Worried about job security or job satisfaction as you grow older in your career?
Looking for a successful career change that will take you for another 10-15 years – allowing you to be influential, use your mind, make some great money, and enjoy new challenges?
You are not alone!
Almost one-fifth of Canadians older than 65 claimed to have worked during the year 2015, which is twice as much as 10 years ago. In the US about 40 percent of people ages 55 and older were working or actively looking for work back in 2014 and the number of older adults in the workplace and in education has been on the rise ever since.
As a career coach who provides career transition coaching for executives I am often asked for my take on how to make a successful career change.
If you are aged 36-54 like most of my career coaching clients and still working, you are going to be wanting (or needing) to work for a long time. Even from personal experience I can say that there is a subtle work/life balance. There is only so much golf and skiing that we can do without getting bored and/or going batty.
Yet why try for a successful career change now?
Why put yourself out there again and go through potential interviews time after time, until you land your dream job?
Because economically, it looks like NOW is the time to start to diversify your skills
in order to remain competitive in the job market into the next 10+ years.
People working in their own profession need to think… “Will I and my market, still be relevant in the future?”
Fortunately, in today’s digital age, there are plenty of opportunities to upgrade your skills. You should learn how to market yourself to improve your visibility. That doesn’t have to involve sacrificing years of full-time work to go back to university or college to retrain. In fact, I rarely advocate for my corporate professional career coaching clients to go back to school full-time – they will not easily get their time, money or energy back if they go back to school full-time.
So, what’s the best way to make a career change in your late 30’s, 40’s, and even your 50’s?
6 Tips for Initiating a Successful Career Change
Step 1 – Know Your “True” Purpose
First, start looking into what your reason for changing your career is. Then also consider more about what your deep work or ‘life purpose’ may be. This isn’t about ‘woo-woo’ stuff though. However the “purpose in life” part doesn’t have to equate to anything career-related – in fact, you’ll want to include looking at your life priorities and desires that may have nothing to do with your job or career. This will help you to get clearer an help explain to both yourself and others the why and what you are looking for in order to execute a successful career change.
Obviously the first main thing you want to question is why you want to do a career pivot. Do you want less responsibility, more flexibility, and/or more creativity? Do you want to work with different people? Did you start in an industry vertical that has no strong future? Are you bored out of your mind? Maybe you are totally stressed out and really only need a really good vacation or sabbatical?
These are all crucial questions to ask yourself and to be challenged on. You must do the digging and begin to uncover YOUR specific answers. Going out to the market with a general thought process that hasn’t been thought through from the other side of the equation (ie. the “Why would anyone hire you for your new career selection”) is very painful. Do not attempt that!
I know that this first step can be a challenging one. You may need support to find your dream career (and yes, that is why I still have a day job).
Step 2 – Upgrade Your (Tech) Skills & Knowledge
Updating and upgrading your skills is usually a must for a successful career change. You’ll often need to focus on technological skills and upcoming sectors or industries. Technology has been taking over so many jobs in the past 5-10+ years and therefore things have been shifting dramatically. Many jobs will require that you have a certain or even a high amount of technological expertise. Even a new certification in order to be competitive into the future. There are plenty of inexpensive online courses and programs that you can take part-time (many are even free or inexpensive) and you should always be evaluating and upgrading your tech and your soft skills.
Step 3 – Plan to Diversify Your Skills Based on Your Strengths
First you need to figure out the type of career you might want to pivot into. Then I can help you can come up with a clear action plan. We will focus on what strengths you want to develop and what transferable skills you already have. You should consider this based on what is most likely to be in demand in your preferred geographical area. (Unless you are looking for location-independent in the future). To do all of this you need to do some in-depth research. Write out your strengths and talents in a long list. Then start to prioritize them as to what your research indicates. Examples can be… (speaking to recruiters, networking with colleagues, online, friends, etc.)
Keep your plan and new roadmap flexible in order to accommodate unexpected changes in your life. For instance, the economy – both are going to impact you as the years unfold.
Step 4 – Network Like Crazy
Your online network (eg. LinkedIn, a personal website, forums, etc.) is a great place of course to build a portfolio of work. Get to know people and get people to know about you. It’s also a great way to establish a professional ‘point of view’, and to investigate your next career phase. Everything is online (Google is your friend), including access to online classes. There are endless opportunities to connect with people around the world and in your industry. Take advantage of it and build your contacts to create what I call your “Circle of Influence”.
My private career coaching clients will tell you that I am a broken-record on this topic! Given that a referral is the number 1 way people get hired today, when you switch careers, you have to proactively and consciously create those referral networks manually. The odds of you performing a successful career change are often dependent on how many people know of you. Also and even more importantly, what you are capable of doing for them.
“It is not just what you know,
It is who knows that you do!”
Don’t forget to look right in front of you! Your current friends, associations, parents of your children’s educational and social circle. Even current/old work colleagues may all be great resources. Talk about your passions and goals as much as they will let you! You could find yourself drawn towards a strong career path in an organic way.
Step 5 – Mindset Matters
Ageism is unfortunately a real job threat to people now and potentially well into the future. Although we soon won’t have enough highly skilled workers, it is still only a theory that the negative effects of ageism might shift in the next 10+ years (as the millennials and the baby-boomers both are in the professional job market together in huge numbers).
It is still important that you identify the factors that can contribute to ageism and keep your awareness on your energy levels. Understand semantics during conversations. How you convey emotions, your appearance and your attitude (among others) as you are working on implementing a successful career change or career pivot.
Professionals reaching middle-age may be intimidated by their own age, yet you realistically can’t let it stop you; the truth is that there are so many resources out there that you can in theory, pretty much pull over and re-train yourself at many points in your life if you think it through and do most of the right things at the right time.
Step 6 – Get Support
If you’re looking at how to make a successful career change or full/mini career pivot, you will want to have as much support a possible: mentors, sponsors, career coach, supportive spouse, money in the bank, low debt load. All of this can make it easier and simpler.
Having people who have gone through it (I personally have done 3 successful career changes myself and earned more money each time) and whom can listen, advise and even challenge your beliefs and thinking can significantly ease the stress and the confusion. I truly wish I had access to more support – including a career coach – when I was doing 2 of my career pivots. It is one of the reasons I have stayed in the industry to help others.
So listen to people who have successfully gone through it themselves.
Why Do It Alone When You Don’t Have To…
We can help you to clarify your vision and plan to live the life that you desire and to be more satisfied and engaged in your career.
Want to learn more? Want to hear how others have done it?
Contact us for your Free Personalized Career Strategy Session NOW.