Check out these five essential strategies for successfully navigating a career change

When it comes to a career change, there are likely many reasons why you’re looking to shift into a different path. Whether it’s no longer being content in the role you’re in, to wanting a complete change of career path because you’ve perhaps found a new passion in life.

Whatever the reason, successfully navigating a career change can be hard. So with that being said, here are five strategies for successfully navigating a career change this year.

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1.   Set goals

First and foremost, set your goals. What are you looking to achieve when it comes to a career change. Everyone’s version of such can look different, so it’s good to gain some perspective on what you’d like to gain from the career change.

Perhaps you want to be more fulfilled within the role or career you venture into. Maybe it’s more about being financially stable or earning more instead of the money you were earning in your current job.

 Setting goals is going to help motivate you in finding that success and succeeding in getting the role you’re after.

2.   Fill in your skills gaps with education

There will likely be skills gaps that need filling and experience that needs to be gained in order to jump ship into a completely different career path.

That’s why it’s good to explore what it is you’ll need to build upon your success. This could be by exploring an online mba course, or perhaps doing your own research and knowledge-building through online or offline resources.

The more you can fill in the skills gaps, the more attractive you’re going to look as a candidate.

3.   Network and build connections

Networking and building connections are perhaps two of the most important things you can do when looking to switch to a different career path. Often is the case, that people looking for a career change, will find it by knowing the right people and getting that foot in the door as a result.

So with that being said, look at networking opportunities where you can meet people within your career dreams. Build those connections over time and you’ll likely soon find success comes by knowing the right individuals perhaps already in the industry you’re pursuing.

4.   Be strategic in your job search

Being strategic is important when it comes to your job search and it’s good to be mindful of what you’ll need in order to get yourself into that interview room.

Look at developing a targeted strategy when it comes to applying for roles and making sure your resume is the best it can be when it’s presented to those recruiters or individuals recruiting for the role. That might mean tweaking every single application but the time invested is well worth it to get yourself noticed.

5.   Be prepared to ace the recruitment and interview process

In order to succeed when navigating a career change, you want to be well prepared for the recruitment and interview process. Make sure you’ve prepared everything ahead of time, so that you give yourself the best chance when you get into that room or via that zoom call for the interview.

These strategies will hopefully help you to successfully navigate a career change in the coming months or years.