When and How to Make a Career Transition

Is It Time For a Career Change?

Are you satisfied in your career? Are you treated with respect? If you’re feeling unfulfilled, unrecognized, and undervalued at your current job, it may be time for a career change. It’s a very challenging decision to make, and it may take a long time before you know for sure.  

Being unhappy at work is a suffocating feeling, as you may feel stuck in your role due to a growing family or mounting bills. Can you afford to leave your job? Can you afford not to leave your job?

Here are a few reasons why it may be time to make a change:

• There are fewer available jobs in your industry.
• You feel bored or stagnated in your current position.
• You don’t find any joy in your work.
• You aren’t able to advance further in your current career.
• You want to make more money than you are currently making.
• There’s another job you’ve always wanted to pursue.

What Are the Best Career Change Jobs?

If you know you’re ready to move on and leave your previous career behind, what type of job is the best to transition to? How do you know which is the best fit?  

Well, it depends a lot on your own preferences as well as your current skills and experience. Jobs with a similar skill set to your own mean you can hit the ground running with confidence. If you liked the kind of work you were doing but not where you were doing it, your transferable skills could be a real asset to your next workplace.  

Or, if you want a complete change, you could jump over to a brand new industry—as long as you’re prepared to go through additional school or training. There are a number of jobs to choose from that don’t require as much training as you think and may provide a less stressful environment than you’re used to.

In either case, look for thriving or growing industries. Is there a field of work you’ve always been curious about trying? Now could be your chance.

Looking for career change ideas?

• Office administration
• Human resources manager
• Bookkeeping and accounting
• Web or software developer
• Social media manager
• SEO specialist
• Statistician
• Dental hygienist
• Patient care technician
• Personal trainer
• Massage therapist
• Veterinary technician
• Environmental engineer
• Translator
• Real Estate agent
• Industrial and organizational psychologist

Consider Your Transferable Skills

What skills or experiences do you have in your work and personal life that could transfer into another career or industry? Take your time and consider this deeply, as it may not be obvious right away. Don’t only consider the skills you developed at your previous job. What are your personal skills and abilities? What makes you confident about yourself? What skills do others believe you have?  

Are you a talented writer? Are you an excellent listener or communicator? Are you adaptable? Are you attentive to detail? Are you exceptionally tech-savvy? Have you worked in a leadership or managerial position? Don’t be afraid to ask others that know you well to get another perspective.

Next, consider how your natural abilities and learned skills can be applied to a career. For example, being organized, attentive to detail, and an empathetic communicator are all key aspects of office management. Your affinity for all things tech and a love of numbers could easily be applied to software development.

Now is not the time to sell yourself short and succumb to imposter syndrome. Take the time to deeply consider how your skills could transfer to a job or industry, even if you’ve never worked in the industry before.

Look For a Career in a Thriving Industry

It’s important to research which industries are actively hiring. Where is there a lot of demand for work? Once you have an idea of your professional goals and transferable skills, look at the industries that are currently booming. What gets you excited, and where do you picture yourself succeeding?  

To some degree, it’s important to level your expectations, as your dream industry may be in a downturn, or there might not be very much demand right now. Looking for a career in a growing industry gives you a better chance at succeeding in your career change.

Hire a Career Change Coach

Are you struggling to come up with transferable skills and ideas for alternative jobs on your own? If you think you need an extra push or advice, you may want to consider hiring a career coach.  

Career change coaches help to determine when to switch jobs, and they provide career change ideas based on industry-specific knowledge and expertise, your own skills, the current hiring landscape, and expanding industries. They will help you identify your goals and figure out the solutions and game plan that will best help you reach them.

You don’t need to make the switch on your own. Hiring a coach can keep you motivated and give you the tools you need to find the career that’s right for you.  

Craft a Persuasive Career Change Cover Letter

A career change cover letter is your chance to demonstrate how your unique experiences, skills, and background have prepared you for a new position. If you have previous experience related to the job, highlight that. If not, explain how your transferable skills are relevant to the job and how you will add value to the company.

Before writing the cover letter, do your research on the company and the specifics of the position so that you can confidently tailor it to suit the brand and job role. Explain your previous experience, why you’re interested in changing careers, and how the skills you’ve learned apply to the position. If possible, include any previous professional achievements and how those achievements exemplify your transferable skills. 

It’s much like a regular cover letter; only this one will identify why you’re making a career change and how your past experience qualifies you for the position.

Have a Clear Career Change Resume Objective

A career transition resume objective is a short statement at the top of a resume designed to grab the attention of hiring managers and let them know why they should hire you. In two to three sentences, the resume objectives for a career change should address your professional goals, why you’re making the career change, and what makes you uniquely qualified for the position—even if you don’t have a lot of direct experience.

As it’s right at the top of the resume, a career change objective statement is likely the first thing a hiring manager will look at, which is why it should be attention-grabbing and informative. Why are you making the change? How does this new job align with your professional goals? How will you use your transferable skills to add value to the company?

Read the career change objective examples below to get an idea of how these statements capture your goals, qualifications, and reasons for making a career transition.

Career Change Resume Objective Examples 

• Engaged sales representative with a Master’s Degree in Business Analytics (MBAN) seeking to bring a unique perspective to the marketing industry. Proven history and passion for managing clients, projects, and events on tight deadlines with an eye for detail.

• Accomplished admin assistant seeking a new career in human resources. 10 years of experience working in a community-driven office setting. Proven history working on cross-functional teams while balancing manager, coworker, and client expectations.

• Software developer looking to transition into the not-for-profit industry to help make a difference in the world. Proven track record of effective communication skills and ability to collaborate with others on teams large and small. Passionate about philanthropy and how the benefits of technology can be utilized to help those in need.