5 Tips for a Successful Career Change – Regardless of your age or the industry you’re in

Changing our career can feel overwhelming and stressful at any time. I’ve been there, done that. Three times, actually.

I know how painful it is to recognize that our current work, which we studied so long for and worked so hard towards, is not satisfying anymore.

Jumping into a new career certainly comes with some extra challenges, but I’m here to tell you that it isn’t always a bad idea.

Control and empowerment can come from realizing that you’re able to create new opportunities. A career pivot could also be a great move to ensure your future happiness and success in today’s workforce!

In this blog post, I’ll give you 5 tips that you can start doing right now to create amazing career success for yourself.

1. Create an outstanding LinkedIn account and Use all its features:

LinkedIn is the largest career-focused social network there is. It’s more geared towards a formal type of recruitment and that’s where headhunters go to find the best talent for corporate recruitment.

• Your LinkedIn profile is 14x more likely to be viewed if you have a photo. (Source: LinkedIn Corporate).
• 98% of recruiters use or plan to use social media for recruiting. (Source: Jobvite).
• 89% of recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn. (Source: Bullhorn).
• 71% of people on LinkedIn are on the job hunt. (Source: Jobvite).
• LinkedIn has more than 740 million users

You can use LinkedIn to collaborate with others in your industry; network with organizations that can help your career; or get helpful advice from others already in the profession you’re trying to break into.

LinkedIn is the place to set yourself as an expert. When you post on this platform, you have to remember it’s business orientated. Keep things on topic to your career and share relevant industry information.

2. Stop Applying for Jobs and Start Networking

Just because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and things moved into the virtual space, it doesn’t mean that you can’t meet and build brand-new relationships with brand-new people. Quite the opposite. In the last year and a half, I built more professional relationships than in the last decade altogether. People from across the world are now able to come together and discuss relevant topics.

I started socializing on Eventbrite first. I was looking for interesting workshops in the field of my interest, then I attended these workshops where I chatted with the participants. Finally, I contacted the organizers and offered my services for free in return to exposure to their audience. 

I also made a targeted company list from LinkedIn. After finding their emails on rocketreach.co., I reached out to their CEO or Director of HR, offering my business consulting services.

I also pitched my articles to digital platforms and magazines and started building a professional network on Medium.

3. Find a Mentor:

While building a network is about getting to meet new people who you don’t know, finding a mentor is about having a role model who you know well and who is helping you succeed. A good mentor helps you make decisions to reach your goals. A great mentor builds your confidence. The best mentor/mentee relationships often transition into a partnership.

Interestingly, in all my three major career phases, I had an experienced, smart, kickass female mentor who selflessly contributed to my career advancement in the field they’ve worked their entire life.

All successful people have a mentor. Find one. 

4. Define your Edge and Create Your Elevator Pitch:

A pitch is a brief, distinctive, enticing intro to what it is that you’re doing and how you’re doing it better or differently than the competition. It must be sweet and short. Couple sentences, 30 seconds tops.

For example, “I am a career coach, helping ambitious people in a career rut to find their dream career or start their dream business. I myself went through three major career changes and have firsthand experiences of what works and what doesn’t.”

Next time someone asks you “And what are you doing? Tell me about yourself”, you’ll know that this is the perfect time to use your pitch and highlight your edge.

If you know that you’re nervous when you have to talk about yourself and what you do, write down some talking points, a few interesting and important facts about what you do, in advance. Rehearse your elevator pitch in front of the mirror, until the words will roll off your tongue and willsound like you.

5. Have a Plan:

Do you have a well-considered career action plan? You should. A career plan is needed not only to land a job, but also to get a promotion and sustain success in your entire career.

I want you to think about your career plan as a business plan. Every single business owner starts creating a business plan in order to make sure they achieve great business success. Why doesn’t everyone start creating a career plan in order to achieve and sustain great career success?

Leave a comment down below or drop me an email if you need help and want to have a career planning session with me.

I can help you go through each step that is specific to your situation. I cannot stress enough how important it is, yet how few of us actually develop a career plan.