7 tips to consider when undergoing a career transition

Through my experience of coaching many individuals through career transition, I have put together my top seven tips to consider.

Making a complete change in career direction is difficult, but it’s not entirely impossible. There are certain steps to be taken in order, that will help make sure this transition actually happens. In order to avoid overwhelm when making a career change, it’s best to make small, gradual steps. In this way, you will be moving along a pathway towards greater self-awareness and fulfilment in life. You'll also know that you are taking the time to invest in yourself, which whatever happens, is going to increase your well-being and life-satisfaction.

So you want to change careers?

1. You must start with yourself

Have a think about your current career to date. Draw a graph with ‘time’ on the horizontal axis and ‘happiness’ on the vertical. Hence you will have drawn a timeline, marking out the ups and downs in your career.

You can start from wherever you feel is relevant. Some people like to start with the subjects they enjoyed at school. Consideration of the highs and lows, thinking about the reasons behind these, will help you to evaluate what’s important for you to have in your career. This will give you a bigger picture of where you’ve reached in your career. You’ll also be able to stand back and consider the reasons for the dissatisfaction with your current career situation.

2. Take into account the skills you have achieved

Write as many of them down as you can think of, giving yourself enough reflection time to do this. It might be good to do this in two sittings, for example. Then, think about the ones that you like using, but don’t use enough in your current career, as well as the one’s you’d like to develop. This can be really useful for taking a snapshot of what you’ve achieved (also always useful for when you are preparing for an interview). In addition, it can give you time to reflect on where you would like to spend time on your personal development.

3. Start to think of where your enthusiasm lies 

Do you have an interest in a particular area that can translate into a job role? Is there a need for someone with that expertise? This is a great starting point for exploring roles that you could potentially go into. You can start out being idealistic, but remember you’ll need to look at your options with a realistic lens. Is there a need for someone with this area of expertise? Will this be something that you can get paid for? Will you need to invest in further training in this area?

4. Consider all your career choices

Make a list of roles, to begin with it’s good to keep as many options as possible open. Then you can start narrowing these down, once you’ve completed some research on each one.

5. Consideration of any training you may need to do 

Think about whether you can afford the time and money to retrain, if it’s necessary for your next career move. Also, take a look at the full options of what is available. Are there any options where you can be trained on the job so that your employer will cover the costs? 

6. Make sure you have kept an eye on your finances 

This will be important if you are considering leaving your current paid role and taking a lower-paid role in the meantime, while you upskill in a new career area. Try to create a survival budget, looking at what you typically spend each month, where you could make cost cuts and work out what is the minimum that you need to earn to cover these.

7. Take action towards moving forward

Once you have made your plan and decided what type of career change you would like to move into, make an action plan. You can have a think about say, 10 goals you’d like to achieve within the next 12 months. Pick the top three of those and this will keep you motivated towards reaching them. Knowing how to market yourself and to get ready for your career move will also be essential here.

When navigating a career change, you’ll find it helpful to have someone on your side who will help you to stay motivated. Having a career coach will help you make sure you have thoroughly investigated your values, skills and interests. Career coaching will provide you with honest feedback on how you are doing throughout the process. If necessary, your coach will also gently challenge you, to keep you on the right track so that you are feeling positive about yourself.

In summary, a career coach will be able to cheer you on and give you the confidence to keep going. This is a much-needed ingredient to help you through a transition period. To find a life coach that will support you on your journey, search Life Coach Directory.