Smirk at Work before it Smirks at You: Things to contemplate before switching your career

Smirk at Work before it Smirks at You

Apr 10th, 2008 | By Beauty Snob | Category: Sustainable Living

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Things to contemplate before switching your career!

It used to be that a person, through hard work and determination, could rise through the ranks of the very first company they started working for after college - to welcome and expect (as a natural consequence of their diligence) success and job security. But what was presumed twenty years ago now seems like outdated blind faith. Although it’s not to say that there aren’t those who continue to follow this pattern to success, there is undeniably a shift to the non-traditional and undefined.

When contemplating a new career or a job change, here are a couple things that you should consider before throwing your letter of resignation at your boss.

#1 - Transferable skills - What are you hoping your new job will offer you? If you’re a recent graduation or relatively inexperienced in the field you’re looking to work next - salary shouldn’t be your first priority. Instead, make sure there’s opportunity for you to learn. Evaluate the skills that you’ll be positioned to acquire (either by observation or brutal grunt work) and whether these skill sets are transferable to another job or company. Being able to identify these transferable skills not only will help you set learning goals once you start you’re new job, but you’ll also be able to easily refer to them when you try to sell yourself to other future employers.

#2 - Informational interviews - This is a great way to learn about a field or company you’re interested in while also allowing you to professionally network. While informational interviews should contain a level of professionalism, they are informal enough for you to be genuine about what you don’t know. Good ways to find professionals for an informational meeting are through your alumni network or through friends/relatives who might know someone in the field you’re interested in pursuing. Don’t be shy about contacting the person to request an informational interview. Ask for a short moment of their time. Be prepared, know what questions you want to ask. Most importantly, remember to thank them for their time.

Make sure your decision to accept a job is not out of desperation to get out of your current situation (but also don’t let the fear of quitting get the best of you). Having a good understanding of what you want from your job and the skills you expect to gain will allow you the confidence and clarity to master a career change.

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Tags: career change, career networking, informational interview, new career, traditional career path, transferable skills

2 comments
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flo April 29th, 2008 8:56 pm :
The decision to change careers is often the hardest decision to make as a relatively fresh college grad. How do you know when you’ve “hit the wall” in your current job? How do you balance between wanting to wanting something new and letting go of something familiar? Risk of not having a job vs the thrill of finding something new? No easy answers I imagine…
webmaster May 1st, 2008 4:22 pm :
It is tough to navigate careers while trying to keep your personal interests in mind. It can be especially difficult to leave a stable job and steady source of income to do something that you THINK you may like but would have to take a risk to find out. Recently, I spoke with career counselor about some of these issues and what I derived from it was that it’s okay to explore different options right now. Most young professionals don’t have to worry about supporting a family or paying a mortgage yet - so we should take this opportunity to explore different interests and hopefully this will pay off in the long run.