It’s not if. It’s when. Are you ready for your career change? Three pieces of advice that will help you navigate the inevitable.

Reskilling is here and it’s only going to become more prominent as a theme within business. KPMG suggest that 40% of UK employees are considering a career change because of the rising cost of living and PwC suggest that 30% of jobs are at risk of automation by 2030. Throw in January blues, post-pandemic changes to the world of work and employee disengagement at an all time high (or is it low) and yes, it’s highly likely a career change is on the cards at some point in the not-too-distant future for most of us. But, are you ready for one?

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As someone who has worked in at least five distinctly different jobs across six industry sectors and for over eight organisations, I can offer a fair bit of insight on how to go through significant career changes! So what’s the headline? It’s tough. It requires reinvention, perseverance, adaptability, learning agility and above all, self-belief. Yes, it is also an exciting prospect, but to get to the good stuff, you are going to have to step significantly outside of your comfort zone. And guess, what? Most people don’t like doing that, so I wanted to share my perspective on what might help you if and when the time comes to consider changing career:

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1.?????? How clear are you on your USP? When everything around you is likely to change such as the people, the company, the job you do, the way you do it, the knowledge you need, the technology you will use, then I believe you need an anchor. Something that serves as a constant to come back to while the tornado of change is happening around you. It’s easy to say you need to be clear on your transferrable skills, that’s a given for a career change, but I think you need to be even more clear on your unique selling point. What is it that differentiates you no matter what job you do? I think that clarity gives you a sense of comfort amidst the chaos, but crucially, it gives you an inner confidence to guide your decision making and position your value when you have to interview for an opportunity. In my case, I understand my USP as my ability to cultivate an environment for people to be successful. This has served me no matter what role I have performed and especially in positions of leadership. When I first started in Early Careers, I transitioned from an L&D Business Partner role in a large recruitment business training recruiters how to sell, to a Shared Services Manager responsible for a team handling recruitment coordination for over thirty thousand candidates a year. I had no idea about recruiting students or managing a high volume recruitment process, but I had absolute clarity and confidence that I could support the people who did (my team) to be the best versions of themselves and in turn, deliver exceptional results. I have since used this understanding of my USP in every job I have had since and I fully intend to use it again! So, I actively encourage you to spend time thinking about what it is that makes you unique and where you can add most value to the world. It will help you so much.

2.?????? How can difference be your superpower? We hear this about diversity and how difference of thought can enhance the output of a team. Well, I think the same can be said if you’re coming into a job or an organisation with a completely different point of reference. Many people will have a desire to change jobs and/or sector, but the gap will seem too daunting. Questions might arise such as how will they take me seriously if I have no experience in this role? Why would they want to talk to me if I’ve never worked in this industry? Well, in my view, this isn’t necessarily a weakness and I would argue it could be your superpower. Sure, there are jobs where a close industry specialism or professional qualifications are extremely important. I don’t want to discredit this, but a progressive employer will recognise that embracing someone from a completely different sector and upskilling them could bring massive value because they will see solutions to problems that many of their tenured employees won’t or they may have skills or experience that are additive. I remember in my role as an L&D Business Partner, I had no idea about how to design training and I had to lean heavily on colleagues to help me in this space at first, but as a former actor, I could read a room and ignite it in a way that was unique. I recall observing some training that was very safe, predictable and probably not very memorable. I could see opportunities to add some jazz hands and guess what, I did!!! I turned statements into open ended questions. I used pauses to create (safe) tension in the room. I used skills from directing shows to create role plays that helped delegates learn how to sell by doing it instead of talking about it. All things that came from having a background as an actor. I still get messages from people I trained thanking me for making it memorable and this wasn’t down to experience. It was down to seeing things through a different lens and using another reference point to make impact. So before you talk yourself out of that jump to a new role or industry, ask yourself what richness your experiences might bring that they might not have. It might just transform something they thought was working just fine.

3.?????? Why are you doing this and what do you want? Sounds easy to articulate right? It’s not! It’s all well and good people telling you to keep the faith or stay positive when you’re trying to transition careers or looking for a new job, but it is unbelievably difficult. There’s the aspect of stepping out of your comfort zone which I referenced above, but equally, there are going to be rejections, knockbacks and extremely difficult learnings as you transition. Growth doesn’t come without pain and change is hard. Trying to just “stay positive” isn’t going to cut it and you’re going to have tough periods. In my experience, being resilient and adaptable are important skills to cultivate, but I think the most important advice I can offer is to be really clear on why you’re making the change and what you want from it. I remember leaving the acting profession as one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was my passion and my dream, but I knew that I wanted more stability in my career and I wanted to be able to provide for my family. I remember during the first couple of years post-acting, I had moments of despair where I wanted to u-turn or jump ship, but I remember the voice of my Aunt telling me one of her many motos: “short term pain for long term gain.” That’s stuck with me throughout my career. I’ve had several periods of pain, often self-inflicted in order to grow and every time, I come back to this phrase. The key, however, is that in order to take the pain, you have to know what the long-term gain is. So, I encourage you to spend time really understanding why you’re embarking on a career change and exactly what it is you hope to achieve. Perhaps it is a more fulfilling job, to use more of your talents, to learn new skills, whatever, the point is, get crystal clear and it will serve as a reminder during those inevitable moments of hopelessness.

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So there it is! My advice if you’re thinking about a career change or possibly some help if in the job market as well. It’s not pretty, it’s never straight forward or easy, but it is possible and I wish you every success. I’d love to see any thoughts, comments, shared experiences or advice you might have as well.

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