STEPS TO TRANSITION INTO A NEW CAREER!

The definition of the word "transition" is a movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, or concept. You will start hearing the term career transition coming out of people's mouths more than ever before. There are various reasons people want to change their career path, but most recently it is due to all the nationwide layoffs. It is to some degree forcing people to get out of their comfort zone to start something new. Life is too short to continue to go to a job that you dread going to or perhaps you have been laid-off from an industry such as oil & gas, and the opportunities are slim. In any case, those of you who want to have a successful career transition need to do your homework. Today I am going to provide you with some guidance on this process. 

1. Think about the things you liked in prior positions then write those things down. Think about the gifts or talents you have been given that could be beneficial to yourself as well as a new company. What type of lifestyle do you want? What type of job would bring you satisfaction as opposed to a job where you feel like more of a robot? Perform a detailed research on what it takes to obtain a position that interests you. It's always a plus to gain knowledge on the pros and cons of a potential new career for yourself or you run the risk of being back at square one in 6 months. 

2. You need to leverage your existing career experience when you are ready to make a shift. You will be better off pivoting into roles that utilize some of the professional experience that you've already built up over the years. I call these transferable skills. A few examples of transferable skills would be communication skills, common computer software that you know how to navigate, or your ability to manage other people because you have done so in the past. Make a list of all your transferable skills. This will help keep you structured on your journey to a new career path. Honestly, it can also be a confidence booster because you may have skills that you have not even thought about then to your surprise you have a list of 20+ transferable skills.

3. Do you feel like you are lacking certain skills to smoothly transition into your new career of choice? If so this problem could be easily solved just by taking some online courses to gain proficiency for example if you see that the position you are interested in requires knowledge of how to utilize Microsoft Office just take an online course or even a 2-hour class to get rid of that roadblock. Once that is done you have something to add to your resume! 

4. Make a plan focusing on your primary goals and ideal deadlines. This may consist of skills you need to acquire, people you need to meet or network with especially those in the field you are trying to get into because after all, we all know that sometimes in life it's not what you know it's whom you know. Now assign yourself daily tasks to help reach your goals more efficiently. Being structured is key when you are not working. 

5. Transition your professional brand to attract a specific target audience such as potential employers. I say this respectfully, but keep it simple stupid because the easier you make it for a hiring manager to "get" you, the better the odds of them wanting to know more. Make your professional brand extremely CLEAR through your resume and your LinkedIn profile showing why you would make perfect sense for the roles you are applying for. 

6. If you are transitioning careers you need a functional resume as opposed to a chronological one. The reason for a functional resume is that it will display your transferable skills and qualifications while having your employment history at the very bottom of the resume. Your employment history should only display the name of the company, the dates you worked there along with your position. This is a great option because the hiring manager has a better chance of being sold on you before reaching the bottom of your resume which shows prior employment information. This is especially true if your job titles have nothing to do with the position you are applying for. 

So those are the basics to a successful career transition! Armed with this information I wish you all the best of luck on your new career path! This is an exciting time for you filled with fresh starts and new beginnings. My best piece of advice is to always go with your gut in regards to your professional life as well as your personal life.

If you have any questions or need assistance in your career transition don't hesitate to send me a message or email info@nowhiringhouston.com.

"Faith it till you make it." - Natasha Negahbanzadeh