• Subscribe to the comments for this post?
• Share this on del.icio.us
• Share this on Facebook
• Post on Google Buzz
• Add this to Google Reader
• Share this on LinkedIn
• Tweet This!

Reality has forced many people in the last twenty-four months to consider a career change. But, how do you start going about a career change?

1. Do your homework 

Talk to people in your short-listed careers and find out what is really like. When I mean really like, I mean the good bits, the bad bits and the really stressful bits. Get them to talk through a typical week in their working lives. But, the really important bit is to ask them how they got into that career.

2. Don’t change everything at once

Changing jobs and careers can be very stressful. A new job or career will initially force you outside of your comfort zone. If that new career also involves you relocating, working different hours… it may be all too much for you to easily cope with in one go. You may like to think about taking interim roles which take you towards your ideal career in a couple of moves, rather than trying to move in one go from say, an auditor to an operations director.

3. Change for you

Remember to change into something that you enjoy and want to do – rather than what others think you will be good at. Or what you think there is a high demand for in the jobs market place.

4. See if you can make an internal role change

It is often easier to make a career change when you are part of a reasonably sized organisation. Look for opportunities for secondments, projects or assignments which will build your credibility and relationships in the career that you would like to happen. For example, it is easier to move from auditing into insolvency practice if you are part of a mid-tier accountancy practice, rather than looking for external insolvency practitioner roles.

5. Give it time

If you have a long established career, it is going to take time to transition into a new career. It is better to get to a new career slowly but successfully, rather than going badly wrong by trying to get there quickly. For example, if you new career requires some element of re-training, don’t try and short-cut this, as it will only lead to frustration later.

6. Identify your transferable skills

Your transferable skills are the skills that you enjoy using. These are not the skills which other people think you are good at, it is the skills which you enjoy using. Your aim is to find a career which uses these transferable skills. If we spend two thirds of our waking life at work, doesn’t it make sense to enjoy what we do at work?

7. Don’t worry if you get it wrong

Most of us will have had three to five different types of career in our working life. It doesn’t mean you are a failure if you get it wrong – just a different type of outcome to the one you were expecting!

Related posts:

1. Taking the First Step Towards Your New Career Path
2. Why can’t I get the partners to see the need for change?
3. Four questions you need to answer to get your job search up and running efficiently