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3 Tips For Changing Career

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Whether you want to change career because you work in a dying industry, no longer enjoy the type of work you do or want to improve your salary and job progression prospects, you'll need a plan. Changing career can take time and it's not always easy to break into a new industry, so you'll need to plot a course for moving from where you are today to where you want to be. Here are three tips to help you succeed:

Study Your Chosen Industry

Before you commit to starting over in a new industry, make sure you learn everything you can about your chosen field. From a distance, it may seem the industry and job of your dreams offers the perfect work-life balance, but the reality may be somewhat different. For example, the average salary of the job role you are aspiring to may be based on a minimum number of hours overtime that's generally expected of employees in that field. Read industry-specific resources and contact employers in your chosen industry to gain a solid understanding of the reality of your desired career path.

Fund Your Transition

When switching careers, you may not be able to walk right into a job with the same salary you currently enjoy. Additionally, you may have to return to education either full-time or in the evenings to qualify for the job you are pursuing. Research the costs of changing career, including the possibility of a temporary salary cut, and make a plan for funding your goal. This may involve staying in your current field of work until you've been able to save enough to maintain your current lifestyle while retraining, or it may involve looking at your current lifestyle and trimming the fat. You may want to consider whether you should downsize your property, take on additional part-time work or cut spending on non-essentials, such as eating out, gifts and holidays.

Get The Right Qualifications

Maybe you think you know what qualifications you need to switch to the industry you've set your sights on, but do you really know? What a waste of your time and money it would be if you took a course that seemed relevant and sensible but employers were actually looking for new entrants to the industry to have a very different skillset. For example, you may spend time retraining as a teacher only to find at the job search stage that your local schools want teachers who can speak certain languages that reflect the demographics of their classrooms. In this situation, you'd be unable to compete with other applicants and would have to delay your dream until you had gained the qualifications that were in demand.

The best way to find out what employers are looking for is to simply ask them. You may be surprised at how willing companies are to invest time ensuring those seeking to enter their industry are fully equipped with the skills they actually need. Contact companies you're interested in working for and ask them what gaps they're identifying when sifting through job applications and CVs.

These tips will help you be fully prepared for changing career by having realistic expectations, being free of financial pressures often associated with a career move and entering the job search market as an attractive candidate. For more help connecting with a new job in your chosen career, contact a local employment agency.


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