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10
Career Change mistakes you must avoid
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by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.:
Are you considering changing your career? Are you bored, fed-up, lost, or
otherwise unhappy in your current career? Are you facing a crossroads at which
you need to decide between staying in your current field and moving to a new
one? Do you have skills that you are not using in your current career? Have you
been promoted to a point where you are no longer doing what you love?
Changing careers is one of the
biggest decision job-seekers face, and with many possible outcomes and
consequences. Before you make that jump to a new career field, consider these
common career change mistakes so that you can avoid them as you make the
transition from one career to your next.
Making a career change without a plan.
Probably the biggest mistake you can make is attempting to change careers
without a plan. A successful career change can often take months to accomplish
when you have a strategy, so without one, you could end up adrift for an even
longer period. Having a detailed action plan (including items such as
strategies, finances, research, and
education
/training) is
essential to your success. Without a plan, you might take the first job offer
that comes along, whether it is a good fit for you or not. Read:
The 10-Step Plan to
Career Change.
Changing careers because you hate your job.
Don't make the mistake of confusing hating your current job with hating your
current career. Take the time to analyze whether it's just the
job/employer/boss
that you hate, or whether it's the career/skills/work that you dislike. The same
goes with if you are feeling bored or lost with
your
job; review
whether it's the job/employer or the career. Whatever you determine, it's best
not to leave your job -- if possible -- until you have a plan for finding a new
job/career.
Making a career change solely
based on money/benefits. Certain career fields are very alluring because of
the salary and other benefits they offer, but be very careful of switching
careers because of all the dollar signs. Keep repeating to yourself, "money
won't buy me happiness." Remember that you may make more money, but if you hate
your new career, you'll probably be spending that money on stress- and
health-related expenses. A career that's hot today could be gone tomorrow, so
dig deeper.
Changing careers because of
outside pressure. Don't let your parents, significant others, or anyone else
influence your career choice. They don't have to live that career every day; you
do. If you love what you do and earn a reasonable living, why is it anyone's
business but yours? If you switch careers because of outside pressure to have a
"better career," and then hate your new career, you'll end up resenting the
person(s) who pressured you to make the switch.
Making a career change without
refreshing your network and finding a new mentor. Don't ever attempt a
career change alone. As soon as you have identified the career field you want to
switch into, begin developing new network contacts. Conduct informational
interviews. Join industry associations. People in your network can provide
inside information about job-openings and can even champion you to hiring
managers. Networking is essential for all job-seekers, but even more so for
career-changers. And use a current or new mentor as a sounding board to help
guide you in the transition. Learn more about
networking and
the value of a mentor.
Changing careers without
examining all the possibilities. Don't jump career fields without first
conducting thorough research into all the possibilities, including career fields
you may never have considered. By conducting research into careers you have
never considered or been exposed to, you may find the career of your dreams.
Talk to people in your network, read career and job profiles, meet with a career
management professional. The more information you have about various career
choices, the more successful you'll be in making a career change. Use these
research
resources.
Making a career change without assessment of
likes/dislikes and without self-reflection. Self-assessment (of your skills,
values, and interests) is a critical component to career-change success. Make a
list of the skills you love doing (in your job, in your hobbies, in all aspects
of your life) and the skills you never want to do again. Next, consider taking
one or more assessment tests, especially those with a career component.
Preparing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) Analysis is
also a useful activity. All these activities are designed so that you better
understand yourself -- your product -- so that you can find the best career for
you and then sell yourself to
employers in
that new career. Learn more about
assessing your
likes and dislikes, as well as
preparing a personal
SWOT Analysis.
Changing careers based on the
success of others. It's human nature to fall into the trap of comparing
ourselves to others. Just because your best friend or neighbor is successful in
a certain career does not mean that you will be -- or that you will be happy
doing it -- so certainly consider the career field, but make sure you do the
research before jumping into it. Finally, just to add yet another cliche, too
many job-seekers switch careers on the assumption that the grass is always
greener -- and often times find out that is not the case.
Making a career change without necessary
experience/education. As a career-changer, you must find a way to bridge the
(experience, skills, and education) gap between your old career and your new
one. While transferable skills (skills that are applicable in multiple career
fields, such as communications skills) are an important part of career change,
it is often necessary to gain additional training and experience before you can
find a good
job
in a new
career field. Research whether you need additional training, education, or
certifications. And try to find time to volunteer, temp, intern, or consult in
your new career field -- what some experts refer to as developing a parallel
career -- before quitting your current job and searching for a full-time
position in your new career field.
Changing careers without
updating job-search skills/techniques. If it's been a while since you were
last on the job market, take the time to polish your job-search skills,
techniques, and tools. Review your resume-writing techniques, master networking,
and polish your interviewing skills. What's the sense of doing all this research
and preparation in attempting to change careers if you are not current with your
job-search skills? Use the resources in our Career Toolkit to examine and polish
all aspects of your job-hunting techniques and tools.
Final Thoughts
You have so many resources at your fingertips, both here at Quintessential
Careers and other career sites, that there is no excuse to making any of these
career change mistakes. But if you do make one of them, step back and see if
there is a way to fix it and move on... a career should not control you; you
should control your career.
Finally, some other career-change
resources not specifically mentioned here include:
( Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder
of Quintessential Careers, one of the
oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO
of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also
founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers
Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is
also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of
articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops
around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at
the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at
randall(at)quintcareers.com. )
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