Strategy to follow for a career change

Usually, when you go around asking people how to get a job or go for a career change, the first thing they might say is—get on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great tool to network and market yourself as a professional. 

However, does it really help you get good jobs? To some extent, yes. Holistically, No. Networking is one great way to get a job via LinkedIn. Although, if you are expecting to get a job via LinkedIn job applications, and have all of your hopes resting on it, you may want to rethink your strategy. 

The truth is, recruiters hardly hire through LinkedIn. For every job post, thousands of job applications come in. Out of which, only a handful of applications are able to pass through the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for recruiters to assess further. And thus, recruiters rely more on consultants or other resources for candidate search. That said, let us look into what strategy you can follow for a career switch.

Make a choice and do so wisely

First off, know why you want to make a career change. Is it because you are bored? Or is it because you don’t see career growth in your field anymore? Are you looking for a more lucrative career option? Is it because you are passionate about something else? Once you know what the reason is, start looking out for better options that cater to what you need. Take your time and be confident about whatever decision you make.

Research and Learn

Read about what your new career demands. You might want to spend some time on reading job descriptions on various websites online. Jot down the list of skills required and make a strategic learning plan. You can enroll in various courses online on learning platforms like Coursera, edX, Udemy, LinkedInLearning, Sitepoint, etc. You can also join some crash courses for the same.

Rebrand

Once you acquire the essential skill-set required for your new career, align your resume and profiles on various social networks accordingly. What you should also do is, assess your former skill-set and see what skills are associated with your new job description. You can choose to highlight them as well. It can get really tricky to rebrand yourself for an absolutely different professional setting. But, once you know what the job demands and what the recruiter is looking for in your profile, it only gets easier.

Apply

Yes, you can go on various online platforms and look for job-listings and apply. A few popular places are: Indeed, Angellist, iim jobs, monster, naukri, etc. But, is it the most efficient way to go about it? One important thing to keep in mind here is, “Most jobs are never advertised.” Companies tend to hire employees more based on referrals and via headhunters than through such job portals. Trust is a very important element of businesses, and so, we must run by the same principle. This is where networking helps. It can be done online, in events related to your career choice, or even over a cup of coffee. Look out for some influencers in your field and reach out to them for the same. You should be reaching out to the people who are approachable. You can do this via email, or even LinkedIn or Facebook. Just make people aware that you are looking for a new job. Also, you could go to several meetups going on in your city, which might not be related to your job at all, and meet new people. Tell them about what you are looking for. This increases your chances of being referred and landing a good job. You can also go and look for a job change in the same company you are in by having a conversation with your employer. But, assuming that’s not why you are here, let’s go a bit further.

Interviews

Once you have landed a job interview, your real learning begins. You will know the kind of questions they will ask, and you can improvise your skill-set accordingly for every next interview. There are a few questions you must be prepared for while you go for an interview: 

• Why are you looking for a career change? 
• Why should we hire you? You might quit the job again looking out for a new career option. 
• What is it that appeals to you about this new career option which the last one didn’t have? 
• How much compensation are you expecting? Looking for a career change is a difficult process altogether. Strategizing it and following an efficient plan will increase your chances of landing up a good job for the same.