For experienced professionals there may come a time when you feel ready for a change – you want to try something new, challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone. Changing your career is both an exciting and daunting prospect. You may have been in the same job for years, or you may feel the career you chose is not the right one for you after all. Whatever your circumstances, there are many factors you must take into account in order to select a new career, which is better suited to your skills and needs:

Identify what you need: Why do you want to change careers? Think carefully about whether it's just the job/employer/boss that you hate or your actual career. Write down exactly what you dislike about your job. Consider whether your ideal role is in the same industry – are there any chances of promotion or career development within your field that will bring new challenges and interest to your job? It is much easier to change jobs within the same sector and it may be the case that you just need to work for a more exciting company. If you’re moving away from a job you don’t want make sure that you’re moving towards one you do want and don’t just accept the first exciting offer that comes along. In other words, don’t choose another career without examining all possibilities. Assess where you are now, your achievements so far and where you want to be in the next few years. The information provided in the self-assessment section can help you with this. 

Identify your skills: Write down all achievements from your current job and the skills you can take into the next. This will allow you to remain focused and understand exactly where your strengths lie and will be useful when writing job applications and preparing for interviews. It’s particularly important to highlight the transferable skills that you possess. Transferable skills are those you acquire during different activities – working, studying, parenting, playing sports – that are transferable and applicable to what you want to do in your next job. Examples of transferable skills include:

• Communication: expressing ideas, facilitating group discussion, negotiating, interviewing, editing
• Research and planning: forecasting, problem-solving, gathering information, analyzing
• Interpersonal: providing support for others, counseling, representing others, delegating jobs
• Organization/management: coordinating tasks, teaching, promoting change, managing conflict

The skills employers are looking for are usually highlighted in job advertisements, so make sure that you focus on these in particular and provide examples of when you have demonstrated each one. It’s also necessary to update your CV and interviewing skills as it may have been a while since you applied for a job or attended an interview.  

Devise a plan: You need to establish where you stand with regard to finances, research and education/training because without this knowledge you might take the first job offer that comes along whether you are suited to it or not. It’s very important to weigh up your salary expectations. Are you prepared to take a pay cut? What is the earning potential in this field? Do you have a certain salary requirements? Set yourself targets and stick to them. 

Network and research: Speak to family and friends and register with some recruitment agencies to help with your job search. Networking allows people to inform you about job openings and even recommend you to the right people. Carry out thorough research and look into career fields you may never have considered – always keep your options open!  

Gain relevant skills: When changing careers, you must find a way to bridge the gap in terms of experience, skills, and education, between your old career and your new one. As well as transferable skills, it is often necessary to gain additional training and experience before you can find a good job in a new field. A lack of experience may mean that you have to take a few steps back on the career ladder and start working your way up again. Before you sign up for a study program, it may be a good idea to do some work experience in the field you want to move into as this will help you to decide if it's really what you want to do. Alternatively, you can volunteer, temp, intern, or consult in your new career field – what some experts refer to as developing a parallel career – before leaving your current job. There is pretty much no age limit on getting work experience and it’s worth investing the time to establish whether or not a particular career is right for you. Research the latest developments in your chosen industry, network at industry events and talk to people who do the job you want to do – the more research you carry out the better! 

Leave at the right time: It’s much easier to find a job while you are still employed. Long periods of unemployment look bad to potential employees and there’s no telling how long it will take you to find a new role, so weeks could easily turn into months. Thus, it’s best not to leave your job until you have a new one lined up, no matter how much you dislike where you’re working! Also, there are certain times when it’s more ‘acceptable’ to leave your current jobs, for example shortly after a promotion rather than having worked for years without a promotion. This shows employers that you are in the driving seat and proactively look for opportunities to develop your career. 

When deciding on, developing or changing a career, it is important to remember that you are in control and should make the right decisions for you. A career is very personal and is founded on choices, and these should be the right choices for you and you only!