How do I make a Career Change?

Gearing up for a big career change is like anything in life: if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. But don’t let the hard work discourage your ambitions!

There’s nothing fun about feeling stuck in a rut, not enjoying your job or slowly realising your line of work isn’t going to cut it for you. The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. Being unhappy for even 20% of that time could have long-term repercussions for your well-being.

How to know when it’s time to move jobs?

-You often feel stressed and tired

-You don’t believe in the company like you used to

-You’re watching the clock

-Your skills don’t match up to your interests

-You feel invisible

-You’ve grown out of your current role

So how to know when it’s time to move jobs?

• Give yourself a reality check

‘The grass isn’t always greener, questioning your decisions is always natural. But the most important question you should be asking yourself is…
‘Is this job going to bring me greater long-term happiness than the position I am currently in? Before you do anything else write yourself out a dream job description, then when you are sifting through job ads you will be more likely to find something that matches what you would consider to be the ideal role for you.

• Identify the areas you need to work on

If your looking to change roles, the likelihood is you may have to learn some new skills or further your understanding of a topic you may not be familiar with. The more drastic the career change is the steeper the learning curve will be once you start, so make sure you know what you are in for before you start packing your things.

• Set goals & targets to aim for

Sometimes the hardest part of moving a job is the initial commitment to start looking. While the idea of leaving your old job behind for something more lucrative can seem like an easy decision, finding the energy and keeping the motivation is the real tough bit. That’s why setting targets and goals are so important. Set target’s like, ‘this month I’m going to complete this many applications for x amount of vacancies ‘, that way even if you are unsuccessful you still have something to aim for you can control.

• Start Connecting the dots

Sometimes a career change can happen completely out of the blue. But it is more likely that you will be successful if you already have connections in the industry you want to work in. Reach out to experts in your field, contact employers you would like to work for even if they’re not hiring and make connections on linked in with their employees.

• Be Brave and conquer your inner demons 

No one said a career change is easy, prepare yourself to tackle the likely obstacles, self-doubts & naysayers that stand in your way.

The key to this is to anticipate these moments in advance, even if it is in your head. Sometimes your biggest critic is yourself, write a list of your skills and attributes and why you would be good for any role. Use this list as your mantra. When it’s not working out for you, don’t start to question your decisions, recite this list to confront your self-doubt.

– Looking to change career paths but not sure if the vacancy in question is within your skill set?

Did you know that many employers now offer Apprenticeship level training as part of their training and development within their organisations? This means that if there is an area of a job vacancy that you lack experience in you may be able to retrain and up your skills to match the role in question whilst on the job role.

For example, if you were looking to apply for a Digital Marketing Assistant vacancy but one of the skill requirements was an experience in Public Relations, you could learn these skills once in the role through the use of Apprenticeship Training if it is offered to you.

A common misconception is that Apprenticeships are only aimed at 16 years old or young people who are fresh out of school or sixth form.
An Apprenticeship is an opportunity for you to upskill and gain further knowledge of your current job role or your next promotion.

We offer courses that are designed to effectively make you do your job better and more efficiently. No matter what stage you are in your career, it’s not too late to further your skills! With Apprenticeships going all the way to Master’s equivalent at Level 7, there is always something for everyone!

Still trying to work out your next move? A Short Course With Kiwi could provide you with an answer!

Our fully-funded* accredited courses are delivered 100% online and can help you gain skills and qualifications that will open doors to further study that will enhance your job prospects.  All you need is an internet-connected device,  a willingness to learn and we will provide the rest.

Check out the full list of qualifications on offer here.

Get in touch today, we would love to hear from you!

Call us on – Tel: 02380 170380.

Or email us on – hello@kiwieducation.co.uk