what kind of skills are needed for your chosen role, study the relevant vacancies on the Internet and read what exactly is required by employers. This will help you better navigate and understand how to fill in the missing gaps.
Conduct informational interviews
Of course, you may not be a journalist, but you will have to work hard to collect the most reliable information. Be open to all, without exception, new connections and acquaintances.Try to get into the sphere in which you want to build your career. Chat with the people who work there to evaluate your situation and find out the true state of things. These informational interviews will help you to understand how your skills are applicable in this industry and whether you have prospects.
Yes, and do not forget to treat your interlocutors with a cup of coffee to make a favorable impression and so that they better remember you. You never know, maybe fate will bring you again.
Work on your resume
Now that you have decided on the direction in your career, realized in which direction you want to move, collected the maximum reliable information, it's time to do personal rebranding. What does it mean? That your image should match the desired position. There are two ways to do this: through a resume and a LinkedIn profile. At least that's what Rossetter says.
First you need to change your resume, a description of your jobs, keywords, as well as your interests and skills, so that the profile appears attractive to the employers you want to interest. In any case, one cannot do without a resume, so take the time to write it correctly and correctly. Even if you do not need to do the newsletter, and you are immediately invited to an interview, you do not have to spend time to bring the questionnaire to perfection and adjust it in accordance with the desired role.
And don't forget to update and fill out your LinkedIn profile with new information.
Create a powerful network
Now it's time to take action. You already have the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities in your arsenal, which means that now you just have to create a powerful network of people who will help you turn around. Where to look for connections and acquaintances? First of all, at conferences, seminars in your chosen industry. Now you need to invest all your strength and energy in order to create a powerful network and find like-minded people.
Actively meet people who work in the field you need. Feel free to ask questions and mention that you are looking for work and that you would like to try your hand at a new role. Do not forget to advertise yourself from the best side: talk about personal achievements, skills, experience, abilities to interest the interlocutor.
However, remember that the main thing here is not to overdo it and not to praise yourself. These facts must be mentioned casually, by chance, and not intrusively. Listen more and speak less. Do not forget to exchange contacts, even if it seemed to you that a person would not help you much. Life is long: perhaps it is he who will contribute to advancement in your career.