Are you currently unsatisfied with your job or the direction of your career? If you are, you may be interested in changing career fields. While this is more than possible to do, it is important to remember that not all jobs and career fields are the same. For example, just because you may make a great legal secretary, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are qualified to work as a law enforcement officer or another legal professional. That is just one of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, before changing career fields. A few of the other factors that you will want to take into consideration are outlined below.
As previously stated, not all jobs and career fields are the same. That is why it is important that you do not make any assumptions. Assuming is the worst mistake that you could ever make, especially with something as important as your career. Before officially deciding to change careers, you will want to take the time to thoroughly research each career field that you may be interested in entering. These career fields may include medical, automotive, legal, retail, and so forth. This research can easily be done online or at your local library. Important points that you will want to examine include current and forecasted job outlook, as well as pay.
Once you have at least one or two career fields that you would be interested in entering, you may want to start searching for open job positions. The only thing is that you may want to refrain from applying for any of those jobs just yet. Instead, you will want to examine a number of different factors. One of those factors is pay. For the positions you may be interested in, is the pay enough to support your family? While some circumstances may allow you to take a pay cut, you may want to refrain from doing so if possible.
If you have a running long-term contract, you may want to think carefully before you accept a short term contract. While short-term contracts can be a gate way to great career opportunities, it may be a daunting task to start looking for another job within only months of assuming the current job. The risk of getting out of employment at the end of the contract should be weighed carefully against the possible long term gains the short contract may promise in the long run.
Be wary of contracts that offer you seemingly attractive all-inclusive base salaries. Does the job cover you against occupational injury under a Staff Compensation Plan? Does the offer allow you to participate in a Medical insurance plan? In a number of instances the contract offer may not entitle you to participate in a Staff Pension Fund. It may seem preposterous to ask these questions if you are currently unemployed but it is certainly worth the effort if you are changing careers
In addition to pay, you will want to examine some of the job openings that you are able to come across to learn as much as you can about average job requirements. These job requirements may include education, training, or previous work experience. What is nice about this information is that it is easy to come across. You will find that most job listings, both in print and online, will outline all of the requirements needed for the job. This will give you a good idea as to whether or not you are qualified for the job or jobs of your dreams.
In order to find out whether this is the most suitable career choice for you, you should seek to identify your motivating work values and perform a motivational fit. Motivation fit is an exercise that matches an employee’s motivating values with the requirements and potential challenges of the job. What is prompting you to leave your current job to explore a new career opportunity? If you are looking for a job that enables you to have some kind of work-life balance, specifically one that would allow you to spend a little more time with your family, a 24/7 job that requires a person who is self-driven, who can work without supervision and for long hours including weekends would be a mismatch. Employees seeking to change their careers should make an effort to align their motivating work values with the job requirements, expectations and challenges. When these are in conflict performance will be severely affected.
When was the last time you had a career discussion with your manager or supervisor? Are they learning about what you want to do next? Do they talk about the options and help you create a plan to get there? In some instances an employee’s dissatisfaction with a current job is a matter of misaligned or changed values. A leading cause of dissatisfaction is a mismatch between a person and his or her role. A conversation with your supervisor may help to clarify and prioritize your values as they pertain to your working life. The more your work life reflects your most highly regarded values, the more fulfilled you likely will be and thus the less likely you will want to change your career.
With these in mind, if you have yet to quit your job, you may want to take the time to take a few night or weekend training courses to help improve your training and experience. In all honesty, the length of training needed or required will all depend on the career field that you are interested in entering.
If you are interested in using career training courses or classes to improve your chances of seeing a successful career change, you will want to visit us at http://www.expressexpertise.com/lesson/getting- started/ and make a coaching request. Yes, you will have to pay to undertake a career training course, but it will almost always be worth in the end. Hopefully, the end result will be a successful entrance into a new career field, namely the career field of your choice.