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Changing Careers

How to make a career change

The vast majority of people would probably answer an emphatic 'No'

Can you imagine what it would feel like to enjoy your job as much as your leisure time, waking up every day eager to get on with the job?

The average person will work 40 hours a week for the better part of 40 years. That's nearly 80,000 hours of your life. It must make sense to spend your working time in a place where you want to be.

Only you can make this happen having worked out which career best suits your skill set and personal attributes.

You may well need to update your CV/Portfolio. Analyse the different skills you have acquired over the years - many of them may be useful in another industry. These transferable skills are often overlooked by career changers but are desired by almost every employer:

IT literacy
Numeracy
Leadership
Problem-solving
Research and analysis
Foreign languages
Presentation skills
Organisation and time-keeping
Commitment

This applies to achievements as well. If you've been successful in one job, the chances are you will continue the trend in another. Specific details of the tasks might not be recognised in an alternative sector, so keep the examples brief, with just the key facts or figures clearly shown.

Show some pro-activity!

Changing career is not easy, but very achievable. Once you've convinced yourself it's the best thing for you and have the hard evidence to back this up, it's going to be much easier to persuade a potential employer.

Find out as much as you can about your new industry by attending conferences or networking events and keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry you're heading towards. You'll really impress your potential employer if you can show a dedication to the position, before you're even in it.

We only have the one life - there is no rehearsal as they say - so what are you wating for....