How to Change Careers

Want to know manage a career change? You’re not the only one!

According to Pew Research, 53% of employed U.S. adults who quit their job in 2021 changed their occupation or field of work.

The good news is that career changes aren’t just common or popular with job searchers — these statistics show that hirers are willing to consider candidates with less-than-traditional career paths or those switching careers from other industries.

If you’re thinking about changing careers, there are some ways to know if it’s time to make the big leap.

We’ve got some advice to help you decide if now is the best time for a career change and the definitive step-by-step strategy for switching careers.

Benefits of career changes

A lot of us chose our career paths when we were still in high school or college (or even earlier than our teen years). It makes sense we might not want to do the same job 5, 10, or 20 years later.

If you want to know navigate career changing or if you’re already planning on changing career paths in 2022, we can help you make that happen.

Not sure if learning how to change careers is for you? Just some of the benefits of career changes may include:

Increased salary
More work/life balance and flexibility
Greater sense of purpose
Better team/manager fit

Thinking about changing careers?

Ready to make a change? Not sure if you want to make a change?

No matter where you fall on the “how to make a career change” spectrum, we’ve got the definitive list of the steps you’ll need to take to make that happen.

1. Identify the Problem

Changing careers isn’t necessarily about what you want. It’s about what’s missing in your current role.

If you find yourself Googling, how to change careers, there’s a good chance there’s a problem with your current position.

You might know exactly why you want to change careers! But you also might not intrinsically know what’s wrong or off about your current position. Before you start sending out your resume, ask yourself:

What feels missing?
Why aren’t you fulfilled in your current career?
Are you just feeling bored or stuck?

2. Do You Really Want a Big Transition?

Maybe you’re just bored or stuck in your current role. Maybe there are a few aspects of your current role you don’t love. Maybe you just need a change of scenery or some time off.

Once you isolate the problem with your current job, you can decide whether or not you actually want to make a career change — or, you may decide to make some changes to your current career.

Regardless of your feelings about your current role, making a career change is a big transition.

Ask yourself, Is now a good time for me to make a big transition?

Do you have any other big transitions on the horizon? If you’re planning another big life change (move, marriage, family planning, etc.), now may not be the time to find out how to change careers.

3. Think about what you want

The next step is to really think about what you want at work. Find out why you want to change careers — and get really deep on your why. Ask yourself:

What do I want out of life and my career?
Why am I looking for a switch? What do I hope to get out of it?
What are my values?
What are my must-haves?
How would I rather invest my time and energy?
What is my personal mission?

Above all, focus on the ending you want. How do you want to feel each day? What would an ideal workday look like?

4. Lean on others

Sometimes your closest friends and colleagues know you better than you do. Ask these people to weigh in on your strengths and possible areas for growth.

Where do you shine?

It’s also important to remember that your strengths and passions might not always align. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you enjoy doing it! Don’t chase a career that you’re good at — only to discover it doesn’t bring you joy.

Leang Chung, Founder of Pelora Stack, sums up the last points really well. "We have more choices and agency than ever before when it comes to our career and how we can make a living. Here are three immediate actions you can take that will help you make a decision that’s right for you. 1- take some time over the next couple of days to think about what is motivating you to think about this change. 2- Once you’ve figured out what your motivations are for changes in your professional life, create a pro/con list to see the benefits of staying and leaving your current job. 3- find someone you can trust and will not have biased opinions to gain another perspective. Share your motivation and pro/con list with them."

5. Do your research

Switching careers is 60% preparation and 40% implementation.

Before you can pounce head-first into a career shift, you’ll want to decide which industries you want to target. A few questions you may want to ask yourself before diving too far into the questions of how to change careers include:

What industries are appealing to you?
What roles, work styles, and responsibilities excite you?
What does an ideal day of work look or feel like to you?

Identify the reality of this new career’s lifestyle, salary, and expectations. If you want to make a career shift that will require more work hours (but offer mega fulfillment), you’ll need to prepare yourself for that time commitment.

