Assess and test your options
to look beyond a qualifications gap if you have impressive and relevant skills, or you might be able to negotiate on-the-job training if your experience puts the competition in the shade. If further training or experience really would make you a more compelling candidate, research affordable options.
Realising she needed to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of predictive analytics to move into data science, Thomson took a Udacity course so she could develop a portfolio to show prospective employers. ‘Use platforms such as Udemy, Udacity, edx and Open University to find ways to quickly and affordably develop your skills or plug obvious gaps in your experience,’ she says.
Under Plan C, write what you’ll do if you don’t achieve Plan A or B: Learn a new skill? Apply for in-house training? Gain work experience or go freelance? In my C column are courses I could take to support a future pivot to a higher education teaching role.
Keep in mind that people often assume their new career should be wildly different from the one they’re leaving, but the opposite is often true and a slight shift in thinking can take you down a new but parallel road with greater opportunities down the line.
With a clearer sense of new paths to pursue, it’s time to test-drive your options. Thomson recommends these methods:
Use exploration platform Viewvo to shadow people in the roles you’re interested in. You can meet an individual in person or choose virtual shadowing or mentoring calls. Thomson undertook a work shadow placement with a human resources team in financial services: ‘It was a great experience and helped me see that, while I love people development, a corporate HR team was not the place for me.’
‘Side Hustle School is a fantastic resource to help you try out new business ideas alongside your existing work. If your new venture grows, great. If not, nothing is lost.’
You might be able to negotiate on-the-job training if your experience puts the competition in the shade
ruthlouisethomson.com; viewvo.com; sidehustleschool.com