With widespread vaccination drives and financial aids, businesses are slowly coming back to normal. With this, organisations are looking at getting their workforce back and expanding their hiring budgets.
While the pandemic caused a tectonic shift in the way the businesses operate, it also caused massive shift in the way the employees perceive their career.
Employees are now looking for flexible work hours, better work-life balance, great work culture and more health benefits. It is therefore not surprising that many are looking for career change post pandemic.
If you have lost your job or dealing with pay-cut or an uncertain future, it is a good time to plan a career change.
The below strategy will help you plan out your career change post pandemic.
1 – Review
Every good strategy begins with reviewing your situation.
Start with analysing your career in terms of how well you are utilising your talent, strengths and your skills.
Evaluate your skills. What are your technical skills? What are your soft skills? What are the areas that you excel at in your current role? What are the challenges? What skills would you like to develop going forward?
Try and understand why you think you need a career change. What is your dream job or role? Are you unhappy with your job or is your manager the problem? Would the change lead to any downward movement in your career? Is it the right time to change your career?
Try and answer these questions with utmost sincerity and honesty.
2 – Look at the External Factors
Once your self-assessment is complete, analyse the external factors. External factors here would mean the economy, job market, industry, etc.
Organisations that adapted to the changing situation in the pandemic survived. Many companies adopted automation in a big way. Many organisations changed their products, delivery, supply chain. Most were forced to move online to sell their products. Moreover, many employees who were laid off, moved to entrepreneurship.
Analyse the changes in current market and look at industries and companies that are stable and, in a position to survive in crisis situations.
Look at sectors that are strong and less likely to be impacted by situations like the pandemic or other natural calamities. For eg. Government jobs, Essentials, Digital Marketing, Online Education, to name a few.
Make a list of the companies or the industry you would like to work with. Do some research about the role you are looking for. Gather all the information about the career you are thinking of transitioning into.
3 – Upskill
Now that you know what career you want to move to; it is a good time to learn new skills for the new career.
With the pandemic, learning has moved online. You can now pick up any skill from the comfort of your home.
Understand the skills that you can add to your profile and help you move into your dream career. From customer services to move to marketing, you might want to look at taking up a few skills like Digital Marketing, SEO, etc.
Work on your soft skills. You can work on your communication skills, teamwork, time management in remote work environment. These are very important skills to work on in a remote or hybrid workplaces.
4 – Network
Get in touch with your network, especially those who are in the same industry or the role that you are looking at moving into. Get their insights on the job, career, especially about the growth.
Gather information about what skills and qualities are needed for the job. Apart from gathering information about any prospective job openings, networking also helps you gain first-hand information about the new role or industry. You will make an informed decision and also be able to prepare yourself better for the interviews.
5 – Update your Resume
While explaining gaps in the career is not difficult in the current situation, it is a good idea to use this opportunity to strengthen your resume for your career change.
Assess how your current skills and experience might be transferable. Highlight those skills which you think can help you transition into a new industry or a new role. For eg. Your communication skills can be highlighted when are looking at moving from Marketing to PR.
Adaptability is the top skill companies are now looking for post pandemic. Try and focus on these skills that are highly useful in the current situation and work for any and all industries, sectors and roles.
Create a powerful resume that helps convey how your skills and experience can be utilised in the job or role you are applying for. Highlight your accomplishments and outcomes based on these skills.
Do not forget to write a strong Cover Letter too.
6 – Get ready for interviews
Now all that is left is to prepare yourself for the interviews. Prepare answers to specific questions about how you will fit into this role or company.
It is important to go through the company website, social media pages, etc to find out as much as you can about the company. This will help you link your experience to the role you are looking for.
The recruiter will want to know why you are seeking a career change and how the skills you have acquired in a completely different space will apply to their company. Be ready to show why you are interested in this particular job and how you will be a great fit.
Get set to make the career change today!
