Journey To Leadership

Changing Career And Starting Over — 25 Tips To Make A Successful Career Change

by journeytoleadershipblog

Sometimes, we are stuck in a career that we hate or that no longer fulfills us… Other times, the commute is too long, we make long studies to end up in a career that requires too much sacrifice, that doesn’t fit us or that we struggle in.

Uprooting, starting over, reinventing your career and moving forward is difficult. Starting over from scratch feels like a failure, is intimidating, is discouraging, takes time, requires optimism, an ability to learn, an interest in personal growth, a sense of  adventure.

Wondering how to actively change career and find a job that fulfills you?

Successful Career Change

Being in the wrong job or leading the wrong people demands too much sacrifice and can lead to a serious breakdown or various health issues. Our lack of interest spills over at work and most importantly at home, especially if we are leaders. We visibly become careless, inconsistent, we underperform and are emotionally unavailable.

Furthermore, a career change is necessary when your personal needs are not met, when you get feeling of boredom, start burning out, lack of satisfaction, work for a bad boss and with toxic coworkers. Everybody has a breaking point and cannot spend a lifetime adapting to situations that are unnatural to them.

How to avoid making the wrong career choice?

Some people drift through jobs without any idea of what they are doing or without making a decisive career choice. To avoid making a bad career choice:

Actively changing careers

Changing career is daunting yet exciting. It is daunting because we might lose status, leadership position. However, it can be exciting because the future is promising. Starting over means learning from your past mistakes, applying the solutions with an open mind and with a different perspective on life.

Quitting your job and pursuing the career you always wanted is a leap of faith. The future is unknown but promising. To transition smoothly:

  1. Know that what we think we can achieve is unlimited and is not limited. Changing career requires a different mindset. Believe that ever force is on your side and attract the things you want in life. Don’t let fear stop you from moving forward.
  2. List the different careers that you wish you could have.
  3. Some people will tell you that it is a bad decision to change career. Listen carefully to what they say and understand that their opinion is not really about you. Find ways to overcome these boundaries, keep moving forward and don’t look back.
  4. Accept yourself and your character flaws.
  5. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you tap into your full potential and make your career more sustainable, make work more enjoyable and will have you jumping out of bed to get to work.
  6. Translate your strengths and weaknesses into coherent skills and avoid devaluing what you can do easily.
  7. Identify your core values. Core values are what guide your behavior and character. Make sure that what you are doing aligns with your values.
  8. Identify your skills acquired at work and make sure that they are transferable.
  9. Find out your passions, what you want and what you like to do, even when you are not getting paid.
  10. Build a vision, set goals, focus or a purpose. Daily remind yourself of your dreams and goals. Then, determine the needs required for achieving this purpose.
  11. Imagine your ideal life and your ideal position. Write it down and create a vision board to specifically solidify your dreams.
  12. Measure your stage in life, how far are you in life. The consequences of changing career will be different if you are a recent graduate student or a seasoned senior professional.
  13. Meet your personal requirements at home. Your requirements can be money, recognition, trust, autonomy, performance and achievements). Furthermore, understand that your needs are personal and will not be grasped by everyone.
  14. Build strong and healthy relationships. You can do this by starting a small group, by assisting others at work and by bringing solutions to their problems.
  15. Address your past and your present experiences. Then, Estimate what you consider as a failure and as a success.
  16. Be open to learn and ask probing questions.
  17. Brush up on your interview skills, network and learn to sell yourself.
  18. If you are looking for a job at another company, remember to update your resume with accurate experience and qualifications, big or small.
  19. Take classes and trainings that will move you toward your career goal and keep you motivated.
  20. Ask for sit downs to people who are in your career of choice. During that interview, don’t directly ask for a job but avoid making assumptions, ask probing questions and take notes.
  21. Respond to advertised jobs. You can also directly apply to companies without going through ads.
  22. Rearrange your personal life before tending to the professional life. Make peace with yourself and physically declutter your space at home then at work.
  23. Learn to deal with worst case scenarios on your current job before moving on to the next one. Chances are that you will meet the same situation somewhere else and potentially end up in the same mess.
  24. Avoid passive aggressive behavior on your last days at work and develop smart strategies to handle our current job. For example, try to meet your boss requirements before quitting your job. When you meet the boss’s requirements, his trust in you will be renewed and your energy will be boosted.
  25. Start a business that is directly molded on your strengths and weaknesses. Once a leader, always a leader. It is not something you can turn off.

Hope that I’ve helped you get it together on your way to leadership!

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