Exploring a new career path is exciting,, but it can be scary at the same time. You may not have ever thought you’d leave your current career industry, but perhaps circumstances have changed. It could be that you’ve fallen out of love with that industry or that you’ve reached a point where your income can only go up so far. Regardless of the reason, the next steps you take are important to securing your new career. Here are some tips to go into a new career path.
Do A Career Test
Firstly, it’s important to do a career test. If you’re completely uncertain about where you want to go and what it is you want to do, it’s good to do something that can help give you some suggestions. A career test isn’t always the most accurate, and you might find that you get matched with the same industry you’re currently in now. However, for the most part, it can be helpful for you to understand what skills you do have and how they might be utilized in other job areas. There are lots of helpful career tests online, or you might wish to go down to your local job center to speak to someone physically that can talk you through your options. If you have no idea what you want to do, then you certainly want to get a range of options that you can pick from and mull over. Rather than just having the one suggestion, it’s good to have a few.
Look At Courses Available
For a lot of career changes, you might have to retrain or learn something new in order to be applicable for the roles you’ll eventually apply to. It’s worth doing some research on what’s required for that particular career and for any jobs you’re looking at currently. There are lots of courses and training options out there, whether that’s going back into full-time education or completing some online training courses. Online courses are a great way of getting the qualifications or knowledge that you need, without having to go anywhere other than your living room couch. There are plenty of online social work degree programs that are worth exploring if you’re looking at a career in social care, for example.
Do your research when it comes to the courses available because there’s likely to be a lot of courses that you can pick from. You want to ensure you’ve picked the right one, and it’s something that you won’t end up regretting, especially if you’re paying a lot of money to do it.
Network With Those In The Industry
Networking can be a great way of getting to know those in the industry, and that may be relevant to you getting your foot in the door. When networking, you can get to know many different individuals that may have influence over where you head next. There are networking opportunities around your local area and beyond, which is something you should be actively on the lookout for. Start practicing your networking skills, especially if you’re not someone who really thrives in this environment or has no experience of it whatsoever yet. There’s also a lot of networking that you can do online in order to meet new people and to connect with those who can help you figure out what you’re going to do next. It can be a great way of speaking to those that are perhaps in your chosen role and could give you advice on how they managed to secure that job.
Update Your Resume
Your resume might be something that you’ve not updated in a while, and that can certainly make things a lot more difficult when it comes to applying for jobs. In some cases, it might be that you have very little associated with the chosen career you’re heading into, and so it’s all about adapting what you already have to fit the profile of a candidate that this employer would want to see and pick to interview. With that being said, look at what you can do to update your resume and to make it the best it can be when it comes to the application stage. It’s worth giving it to family, friends, and professionals whether that’s colleagues or acquaintances. This can be good to get an understanding of whether it’s to the standard that you need it to be when it comes round to interviewing for the first time. For many, it might be years since they’ve touched their resume, so make sure you update yours.
Apply When You’re Ready
When your resume is ready, and you’re aware of what it is you want to go into, you can start applying. There are lots of jobs out there, even if the job market is looking a little sparse. Make sure you dedicate plenty of time to applying for jobs and that it won’t be uncommon for you to apply to perhaps hundreds and only get a few responses. It’s important to acknowledge that this change of career might not be as seamless as you think, and therefore, it’s good to be ready to accept any rejection. You might find that most of those who get back to you are saying the same thing or that you may be lacking in something which they can advise you on. Take any constructive criticism and use it to improve your applications going forward.
Practice Your Interview Technique
And finally, before you head into the interview room, practice your interview technique. You might be feeling a little rusty, and although it’s good to get experience in real interviews, you don’t want these to be wasted opportunities. Practice in front of those you trust, and that will take it seriously.
Choosing a new career path is a big jump but one that can be very rewarding. Make sure you’re following these tips to really help make that transition smoother and more successful. Whatever it is you go into, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
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