:: Saipra ::

E Hints & TIPS for career change

What are the reasons you give for wanting to switch careers? Is it the monotony? Is it the lack of opportunities for personal growth? Have you found something more interesting? Or is your company lying off employees? If, after much mulling around, reflection you have finally reached a decision, then here are some tips for career change.

Evaluate what you like and dislike : Usually, people opt for a different career based on negative grounds - on the different things they dislike about their current jobs. For a sales representative, it could be the endless cold calls, the rejection. For a production manager, it could be the loud machinery noise hurting his eardrums. For many others it could be the meagre salary. Often, identifying dislikes is easy. The hard part is knowing what you really like doing - the positive aspect. What is it you like doing? Is it the interaction with a variety of people (Teaching, Sales, Marketing), or is it the feel of books and information (Academic research, data mining, software programming). What do you like doing in your spare time? If you’re not totally sure, take a career assessment with a head-hunter. What you LIKE doing could genuinely be a reflection of your talents and capacities. I could like gardening, or answering quiz programs, or even piloting a plane. These may be activities I really enjoy doing and am good at. Then , once I identify the specific skills and talent involved, I can go further along these lines. Both a self-assessment and an objective ‘head-hunter’ assessment would help to clarify your (my) path.

Get background information : Once you can identify your true capacity, then spend some time gleaning information on suitable careers. These careers should be oriented towards your true likes or passion. If you ask: “Should I become an artist?’’ , that is a question I can’t answer. It depends: on talent, emotional stability, money support that you have. You may still feel unsettled and insecure: this is an inevitable part of career change process. The amount of research you do depends on the scale/range of the switch you’re making : from physical instructor to karate master isn’t so much as from sales representative to software programmer. There is plenty of career information both on the Internet as well as daily and weekly newspapers. Picking up a copy of Employment News would give you a broad idea of the range of careers available.

This is a vitally important aspect : What is the basic skill set you possess? This could range from accurately judging people’s characters, to creative visualization, to driving to financial risk-taking. The question to be addressed is how much of these skills can you transfer to your new career? In effect, how much of what you already know is APPLICABLE in the new job? If you have to freshly LEARN new skills, then there could be risk of failure or a long induction period. To project your transferable skills in a positive manner is a vital job-search technique.

Improvement through Training : You may realise that it is necessary to update your skills and broaden your knowledge. If the new skill you learn is one that you could use in your current job, ask your employer if he could meet the expenses. Take the whole process SLOWLY. Enrol in a course which gives you the necessary training and education. If you are going for another degree, check the accreditation of the institution. Try to gain information on their placement cell’s successes.

CONTACTS : One of the key techniques you can use in your job search is to go through contacts. People on your contact - list may be able to give you job leads. They would also give you advice and ‘inside information’ about a new company. They could introduce you to others so that you can expand your network. Well, what if, like me, I don’t HAVE an existing network ? Then I can tap on the contacts I already have: my family members, friends, colleagues. Maybe even the next person you meet in the coffee shop could be a contact: it depends on your ability to project/introduce yourself. You can broaden your contact network by joining a professional organisation in your new field, If you take the trouble to ring up your college alumni, then this could lead to another useful network.

Finally, be FLEXIBLE : Let your personality adjust to any situation, location, salary or relationship. Don’t insist that the job be tailor-made to your needs. Set positive goals for yourself, within your career vision. Choose a mentor (a good-intentioned advisor and guide) who can guide you through the transition phase. Overall, career change, as I know it, can be a gut-wrenching exercise. You need to start slowly and proceed gradually: not try radical jumps. If you do so, you don’t need any more advice from me.