Where to Start When You Want to Change Careers
Updated: Mar 13
Over the past 18 years I've navigated 6 career changes and each time landed jobs that I was truly excited by, and was able to climb the corporate ladder each time. But each transition wasn't always easy.
Photo credit: Jess Marie Photography
When I first went through a career change I felt confused, lost, and unsure of myself. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but I knew that the job that I had definitely wasn't it.
The good news is that I eventually figured out how to overcome these feelings by getting clarity on what I wanted in my career. I recommend that you also follow these steps to kickstart your career change:
1. Be mindful of what you love doing (and what you hate).
2. Be aware of the things that you’re extremely good at.
3. Be obsessed with your job search.
Lean Into Work That You Both Enjoy and Are Good At
The goal here is to identify a role that will allow you to do more of what you love, and less of the work that you simply hate doing. When you incorporate into this your core strengths, then you’re able to narrow down a career change that will also allow you to excel in the role.
The key to achieving fulfillment is to step into a role that excites you and enables you to thrive.
Take Your Job Search Seriously
Once you’ve identified the career change that’s aligned with your strengths and needs, then it’s time to start job hunting. Get so focused on your job search that it becomes like a second job for you. This will enable you to:
1. Be narrowly focused on writing a resume that will attract recruiters’ attention for the job that you want (FREE download!).
2. Be dedicated to your job search, acting fast on new job postings and being diligent about following up with recruiters.
3. Take the interview process seriously, ensuring that you’re extremely prepared each time, and enter into each interview with confidence.
When you enjoy the work that you do, you strive to perform your best. And when you perform your best, you advance in your career. As you advance, you continue to be motivated to perform, and the promotions will continue to follow!
This is your reminder to allow yourself to be ambitious - get clear on what you want (and don't want), do the work to properly market yourself for that role so that you can stand out from other candidates, and don't give up. 💪
Career change can feel very daunting, and you often feel alone because you just can't seem to figure out what the hell you want to do next! But it doesn't have to be this way.
I help my clients to identify the career change that aligns with their desires, strengths, and their “why”, then we work together to build out their resume specifically for that role. Through mock interviews and my Interview Prep Guide, I then teach them how to be fully prepared so that they step into each interview with confidence.
Unsure if a career change is right for you?
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