Ways of Approaching a Career Change

Ways of Approaching a Career Change People are particularly motivated to make career changes around the same time as seasonal change. Especially Spring and Fall. The weather is changing and our habits and wardrobes are changing. Even moods tend to shift. Change takes on a more positive connotation under these favorable circumstances. I love working with others to reinvent themselves through exciting new career ventures. Its really my sweet spot career transition as a writer, a strategist, and a glass-half-full kinda gal. But its challenging, and I hear that frustration coming through loud and clear from my clients as they struggle initially with where to go next, where to begin that transition, and in developing the confidence needed to solidify that decision. Approach Career Change From One of These Angles Approach #1: Focus on the Initiative In this situation, you know that youre passionate about working within a particular industry or company type, but you dont know how to reposition your skills to break-in, or what kind of role would be available to you there. The Initiative is all about who they are as an organization, what theyre doing, and why that appeals to you on a personal level. A good example would be someone who has worked 15 years in finance for large Wall Street corporations but has found shes really drawn to the creativity and innovation that comes along with working for a socially-responsible startup. She knows it would be hard to break in as a director-level finance professional at such a small organization, but perhaps theres a way to repurpose her wide range of financial and client services skills to a different type of role that would achieve her bigger goal of breaking into that environment. Its less about the exact specifications of the role, and more about how the organization and the type of work they do align with your own personal values and interests. Things to Consider: Flexibility works well in this situation, as often times you might be faced with breaking in at a lower rank or salary level to compensate for a lack of hands-on or industry experience. What are willing to work for, and if you do scale back, whats the alternative payoff youre receiving in being able to work someone you truly love? What kind of growth potential exists for you? Being willing to start at a lower salary is great, but the novelty will eventually wear off, and youll be faced with decisions about where you want to grow. Are you thinking beyond just the point of breaking in and thinking about where you might want to be 5 years down the road? Approach #2: Focus on the Role/Work From this perspective, you have a fairly defined idea of what kind of work and position youre targeting and are focused on repurposing your skills from a different career path to fit that new role. This is more about the specifications of the position, and perhaps less about the environment. You have a passion for doing X type work and are willing to go where that opportunity lies. An example would someone who formerly pursued a career in sales, but has always been passionate and interested in working within graphic design. This isnt always an easy jump, as its heavily skill- and experience-based. But it is about looking at your transferrable skills and where you can apply them in a different way. A good salesperson typically has excellent relationship building, communication, and client management skills, all things that would be important for a designer who interfaces regularly with a multitude of diverse customers and team members, and whose job it is to sell ideas from a visual perspective. You know what you want to do next do you have all the necessary skill sets to be able to succeed in that role, and if not, what resources are available to you to bridge that gap? Things to Consider: Clarity is key here what specific skills do you bring to the table, and how will they benefit you and the organization in your new focus? The idea of transferrable skills can be vague and unappealing to hiring managers, so its important to be able to illustrate exactly how your leadership skills will position you for success in the job. What additional personal and professional attributes do you bring to the table that would set you apart from someone with a more traditional background and hands-on experience in that type of position? Maybe you have experience delivering presentations in front of C-Level executives, and your more reserved creative counterparts do not; dont be afraid to talk about examples of how thats helped you win business and deliver value to the organization in your cover letter, resume and interview. Remember, both scenarios are heavily focused on transferrable skills, and its important to be clear on what those top transferrable skills are that you bring to the table, and why theyre of value. At the end of the day, no matter where youre coming from or where youre trying to go, the biggest challenge you face is convincing hiring managers that the transition will be a seamless one, and making a compelling argument around that based on your past accomplishments and results.