If in recent months or years your current job has brought you only negative emotions instead of positive ones, then these are wake-up calls that signal that you need a big change. Many people in their teens choose their professional path, which they regret in later years. You start a career and after several years of hard work, you begin to realize that you are burning out and doing not what you want.
Some people may understand that they need a career change in a few months or weeks, and a sufficient number of people begin to realize this already at the age of 30-40, that they are not living a fulfilling life. They are all at sea because they do not understand at all what to do next. Someone chooses to continue on the same path, and someone decides to radically change their life and choose a different career direction about which they do not have profound knowledge.
That’s a hell of a challenge! You need to do a lot of work – decide what you want to do, go through online education or enroll in online school classes, learn how to find a job, and also prepare for a video interview as it is a new reality during the pandemic.
It is a big mountain to climb, but do not get desperate ahead of time. According to career change statistics, on average, people at the age of 39 make major career transitions, so you’re not alone.
In this article, we will talk about why people make career changes, as well as what steps you need to take to successfully change your career.
Why change careers?
There are many reasons why people radically change their professions. You can work as an accountant for 5 years, and one day you will realize that working as a pastry chef is what you are fond of.
Lack of challenge
At the start of a career, we face a lot of challenges, because we need to gain experience to become a professional in our field. However, after a few years, when we know all the nuances of our work, we stop losing interest in it. A new profession means new knowledge, new difficulties, and new horizons.
Goals change
Every year, we become more mature and wiser, and many people reconsider their life priorities, as well as goals. While in your current job, a change in goals can make you less focused and less enthusiastic about moving up the career ladder. You could work in offices all your life and earn a comfortable old age so that you don’t have to limit yourself, and then you can understand that you want to travel, but you need a remote job so that you can work from anywhere in the world.
Increasing money appetite
Reaching a certain step in your career ladder, you may realize that this is the highest step and there is nowhere to climb further. For many, this means being left with a fixed salary that does not suit them. Every year there is a huge number of digital works that are generously paid and this becomes a determining factor.
Work schedule
Many jobs differ in work schedules, which for many people is a stumbling block, and it pushes them to change careers. When you work at night, you may find that you don’t have much time to spend with your family, or that you don’t have the opportunity to meet friends when you work weekends. In this case, you try to write everything down in your scheduler so that you don’t miss important events in your life. This can quickly lead to burnout and stress.
Small steps to a successful career change
No matter how old you are, there are helpful tips on where to start to make a big change in your life.
Make self-assessment
If you know what kind of career you want to pursue, then you need to do online learning to get in-depth knowledge. If you don’t have a clue about your dream career, then make a list of your interests, hard and soft skills, and values. By writing it all down, you can assess your merits and flaws, and this will give you a hint on which direction to take.
If that was of little help, then you can take career aptitude tests, assessing your wishes, characteristics, and skills, which will offer you options for career paths.
Select job position
Having decided on the field of activity, you will face a huge selection of job opportunities. If you have chosen marketing, what exactly do you want to do? There are many marketing careers: Brand Manager, Digital Marketing Director, Web Content Writer, and more. Your choice will give you an understanding of what skills you need to acquire.
In addition, on LinkedIn, you can find valuable contacts, learn more about the profession, and also find a company where you want to work in the future.
Sign up for courses
Having decided to plunge into a new profession, you will have to do a great job of getting to know the profession, gaining knowledge, and honing your skills. You can read specialized books, and browse the Internet, but if you want to get comprehensive training, then it’s best choose one of the online course platforms to sing up and start learning. Thus, you will be able to get basic training, study theory, as well as gain practical experience.
Make a video resume
Due to the difficult epidemiological situation in the world, many companies have stopped practicing the traditional job interview. Instead, video interviews have become the new reality, and many companies are encouraging candidates to create video resumes. This is the perfect way to show yourself in the best light.
If you’ve never shot a video before and don’t know how to make a video resume, then you need to think about how best to communicate your experience, skills, and knowledge, but present it in video format. Show who you are and that will be highly appreciated.
However, before submitting raw material, take the initiative and make your video more creative. This can be achieved if you use a video editor for PC, where you can add effects, merge multiple videos into one, add subtitles, and much more.
Apply for a job
After a lot of work is done, you will have to muster up the courage and start applying for vacancies in the company where you would like to work. You will most likely be assigned a remote meeting with an HR specialist, so you can prepare ahead of time for the interview, anticipate the questions you are likely to be asked, and prepare answers to reduce anxiety.
Conclusion
There is nothing wrong with wanting more and striving to achieve your goals. If your current job turned out to be not what you dreamed of, then regardless of your age, you can make a career transition and plunge into a brand new, and intriguing world that will open new horizons for you.