Planning Your Career Change
If opportunities in your field are thin on the ground a career change may seem the only option. But in today’s economic climate planning a change of job presents a challenge. Planning a change of career may seem like climbing a mountain. That said the ability to manage change is a very marketable competence so demonstrating it in your approach to developing your career is a good tactic.
A starting point is to put together a structure around which your career change can be planned and organized. Here is an outline to help your thinking:-
- Even if you are feeling pretty negative about your current situation a desire to change your career is a sign that you are still developing as a person so approach it in a positive frame of mind.
- Develop an understanding of yourself and what you have to offer in the job market. That will be a combination of core attributes, which come from your personality, learned skills and knowledge plus experience. Then group those into a Competencies Profile that illustrates expertise and presents your USP.
- Have your eyes on the horizon but your feet on the ground and temper aspiration with realism. If your ambition is to work in – say – marine zoology but you dream of living in the Swiss Alps you might just end up with some complicated logistical problems.
- Carry out some simple market research to identify jobs that “spark” you. Then analyze what the recruiter is looking for.
- That will give you some idea of the gaps between where you are now and where you would like to be.
- Then think in terms of stepping stones to enable you to bridge those gaps.
- Now sort out your marketing plan in which your CV will be a tactical tool that is a pointer towards the future rather than merely a list of tasks you have performed in the past.
Of course this will take time, but that time will be an investment in your future. Surely you deserve that!