Make A Successful Career Change

Make A Successful Career Change
By Wil Schroter


These days you’re more likely to hang on to your car lease longer than your career. In today’s workplace, the average young professional burns through nearly three jobs in the first five years of their career.

Truth be told, most skills are very transferable and a professional can quickly move from being a web developer to professional recruiter to mortgage broker in a matter of a few years, not a lifetime.

Once you’re past your first job and actually in the career world, moving into another profession is a lot easier than getting your foot in the door for the very first time. Your college degree only buys you an initial interview, thereafter it’s all about what you’ve actually accomplished and the contacts that you’ve made.

If you’re about to jump ship and move on to a new career, there are a few ways to position yourself so that you can look and act like a seasoned veteran in an industry that you’ve barely worked in. Here are some things you need to know to make a successful career change.


Align your references

You can begin shifting the career focus on your resume by aligning your personal and professional references with people who have actually worked in your new industry of interest. When we actually take a look, most of us will find that we have friends or colleagues that have worked in the business that we want to move toward -- let’s hope that they’ll support us with a professional recommendation.

Your references should demonstrate that you have some sort of connection with the career field that you’re trying to enter. This may include a client that you worked with at your last job, a manager that you interned with or a partner that you worked with that will support you.

Before you freak out about not having any substantial references, let me first point out what a reference check really entails: It’s typically a five-minute conversation between your potential employer and your reference. It’s not a big deal. The employer simply wants to ascertain whether or not you were dependable and upstanding, not the infinite details of every task you were assigned. Most reference checks are about character, not your career. It’s OK to have references that can only vouch for your character and working experience if not for your detailed experience in the field.

Find freelance work

Even if you don’t have any career experience as a full-time employee, you can still get some real job experience under your belt. Freelancing and project work is a great way to get a taste for your new career while building a credible resume in the process.

Freelance work is easy to find if you’re offering your help for free and slightly harder if you want to get paid. There are plenty of freelance opportunities on sites like Elance.com, CraigsList.org and GoBigNetwork.com. It might be worth volunteering some of your time for free just to get some experience under your belt and your career on the right track.

Whatever you decide to do, you want to find work that allows you to come away with a story to tell in your interview. For example, if you wanted to become a web designer, you want to work on a highly visible project that demonstrates your participation and skills. Interviews usually only last long enough to tell one or two stories, so take this opportunity to tell one that is highly relevant.

Adjust your expectations

The most frustrating part about making a career change is adjusting your expectations for success. Even Michael Jordan, one of the greatest athletes of all time, had to come to grips with the fact that he was no “Air Jordan” when he went to play baseball for the White Sox.

You’ll certainly cruise through the ranks faster in this job than you did in your last job, but not without paying your dues. You have to prove yourself all over again to customers, peers and, of course, managers. A great history is no guarantee of a fantastic future.

Leverage transferable skills

Although you may be making a jump to a totally different career, the fact remains that many jobs leverage the same skills. It’s not like you were living in 1803 and trying to move from blacksmith to farmer to navigator on a trade ship.

Most jobs, no matter what the industry, come down to a handful of fundamental skills, such as salesmanship, communication and time management. If you’re strong in those areas, you’ll be able to apply them in just about any career.

Whenever possible, you want to rally those strengths in your new position. If you’re a great salesperson, but you’re now a staff accountant, look for opportunities to participate in sales pitches to clients, proposals and tough negotiations. All of the skills from your last job will be what makes you stand out in your new job.
putting it together

There are three parts to putting together a successful career transition. The first part is just stacking your resume to get in the door. After that, you can start leveraging your existing skills to stand out while you learn the ropes. The last part is really just about stepping up and making the move. It’s not impossible, you just need to man up and do it.