6 Questions Professionals Have About Career Change

These are the Top 6 Questions I’m asked as a Career Coach from Professionals in their 20s & 30s who want to change their career:

• How do I know when to make a career change?
• How do I make the “right” decision?
• What should I do if I want to change my career?
• How can I explain a career change to potential employers?
• What if I’m not “good enough”?
• How long will it take to change my career?

The Answers I typically give are included below. I hope they help!

How do I know when to make a career change?

As a Career Coach, the biggest problem I find with career changes is that people think there needs to be a moment that defines that it should happen.?

Either something bad happens, where they feel fed up or lost about what to do.

Or something good happens, where they take a promotion or keep saying yes but then aren’t sure it’s what they want.?

If you want an amazing career, then treat every moment as a chance to understand your opportunity set - especially when things are going well.

You never know when the next great change in your career could happen, but if you take a proactive approach rather than a passive approach, you’ll feel much more fulfilled and satisfied.

How do I make the right decision?

If you’re considering a career change, don’t get caught up in wanting the next step to be the “right” step.?

A good way to think about it is:

Can your next step be a BETTER step in your career?

It’s unlikely that your next step will be exactly what you want, so don’t put pressure on yourself to find the dream role.?

If you're preparing for a career transition, try to focus on finding an environment where the conditions are better suited to your desired progression, and then use that space to find an even better step forward.

What should I do if I want to change my career?

If you’re considering a career change, here’s the first thing you should do.

Take action.?

Too often we can sit on a decision for too long and feel like something has happened.?

But if you’ve made a decision about a career change, then you should be able to point to specific action you’ve taken that demonstrates this decision.?

If you can’t identify an action, you haven’t made a decision.

How can I explain a career change to potential employers?

Professionals in their 20s & 30s typically underappreciate how much their career will change over time.?

Everyone anticipates that they will go through different roles, but we tend to assume each change will be somewhat related.?

However, it’s highly likely that your future career will look very different to where it is right now.?

So in order to communicate your career ambitions effectively to potential employers, it’s helpful to frame discussions around your attributes that will continue to develop overtime, regardless of the job you are doing.

These are attributes like skills, experiences and connections, which will serve you regardless of the employer you’re working with.

What if I’m not “good enough”?

When you apply for a new position in a new field, it’s important to have confidence in the assessment of the key decision-makers who selected you.?

While you may be unsure about how transferable your skills are, they should have a better understanding about the skills you have that they need.

Basically, don’t second-guess their judgement.?

If they think you have what it takes to succeed, then understand from them what they see in you, rather than thinking you don’t have what it takes.

How long will it take to change my career?

I quote this wisdom from Rudiger Dornbusch ALL the time. It is super helpful if you’re thinking about making a change in your career:

“Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could”

Thanks for reading to the end of this article!

If you're keen to Advance Your Career , please enjoy my FREE online course which will help you:

1. Get clear on what you want
2. Get the job you want
3. Get paid what you’re worth
4. Set yourself up for future success

Go for it!