How To Change Careers Early in Your Work Life

You’ve been working for a few years, but lately you seem drawn to another career path. You don’t want to discard all the work you’ve done so far, but you want to make a career change earlier in life rather than later. How can you best do this? Experts suggest doing adequate research, preparing your resume with applicable transferable skills and being prepared to bridge any gaps through continuing education.?

By?Helen Harris

2021 was a year of many things: The continuation of a global pandemic, a white-hot housing market and lower-than-ever interest rates, and labor shortages as a result of the Great Resignation. Additionally, an unpredictable world and economy had many people rethinking work and their career paths. ?

Pew Research indicates that one major change coming from the Great Resignation (aka the Great Reshuffle) was 53% of employed U.S. adults quitting their job in 2021 to change their occupation or field of work.

Dissecting this trend further, shows that younger workers were more prone to change careers. Consider the following Pew Research data, based on 6,627 non-retired U.S. adults, including 965 who left a job by choice last year:?

• Of those ages 18 to 29 who said they quit a job in 2021, 61% shifted their field of work or occupation.?
• Of those ages 30 and older, 45% shifted their field of work or occupation.??

The statistics show it’s true and that people are rethinking their careers and pivoting more than ever before — especially those early in their careers.?

So, how do you do it??

To start, Danielle Holmes , resume writer, LinkedIn expert and speaker, stresses the “two R’s”: relevant and recent.?

“Career changers of course are proud of all the awards that they've won in their previous positions, and they want to hold on to every piece of their success — but sometimes it's just not relevant,” said Holmes. “Or sometimes, it's from a time that's too long ago, and it wouldn't make any sense to bring it into the resume or an interview.”

How To Structure Your Resume When Changing? Careers?

In the resume , Holmes circles back to relevancy and recommends focusing on what is most important.?

“That's going to be done through a couple of different sections in the resume,” said Holmes. “The first thing you want to do is really work on creating a strong summary of qualifications. And in that summary of qualifications, that's where you can highlight any relevant skills, experience and achievements that really align with the role that you're applying for.”?

Holmes also draws attention to the “skills” section of the resume and notes that this is another place to pay attention to relevancy.?

Finally, she mentions that for those changing careers, the “career highlight section” can be critical in capturing a hiring manager’s attention.?

“A career highlight section will help someone who's viewing that document to really narrow in on some of your key qualifications and standout skills and strengths,” said Holmes. “They don't have to go through all of those different positions that are on the document before they understand and can see the value that you can bring in that specific role.”?

Additionally, Chelsey Opare-Addo , Business Insider’s “Tech Recruiter to Know in 2022,” Uber recruiter and resume writer at Not Your Mother’s Resume, states that you should carefully read job postings and ideally find five to seven to focus on. From there, you should identify the transferable skills that you have from previous positions that apply to those new jobs in a different industry.?

“Take an audit of your experience, compare it to what they're looking for and ensure that you're using the right lingo,” said Opare-Addo. “And avoid getting overly specific in your resume by writing out details or using terms that are specific to your current industry. You can't assume that the person in this new field knows really anything about your field and what you do.”

Opare-Addo gives the example of someone in customer service who is making the shift to account management. That person may need to adjust their language from “customers” to “clients,” or from “accounts” to “stakeholders.”?

To build off Opare-Addo’s point, Harvard Extension School recommends that you do adequate research into any new career you wish to enter and become a “mini-expert” in the field so you can communicate effectively during an interview. To do this, the source recommends the following:?

• Reach out to people who are doing the job you want to do. Find out how they started, challenges they faced and what they like best about their careers.??
• Try to find conferences, seminars, and meet-ups to attend that apply to the new career field you want to enter.
• Sign up for newsletters and other publications relevant to your desired career field to stay up-to-date on industry trends.?
• Utilize the Occupational Outlook Handbook on the U.S. the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.?
• Consider speaking with a career counselor .?

How To Interview When Changing Careers?

With your resume updated to share with potential employers in your new career field, you also need to know how you will address any potential doubts from hiring managers during the interview process.?

“I think the best approach is to show your passion and to also show that you have actually put time and thought into this career change,” said Opare-Addo.??

Opare-Addo states that if you feel you do need to bridge any gaps of understanding and want to show that you’re willing to continually learn, consider courses and certifications on platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera and Udemy.?

Opare-Addo also adds that volunteering is a great way to gather knowledge of a new field, can lead to valuable connections and also adds relevant experience on your resume. She explains that nonprofit organizations meet people in every single role from finance to web design to operations to recruiting and beyond.?

“Focus on how much you've learned so far and what you enjoy about this new field,” said Opare-Addo. “And if there is doubt from an interviewer, state something to the effect of that you’re looking to switch careers because you're passionate about this new field, that you understand there's a challenge — but that you're bridging any gaps by doing research and taking courses or earning certifications.”?

Changing Careers in Your Forties and Fifties???

While the majority of people changing careers happen to be professionals in their twenties and thirties, there are still plenty who started a? new career later in life.?

To this point, Jeff Kramer notes that a survey by the American Institute for Economic Research found that more than 80% of respondents were able to launch a new career after age 45.?

And while many of these respondents took an initial pay cut, they were able to increase their income over time.

With a newfound passion for your career, there is also the added benefit of delaying your retirement. Kramer points out that if you can delay claiming Social Security, you'll be entitled to bigger checks. Specifically, monthly benefits increase for each year you continue working between ages 62 and 70.?

Like younger professionals, you’ll still need to focus on transferable skills , do adequate research on the new career field and bridge any gaps through online courses and reading relevant articles.?

But there are a few other important things that you’ll also need to pay attention to, such as addressing potentially being overqualified for a position or accepting that a salary range might be below what you were previously at in your last career.??

“If you climbed the corporate ladder in your last career and were in a director or C-suite position, this could pose a new challenge,” said Opare-Addo. “You might be overqualified for those mid-level roles in the new career while also being underqualified for director or C-suite roles in that new field.”?

Opare-Addo suggests overcoming this challenge by writing your resume in a way that your transferable skills stand out more than your previous titles and positions.???

“There's a way to strategically bold or highlight things that you want potential employers to see first,” said Opare-Addo. “Consider not bolding your titles and finding ways to make the most relevant skills for the job stand out. This way, they won’t automatically assume you’re overqualified.”?

Top Takeaways?

How To Change Careers Early in Your Work Life

• Of those ages 18 to 29 who said they quit a job in 2021, 61% shifted their field of work or occupation.?
• Of those ages 30 and older, 45% shifted their field of work or occupation.??
• When changing careers, focus on the “two R’s”: relevance and recent.?
• If you feel you do need to bridge any gaps of understanding, consider courses and certifications on platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera and Udemy.?
• Volunteering is a great way to gather knowledge of a new field, can lead to valuable connections and also adds relevant experience on your resume.
• Those changing careers later in life may face challenges such as being overqualified for a position or having to initially accept a lower salary than their previous role.?
• “The best approach [to address challenges] is to show your passion and to also show that you have actually put time and thought into this career change.”