13 Steps to Changing Careers

If you are considering a career change then this is an exciting time for you. Nowadays, the number of times people change careers is several times greater than in previous decades. We have more choice available to us and if we are smart about it – we can make the transition smoothly and effectively. Finding the right next career for you can be challenging to do especially if you’re doing it on your own. Moving into a new industry, sector or completely different type of role will mean that there is new learning to be done and lots to discover. Making this change isn’t a small transition and requires some thought – so the following steps are outlined for you to make sure that you start out in the right direction on your new journey… 1. Invest in yourself This journey is important – so give yourself time to work it all out. You will need a significant amount of thought, consideration, time and investment in order to make this change smoothly and to make it the right career change. There are many key stages and turning points to consider so take the time to do it. 2. Get clear, seek clarity Without real clarity about what you want to do or how to get it, achieving any sense of fulfilment or being in control of your future will be very difficult. Therefore it is really important to work on getting clear about what your central goal is and how to achieve it. If you want to learn about the different ways to do this then feel free to drop us a note. 3. Create an action plan Simply knowing what you want will not ensure that you get it. You need to be clear about your plan of action – what steps you are going to take - and how to carry out what you have specifically designed for yourself. Get clear achievable steps in place. Outline it so that it is broken down into steps that you can work through towards that bigger goal. Reward yourself and be proud of yourself as you get through each stage of your plan. Follow us @PosIgnition www.positionignition.com

4. Be totally focused on the task Making a change and finding the right role is not always an easy task. It can be tough, tiresome and long. You need to stay really focused and be efficient around where you put your energy and effort to get the outcome you want. Make sure that you are in control of the key elements in your world and are able to drive forward with the career and life of your choosing. You will need perseverance and determination to help. Being smart about how you spend your time is crucial. 5. Understand your strengths Get to know yourself better and identify what your key strengths are. What are you really good at? What do you enjoy that you are also good at? What skills have you learnt? What are you naturally inclined to do and be better at? Make sure that you get right to the core of it. The more you know yourself the more confident you will become and the better you will be at identifying the right role for you and projecting yourself in order to get it. 6. Get Passionate Without real passion for a role – it will be difficult to get. Even if you do get it – you will find it difficult to maintain and grow within and beyond it. What you want here is the right role. This means something that you are truly passionate about. It might take a bit of experimenting to find what ‘floats your boat’ – but it will be worth it when you have found it. 7. Be clear about your boundaries Being clear about what works and what doesn’t work for you in order to be happy can be groundbreaking. Set the boundaries. It sounds simple but so many of us do not actually take the time to work it out. In each different work situation – we may have different boundaries. By being clear about what they are and then communicating this clearly to others and staying true to what is important – will make a huge difference. This impacts work and your personal settings. 8. Research Once you have a shortlist of potential new careers, narrow it down by thoroughly researching each career until you find the one for you. Do your research by reading a lot—take a look online, borrow relevant books from your local library or see what the press is saying. It’s also important to research different employers you’re thinking of applying to. Employers have wildly varied approaches to managing employees who are joining them from different fields so research each company’s policy and attitude towards career changers to help you find a good fit. Follow us @PosIgnition www.positionignition.com

9. Experiment Along with research, the best way to find out what a particular profession is really like is to try it out. You can do this through voluntary work, work shadowing or offering to do pro bono work for people you know. There may also be an opportunity for learning via secondments, depending on your current role and organisation. If you want to get a regular feel for your target area of work, join a club, group or specialist network that will allow you to participate in relevant activities. 10. Learn how to manage relationships better This is important from all aspects. If you learn to manage your relationships effectively you will be able to control the process and transition. You will be able to manage your exit smoothly from your current or old role. Understanding where your old boss is coming from and the impact you have on him/her – and how you interact could really influence how you leave a job. How you get your next job and keep it may also rely heavily on your ability to manage relationships well. 11. Harness your connections Improve and build on your networking skills. Learn how to harness your network and connections effectively. This does not mean bombarding people you do not know with emails or adding everyone you can find to linkedin. Neither is this picking up as many business cards you can at a networking event and calling that person part of your ‘network’. Real networking is about getting to know people. You need to work on identifying and getting to know those who can help you along your way. 12. Promote Your Transferable Skills Make this clear to everyone who stands between you and your new profession: you have skills that can be transferred from your past experiences to your future career. When networking, on your applications and in your interviews, stress that you understand what skills you would need to transfer to which aspects of the new job. Give examples of times when you’ve transferred a skill from one part of your life to another. For instance, you may have transferred the ability to multi-task as a young office junior to parenthood. 13. Get free from your blockages, fears and insecurities All of us have them at one stage or another. Many of us keep them for years. However, do not let them stop you. If you are afraid – that is ok – just do not let it take over and control what you do or do not do. If something is blocking you from moving forward – take the time and action you need to confront it, deal with it and resolve it. This does not have to be done alone. Find support from those around you. Get support from a professional if it is a deep personal issue that is troubling you. Follow us @PosIgnition www.positionignition.com

If you do not deal with it now – it will keep blocking you in different ways throughout your career and life. Once you have worked through the blocks – you will be so much more energised, comfortable, confident and free. This checklist has been created by Position Ignition Ltd, one of the UK’s leading career consulting companies and founders of the Career Ignition Club. Please contact enquiries@positionignition.com for more information or to suggest additional resources.