The 6 Step Guide to Changing Careers

For much of my life, I was stuck. Somewhere along the way, I found myself sitting at the wrong desk in the wrong field. I did work that wasn't challenging, and I spent much of my time living on autopilot. I'd log into my computer, and my brain would shut down. Somehow, 10 hours would float by, and I'd get ready for the drive home.

What could I be doing now? I thought about this a lot. If I didn't have this job, what other work could I be doing?

That's the purpose of this guide: to give you the clarity you need to find the right path for you. We'll build a career that fulfills you and carries you to your biggest goals and dreams.

This is the guide that I wish existed when I was stuck in my career.

Your Career Specialist

I'm Gabrielle Turmelle, resume writer, career coach, and creator of the 30-day LinkedIn Mastery for Job Seekers program. I help job seekers build their LinkedIn presence and create compelling resumes so they can get in front of recruiters, impress hiring managers, and land the perfect job for them.?

01 | What don't you like to do?

It's easy (and a lot of fun) to dive right into our strengths and options for career paths. But you can't figure out where you're going until you know exactly how you came to be here.

My caution to you: skip this work at your peril! It's easy to brush off this question by thinking, "But I do know exactly how I got into this mess." I used to think the same thing:

I picked the wrong major. I joined the wrong internships. I worked at companies where I always had to put out fires. My coworkers made life difficult and my boss never gave me promotions or opportunities.

And, you know, I don't doubt you for a moment. All of these things are true, and I bet that I could even build on it:

The companies weren't structured properly so that employees followed an actual system. Management didn't train the staff correctly. Expectations were never clear. Employees did the bare minimum.

This brings us to our first exercise: write out the story of your career journey. Using a journal, a mini-whiteboard, or typing within a document, think about what's going on today. Talk about your current situation and really spell out your pain points.?

02 | What tasks make you feel confident and in charge?

Pro-Tip: You've done work in more areas than just your job. Think about your college days and the types of clubs that you joined. Consider your current hobbies: you're doing work there, too.

There are areas in your life where you really shine. Take a look at the paragraphs below, and ask yourself where your biggest powers lie.

I really like talking to customers and finding ways to solve their problems. I also like sitting in on meetings and brainstorming sessions. However, I don't like clerical work. I also don't like spending a lot of time on emails.

I've always been good at getting my more angry customers to calm down over the phone. My coworkers jokingly call me the "client-whisperer."

I really struggle with numbers, and I don't like sitting in front of a spreadsheet. I find that I have difficulty putting together a report, but I do great when giving a presentation.

If I could eliminate all the tasks that require me to be hyper detail-oriented, I would be happy. I'm a big-picture kind of person, and I love doing work involving strategy and customer service.

03 | Who do you want to help?

We pursue career paths for a variety of reasons. Members of our family worked in certain professions - so we join them. Maybe a beloved professor or mentor pointed us in a certain direction based on our talents. We also might have taken the first job we could find after graduation and then just never left our industry.

Many students will find online lists of all the industries there are and make notes of what intrigues them. Some will settle on two or three career paths, (such as graphic design, real estate, and project management), but will struggle to make a choice between them.

For those of us who experience real stress in making a decision on a career, I want you to ask the following question:

If you had the chance to help anyone, anywhere in the world, who would you serve?

Think about a person (or group of people) with problems you'd love to help solve. Who are they? What pain points do they experience on a regular basis?

Pro-Tip: If you find yourself seeking inspiration for who you'd like to serve, take a few moments to peruse the TED website. What talks do you find yourself drawn to? Who inspires you to take action, and why?

Examples:

Environmentalists - Growing up, I was a big fan of Animal Planet and I loved watching every show by David Attenborough and Steve Irwin. I'm passionate about the environment and I understand how important it is to preserve our natural landscapes and reduce our carbon footprints.

Returning soldiers with PTSD - I had an older brother serve overseas in an international conflict, and he returned with severe PTSD. I knew how much he loved serving in the military, and struggling with PTSD was really hard for him and our family. I understand that this kind of healing requires a strong and supportive community, and I want to be a part of that.

Small business owners - My parents ran a local specialty shop, and they experienced continuous cycles of ups and downs in their business. Owning your own business can be so rewarding, but it also comes with unique challenges that people may not be aware of. Because I understand what that journey looks like, I could easily step in and provide guidance and assistance to entrepreneurs.

Spoiler: If you're holding back from answering this honestly because you're thinking about salaries and opportunities for growth, don't worry. Steps 04 through 06 will take care of this, and you'll be surprised by what you discover.

04 | Who is already doing this?

By knowing who it is you want to serve, the steps to discover new career paths become simple.

In step 03, you brainstormed groups of people you'd love to help. Perform a LinkedIn search using the answers that came to your mind. What jobs pop up? What companies do you see listed? Who are the LinkedIn members that appear in the results? What are their job titles?

Using "environmentalists" as an example, I found the following:

Environmentalist -

Project managers, social media and communications staff, scientists, engineers, researchers, ecologists, consultants, advisors, staff writers, entry-level project coordinators

Job titles I see from LinkedIn members: CEO, activist, organizer, sales director, creative environmentalist, green biotechnologist, animal welfarist, humanitarian, client support staff, plant pathologist, fish and wildlife environmentalist, green entrepreneur

05 | Who can help me get there?

