The following post originally appeared on the Jobipedia blog and is being shared with permission from the site.
“Why did I major in finance?? I realize now that my passion is advertising.”
Changing careers is common for many people. Whether you’ve simply discovered you actually hate your current career path or your industry has made it impossible for you to continue being employed. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your twenties or fifties, when you change careers it often means starting over.
How do you transition careers successfully?
Changing jobs is difficult, but changing careers can be an overwhelming undertaking. We wanted to know what our hiring experts believed about switching careers—namely how to transition careers well.
Sara, a hiring expert from American Express, gave this very insightful take on career change, “First, focus on building your knowledge of your areas of interest by networking with individuals in your company to learn more about the work that they do. If Marketing [for example] is a focus for you, then seek out people in that area to learn about their projects, the day to day, core skill sets and talent attributes.
Once you have determined this is where you want to focus, analyze your current and previous work and role to see where the alignment of skills and experience are with Marketing or your chosen focus area. Be sure to recognize gaps and either be prepared to address them in an interview or find ways to build these skills and experience.”
(View Sara’s full response)
Following Sara’s advice is important to understanding some on the job realities that no classroom or book will accurately communicate. The point is to gather as much information as possible and learn at an accelerated rate so you can put yourself in line with other individuals in that field.
How do you put a resume together for your newly desired career, when most of your experience is in a completely unrelated field?
Steve, an expert from Caterpillar, gave this advice when it comes to tailoring your resume for a career change, “Any time that you are applying for a position for which you do not possess a great deal of on-the-job experience, it is critical for you to structure your resume in a way that emphasizes the other aspects of your background. Next, you should focus on your leadership experience and other types of activities in which you participate on campus, in the community, at church, etc. In particular, focus on any leadership roles that you have assumed in these activities. These activities are important to list, in my opinion, as they speak to your character and the type of person that you are. This is what could differentiate you from other candidates.”
(View Steve’s full response)
Changing careers can be challenging, and it can cause a great amount of anxiety. However, it can also be exhilarating and life changing. The keys to making the change will be allowing yourself enough time to gather the kind of knowledge necessary to make the jump, and utilizing your existing network to get where you want to go. And if you feel like making a career change is impossible, just remember what Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Jobipedia.org is a free career advice website that was developed specifically for entry-level job seekers. The website offers unparalleled access to hiring and recruiting managers from Fortune 500 companies. The contributing hiring experts personally write every answer to user-submitted questions. Their advice is invaluable because they interact with prospective hires on a daily basis, review resumes, conduct interviews and are involved in the process of deciding which candidates to hire.