If You Feel Like A Career Change Is On Your Horizon, Here Are Some Tips To Help

How are you feeling about your career right now? Is your professional life on the path you thought it would be when you began? If you are ready for a career change but are unsure how to begin, keep reading for information to help you move in the right direction.

Obtain the Right Training Certificates

In some career fields, to progress beyond your current position, you need to obtain further certifications. When you are ready to change from one career vertical and jump into an entirely new one, classes and certifications are necessary.  

Your first step to determine what type of training you will need is to research the position. Look for information in the job descriptions, ask contacts already in that business vertical about their respective background and training, and, of course, always conduct your due diligence and research the requirements online. 

To illustrate, if you are interested in pursuing a career in firefighting, search “firefighting classes” in your area to determine the necessary requirements. Look for classes held in your region on an in-person, online, or hybrid basis.Determine what is available and what will best meet your needs while in your current job. 

Further Your Education

Furthering your education may sound like the previously mentioned training and certification process. While there are similarities, such as learning, there are also differences. When furthering your education, this generally means going back to school for an advanced degree in your present career field or obtaining a new degree altogether for a complete career change.

One of the first things you will need to do is determine where you will go to school to earn a new degree. Once again, in-person, online, and hybrid models are frequently available at most higher education institutions. Conduct thorough research to ensure you are selecting a fully accredited center of higher education.

Next, contact an admissions officer or advisor to set up a meeting. Bring any previous transcripts you have along to the meeting. Some of your old classes may count towards curriculum requirements. Discuss timelines for degree completion and obstacles for those in your current station of life, whatever that may be, and what types of support and services are offered through the institution.

Update Your Resume

Your resume is a window into your work and education history for recruiters and prospective employers. It needs to be clean, clear, and concise while fitting everything you want them to know about you on, ideally, one page - two if you have to. Be mindful of font, font size, and color so the document highlights your experience and is easy to peruse.

Perhaps you already have a resume, and it fit the bill perfectly when you were hired in your current role. Well, times have changed, and you need to make yourself stand out amongst the sea of applicants. Today, many companies are utilizing artificial intelligence and specialized programs to vet job-seekers based on whether or not specific keywords from the job description show up in their respective resumes. Real people may not even lay their eyes on the resumes until after the initial technological culling.

Your first step in revising your resume is to completely update the content. Create a basic template to work with for every new job application. Include your education, special projects, volunteer work, and work history. Gather all pertinent information and create a clear document. From there, whenever applying for a new position, use this as a guide to craft a new resume that caters to the role. Incorporate keywords and use language highlighting what you have done in previous positions that will align with the company and position.

Craft Unique Cover Letters

Once you have a general idea of how to approach updating your resume, it is on to the cover letter! Here again, creating a general cover letter template is a good idea but not always what you need. Cover letters should be specific and unique to each position for which you are applying. They are a chance to put a spotlight on some of your resume points, but you should also use this as an opportunity to sing your professional praises. 

Illustrate how you have saved your company money by enacting specific changes or highlighting new programs you have initiated and implemented that have garnered greater productivity and output or achieved better sales results, for example. Showcase the skills you have and how they can benefit the company. Basically, be your own hype person, in a professional capacity, of course.

Two things that will get your application thrown out almost immediately are misspellings and improper grammar usage. Pay attention to what you are writing, use your computer's proprietary spell check program, and then add an extra layer of care by using a cloud-based typing assistant, such as Grammarly. If you would like, ask a friend or family member to check for tone and consistency.

Prepare for the Interview

How you present yourself during the interview process matters. If you show up disheveled, bleary-eyed, or in a rushed state, those things do not reflect well on you. When you arrive, give yourself a pep talk in the car or en route on the subway or bus. Always arrive early. Greet everyone with eye contact, kindness, and respect. After inquiring at the front desk about which way to go for the interview, stop in the bathroom to fix your hair, straighten your tie, and check in with yourself. 

When the interview is over, stand up and reach out to shake everyone’s hand. Remember to say, “Nice to meet you,” “Thank you for your time,” and “I appreciate the opportunity to interview with you today.”

Watch this video to learn how to successfully sell yourself in the job interview through introductions and the question and answer session at the end of the interview.

Getting ready for a career change can seem like a daunting undertaking. It does not have to be that way. Take a breath and begin the journey to your next professional opportunity. Find the appropriate training, certifications, and education to get where you want to be, and then nail the interview.