Changing Your Career? The Process And Actions You Can Take

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When you leave school you are normally expected to have some from of idea about what you want to do with your life in terms of a job and a career. Some people are lucky enough to know the answer to this. Take the right steps, degrees and qualifications to make their dreams become a reality. Some people just don’t know what they want to do. But the problem with today’s world is you do need to have some from of job in place in order to earn a living and survive.

 

We spend a good chunk of our time working. It can be hard to go through each day if you don’t enjoy what you do, feel the benefits of your hard work, or to even feel some from of job satisfaction and gratitude for what you do. At some point, you may find that you want to change your career and do something different. But what can you do? Is it even possible to change careers? No matter how old you are, what stage of life you are at, if you are determined enough to make a change you can do it. However, I wanted to share with you the practical steps that you could take to help you change from one career to another, in the best possible way.

 

Do you know what you want to do with your life?

 

One of the first things you need to do is consider what you want to do in life. Perhaps you have suddenly realised what you enjoy doing? Maybe you have developed a hobby that you now think can become your job or at least help you secure a new job because of the work you have put in. You might have a passion for something that you now think could be viable career. It could have even been your personality traits and what makes you feel good that highlighted a potential career change. However you came to this decision, make sure you know what you want to do. This can help you determine potential job opportunities and companies you could work with.

 

Enhance your current resume

 

The best step in the right direction is to look at your current resume and make some changes. You may need to add on your most recent experience. Perhaps change address or contact details if those have changed recently, and tweak a few things here and there. Your resume is your chance to shine on paper, and can often be your first opportunity to make an impression on point entail employers. If there is a specific career you have in mind, maybe tailor your resume to support that. Highlighting key skills and experience you have gained that would work well in your new chosen profession.

 

Use skills you have learned in previous jobs or employment

 

As mentioned previously, you need to think long and hard about the skills you already have, and ensure that this could be used in your new job. It could be things you may have overlooked before, such as the added responsibility, the learning and implementing of health and safety, quick typing or even then fact that you were the designated first aider. What you may feel is insignificant clouds be massively important for you new role. If you are certain on the type of job you want then you may have already got the required skills and experience, it is down to you to highlight them.

 

Take time to enhance your skills and leadership techniques

 

Maybe there is an opportunity to learn something new, and so you may want to look into different courses, degrees and qualifications you can learn in your spare time to secure the new job you want in the future. Something like an online fnp would be ideal for nursing types of careers, where as business management courses could be ideal for taking on leadership roles. Research what would work well and the type of skills you could be missing.

 

Research potential employment opportunities and companies

 

Now you need to take the time to research potential job opportunities and companies that you could work for. The internet is full of information so a good place to start might be online job websites which highlight all sorts of career options and opportunities to apply for. Sometimes you might want to take the time to just do a simple Google search, as this could highlight a few different companies you may not have head or or considered before. Sometimes checking out their own vacancy pages could give you some potential opportunities to consider.

 

Prospect and show initiative

 

Sometimes you just have to be bold. There may not be anything advertised right now, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any opportunities in the future. It could be the ideal time to consider prospecting and showing some initiative. Emailing companies directly, sending them your resume and including a covering paragraph explaining what you want to do and how your skills could benefit that job role and company. If you can get your resume kept on file, then you may be notified the moment a suitable vacancy becomes available. Giving you an added advantage.

 

You have the interview, now what?

 

Once you do all of the groundwork and apply for the various job roles, you may find that the interview start to roll in, which is only going to be good new. This means your resume did the job and got your foot in the door, but you now need to ensure that you keep up with your end of the bargain and shine during the interview process. If you find that you have a few interviews being requested, make sure you stay organised and keep a diary so that you don’t double book yourself or leave yourself too little time to get from one location to the next.

 

Take pride in your appearance and make a good first impression

 

Going to the interview can be quite daunting, so ensure you make a decent first impression by taking pride in your appearance. Look at what you might wear and how you will present yourself. The bet advice would be to dress smartly, be that in a suit and shirt or at least smart casual if the employer are a little more casual. You want to look professional.

 

Practice potential interview questions and techniques

 

There will always be common interview questions that are likely to be asked, so the best advice would be to try and consider your answers ahead of time. Things like asking why you want that job, or why bayou want to leave your current job will often be asked, so knowing how you want to phrase your responses will give you the time to ensure that you say the right thing. You don’t want to appear negative, so also take into account the sort of words you use and your general persona.

 

Have confidence and self-belief

 

Finally, having confidence in yourself is a key ingredient to success, but you also don’t want to appear overconfident so try and find the right balance. You want to believe that this is the right choice for you, and having self-belief is a great quality to possess. Having done all the research and prepared throughout the process of getting the interview, you should be confident in your decision, which is the best direction to take.

 

I hope that these tips help you to change your career for the better.