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December 19, 2020

3 practical actions to take when your career is at risk

3 practical actions to take when your career is at risk.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-generation event. Therefore, it is, in some ways, the perfect time to make a once-in-a-lifetime move and change careers. But changing careers can be a daunting prospect at the best of times. So how do you go about doing it during a pandemic? Where do you start? What are some key steps that you should take?

Here are some tips on how to find your new dream job during a time of great upheaval and uncertainty.

1. Do some sector-by-sector homework

The pandemic has brought some sectors and industries to their knees. Others are projected to see shrinkage going into the longer-term. This is why it is important to do your homework and see where the jobs are.

Use job boards, recruitment agency adverts and LinkedIn and have a look at the sectors with the most results. Once you have a sense of who is hiring and where, you can begin to look at the average job requirements.

You might already have transferable skills that are essential or desirable in whichever sector has grabbed your attention. If you do not, fear not, many sectors that are still growing are actively recruiting fresh talent off the back of their potential and life experience.

That being said, you will probably need to be prepared to upskill or even reskill. Don’t forget that soft skills are also key in recruitment processes. You must show that you are able to deal with colleagues and other stakeholders.

Communication, conflict management and negotiation skills training are some of the most in-demand areas of development that can help you to enhance your performance and have an appealing profile for recruiters.

2. Go back to school

This does not mean spending three years or more sitting in a university lecture hall once again, it simply means embracing new challenges.

Most career changes, even if it is to another sector that is directly related to your current one, will require you to undertake some sort of education. This could be a few shorter courses, a new certification or even an intensive course that will give you a completely new set of skills in a very short timeframe. You can get inspired by taking vocational courses that can open new opportunities in many fields.

As so many people are now having to actively return to education, or at least thinking of doing so, governments around the world are putting special funding in place for this sort of education. Take full advantage of this and see what funding and course options are available to you.

As important as upskilling and reskilling are, you also have to think about your network.

3. Make and renew connections

Reaching out to your network is the cornerstone of any successful career change. If you do not already have a LinkedIn account, make one and spend some time making it the best it can be. Remember, it can make as much of a first impression as meeting someone face-to-face can.

Look at your network, see what connections they have to any sectors into which you might want to move. But also add to your network, increase it and build it up.

Attend networking events, be there in-person or online, send out contact requests, reach out to former colleagues. These are all excellent ways of adding to your network. You can also add friends into your network. In doing this, you potentially pave the way for one of your friends’ contacts offering you work in your new sector.

The key points

Whether your career change is driven by want or necessity, you will need to do your homework. You should start by looking at the sectors that are hiring and seeing which ones appeal to you the most. Once you have done that, you can start looking at the job requirements of the sectors that have caught your interest.

Remember, you might not match the requirements perfectly, but you will certainly have plenty of transferable skills.

But, equally, do be aware that you might need to return to education. Fortunately, many governments are putting funding in place for this.

Lastly, look at your network, look at their connections, build up your network and add friends into it. If you do all of this, then you will have built yourself a strong launch pad into your new career.

— Luke Sandford is a writer and content producer at Educations Media Group. Currently based in Lund, he is originally from the UK and graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2018 with a BA in Education. He has since written for several outlets and has worked as an English teacher, both at home and abroad. Luke’s passion for travelling and experiencing new cultures directly impacts his work as he seeks to create engaging, informative and useful content for a wide audience.

• Posted 12.19.20 at 06:52 am by Roy Osing
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