It’s not unusual to hear about people changing careers as many as three or four times during their work life. We’re seeing more and more people returning to study, people retiring later, and the job market changing at a rapid pace. While changing careers is a big life move regardless of your age, there are some small steps you can take and ideas you can put into action to get you where you want to be.
Start with why
Have you outgrown your current role? Do you want to improve on a particular area you’ve been exposed to in your current job? What are your motivators? Are you wondering where else your career can take you?
Clearly defining why, you want to change career will help you understand what your next steps are in the process. Steps could include further study, mentoring, certifications (there are hundreds online), or research into your area of interest and/or exploring jobs currently in demand.
Gather intel
Speak to a practicing industry professional, research your new industry, or seek guidance from a career transition expert. Absolute Career Coaching can help you!
Identify your transferrable skills
Transferrable skills extend beyond your current job and organisation and can help you in a range of different roles. For example, have you ever managed people, resources, or budgets? Have you ever been involved in research or analysis? Have you had to manage stakeholders, or perhaps you are great at picking up new programs or tools? Maybe you have developed or delivered training? Identifying these skills and capabilities will help you build up your resume with the abilities you can offer.
For whom to work
Think about the type of organisation you’d like to work for. There are benefits of working within a large organisation like a multinational corporation that there can be more opportunities to help you move from career A to career B. There are many of these type of companies in Australia.
Also, the not-for-profit (NFP) organisations provide services to the community and do not operate to make a profit for their members (or shareholders, if applicable). This sector in Australia has grown rapidly over the past decade, and now makes up just over 4 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or just under $43 billion.
Small businesses (5-19 employees) are the backbone of the Australian economy with 2.5 million registered small businesses. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) (www.ato.gov.au) defines Small Medium Enterprises based on annual turnover and categorises small businesses as those with an annual turnover of $10 million or less. Medium businesses have a turnover of between $10 million and $250 million, and large companies have an annual turnover of more than $250 million.
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