Explore your career choices
How to make a career change work
How to make a career change work
5 minutes
How to make a career change work
Your skills and experience can be applied in more than one context, but it can still be challenging to change careers. If you articulate your value and connect your past experience and to new opportunities, more options will be available to you.
Here are some practical steps to help you make a career change.
1
Get some experience
One of the biggest barriers to making a career change is the lack of experience, so be creative in the way you address this gap.
Consider volunteering for a project or taking on a short term assignment or a secondment. Look for opportunities that will help build up enough experience to help launch your new career.
2
Understand your transferrable skills and be comfortable acknowledging the 'gaps'
Assessing your existing skills and exploring new avenues for their application, will set the foundation for a successful career change.
Once you have identified these 'transferrable skills' you need to articulate these in a way that a hiring manager can easily recognise. Strong examples help paint a picture of your experience and abilities, versus answering questions in a hypothetical way. With a career change, examples help an employer understand how your experience aligns to a new role.
Very few candidates meet every single criteria of any given job. It's okay to acknowledge that there are gaps in your knowledge but be confident when you tell the interviewer about the skills you can leverage to help you minimise the gaps.
Once you have identified these 'transferrable skills' you need to articulate these in a way that a hiring manager can easily recognise. Strong examples help paint a picture of your experience and abilities, versus answering questions in a hypothetical way. With a career change, examples help an employer understand how your experience aligns to a new role.
Very few candidates meet every single criteria of any given job. It's okay to acknowledge that there are gaps in your knowledge but be confident when you tell the interviewer about the skills you can leverage to help you minimise the gaps.
3
Prove your adaptability
Demonstrating a track record in being able to learn new skills and successfully adapting to a change in roles or responsibilities will give comfort to hiring managers.
Think of examples that show when you were required to learn quickly and develop expertise in something new.
Think of examples that show when you were required to learn quickly and develop expertise in something new.
4
Showcase what you are capable of
It can be hard for a hiring manager to visualise your capability when you don't have a track record in the field. Bringing your abilities to life helps show that you're capable of taking on a new role.
Consider what you can do to demonstrate your skills to make these more tangible - share a portfolio of relevant work, point to your LinkedIn profile to view video or graphic content, develop plans or provide sample reports to demonstrate your abilities.
Think creatively about how you can help people 'see' you in the role and understand the value and contribution you are capable of making.
Think creatively about how you can help people 'see' you in the role and understand the value and contribution you are capable of making.
5
Use your network
Networks can help you uncover new opportunities, be it a chance to gain some relevant experience or secure a new role.
Build contacts with people in your chosen field and let friends and family know what you're interested in.
Make sure that you are front of mind when such opportunities arise.
Make sure that you are front of mind when such opportunities arise.
6
Show your value
Don't under value what you bring just because you are applying your skills in a new context. If you're wanting to convince others about your capability, you need to believe it yourself first and understand how your skills can be applied in a different way to bring value.
Translating your tasks into skills will help you see your experience in a way that can apply to many settings. Analysing your past positions in this way will help you explain how your prior experience lends itself to the transition you want.
Different experience and skills puts you in a unique position to add value that is different from the competition. Think how a new perspective or skill can help bring a benefit that sets you apart. For example, can your advanced data skills help you automate reporting or your analysis skills help you derive insights that would otherwise remain unseen.
Make the hiring manager aware of the unique strengths and perspectives you can bring to the position.
Translating your tasks into skills will help you see your experience in a way that can apply to many settings. Analysing your past positions in this way will help you explain how your prior experience lends itself to the transition you want.
Different experience and skills puts you in a unique position to add value that is different from the competition. Think how a new perspective or skill can help bring a benefit that sets you apart. For example, can your advanced data skills help you automate reporting or your analysis skills help you derive insights that would otherwise remain unseen.
Make the hiring manager aware of the unique strengths and perspectives you can bring to the position.
7
Grow your skills
Further training or study will not only teach you new skills or allow you to gain a relevant qualification.
You'll also meet like-minded people, build you network and demonstrate you commitment to pursuing a new field.
8
Demonstrate your enthusiasm and have answer to the 'why'
Our past experiences can sometimes blinker us to the opportunities around us. If you've only ever considered work in certain locations or just full-time work, it's easy to overlook the alternatives in your job search.
Consider all the opportunities that are available and be open to trying something new. Making a career change required a new approach and an open mind on your part too.
Changing careers isn't easy but if you give up at the first hurdle you'll never succeed in making the switch. It may take a while, but try to see this time as an opportunity to continue building up your skills, experience and networks - Being persistent pays off.
Consider all the opportunities that are available and be open to trying something new. Making a career change required a new approach and an open mind on your part too.
Changing careers isn't easy but if you give up at the first hurdle you'll never succeed in making the switch. It may take a while, but try to see this time as an opportunity to continue building up your skills, experience and networks - Being persistent pays off.
9
Consider all options and keep trying
Tell people why you are so passionate about making a career change and what you can bring to your chosen field.
Do your research to understand where your new career can take you and demonstrate your long term commitment to success in this field.
Do your research to understand where your new career can take you and demonstrate your long term commitment to success in this field.
Every interviewer will want to understand your motivation for wanting to change careers, so it’s important that you are prepared for this question.
Keep it simple, positive and future-oriented regardless of any negative feeling you may have regarding your previous roles.
Communicate your enthusiasm for a new challenge and how you plan to make your current skills and experience work in your new career.
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