Do you want to make a career change and get a fresh start ?
If you said YES or if you’re just trying to figure out your next career move, here are some tips to wipe your slate clean and get a fresh start in your career -
5 Ways To Get A Fresh Start In Your Career
1. Maximize your existing skills
When you‘re trying to define a new career path for yourself, you don’t necessarily have to start from scratch. It’s a good strategy to build from your existing base and work towards strengthening the skills you already have.
Some career changers find it easy to switch fields completely, but some find it easier to “PIVOT” in their career. When you pivot, you find a role, perhaps similar to something you’ve already done before at work but with some differences you’re ideally suited for. Or, if you decide to switch career paths completely, it is highly unlikely that you don’t possess relevant transferable skills.
As a first step towards starting afresh in your career, identify what your core transferable skills are.
Do you think you can use those skills in a new job?
2. Volunteer
Volunteering allows you to try out different career options without having to commit yourself fully. So, if you have identified someone or an organisation you’re interested in, ask them if you can volunteer and learn from them. Use this time to discover if this career is something you see yourself doing for a long time. This could also provide good references when you enter the workforce.
3. Hold informational interviews
Do you want to learn from people who are established in the career that interests you? In my personal experience, I have learned so much from leaders in my current field. I did that by holding informational interviews - where I had informal conversation with them. I got career insights and advice that helped me make important career decisions.
4. Do a career audit
If you’ve reached a point where you feel a little stuck in your current job or wondering what’s the best job for a career change, start with a career audit. To understand what an audit can do for you and your career, try asking yourself these thought-provoking career questions -
Where am I now in my career?
Where do I want to be?
How am I going to get there?
To take a deeper look at how you can do a career audit yourself, see this.
5. Find a coach or mentor
Figuring out your next career move can be an overwhelming process, and it’s a massive help to have someone guide you through one of the most important shifts in your life. When I changed my career path at 42, I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor who walked the path with me and helped me by -
Giving constructive feedback on where I was
Clarifying where I wanted to go next
By asking the right questions that gave me a clear idea of what kind of career path best suited my skills and interests.
Catch my LinkedIn Live with my mentor here, where we talk about coaching, learning and development, books, sketch notes and so much more!
Did you find these 5 ways useful?
Are you ready to press the REBOOT button?
Starting fresh in your career can seem like a daunting task. Pressing the “reboot” button and restarting your career in your 30’s or 40’s would be impossible (or very very hard!) if you don’t figure out what drives your career journey and learn how to take important decisions.
Here are 5 additional things (that I did) you could do before pressing the "career reboot" button.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Pick the career path that’s right for you
Research
Ask yourself some hard career questions
Make an action plan
5 Things To Do Before Re-Starting Your Career
1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Prepare yourself - emotionally, financially for a career change. This will make every career decision you ever take slightly easy and you’ll feel a little more in control after this.
2. Pick the path that’s right for you
You may have more than one career change idea, but which is the one for you? Ask yourself - What do you love to do? What gives you satisfaction? Pick that one.
3. Research
Research your options. Read relevant blogs, join a professional group, reach out to people in your area of interest. Be receptive to changes around you.
4. Ask yourself some hard career questions
Here are some questions I asked myself when switching careers :
What do I really want?
How much time will it take me?
Can I manage the pressure of change?
Are my finances in order?
What's a good first step I can take?
Who can help me?
5. Make an action plan
To make your first career action plan, simply make a list of tasks that you need to do RIGHT NOW to get started - What’s your priority? Is it rewriting your resume? Is it updating your LinkedIn profile? Networking with people in your area of interest ?
TAKE ACTION! You miss 100% of the shots you do not take. So go ahead, take your first step and get a fresh start in your career today!