Have you ever thought your career was not a good fit for you? Do you feel like it doesn’t offer many opportunities or that you are not satisfied with your daily work?
Your career is one of the most critical decisions in life. It defines who we are, what our purpose is, and how we live our lives. If you feel like this, here’s some advice on how to change your career without any regrets.
How to change career:
The following guide will help you how to change your career smoothly.
Find your purpose:
If you want to make a career change, the first step is finding out your purpose. What do you hope to accomplish with your career? Knowing this will help you identify which position could be the best fit and where you can find meaning in what you do.
You may feel like your current career doesn’t offer many opportunities or is not satisfying. If this is the case, it’s time for a change! You have potential and so many different options available to explore.
Some people enjoy making money as their primary goal, while others want to help advance society. Some people are looking for a work-life balance, while others have a strong desire to travel or spend time outdoors. Figure out what drives you, and then take steps towards achieving those goals!
You may take help from a career counselor in changing careers, but it can be challenging to find the right counselor. If you don’t get help from a good counselor, you could end up making the wrong decisions, which could lead to longer-term negative impacts on your career.
Thankfully, online tools make it easy to find the right counselor for your needs. A new web application called Careershifters offers interactive online career counseling sessions with qualified therapists and psychologists.
Careershifters offers one-on-one live video sessions with professionals who will counsel you on your career situation. They offer personalized guidance and advice.
Careershifters has helped hundreds of people in building their careers through personalized guidance and advice.
Work on your mindset:
Many of us want to change careers for various reasons. But they are afraid to do it. There is a hesitancy. There is a lack of confidence. There is a fear.
My advice is to research the new role you are interested in. Find out where the overlap point with your previous experience. Overlap point means there is anything common (experience, skills, etc.) in your current role and one you are currently seeking.
This overlap point can help you gain the confidence you need to make a move.
Make A Plan:
Make sure you have a plan. This will help you think about what supports and resources you need to succeed in your new career life.
This means figuring out the specific skills and experiences you will need for the next step in your career.
Consider these questions: What skills do I possess that would transfer over to this new career? What experience do I have that positions me well for this job or allows me to develop those skills? How much income does this position offer? How much education is required?
Next, make a list of your immediate needs—both professional and personal.
Making a plan is very important.
Identify the new skills you need for changing your career:
You have already decided to change your career. It is required to learn some new skills.
At first, identify what skills you need for shifting your career. Identifying skills gaps is very important. Now you may ask me, how will you identify?
Job descriptions are a great place to start.
Search your desired job titles on sites like REMOTEful, Indeed and read the job descriptions.
List what new skills you have to learn for a career change.
Develop the new skills:
Now it’s time to prepare yourself by developing the new skills needed for your new career. You may need to study for a completely new qualification. It will depend on your field.
You may need to take courses to develop new skills. Remember, further education can be a big investment. So, explore something that is both affordable and flexible.
It is necessary to update your resume as you have chosen a different career path. A career-specific resume is essential.
So, update your resume for a career change. Now, how can you update your resume?
Rewrite your resume objectives to describe the reasons for your career change and your future professional goal. Keep it within two or three sentences. This way, you have to write a resume career change objective.
Include such skills and qualifications relevant to the new career you want to pursue. Review the various job descriptions. The job descriptions will help add skills that match the new career.
Showcase relevant certifications on your resume. Mention the courses you have done for your new career. The hiring manager may think that even though you have no hands-on experience in the new field, you have taken some initiatives to gain primary knowledge.
My dear reader, I have already shared the crucial points on how to change career. There are little more to cover. Please have patience and read on.
Prepare yourself for the career change related interview questions:
There is no way to ignore this section. It's important to know the career change interview questions and answers. So, please read this section attentively.
Q: What is your motivation for looking for a new career?
This is the most common question an interviewer asks if you want to shift your career. You have to give strong reasons so that you can convince the interviewer. You may answer, ‘I have been working in my current field for a long time. I have done everything that a professional would wish and there is nothing left. My inherent quality has compelled me to go for a challenging career where I can utilize my skills and test my abilities.’
Q: Is there any similarity between your current position and the one you are looking for?
This question is asked to identify whether you will need any training in a specific area if they hire you.
Be honest and answer the question technically so that the interviewer finds something common between your previous and current role that you are seeking. You can talk about shooting an email, daily target disseminating official notes, etc.
Q: Why should we hire you as you don't have industry background?
The interviewer knows hiring someone who does not have industry background is a risk. Tell the interviewer that you possess some transferable skills. Convince him that you are a quick learner, sincere, confident and with a good communication skills, etc.
Q: Are you ready to start fresh again?
The hiring manager wants to know if you can take commands from seniors who are younger than you.
Tell him you don’t mind taking commands from juniors, and every experienced person was a fresher at the beginning of their career. To reach the top, you may add that you have to start from the bottom.
Q: How will you deal with a decrease in pay?
The hiring manager wants to know how serious you are in this job, despite a drop in salary. You can respond by noting that while no one expects a pay decrease, you are willing to take it because you have saved a large amount of money over the years.
Tell him you are confident about advancing in this new field; as a result, your salary will go high.
These are the common interview questions for a career change. You have to prepare yourself before handling this type of question.
Some frequently asked questions:
Q: How to change career at 30 and 35?
At 30 and 35, it is not too late to change careers. Follow the following steps:
Examine your present career first. For example, what you like and do not like about your present career, what draws you to the new career path and more like this. It is important because self-assessment helps you to gauge what you are missing.
Reassess your networks. Make a list of your contacts who are currently employed in the field of your choice. Meet with them to conduct an informational interview. This will help you gather in-depth information and help you understand how you will fit into their industry. If you don’t have this type of list, try to reach out to a friend who has a vast social network.
There are many skill training courses online. You can take those courses to gain new skills related to the new career.
You can invest in additional education if needed for a new career.
Finally, recreate your resume and apply for a new job.
Rebrand your professional image, for example, updating your LinkedIn profile.
I think now it’s clear to you how to change career at 30 and 35.
Q: When to change career
You are eternally bored
You are only working for money
If you had the option, you would leave
You are jealous of your friends’ and relatives’ jobs.
You are burned out (job burnout)
Your job work does not excite you anymore
You are thinking about a new career and find yourself daydreaming about it.
Your current career is affecting your personal life.
These points will signal you to think about when to change your career.
Q: How to change career at 50?
Many of us think career change late in life is very challenging. It is not at all that they believe. Then how to change career at 50? Please have a look below:
You should have confidence in yourself.
Present your age positively on your resume. Do not put more emphasis on your age. Remember, there is no legal requirement for the exact age on your resume.
Research the new industry you are interested in
Before changing your career, consider your physical and mental health again. Will your health support you to step into a new industry you are interested in?
You should have the mentality to accept your boss younger than you.
You should have the mentality to learn new skills.
Update your resume.
Conclusion:
Dear reader, from this article, you have got the answer to how to change a career you are interested in. You should have a plan before changing your career. You need to ask yourself what actually you want in life? What motivates you to change your career? Do you have the network to conduct the informational interview and so on?
You should have the mentality to learn new skills and do new courses related to the new field. Whatever your age, it’s possible to change your career smoothly —all you need to do is follow the guides I have covered in this article.
