Change careers

THERE are many reasons you may be eager to change career, but it can be daunting to go from dreaming about it to making it a reality.

Kay Vittee, CEO of recruitment company Quest Staffing Solutions, says: “Whatever your reason, a change in career can be difficult.

“However, if you successfully identify your transferable skills, it is possible to make a smooth and rewarding transition.

“Many people are able to successfully reinvent themselves and even use their existing skills to begin something entirely new and different — from starting their own business, to moving to another industry completely.” Vittee has this advice:

Make sure you know why you want to change. You may enjoy the work you do but hate your boss, which means you need to change companies, not careers. If it is the work you dislike, make a list of what you enjoy doing, to establish what your ideal job would be. “Taking the time to rediscover yourself through your answers to these questions will help to direct your new career search. Identify which of your skills bring you the most happiness, and find careers that require these skills,” she says;

Once you have discovered what you most enjoy doing, research the careers that will match. We generally succeed at the things we love doing;

What makes moving careers so difficult is that only a few of the skills you have honed over the years will be useful. So check which of your competencies are transferable to your new career;

If the move you plan to make is dramatic, you may need to attend some courses to update your skills and broaden your knowledge. Such courses can also give you a taste of what the job will be like; and

A good way to ease the transition is to find a parttime or volunteer post in your intended industry.

This will give you experience and allow you to get a better sense of what the work involves. —