How do I go about a career change?

July 17th, 2011  |  Posted in Jobseeker Blog by Bayt HR Guru  |  7 Comments

Question from Job Seeker:
I have been working in a company for the last 3 years, this is my first job. I started in a department which wasn’t exactly in my area of interest but I figured that this would be an inroad to what I am interested in. 3 years down the line I am still in the same department and feel extremely de-motivated. Because I am loosing interest, my performance suffers, and I feel like I have got stuck in a rut. How do you advice I should go about a career change?

Answer from Bayt HR Guru:

82.4% of Middle East professionals desire a career change reveals our recent Bayt.com poll. The poll also revealed that as many as 17% of the respondents are likely to quell their desire for a career change as they are not willing to take the risk. So by taking the first step of considering a career change clearly puts you outside the aforementioned 17%, bravo to that! However it is important that you go about with this systematically.

1. Start off first by assessing your motivations, and this is something that our career advisors at Bayt.com have stressed upon. Ask yourself what is it that you don’t like about your job? Is it the content of your work? Is it your company culture or the people with whom you work? You may realize that your desire to change careers may actually stem from your dissatisfaction with your current workplace. In that case a ‘career’ change is not required. I also advise that if you find that it’s your current role that you are not happy with, speak to your manager or the HR officer in your organization, they may recommend you internally for a position/ department in the company.

2. Secondly, ask yourself if you have a concrete idea of what alternative career you would like to pursue. In many cases, professionals desiring a career change do not have a clear idea of the alternative career choice they want. If you are one of them, then it would be a good idea to take some psychometric tests such as an interest test and an aptitude test. The empirical data will hep you define where ability, interests and strengths lie.

3. Brainstorm with friends, network contacts and family on career alternatives. You can also take a look at online resources – such as the Career Watch section Bayt.com that gives you a quick analysis on the basis of your current position and desired future position. Conduct research into what are actually the skills required.

4. It is also important to get a realistic picture of the grit behind the glitter. So spend some time networking and talking with professionals who are actually in the career you desire. Ask them what they find challenging and what do they do on a day-to-day basis. You may also read up on some of them on our bayt.com Day in the Life series, showcasing how a typical day looks like for different professionals.

5. Re-align your ‘marketing document’ aka your CV. Most roles involve skills that can be transferable, identify those that you currently have that can be re-packaged and reworded and tweak your CV. Your CV will require some customizing, especially in your objective statement. On your skill section, also re-align the order and prioritisation of skill-sets as per your desired new role.

6. Finally its time send out your CV to the right employers. Remember a good start is a job half done. You need to be consistent in your job search approach and no better place to start maximising your job choice and job reach and job guidance resources than on the Middle East’s #1 jobsite www.bayt.com.

These pointers should help you make the right career switch one step at a time. Good Luck!