The 8 Steps You Need For A Successful Career Change

There's no denying that many people have had to make some life-changing career decisions in recent times due to COVID-19.

While the disease is still prevalent in the world, many people are still having to change the way they work to stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Unfortunately, some people have had no choice but to look for other work if their employers no longer kept them on as staff due to working restrictions and financial stresses.

Of course, some people are fed up with their current roles and want to enter a completely different industry. Whether you're looking to move to a new career due to COVID-19 or to seek fresh opportunities, the process may seem a little daunting at first.

But, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you make the right decisions and ease your path into your new career. Take a look at these following eight steps for some guidance:

First of all, you should evaluate your existing skills. These will be a mixture of skills you've learned during your professional career and personal ones that you have developed from a young age.

For example, your professional skills may include using specific equipment and technologies. Meanwhile your personal ones might be problem-solving, managing teams, and working well under stress.

When you evaluate your skills, you'll determine which ones will help you position yourself in the job market, and the ones you want to develop further to help you progress in your new career path. You can always undergo further training or study online courses with Get Course applicable to your industry to help you boost your skillset in different areas.

Once you've evaluated your skills, including working out which ones you need to develop for use in your new industry, the next step is to think about potential new occupations.

For example, you may decide a career in fintech could be right for you if you've worked in occupations where you managed money in some way, you might think about occupations like Financial Analyst or Product Manager.

At this stage, you've likely written down a list of potential occupations in your chosen new industry or niche that appeal to you. Your next job is to research what requirements you must fulfill before you can get considered a serious candidate for each job that interests you.

For example, some roles may require applicants to have specific degrees or diplomas, while others may prefer prospects to demonstrate the skills needed to perform the various functions of a role.

If your research has highlighted the need for formal qualifications or training, don't despair because you can take actionable steps to fulfill those requirements.

Plenty of courses exist where you can study online and at times to suit you, making it easy to fit your education around your existing work and lifestyle commitments. Moreover, you can usually get financial assistance to help towards the cost of retraining for a different industry.

It makes sense to obtain the necessary qualifications or certifications that give you the best chance of being offered a job in your new career path.

When you apply for any job, you will usually get asked for a copy of your resume. As you might expect, your resume in its current format won't offer you the best chances of getting considered for interviews and job interviews.

That's why it makes sense to spend some time updating your resume. You can use the opportunity to highlight details of relevant skills and qualifications on your resume and tailor it to each specific job you apply for instead of having a generic one.

LinkedIn is undeniably the Facebook of the professional world. It's a useful social network that enables professionals from all walks of life to network with one another, and offers people an excellent insight into industry changes.

However, LinkedIn is also a great way to get a job without really doing anything! Company bosses and hiring managers often scour LinkedIn for prospective candidates as it's essentially like a giant resume database that all members can view.

Make sure that you create a profile on LinkedIn if you haven't already done so, and ensure that you populate all the profile fields with information likely to make you attractive to prospective new employers.

You might be wondering why you should spend time networking with professionals you already know - especially as they aren't in the same industry as your newly chosen career path.

The truth is, those professionals will likely have contacts on their network that can help you forge your new career path. Whether people like to admit it or not, getting a new job is often a case of "it's not what you know but whom you know."

Sure, skills, experience, and qualifications are a requirement. But, some company bosses may be looking for new talent without actively advertising the fact.

Did you know there are many professional associations you can join that are aimed exclusively at your new chosen industry? Some associations are free, and others may charge membership fees, but in any event, joining them will be extremely beneficial for you.

For example, you'll keep up-to-date of any industry changes that could affect your potential future job roles, and you'll learn about companies that are expanding (and soon to look for new staff).

Job boards can also be seen as professional associations because they offer lots of career advice and job postings exclusive to your industry. Most job boards will have a section specifically dedicated to those wanting to change careers. 

Make sure you check this periodically and take full advantage of any job postings that appear! For example, a Veterinary job board might offer exclusive tips and advice on breaking into the industry and provide job postings.

The above steps will hopefully give you the inspiration you need to help you transition from your current role and industry to a new career path.

It's by no means a definitive or detailed guide, but it outlines the steps and order to take that will help you transition from your existing job into one that you will love in another industry.

Remember that you'll always find the help you need by doing some online research and talking to some local chamber of commerce business mentors (the latter is useful if you want to work for yourself in your new industry).

Good luck!