Studies show that today’s workers may serve in nearly a dozen roles in the course of their lives, not only due to ascending the corporate ladder and moving from company to company, but as a result of reinventing themselves altogether and transitioning to new careers.
Changes in professional life, including moving to a different line of work are ranked among some of the more stressful events a person will undergo in his or her lifetime. Recruiter.com’s Kazim Ladimeji offers five recommendations to help smooth the process:
Choose your new profession wisely. Due diligence is the name of the game. Whatever your reason for changing careers, you’ll want to consider the long-term implications of your next move. Make sure you’re entering a field that’s not on the decline, or you may find yourself in the same boat in the not-too-distant future.
Seek out a position that will make you happy. It’s often said that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Take a career assessment test (such as the Strong Interest Inventory or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to get a better handle on an appropriate career choice, given your interests and personality.
Do your research. Put in a bit of time and find out what your earnings potential may be in the new field. If the dollar figures fall short of your current and future needs, you’ll want to know as soon as possible.
Make sure you’ve got a financial safety net. Career changes often go hand-in-hand with periods of unemployment and underemployment. You may need to shore up your savings or consider a second form of income during the transition period.
Manage your expectations. A career change will require work on your part, but those committed to doing the work it takes to transition successfully are few and far between. Put yourself ahead of your reinventing brethren by being able to verbalize to prospective employers how your knowledge and skills translate to the new field. Also, with an entry into a new field, you must be willing to take on lower-level responsibilities and pay than you may be accustomed to.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
