People decide to change careers for many reasons. It could be that someone wants to earn more money, they have a new passion to pursue, or they just need a change.
Should you change careers? Sometimes people feel that they are too old to make a career change but this is not the case. It is not always possible to change professions overnight, but with the right approach, you can change careers at any age.
Before making a career change, it is important to carefully evaluate your present work situation and to explore the options you have. It is worth taking time to research the career paths you’re interested in and even seeking professional career advice.
Remember that your resume is the most powerful tool you have to make a career change happen. It is worth spending time perfecting yours using a resume builder. Many people use a functional resume format as they are the ideal career change resume.
How to make a career change
Here are some tips on how to change careers. Keep in mind that career changes are generally gradual changes that you need to work towards.
Evaluate what’s important to you
Think about what motivates you, what type of work environment you want to work in, and what you’re good at. What parts of your job do you enjoy and what would you change in the workplace?
We all look for different things in our jobs. There are people who crave prestige, others want to be creative or to have flexible hours. You might want to earn a high income and interact with a lot of people or you might want to work permanently from home. Once you figure out what your career values are, it will be easier for you to make the right choice.
Career values might include job security, location, intellectually demanding work, collaborating with others, helping others, solving problems or power/prestige. Once you’ve written down your career values, rate them either on a scale from 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) or rank them on which values are a must have, which ones are nice to have and which you’re ok not to have in your next job.
Explore different career paths
Research different careers and brainstorm ideas. Speak with friends and family as they know you best.
Ask them “When have you seen me at my best?” This is a quick way to gain a different perspective on yourself and become aware of the skills you have that you might not even be aware of.
Then brainstorm the jobs and industries that may be a good fit for your skills and values. Using resources such as Glassdoor or Indeed, you can brainstorm potential careers and then make a shortlist to research. Once you’ve narrowed down a few possible areas of interest, try to conduct some informational interviews with people in your professional network. It’s also a good idea to speak to a professional for advice.
Network and utilize your contacts
Think if you know anyone who works in the industry you’re looking to break into. They’ll be able to give you advice on what you need to do to get where you need. They may also be able to put you in touch with other people in the industry. The importance of professional networking shouldn’t be underestimated which is why you should also look to make and maintain contacts.
If you don’t know anyone working in the industry you’re interested in, check on LinkedIn if any of your connections have links to people who do. But even if you can’t find anyone, you can always reach out to several people in your target industry, explain you’re looking to change careers and that you’d love 10-15 minutes of their time on the phone so you can ask them some questions about working in that specific company or an industry.
Gain experience in your free time
Find a way of gaining valuable experience in the industry you want to enter. You can try to spend a few hours a week shadowing a professional or you can offer your skills to charities or local organizations. This is also a good way of finding out if the profession is right for you. Whenever you can find an opportunity to get some experience in your chosen field via an internship or volunteering, this should help you decide if the industry or field is a good fit.
Update your skill set
Identify any gaps in your skill set and find a way of learning the necessary skills and knowledge you need to change careers. Try to develop skills in your current job or take some classes. There is an abundance of online courses which you can fit around your job.
Write a winning career change resume
It’s important to create a resume which focuses on why you are a strong candidate for the profession you’re applying for. As chronological resumes focus on your most recent work experience which is unlikely to be relevant if you’re changing careers, it’s better to use a functional resume format or – even better – a combination of a functional and a reverse chronological resume format. You should have a strong Summary section which clearly outlines your unique value proposition and what skills you can bring to the new role, but at the same time you still need a Work Experience section, since employers want to understand what you’ve done in the past, not just what skills you’ve gained. You might want to create a “Relevant work experience” section with details of work experience most relevant to the job you’re applying for (even if it is not the most recent experience), followed by the rest of your career history in a separate section. It’s also important to write a powerful career change cover letter.
Functional resumes for changing career
Functional resumes are also known as skill-based resumes and the focus on abilities rather than experience. It does not contain reverse-chronological list of work experience like chronological resumes.
Applicants are able to showcase their most relevant skills for the position they’re applying for and show that they are a strong candidate for the job. They are ideal if you possess many of the key job requirements without having much relevant experience.
The key to creating an effective functional resume is to be able to tailor your skills to meet the job requirements for the position you’re aiming for. The best way of doing this is to edit your resume for each job application. Many candidates use functional resume templates which allow them to quickly customize their resume.