Are you looking for something that allows you to have more work-life balance? You may need to prepare yourself for a lower salary or other concessions.

6. Assess yourself

Before you can answer the question, How to change careers? You’ll need to take stock of your personal skills (including soft skills and transferable skills), strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Again, you may want to ask a colleague for help.

Doing so will require a lot of vulnerability (discovering perceived weaknesses can be a blow to the ego!), but this may prevent pain and suffering by avoiding an industry that doesn’t highlight your best skills.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are highly coveted right now — and may be even more valuable than technical job skills.

These skills include communication, empathy, emotional intelligence, and organization (and more!). They can be used across industries and show your adaptability to challenging situations.

How well do you work with others? Are you ethical? How about reliable?

Transferable Skills

Think about the skills you use in your current industry that can be used in other industries, too. These are your transferable skills.

Many of these skills will be soft skills, but others may be more job-specific.

Want to make the move from communications to PR? Both industries will look for talent with proven communication, organization, and written skills.

Think about the skills you currently possess and consider a few industries that might also require said skills.

7. Learn New Skills

If you want to find out how to change careers, you’re going to need to learn new skillsets at some point.

While making the leap from PR to communications (or vice versa) may not require a ton of off-the-job training, a jump from the health industry to try to break into tech may require some schooling.

Now is the time to learn these skills. But what if you’re short on time?

Get Un-Traditional

Find less traditional ways to gain the skills you need.

Going back to school may absolutely be the route you need to take, but what if you could volunteer, get a side hustle, or join a group to learn these skills?

Find out what qualifications you need by looking at a few different job postings for the jobs you’d apply to. Make a list of required education, training, or experience you’ll need.

Research the quickest or most affordable routes to gain those qualifications. Can you shadow someone or collaborate with another team at your current company?

8. Network Along the Way

You know that age-old adage (and now a meme) that says the real rewards in life are the friends you meet along the way? Well, there’s some truth to it, even when learning how to change careers.

Even if you don’t make a career change, networking will help you create invaluable connections that may even help you get a leg up in your current industry.

Research professionals

Research professionals who are doing what you dream of doing, and reach out to them.

Ask to buy them a cup of coffee — for the sole purpose of learning and exploration (not to help get your foot in the door).

Plan questions such as:

What was their path like?
What do they recommend others on their path do now?
What level of education or certifications do you need?
What type of person would do best in this type of role?
What do they love and hate about their career/industry?
Who else should you talk to?

Keep it short and sweet, 20 minutes tops. Don’t forget to say thank you!

Talk to other career changers

Talk to other career changers and ask them how they made their moves. Find out:

How did they make their career changes?
What were their highs and lows?
How do they feel now, looking back?
Do they have any regrets?
What would they do differently?

Want to interview industry professionals and career changers but don’t know where to start? Rise is a place to network without the awkwardness!

9. Rebrand yourself

Rebrand yourself and build an online presence that rocks!

Visibility on basic job boards is necessary, but finding a way to really stand out and showcase your best self professionally can help set you apart from the crowd.

Struggling to create a profile that makes you shine?

Rise is here for you! Stand out and start matching with companies, learning from others, and highlighting your transferable skills.

10. Track Your Progress

Yes, research and preparation are both important (and often overlooked). But no amount of research or planning will help you land your job if you never put yourself out there!

Rather than just browsing lots of job postings and reading, get out there, network, and start applying.

Wondering whether any of this is actually working? Keep track of what you’re learning and how it has impacted your search and personal growth.

At Rise, you can track and analyze your efforts to get clear on missed opportunities, past wins, and future strategies. Join Rise so your goals don’t fall by the wayside.

11. Nail the Resume/Application/Interview

Do you know how to make your resume stand out? If you want to know how to change careers, a big part of career transitioning is writing your resume and cover letter for the job you want — not the job you have.

Danielle Holmes, Certified Professional Resume Writer, has some tips for formatting your resume in preparation for a career change:

Move your education section to the bottom of your resume
Replace the objective statement with a summary section
Remove the references available upon request statement

Swap out boring verbs

Using verbs like managed, supported, or led? Swap them out for some eye-catching action words, like championed, spearheaded, or conceptualized.

