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[M167]Making A Career Change

by Clare Evans, Cla

If work's getting you down or you'd like to try something different, here are a few things to consider.

1. So, are you happy at work? If not, why not? Is it the type of work you do, the people you work with or your boss? What can you do to change your situation? How could you make it more interesting, how could you improve the relationships with the people you work with? Could you do the same thing but for a different company. Could you delegate tasks to someone else in your team?

2. Do you love what you do? What is your passion and what motivates you? What values in your life are important to you - health, money, security, family, relationships etc. Follow these and you'll be happier in your work and in life generally.

3. What are you good at? What skills and abilities do you have? Where could you make improvements? Training for the job that you do could improve your job satisfaction and your job prospects and could enable you to take on a new role.

4. Where do you want to go? Are you looking for promotion, salary increase or a job change? Sometimes we have to start at the bottom in order to get where we want to be. Have your goal in mind so you don't lose sight of what you're doing and more importantly why!

5. Get yourself a mentor. Find someone you respect, who's where you want to be or done what you want to do. If you don't know anyone at work, is there someone outside work you could discuss your plans with and who would be prepared to give you advice and support?

6. Keep your CV up-to-date. Be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that might present itself if you're looking to change jobs. Alternatively, go out and find those opportunities - if you want to change, you need to make it happen. Opportunities will present themselves if you're looking for them.

7. Take control of your own career. There are always things we can do to change and grow. If you're looking for a new career then spend some time thinking about what you want from your work. What do you value, need, want? What does work mean to you? How important is it in your life? What are the things you're good at, what sort of work do you like to do? How could you create your perfect job?

Sometimes living from day to day is fine but it helps if you have a plan in mind. Where do you want to be a year from now, three years from now? Set a goal "Next year, I want to be doing ..." Then set some specific steps to get you there.

About nine years ago, I was a member of the rat race. For close to a decade, I had a regular 9-5 corporate job. In that time, I probably changed jobs five times! A few moves due to leaving college and then a few more moves while I tried to figure out what I loved to do. There are many times in your life when you might find yourself seeking employment and one of those times could easily occur when you are making a career change. Seeking employment when you are making a career change is sometimes a process resulting from a deliberate decision and sometimes due to loss of a current job and being forced into seeking employment as a career change because no jobs are available in the area of your prior experience.

If you find you are looking for new employment for a career change because you have discovered some new passion in yourself or a newly opened job , the process will be somewhat the same. And if looking for new employment in a new career is a result of personal choice, this process can be fun as well as challenging. Seeking employment when involving a career change will be easier if the new proposed career is at all related to your last career, taking for instance, photography in the area of industrial manufacturing to fashion photography. Your new career path will require many of the skills you have utilized in previous employment, but adapting them to the new subject models and finished product for use in fashion marketing publishing rather than business use in technical instruction articles and advertising.

When you stress your strengths in resumes and interviews while seeking employment as a career change, you will probably have a wealth of examples and job history to show evidence of your qualifications for this employment. And this will most likely make gaining new employment for your career change a shorter and easier process. If on the other hand you are seeking employment as a career change is in a totally new field for you from your prior employment history, you will need to take a somewhat different approach to convince the hiring individual that your motivation and new training makes you a desirable candidate for employment.

Before seeking employment as a career change, you should do an honest assessment of yourself. What are your likes and dislikes? What type of employment would you be good at? Will you need retraining for a career change? Are there some classes you could take now to prepare you for new and different employment? How realistic is it for you to be seeking employment as a career change right now? Is the employment market strong right now in the new field you have chosen? These are all important questions for you to ask and answer before you begin the process of seeking employment as a career change.

Article Source : Career Change Advice

About Author

Both Clare Evans & Deborahcarraro are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Clare Evans has sinced written about articles on various topics from Body Language, Food and Drink and web development. Clare Evans works with busy, stressed individuals and small business owners to help them plan and organise their time more effectively. Contact her now for more details and a free consultation.. Clare Evans's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.

Deborahcarraro has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Camping and Career Change. (C) 2007 Deborah CarraroDeborah Carraro is an internet marketing consultant who escaped the Corporate Banking world to launch several successful online businesses including the Corporate Banking Guide. Visit http://www.businesschecksguide.com/. Deborahcarraro's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.