Changing Course – Career Shifts at Midlife and Beyond

21
Mar

Changing Course – Career Shifts at Midlife and Beyond

Looking for a job in a new field can be daunting. Hiring managers want proven talent – they gravitate towards candidates with successful track records who can hit the ground running. Let’s face it, experience usually trumps potential when it comes to hiring.

Career changers often encounter a Catch-22. They need experience to get hired, but can’t get the experience without first getting in the door. Experienced professionals may bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table, but unless they can convince employers that their skills will transfer, getting hired in a new field can be a challenge.

If you are looking for a career change, there are some steps you can take to get valuable experience, strengthen your resume, and shift careers.

Know what you have to offer. Take a skills audit – a chronicle of your skills, strengths, and talents. Start by examining times in your career when you have truly excelled. What skills helped you succeed? What skills do you enjoy using? These are the skills you want to enhance and market as you explore career options.

Market your transferable skills. The skills you’ve developed in one career can be applied to another, but you need to make the link. When you describe your skills in terms that make sense in a new role, you help employers recognize the experience you bring.

Strengthen your experience base. There are small steps you can take while in your current job to gain experience. These options may add to your work-load, but also contribute to your resume and expand your network. Here are a few suggestions that you can implement now while still in your current job.

Tweak your current job. On-the-job learning is a powerful way to explore a new career direction and gain valuable experience. Talk with your manager about ways to add responsibilities that will broaden your skills.
Pitch in on projects. Offer to help your manager or a colleague who is doing work that you want to explore. Volunteer to serve on a committee. Take initiative in your current role. All of these steps can increase your exposure and strengthen your reputation as an engaged and motivated employee – a great brand whether you move to another job within your current employer or explore options in new organizations and fields.
Volunteer your services to a non-profit. This is a great way to test out new skills and expand networks. Nonprofits may welcome your established skills, while allowing you opportunities to expand and strengthen skills. This route may be especially helpful for people between jobs, to update skills and show work experience during a stint of layoff.

Update credentials and retool if necessary. Taking a class, and/or getting a credential, can help career changers move towards a goal and demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning – an important skill in today’s marketplace.

Resources:

Rath, Tom (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press.

Ibarra, Herminia (2004). Working identity: Unconventional strategies for reinventing your career. Harvard Business Press.

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