Making a successful career change

By Basirah Aderibigbe

MR. Nurudeen Adeniyi works in Ogun State and resides in Ibadan. In a chat with the Nigerian Tribune, he complains about the incoveniences he has to go through in order to get to his workplace which necessitate his desire for career change. In a like manner, Mr. Rasheed Akeem also works in a remote rural setting in which he can only communicate with his family once in a while, the family cannot communicate with him whenever he travels.

His wife put to bed few weeks ago and there was no means of getting the news across to him until he came home at the end of the month. This did not go down well with him and he decided to change his career. “I want to be there for my family always. I want to change my job so that I will see them more often”, he disclosed. Most people who change careers have different reasons for doing so. They have thought long and hard before deciding to make the move. Some have reached their conclusion after series of inquiries and counselling while others simply decide it is their time for a change. When you ask applicants about career change, it means different things to them. A career change is any step that is taking to better your present career situation. But regardless of how they reached their decision, most career-changers ask the same questions.

•How will I make a living in the course of my career change?
•Will I lose income in my new career?
•Do I have what it takes to make this change?
The good news is that there are ways to gain entry into your new career. As Nicholas Lore explains in his exceptional career change book, The Pathfinder, “you gain admittance into any group, social or professional, by creating agreement. In other words, people are accepted because other people agree they belong”. Agreement is developed through the things we say, the way we act or the knowledge we have. Confession they say is possession.

When the time comes for a change in their career, many workers do not know how to go about it. The stress of leaving full time employment can be traumatic and facing a career change can be daunting, but if a worker knows how to make a career change without risking their present or future employment, the change can be a great experience.
Considering your transferable skills and interests are critical to highlighting where to move to. This enables you to train and gather skills that will endear you to move smoothly into a new field of employment.

Here are some tips on how to make your career change experience successful
•A great resume
One that clearly shows how suited you are for your desired profession is essential. Once you have that the job search begins.

•Discuss with relevant people
Discuss with people who work in those occupations. Ask your friends and associates if they know people who could help you find the type of job you are seeking. Seeking advice from professionals who work in your field of interest may lead you to valuable information about how to go about your career change.

•Decide upon your career goal
Know what you want from your career and look out for it, don’t just go for anything because you need to change job.

•Make contacts

Build a network of influential people within the field you want to enter. Find a creative way to approach and maintain contact with them.

•Revamp your resume
Do this to reflect your new goals and objectives, especially when you are changing career. Most people are trained to read resumes and identify how past experiences match their current needs. So, satisfy their needs

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•Self assessment
Assess and evaluate yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses and improve on them. Look critically at your skills, interests and your values in the context of your desired work environment. Career change is difficult even under the best of circumstances because job seekers are immobilised by the prospects of change, but if the right steps are taken, it could turn out to be what you want and how you want it.Knowing yourself would help you locate whether you would be fulfilled in your career change.