Making a significant career change is undoubtedly difficult, but it is possible and many people successfully achieve it every year. Drawing on my work with many of my coaching clients who have navigated significant career moves, here are some useful ideas to consider that will hopefully not only make the change more doable, but also work more smoothly.
- Is this really the right thing to do? A really deep examination of your reasons for making the change is the first critical step. Most likely, it will not be a strictly easy path and being absolutely certain that this is what you want and need deserves deep reflection. Understand how it will impact the course of your career needs to be thought through. Asking how the new career will better serve your emotional needs and be more aligned with your values will also produce answers that will serve you well. Furthermore, any job interviewer in the future will need to be convinced about your reasoning for the career shift.
- Connect with Highly Relevant People. Before stepping across from your current career to the new area, it would be great to become a known and liked person. Identifying and connecting with the most relevant people in that field is clearly important. This might be done on LinkedIn, getting introductions through your network, going to industry-relevant conferences, and attending training courses are just some of the ways that you can meet the right people and start nurturing your business relationship with them.
- Learn before you Pitch. Having done that, I would suggest that you connect, meet and learn from them. Finding out what working in that environment is really like from an insider’s perspective may take some of the gloss off the dream, but it is much better to have a true picture than a idealised one. Remember to get the opinion of multiple people rather than just one or two. Try to get a feel for the values held by your new target area. What kind of people work there? What is the culture like? It will often be easier to engage with these contacts if you are fact-finding, rather than looking for a job. Some folks may clam up if they think that you just want something from them and so asking for advice may be easier. So you have the opportunity to build those relationships before eventually asking for the help you will need when you start your job search in earnest. Try to remain open minded - you may even come to the conclusion that it is not all that you hoped it would be and decide not to pursue that industry.
- Skills Audit. Being able to offer skills and experiences gained from your current job that the new area simply does not have is a great way to differentiate yourself as a candidate. Conduct an audit of your capabilities and understand how to communicate the unique and different benefits of what you bring to the new job. In addition, it may well be that you might need to acquire more education and qualifications in order to fill any apparent skills gap. This will give you the authority and credibility that you might need to be considered as a viable candidate. In addition, putting in the time and effort to gain that education underlines your commitment to this new arena and demonstrates that it is not a fad or flash in the pan, but that you have a deep rooted conviction that this is the right step for you.
If you are contemplating a radical career change and would benefit from a free coaching call on how to best approach it, schedule a conversation on the Career Mentor website.
