The Increasing Trend of Career Changes
Long behind us are the times when people were accustomed to the principle of one professional life – one company. Nowadays, we are witnessing a trend of increased career changes. According to recent studies, one in five employees expect to change jobs in the UK. The majority of them stay in the same industry, but there is a significant amount of workers who will try themselves in changing careers.
Follow this practical advice to navigate your transition into a new career.
Step 1: Self-Assessment
Remember, a career change is not about finding a new job; it’s about discovering a new path that aligns with your passions, skills, and life goals. With the right approach and support, you can easily turn your career aspirations into reality. So, at this stage, complete and honest introspection is a must.
Identify Your Motivations
Understanding why you want to change careers is the first step towards a successful transition. Are you seeking more challenging work? Better work-life balance? Higher salary? Opening your own business? Or maybe you just discovered a new passion? Remember this motivation and repeat it daily so it can guide you and keep you focused along the long career transition journey. You will face numerous obstacles that can derail you from your mission, but the main motivator will keep you heading straight towards your goal.
Evaluate Your Skills and Interests
Let’s go through and review all your hard and soft skills, including technical abilities, interpersonal skills and industry-specific knowledge. Which of them might be transferable to your new career? Personality tests and career assessments can provide valuable insights into potential career matches.
Step 2: Research Potential Careers
Once you’ve gained clarity about your future career, it’s time to explore the job market and identify potential employment paths that align with your skills, interests and motivations.
Job Market Analysis
Research the current trends in the UK, but also don’t forget to seek further because online opportunities show up frequently and are a wonderful choice if you would like to work from home. Pay close attention to emerging fields and roles that may not have existed a few years ago. On the other hand, you should consider factors like job stability, future growth potential and salary ranges. It will be a long research, but it will definitively pay off in the end. The more clear data you have initially, the more durable the final decision will be.
Explore Industries That Align With Your Skills and Interests
Create a list of potential industries and roles that interest you. Research them thoroughly, looking at typical career paths, required qualifications, and day-to-day responsibilities. Feel free to contact professionals in these fields through LinkedIn or cold e-mail. You can also arrange informational interviews, ones where you can receive valuable insights into the realities of working in a particular industry or role, helping you make a more informed decision about your future career.
Step 3: Upskill and Learn
Making a career move often requires acquiring new skills and knowledge. Be prepared to invest much of your time and effort into upskilling and shortening your learning curve.
Identify Skill Gaps
Compare your current skill set with the requirements of your target career. You can find this information in the job descriptions for your target roles, as required skills, industry-specific knowledge and qualifications. This gap in the skills should be your action plan. Prioritise the skills you need to develop based on two criteria:
- Their importance noted in your target industry job ads
- The time and resources needed to acquire them
Education and Training
Online courses, professional certifications, workshops or part-time degrees. These are all various methods of acquiring the required qualifications. Look into both traditional and non-traditional learning options. Many UK universities and institutions offer flexible learning options designed for career changers. Conversely, there are also many online platforms like FutureLearn, LinkedIn Learning, edX, Coursera, Skillshare, Udemy, Udacity, Khan Academy, etc. Lastly, volunteering or working on a side project can bring you the hands-on experience needed for your successful professional transition.
Step 4: Networking
Career changers are often using this step as the most important one. Knowing someone who knows someone is the oldest trick in the book. These rules have not changed for a thousand years; only the tools used for this purpose are now more sophisticated.
Build Connections
Having connections with people coming from various professional backgrounds is a crucial prerequisite for a successful career change. They can provide practical insights into the new career and all the unspoken truths, pros and cons about your desired job.
Even if you don’t have any friends or acquaintances working in this field, now is the perfect time to spread your network. Research all the industry’s gatherings and events online. You can choose to invest in your future career and attend conferences, but there are also free events, online and offline, where you could also participate. LinkedIn events are a great source of information for any upcoming webinars and workshops, as well as the event updates published on all the other social media platforms. Then, all you have to do is follow the organisers and the keynote speakers and join their online discussions. It is incredible how open and collaborative people are online, even without knowing you.
Step 5: Update Your Personal Brand
You used to work in a career for so long that everyone associates you with your old profession. What you should work on is your new professional You. Although it seems hard initially, rebranding yourself is much easier with the help of the tools from this new digital era.
Enhance Your Online Presence
Let’s start with the first step: your personal slogan. One that correlates with your newly acquired skills and the new scope of work. For instance, if you are heading to an HR career change, showcase your self esteem and go with a message: “From good hires to great companies”. Next, confirm your “talk the talk” with your “walk the walk”. You certainly didn’t enter this business out of the blue. You did something, and you’ve done it successfully. Even if that was employing a few of your friends and colleagues, or even just one, make a story out of it. Written or video interviews will achieve the required result. A downloadable case study that can be easily sharable online as a social media post and offline as a leaflet. Your marketing is your key. Maximise its gains. And the results will follow.
Step 6: Apply for Jobs
Once you are digitally present with your new skills and accomplishments, applying for your new job will only be a matter of choice. Professionals nowadays think outside of their city or even their country’s borders. There are so many opportunities out there.
Utilise Recruitment Websites
Take advantage of job search platforms and recruitment websites. Many of these sites allow you to set up job alerts for specific roles or industries. Remember to adapt your CV and cover letter for each application, highlighting how your unique skills make you an ideal candidate.
When applying for a job, focus on quality over quantity. Carefully research each company and customise your application to demonstrate how your previous experience can bring added value to the role. Be prepared to explain your motivation behind your career change. Don’t regard this as a threat but rather as an opportunity that highlights your distinctive perspective that can benefit the new role.
Challenges in Career Change
While changing careers can be exciting, it brings its own challenges along the way. Here, we will cover a few of them and provide answers on how you can navigate them more effectively.
Overcoming Fear and Uncertainty
Leaving your professional comfort zone is not an easy task at all. But it would help if you remembered that every successful career changer has faced similar fears and uncertainties. Shift your focus to your motivations and all the potential rewards of your new career to help overcome these doubts.
Don’t forget your family, friends and mentors as a valuable source of support and encouragement during these challenging times. On the other hand, set small, achievable goals. This will make it easier for you to build confidence and maintain momentum during your career journey.
Dealing with Rejection
Rejections are part of every job search, especially when entering a new professional field. Don’t let this discourage you; each application and interview is a valuable learning experience. Use the feedback, both positive and negative, to constructively improve your job application approach.
Keeping a positive mindset makes it easier to view rejections as opportunities for growth. Ask for feedback when possible and use it to refine your skills and application strategy. Remember that many successful professionals faced numerous rejections before finding their ideal role.
Adjusting to a New Environment
The long career change journey doesn’t end when landing a new job role. Its second chapter of practical learning begins. This is the moment when you should be patient with yourself, stay curious, and never hesitate to ask questions. Your unique perspective as a career changer can be a valuable asset to your new team.
Embrace the learning process and proactively seek resources and support within your new organisation. Build relationships with colleagues who can help you navigate your new environment. Remember that your diverse background can bring fresh insights to your new role.
Make a Career Change with Olive Recruit
At Olive Recruit, we understand the challenges and excitement of changing careers. Our team of experienced recruiters specialises in guiding professionals through career transitions by helping them identify suitable roles while also preparing the CV and getting ready for the whole interview and negotiation process.
Whether you want to make a dramatic career shift or just a subtle change within your industry, Olive Recruit is here to help you every step of the way. Visit our website or get in touch with our team today and embark on your new professional journey with the right recruiting and support by your side.
