Terri Ramsey Beavers Thirty percent: that’s the amount of time that you’ll spend working during your life. When you take into account elements such as sleep and traffic, that means that you will probably spend more time working than you do with your friends and your family. This is why some people are keen to escape the work grind and become their own boss. We’ll discuss this idea in more detail a little further down.
The statistic above is why it’s so important that you are happy and content in your career. The reality is that most people aren’t. Instead, they struggle to get up and find the motivation to work each day. A recent poll revealed that more than 80% of people are not satisfied in their current career. Why then, do they choose to continue working? The simple answer is that people assume it’s going to be difficult to switch careers. But does this have to be the case? Below, we’ll discuss some of the simple steps that you can take to ensure that changing your career is stress free and does deliver the results that you are looking for.
Speak To A Career Advisor
FIrst, you might want to think about speaking to a career advisor. By speaking to a career advisor, you can gain a good understanding of what you are interested in and what is going to provide you with the right level of job satisfaction. It’s possible that you don’t already have a career like this in mind. If that’s the case, then speaking to a professional will always be an essential step. If you don’t do this, then you could be on the wrong path before you’ve already begun. A career advisor will also be able to explain how likely it is that you’ll be able to break into your chosen career at your current stage in life.
Gain Qualifications
Next, you should consider what qualifications you need to bring your career to fruition. Your qualifications are always going to be an essential piece of the puzzle here. Remember, if you are switching careers it’s possible that you don’t have any qualifications that you need. The good news is that it’s easier than ever to get the professional skills and knowledge you need. A lot of courses can be completed online these days and you can work through them on a personal schedule in your own time.
Look For Experience
As well as gaining the right qualifications, you’ll also need to make sure that you are gaining the right amount of experience. It’s always going to be difficult to get a job if you are completely green in any field. This is why when you are first starting out, you need to take on any opportunity that comes your way. That could include working for a pay level that’s less than you are worth or perhaps even working for free. Just make sure that you don’t stay in jobs like this for longer than you should.
While you can get consumed in searching for roles when you are out of work, it’s important that you don’t end up with a gap on your resume. This will always look unprofessional and is a massive red flag to anyone who is thinking about hiring you. As such, you need to make sure that you are filling any and all gaps where possible. This can also include freelance work. Don’t forget, you can put any contracts on your resume to beef it up, whether they are permanent or not.
Get Active On Social Media
If you are pursuing roles, you need to be ready to become your best representative and marketing agent. You have to hype yourself up and ensure that you are connecting with the right people. Various sites such as Everyday Power explain why this is crucial when you are pursuing your dream role. Luckily, there are lots of social networks that you can access and use to push your strategy forward here. For instance, you might want to think about getting active on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is great because you can set it to notify you whenever interesting opportunities arise.
Work With A Recruiter
While you might think that working with a recruiter is a waste of time, we’re here to tell you that’s not the case. A lot of businesses these days will use recruitment agencies to save time and ensure that they don’t have to spend hours sifting through countless resumes and CVs. A recruiter can be invaluable. You just need to make sure that you are using the right service. There are lots of recruiters operating on the market today. However, they don’t all provide the same level of support or professional experience. It’s best to check the reviews and make sure that these reviews are written by candidates, not employers.
Consider Working For Yourself
Of course, instead of working for yet another company, you could consider working for yourself. This means that you will be free to choose your own hours. You also won’t need to worry about negotiating for the right hybrid work model. Instead, you can simply work from home as much as you like. Gaining success as a freelancer can be tricky but it’s far from impossible. You just need to learn how to market yourself and build up your personal brand.
Make Sure It’s Going To Make You Happy
Finally, regardless of what career you choose, you need to make sure that it is going to make you happy and deliver the real value that you are looking for. Don’t rush into a job or to work for a position because it’s the first one that comes along. Remember, while it might not seem like it right now, there are always other opportunities.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you should take if you are interested in changing your career without the stress or the difficulties that a lot of people do tend to run into here.