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Some places of employment aren’t set up to allow workers growth. These organizations may offer mediocre benefits and leave no path for advancement. Other times, employees may simply find themselves disenchanted with the career path they have chosen.
Whatever the reason for career stagnancy, if you find yourself experiencing burnout, it may be time to make a change.
In order to do this, you’ll need to continually set yourself up for success. Every action you take should push you toward your career goals, and this will require a substantial amount of drive. Here are three tips to help you revamp your career.
Assess Your Skill Set
It’s hard to move forward without having something to prove you can do it. Your resume should therefore showcase your professional progress. If you’re working hard in your current position, you may have acquired some of these skills by default — skills that weren’t on your initial resume when applying, but can take you to new heights.
Updating your resume can help you reassess what you have to offer a company and how you can better leverage yourself toward different positions. For instance, many coders have experience in web design and vice-versa. If you apply for a website designer position and are rejected, a hiring manager may notice your coding expertise on your resume and reach out to you about a different position that requires those skills instead.
Perhaps the new career path you‘ve chosen calls for skills that you don’t qualify for yet. In this case, it’s wise to seek education and training. Most technical skills can be authenticated through a degree or online certification, both of which you can put on a resume. Right now, many people are finding professional benefits in learning new programming languages and social media marketing.
Seek Out New Opportunities
There are three ways to address new career paths. The one you choose will depend on your career aspirations and where you see yourself in upcoming years. These could be:
- A new position at your current place of employment.
- Seeking a new employer in the same line of work.
- Completely changing fields and occupations.
Don’t expect an opportunity to simply fall into your lap. Rather, seek new openings and find ways to make them happen for yourself. It’s always good to ensure that you have a new position lined up before leaving your current one.
If you’re choosing to stay at your current place of employment, you’ll need to be up to date on what job positions are open and whether or not your company is hiring internally. Do your best to form relationships with the right people, including those in different departments.
If you’re looking to change what you do all together because you’ve soured on your current line of work, you may want to consider what your work-life balance should be and, if you are unable to change that, what career you may be the most content in. Job satisfaction varies from person to person, but often depends on work relationships and benefits.
At large, people seem to be most content in fields like real estate, teaching, and human resources. If you get hired into a profession you’re not entirely experienced in, consider using a lucid chart or a similar type of work breakdown system. This will allow you to prioritize your new tasks while you’re learning the ropes of a new work environment.
Don’t Stop Networking
Apart from networking within your own company, it’s also important to make connections outside of your organization. Think about it: hiring teams get new resumes all the time. Being present in a higher up’s mind gives you a leg up on the other competition. It may be wise to look into networking events, business mentorships, and referral programs put on by people in your field of expertise.
Additionally, never stop growing your surrounding network, either. Always be willing to meet new people, because you never know who could come through for you when you really need it. Be kind and generous to everyone, and treat people like you would like to be treated. Don’t be shy about doing favors for others, make time for conversation, and always be respectful to those around you.
To network on a personal level requires putting oneself in a position to meet new people. Some of the most common and effective forms of this are:
- Informational interviews
- Attending industry conferences
- Job shadowing
- Connecting and conversing over LinkedIn
Notably, many of these can be organized, discovered, or accomplished through online means. In the age of the internet, search engines and social platforms are your greatest tools. Don’t underestimate them.
Switching career paths can be difficult, especially in a competitive job market. To prepare for this, assess your resume and continuously update your list of qualifications. At the same time, you should seek out potential job opportunities regularly. Your career options will grow with every person you meet, and enlarging your network may put you a step ahead of other candidates. You can earn good faith from industry professionals by going out of your way to get to know them and treating them well. If you use the internet to connect with them and find out about networking opportunities, your potential for growth will be greater than before.