Job/Career Change: 10 Easy Steps (part 3)

6. Career Networking

Begin networking with people in your new industry. As a start, you can find a person who will help you through the industry association in your local area. As he or she will refer you to prospective employers make sure you build a positive rapport with the person. By demonstrating unique personality and potentials you will promote yourself to your target employers long before you want the job.

Talk to some professionals who are already in the career of your choice. They can be great sources to give you career change advice. Ask if you can shadow them for a few hours or a few days so that you can get a feel for what the career entails. Ask questions and learn about the education and skills that they needed to get to the place that they are.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find a mentor or life coach who can help you take a good look at yourself and your life, your profession and your goals. They can help to guide you and make your transition from your current career to a new career much smoother.

You can find a life coach or if you know someone who is already in the field that you want to enter you can ask them for help. If you are attending school, you can talk to a career counselor there. The point is, if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

7. Financial Preparation

When you are starting out in a new industry, you are worth less than you probably were at the job you had become a seasoned professional in. You have to take a look at the market and see what the demands are like for the career that you are considering changing to.

At the same time, it is your responsibility to make sure that you explore all of your options as far as education and see just what the implications would be as far as time and money are concerned. The more savings you have the more ready you are for a career transition.

Do you have more than twelve months of salary in your savings account? This reserve is what you need to cover your monthly expenses during career transition. Make sure your savings are also sufficient for financing your training and courses. Once you budget all of your expenses, take an action to accumulate more money so that you’re financially ready for a career move.

8. New Career

Many employees will start their new career while they are still working at former employers. To become an entrepreneur, for example, you definitely have to work hard, but you’ll find that by starting your business this way, you’ll be able to see it off to a good start. You can start making investments and putting money aside for larger investments to come while you are still working steadily and bringing in a stable paycheck.

You’ll also notice that you might be able to play with your existing work schedule a little bit. You can cut back on hours, or you can rearrange them to have more time to do what it is you want. Take some time to see what can be done to maximize the amount of time you have.

Do your reading and your research, not only on your own industry but on what other people in your position have done since. You’ll find that there are many different roads to get to the success you want and that amidlife career change is just the first step!

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