1. Cataloguing your skills and successes
As technology like AI dramatically transforms the working world, and 2 in 5 (40%) businesses report using AI in the recruitment process to source candidates, making considered career pivots will become more popular and a requirement for many. In fact, over the past 3 years 2.6 million people in the UK have decided to take the leap change careers into a different sector.
Often there are skills that you have gained that you didn’t even know could be applied to a different industry, by mapping these out clearly, you’ll get a better idea of what you want to do.
Try to start completely fresh and simply list the skills you have acquired over the past year (or few years) at your current job. Thinking about your skill set can feel quite abstract so focus on what you enjoy most about your job and what’s had the biggest impact on your company. For example, rather than ‘teamwork’ you might say ‘getting four team members motivated to deliver a specific project’.
2. Find your passion
To find a job that suits you is a tricky process, but the best place to start is to look at what your passions are and how this can be translated into your work. In planning your next job move, do some soul searching and think about what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for and what the world needs.
Now, looking at that list of skills try and hone in on what it is you have enjoyed the most at your current role. Think about times when you excelled at work and were excited by what you were doing and seek out jobs that require those specific skills.
If you’re still stuck, have a scan through the internet and search for the people who inspire you the most by looking at their career trajectory. Often people have taken journeys that span multiple jobs in surprising places. Don’t be afraid of a total career change, this is very common and having not always done something should never be a barrier for trying out a new industry.
3. Know your worth
With a clearer idea in mind of what you may want to do, have a scour of the different job titles associated with the type of roles you’re interested in.
It’s important to cast your net wide and use keywords that you might not immediately think of. For example, in Sales you could be looking at a Business Development Representative, Partnerships Executive, Acquisition Team, the list goes on!
While doing this have a think about what salary you aspire to have and check out a salary calculator to truly know your worth. When career switching and looking at different job titles you must ensure you’re applying to the right roles to attain the best salary possible.
But do take it one step at a time to ensure you’re not simply blitzing the ‘easy apply’ button but making considered moves.
4. AI proof your CV
Having been sufficiently inspired, now is the time to tailor your CV to the types of jobs you will be applying to. Some bigger companies use AI to analyse your CV by looking for relevant keywords or phrases. Make sure you highlight all of your relevant skills and experience. Your CV must contain keywords that correspond with the description in the job posting, especially if it is industry jargon. Examples of keywords might include specific computer programs or words like ‘e-commerce’ or ‘marketing communications’. Go further and look through the company website and see where their values lie and reflect that in your CV, businesses want to see themselves working with you.
When refreshing your CV try not to look at old CVs and truly start from scratch. This will ensure your new CV is the most up to date and reflective of you and your skills.
5. Stay on top of your search
Set yourself a goal of how many jobs you would like to apply for in a specific time period. Since you might already be busy with your current role, it’s important to not try and cram in as many applications as possible, this might hinder the quality of your approaches. Instead, have a game plan and check the deadline for each application and stick to a manageable timeline.
You must also make sure you’re tracking all your applications so that you stay on top of interview dates or when would be a good time to follow up. Remember employers like nothing more than proactivity. Setting up an Excel spreadsheet is a great way to get your affairs in order.
Finally, trying to find a job often feels like having a second job so do take care of yourself and your mental health by taking regular breaks and doing non-related work activities every day.
[1] Insight from a survey Totaljobs conducted between 12th to 14th December 2022 via YouGov. The total survey sample size was 4,364 adults, of which 2546 are workers and 779 will be looking for a job in 2023.The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
