Are you stuck in your current career path? Do you feel limited by what you chose as a college major? Or, you just aren’t sure that your current job is for you?
The good news is you don’t ever have to stay in your current career. No matter your experience, education, or financial situation, you can always switch careers. And if you’re very strategic, you can switch to a higher paying career fairly seamlessly.
1) Leverage your transferable skills
No matter your current career, chances are you have some highly transferable skills. No matter how drastic of a change you’re trying to make, you can use some of the current skills you have learned to find a higher paying career.
For instance, say you’re trying to go a career in real estate to a career in marketing. So many skills you have are highly transferable, such as your ability to make connections, close a sale, and market your own business. You just have to sell yourself in an interview.
2) Think about things from a company’s perspective
Most companies are less focused on whether your experience matches perfectly and are more interested in your personality and accomplishments. Don’t just describe what you have accomplished in past jobs – tell the hiring manager how you would use your current skills to benefit their company.
Job searching is all about selling yourself, so even if your job experience doesn’t match perfectly, you can utilize sales techniques to get the employer to hire you. Listen to what they are looking for and try to fill that void. Don’t just talk about your past experiences – talk about how your past experiences can help your future company meet their goals.
3) Explore your career goals
Do you know exactly what you want to do?
So often, people know that they want a change, but they don’t have a vision of the exact change they want. This ambiguity isn’t helpful when it comes time to search for jobs. If you aren’t convinced of what you want to do, how can you convince someone else to hire you?
Spend time exploring your career goals. Try new things, journal, research, and focus on what you want your career goals to be. Once you narrow your focus, you can move forward full blast to the positions that are of interest to you.
4) Be honest in the hiring process
An interviewer can tell fairly quickly whether or not you have the experience they are looking for when you’re applying for a new job. In order to find a job in your new, hopefully higher-paying carer field, you don’t have the luxury of relying on a ton of applicable experience.
You will have to work extra hard to separate yourself from the other interviewees. Plus, you will have to make up for the experience you don’t necessarily have.
In order to do so, honesty and confidence are imperative. You have to know exactly what you want to do an be able to honestly and confidently share that with others. No one will believe you unless you believe in yourself.
5) Be realistic
Switching to a higher paying career isn’t easy, and it isn’t quick. Be honest with yourself and your expectations. You may have to consider taking a job as a “stepping stone” in order to find your dream job at your dream salary.
Regardless of what job you are looking for, job searching takes a substantial amount of time and energy. And when you are looking to switch careers, it will take even longer and be even more challenging. Be patient, but don’t give up – with some practice and confidence-building, you will find your dream job eventually.
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Timely post. I’m in the process of looking for a higher paying job. These tips will come in handy.
Glad to hear it! Best of luck in your job search.