Over the years, I have worked with many clients who have needed help making a career transition. Sometimes this transition has been incremental and other times they have been huge leaps. The approach is typically the same, however the follow up and job search execution may be more intensive.

The Career Transition is a common theme today, so if you think you are alone in this endeavor, think again! There are several reasons why this is occurring. The first being that when we first start our careers we are young and naïve. Most of us; including myself, leave college not fully knowing what we want to do for the next 40 years. It’s a big decision and as we learn more about our initial path that we chose, we may discover that it is not the right one.

Another reason is that we see more people making a Career Transition due to a shift in mindset. We now value fulfillment and work life balance over a steady paycheck at a job that offers no intrinsic reward. This shift in values has been good for the workforce, but we should be careful when pursuing these values. There are roles that will align with these values, but it will never fully be 100% and that search for perfection, will keep you searching without every truly knowing what is right.

The last reason I am going to give for the career transition, is whole industry shifts. The rapid pace at which technology develops or even major shifts in government policy can lead to someone deciding to leave an industry. A specific industry that comes to mind is Education. More and more I have Educators telling me stories about how they loved what they did, however, because of bureaucracy and non-flexibility to own their roles, they want to transition to a new career.

So, now that we know what leads us to make these decisions, how do we go about executing them?

First, it comes down to alignment, think about careers that wouldn’t be a stretch for the skills that you have developed. We need to be realistic about what is attainable and the only way to do that is to be realistic in our own self-assessment. Ask yourself, what have I done and how can I relate that to what this position will need of me. Remember, when you are a more experienced employee, companies don’t want a big learning curve. Sitting there and saying well I can learn what this company wants easily, usually will not translate into them hiring you.

Second, identify areas in which you can improve on or can get training in to make the transition easier. Do you want to get into Project Management? Take a few training courses in that area or maybe go for your PMP Certification. If its Human Resources, join a group like SHRM or get your PHR Certification. The best way to know what you need and what it will take to transition is to speak to someone that is working in the field and can provide you with the reality of the role and what you need to be successful for it.

Lastly, you must go for it full steam ahead. The candidate making a transition is going to have a harder time getting hits on their Resume, so attending networking events, leveraging connections and going the extra mile to put together an attention-grabbing Resume and Cover Letter.

If you need help in this endeavor, we will be right here to guide you on the right path!

All the best,

John Greenblatt

Founder, Five Star Resume LLC.