Lessons From My Career Transition

Hey Career Changers,?

I know how it feels when you are trying to make your mark in a new industry or in a new profession. Since I have been through it, let's make your job a little easier. I am sharing lessons learned throughout my move, from a full-time corporate HR role to being an independent consultant and trainer. ?? Now, working in HR, career consulting, and employability skill training domains.

How does a career change feel in the beginning? Difficult, Risky, and Uncertain for sure ??

Why is that? ??

1.?You?lack?knowledge?of?the?sector.

2.?You're?unsure?of?how?you?might?fit?in,?and?the?jobs?described?in?the?advertisements?appear?to?be?rather vague.

3.?You?do not know?what?your?salary?will?be or how much you should ask for.

4.?You?lack?professional credibility?in?the?field.

5. You lack industry connections.

But?if?you?can?see?your?long-term?goals?and?know why?you're?doing?it,?you'll?figure it out.??#Motivation ??

??Let's dive into the?strategies?that?have?been?useful for me.

#Accept what comes with change: Accept the fact that this is a new journey. You know little and are open to failure in the beginning.

#Industry research: Learn about the industry by reading articles, watching videos of professionals, and researching the job market on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Google.

#Find gaps you can fill: Read about current and future trends in the industry and the gaps that you can fill with your passion and skills. Reading will also prepare you with industry jargon and nuances so that when you speak to employers and your prospective clients, they feel you speak the industry's language and are an expert.

#Your transferable skills will help you in smooth transition: Evaluate your transferrable skills and think about how and where you can highlight them in your resume and LinkedIn profile to get projects, internships, and volunteer opportunities.

Trust me, nobody wants to bet on a fresher just because they are passionate about something. So build your experience.?

Your transferable skills will also help you build your personal brand in the new industry.

#Learn from Industry Leaders: Follow and read industry leaders' profiles; what are they doing, how are they doing, and what does their educational background look like? This exercise will give you great insight.?

#Prepare your marketing material: Get your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile in order. Put things on top which make you look fit on paper for the jobs you are applying for.?

#Know and target your ideal employers/clients: List the companies that you are interested in working with.?It doesn't matter if they have the opening or not; you are still going to reach out. Why?

Companies are always on the lookout for good profiles.

#Get your foot in the Industry: Now, begin researching firms and potential employers, and network with them. Sending cold emails, interacting with former coworkers and making new connections on LinkedIn, applying to company job portals, and sending personalised emails to show your interest are all ways to accomplish this.

#Follow Industry leaders and decision makers: Don't forget to follow industry leaders, HR professionals, and senior professionals to learn about company trends and hirings.

#Being optimistic and positive in the process: Please don't lose hope in the process. Career Change doesn't happen in a day. It took me almost 7-8 months to establish myself. Build your credibility in a new industry before anyone pays attention to your profile. And when they do, they know you are the one who can nail this job.?

#Focus on building experience first: Initially, find companies that will give you the chance to build experience in that industry, work for a couple of years, and now you are ready for even better projects and a better salary.

Remember, big companies already have a long list of exceptionally talented people dying to work with them, so they won't consider inexperienced people. Build your experience and then apply to big firms.

??Very Important: Do not underestimate the power of LinkedIn and having a strong personal brand here. I have got many of my B2B clients on LinkedIn itself. The best part is that they found me here and we are still working for a long time now.?

Are you on your career change journey and looking for help? Let's discuss how I can help you. Write to me at [email protected].

#careerchange #LinkedIn #employability #careeradvice