Showcase your achievements

Need a quick tip on how to change careers? Make your achievements stand out on your resume — especially if your stand-out experience outshines daily tasks.

Create an “Achievement Highlights” section with a list of the achievements that align with the position you’re targeting.

Don’t forget your non-traditional experience & education

Don’t forget to include all the required skills on your resume. If you don’t have traditional education or experience, ask yourself if you’ve:

Held leadership positions in community organizations?
Partnered with local companies to raise money for your child's sports team?
Hosted events and/or meetings?
Recruited and trained volunteers?

Life experiences are so valuable! Not all of your skills or experience need to be tied to a job. Ask yourself what:

Pivotal experiences have made me who I am today?
Obstacles stand in the way of me making a career change?
Strengths can I draw on during my transition?

“If you're involved in volunteer activities outside of work, include them on your resume! I usually label this section "Other Relevant Experience. If the experience is relevant, include it. Just because you didn't get paid doesn't mean you didn't provide value.” - Deiera Bennet, Resume Writer

12. Don’t forget the interviews!

You’ve interviewed others for research, but now it’s time to get yourself out there for mock interviews!

Getting your foot in the door is just the first step to getting the job. If you haven’t sent out your resume yet, now is the time for a resume critique.

Don’t worry, here at Rise, there’s no judgment. If you’re not getting hired, it’s not you to blame — it’s probably your resume! We provide resume critiques to help you get that first interview and mock interviews to help you land the second, third, or fourth interviews, too.

People want to help you, so don’t hide!

13. Celebrate your wins!

Finding out how to change careers is exhausting. Don’t forget to celebrate your wins (no matter how small) and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s okay to change your mind.

Yes, research your career change. The more research you do beforehand, the less likely you’ll be deterred from doing the work. But it’s also not the end of the world if your career change doesn’t work out after you’ve made the leap.

You’ve proven to yourself that you can do it, so stay open and curious and follow what feels right!

Lean into the tasks that light you up or challenge you in a positive way. We also recommend staying connected and current — even if you’re not actively trying to figure out how to change careers.

Stay connected

Keep in touch with the connections from informational interviews or anyone who helped champion you throughout the job changing process. Build relationships proactively so that you won’t have to start from square one if you decide to try something different again in the future.

Stay current

By participating in icebreakers, polls, and missions at Rise, you’re actively enhancing your digital presence without even knowing it.

As you share quick wins and champion others your own brand is amplified!

Build up your resume bit by bit, and when the time comes for you to make a move, it will be stacked. You won't have to worry about all the tiny details you might have forgotten.

“Set a reminder on your preferred calendar every quarter or every four months or so to drop in a little update. Write down like four sentences about your biggest accomplishment, something important you're involved in, or an achievement you were particularly proud of. It'll take five mins, max.” - Jon Heiss, President at Covert Recruiting

14. Believe In Yourself

Get rid of that nay-sayer on your shoulder who’s saying it’s too late or it’s not worth it.

Easier said than done? Sometimes it’s more effective to ask someone else to tell you, “You got this,” or, “you’re worth it,” than it is to remind your own self of these truths in the mirror every morning.

Yes, you have to put in the work to build confidence, but confidence doesn’t usually happen in a vacuum.

Confidence work is an ongoing, non-linear process. Just some of the ways you can improve your confidence on a daily basis include:

Notice your self-talk
Be careful how you speak to yourself
Practice mindfulness mindset work regularly
Manage your energy
Avoid job search burnout

Above all, be patient and go easy on yourself. If you’re really feeling stuck, know that you’re not the only one who can’t find a job. Sharing your struggles with a community can help you feel less alone, understand that it’s not your fault, and get the support you need to either move forward or realize that maybe now isn’t the best time for a big change.

And once you do find out how to change careers? Use that same community to give back to communities and have your voice heard. Share your story of how you did it successfully to lift others up.