For this exercise: visit the pages of LinkedIn members with job titles that catch your eye. What do you notice about their career history? What aspects of their career journey stand out to you?

It's rare to find employees that have a linear career track. Most people, particularly in the early days of their career, hopped around within a variety of jobs and industries. Oftentimes, the first five years of a person's career will involve a lot of movement, and that's absolutely okay.

I want you to start taking inspiration from these real-life employees, and I want you to get a sense of how they came to join a particular line of work. What degrees do they have? Did they get any certifications? How often do you come across someone in a line of work that got a degree in a completely different field?

Make a note of the organizations that these employees work for. Using websites like Glassdoor, you can do a search to see the salary ranges for employees that have the job titles you've been eyeing. This is also a great opportunity to gauge the company's culture by glancing through company reviews.

Write down everything you find. When researching and brainstorming options for your career, keep some sort of log handy.

06 | What do I need to do now?

Your final steps can bring you down one of several paths, depending on what makes you feel comfortable and confident.

If you want to do a deeper-dive along the career paths you've been brainstorming, message LinkedIn members that are already doing what you want to do.

You might find an account of a professional with a career path that's perfect for your goals. Send them a message and share that with them.

You'd be genuinely surprised by how easy it is to receive a response to a friendly message on LinkedIn, especially from managers and senior leaders.

Many are more than happy to steer you down the right path. They might even be the entryway into the career of your dreams.

BONUS! | Optimizing your resume

There are a number of beliefs that we hold as to why we can't change industries, or why it's such a challenge to switch careers. I bet you've had these thoughts as well.

• Hiring managers only want job candidates who exclusively understand the industry of the job they're applying for
• It's too challenging to teach someone new the complexities of an industry
• Training is pretty costly, so companies only want to train new employees who have held similar job positions in the past
• It's not feasible for more experienced employees to switch careers, because they've built up too much career capital
• Career capital is only useful if it's contained in one industry and in one line of work

For this lesson: I want you to let go of any preconceived thoughts on why it's difficult to switch careers. Instead, I want you to take a moment to consider the following.

Many skills you have cultivated across your career are not only valuable, but they're universal.

That's because all companies have the same three pain points: time, money, and resources.

Universal skills:

Think about all the skills that you've cultivated over the years. What skills do you have that would be considered universal to any job or any industry?

Think about this from the perspective of time, money, and resources.

My skills that any employer would value highly:

• Striving to understand the client’s goals and managing the strategy to meet those goals
• Leading the performance of project tasks per the agreed-upon scope of work
• Acting as the focal point for internal and external project communications
• Scheduling, monitoring and communicating the status of the project tasks to the project team
• Conducting regular team meetings
• Monitoring compliance with the project plan and ensuring milestones are met
• Preparing meeting minutes, agendas, and assisting with customer visits
• Collaborating with cross-functional groups to ensure project requirements are met
• Report compilations and managing the analysis of key trends

Niche or specialty skills:

What skills do you have that would be considered specialty skills? List them out.

My skills that would be considered "niche" skills or specialty skills:

• Knowing certain coding languages, like JavaScript, Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, C#, C++, or Swift
• Being able to repair certain specialty equipment, like laboratory equipment, medical equipment, 3D printers, or other technical devices
• Using and troubleshooting certain software packages, like LIMS, SAS, SPSS, Minitab, or RStudio

Take a look at your specialty skills. Is there a way you could take these skills and argue that they'd also be universally valuable?

• I love taking on new challenges and learning new skills, so I taught myself coding languages. It's helped me to become a better critical thinker.
• Being able to repair equipment has given me a greater appreciation for the cost of materials and taking care of the resources available to me.
• I have a passion for troubleshooting problems, and I intuitively understand data and how to identify trends.

It's all about adding value:

Every skill you've acquired can be used to make your future employers more productive and more valuable to customers.

Today's career trends show us leaning more towards maintaining international cooperation, managing cross-functional groups, and working symbiotically with artificial intelligence.

Additionally, employees are working for companies for shorter periods of time, and remote opportunities are becoming increasingly common, especially in today's world.

Companies have been adjusting to the ever-changing business climate for as long as we've been exchanging goods and services for money. And as a job seeker and career changer, you are an integral part of this cycle.

All the language you use, from your resume, to your cover letter, and even your interview, should convey your talents and skills so that hiring managers can relate to you and easily place you within the job and company you're applying for.

Review your resume and cover letter. What sort of picture are you painting? What language are you using?

Could a hiring manager easily picture you in the job you're applying for?

Let's work together!

Congratulations! You've just done MAJOR transformative work. These are important first steps to bring to life your personal vision for your career.

The next step from here is to map out your unique action plan to align you with your dream career. I'd love to support you in that process.

Why don't we get together on a free call and I can walk you through your next steps?

This is a 45-minute strategy session where we will:

• Take a look at your current job search strategy
• Pinpoint the highest leverage tweaks that can be made
• Map out your next steps and get you on a clear path to finding your next job

At the end of our strategy and mapping session, if I think that I can support you further in your journey, we can chat about our options. Otherwise, this call is my gift to you.

Book your free 1:1 Strategy Session here.

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