Changing careers can be profoundly rewarding and a bit scary at the same time. Here are 5 tips for effectively and successfully navigating a career transition:
1. Accept help.
Ask family and friends for advice during your time of transition. Ask colleagues or acquaintances in your new field for useful introductions. Ask someone you trust to mentor you. You may feel awkward asking for help but good advice and a good mentor can make everything much easier for you.
2. Learn new skills.
New skills are usually necessary when you change careers, and should be part of your investment into your future. Embracing this and taking the time to learn some new skills could be the difference between failure and success.
3. Write your story.
A compelling narrative can be the crucial difference in getting a potential employer on board with your career transition. It can create support for your professional goals and clarify your vision for the future. If you’re struggling to find a common theme between your past work and future chosen career, a career coach can help you to find the right words to market your past to secure your future.
4. Make new connections.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Networking can sometimes be awkward, painful or tedious, but it is always rewarding, and could bring you new opportunities that you didn’t know existed. In other words? Make LinkedIn your new best friend.
5. Test the waters.
Consider what else you could to do to help prepare for a transition. Are there opportunities to volunteer or assist in an area directly or indirectly related to the new career you’ve chosen? This can be an invaluable way to test the waters before jumping straight in. It can also help you to reaffirm that you made the right choice, and help you feel prepared for your new role.