Career Change 50 – Redundant And Over The Hill?
Taking the right steps immediately to find the career change or job options open to you may propel you into a completely different and more fulfilling lifestyle.
You could find yourself propelled into a completely different and more fulfilling lifestyle if you take the right steps now to search for your ideal career change options.
Once you have dealt with the intial shock of redundancy, it can be an exciting time to reassess and re-evaluate what is important when considering your future options.
Think of it from the positive slant and remember that although you may be feeling overwhelmed it is your job position, not you that has been made redundant! That may seem like semantics, but it is an important distinction to make. People often report an initial feeling of worthlessness and a general feeling of not being wanted. It is not at all unusual or unnatural to feel this way, but your employer has in fact found it necessary to cut certain positions in order to make the company more cost effective.
Do not for one minute consider this as a slight on your ability to perform your job. In fact, such thoughts can be mentally and emotionally destructive and can hinder your chances of moving ahead, so do not allow them to control your actions. Nor should you waste time and energy feeling aggrieved at your former employer. Dont waste your time bound up in what has happened. Focus your energies now on what is right for you, your family and what the future has to hold. After all, your future is something you can influence, your past is not.
The point is, whilst your job/position may be redundant, you most certainly are NOT! There are many stories from people in all walks of life who have found that a career change has been the start of exciting new directions! Although you may be worried about the future and will probably be feeling a little down and depressed, now is not the time to let those emotions get the better of you. Remaining positive will be an important factor in your ability to take control of the situation and move forward.
Don't allow that 'little voice in your head' to give you a negative mindset.
Career Change Action Plans
When considering a career change, a good start is to look for someone who is already working in the same field as they will be able to offer invaluable advice and experience when it comes to areas such as new training that you may require to update any knowledge or abilities.
Whether this change of career path involves a large company or small business, why not offer yourself for a trial period without pay to test drive the work place or ask if you can observe for a few days.
Before jumping in with both feet, examine all the possibilities. Enthusiasm for all you new ideas is essential, otherwise cross them off your list. Remember this is an Action Plan and ACTION is what you should be taking to make sure you are master of your own destiny. By conducting research into a few careers you have never considered or been exposed to, you may find you already have the skills required and who knows, it may prove to be the career of your dreams?
If new or additional skills, training or certificates will be required to enter your new field then the time, money and resources involved will be well spent if you are serious but must be factored into your decision.
You may have been in your last position for quite some time and it is possible that since you were last assessing your skills in the market place that parameters have changed. You may find that additional skills are required such as the computer, work place health and safety and even first aide. Take the initiative and update your skills. Your last position may not have provided the opportunity to upgrade but you will certainly need to take this action now to stay ahead of the competition.
Review your resume-writing techniques and polish your interviewing skills. What may have been a friendly, informal chat last time will certainly have changed this time around. Spending a little at this stage of the game , whether it is to have a professional resume written for you, buying a book on cover letters and interview questions or joining a course at your local college will certainly pay off in the long run if it puts you ahead of the competition.
Career Change â In The Fast Lane at 46
At the age of 46, after years of hard work, making my way up the ladder in the banking world I was forced into making a career change.
I received the news that the bank was making redundancies. Branches were being merged and, guess what; my position could possibly be one of them. Wow, the news was crushing. I can remember thinking what on earth am I going to do! I had a mortgage, an investment property loan, a car loan and credit card loans, all based on the fact that I had this secure 9-5 job and had had for the last 30 years!
Emotionally, I felt fear, panic and anger. I was 45! I only knew how to exist in the banking world. What skills did I possess for a career change?
And then, you know what â I got a grip of myself and sat down with pen and paper.
My debts were manageable within my redundancy payout â I was not going to be penniless, at least, not for the next 12 months so I felt I had time to calmly reassess where I was going from here.
The funny thing is, is that the more possibilities and options I put down on my piece of paper the more exciting everything appeared. The panic subsided â I was still feeling anxiety at the prospect of trying something new but the butterflies loose in my stomach were excitement jitters not nausea jitters and my mind suddenly started working overtime with thee possibilities of making a complete career change!
I was being told by my employer that, apparently after 30 yearâs service, my continued career with them was to be decided upon by answering six questions the next day at 10am. I donât think so!!
I decided to take control of my own future. I went in the next day and held my hand up. I advised them that I was not going to demean myself by answering their questions and felt it was better that the other person be given the position.
RASH you may feel. Allowing emotions of anger, denial, pride even to colour my judgement? Oh no! You see, overnight I had decided I was a valuable person who had many skills to offer. Among other lists on my table top was a list of what I thought was one of the most satisfying past times that my present salary provided and that was travel. I then knew exactly what I wanted to do but knew that to achieve this career change properly extra training would be required. I contacted the local college and was pleasantly surprised to find that my present skills would be taken into account and decrease course training time required. The excitement was building!!!
Twelve months later I had a Diploma of Tourism which opened the options for my longed for career change. I started my own holiday villa rental business - couldnât be further from the banking environment. The world is a big exciting place â give yourself a chance.
Career Change – Avoid The Mistakes
Making a complete career change, whatever the reason, is a really big undertaking that can have huge ramifications in your life if you don't take the time to think things through. Jumping too quickly can result in more uncertainty in your life than you're feeling right now, so it's important to avoid making a few common mistakes.
First, have a plan. Without one, you could end up adrift.
Consider the following aspects: - Strategies - Finances - Research - Education & Training
Without a plan, you might take the first job offer that comes along, whether it is a good fit for you or not. Don't make the mistake of confusing disliking your last job with disliking your career choice. Take the time to analyze whether it is the job, another employee, or your boss that is making you consider a complete change, or whether it's the career, the skills necessary to do the job, or the work that you dislike.
The same goes with if you were feeling bored; think about whether it is career choice, the boss or the job itself. If you have honestly answered these questions and have decided that a complete change is what you need then you will need an achievable plan for finding that new career.
Many people make career changes based solely on the prospect of making more money or because of better benefits. This, too, can be a mistake. Certain career fields are very alluring but be careful of switching careers because of the dollar signs. Remember the research! A new venture that's hot today could be gone tomorrow, so dig deeper if this is the only reason you want a change.
Discuss your new ideas with friends and family members. Any networking is good. Sell yourself where-ever you are and feel confident in the knowledge that you have something worthwhile and of value to offer someone and that they will be very lucky to employ you. A positive attitude has huge pulling power to anyone on the lookout for staff, business partners or even someone to invest in.
Do some self-reflecting and assessment. Consider what you would really like to do and what you really would not. Keep it real. There is nothing wrong with stretching your boundaries. Keep things real and achievable though. If you still feel confident then stay enthused and feel proud to have a go i.e. Consider your present financial situation, family, career openings and opportunities.
Spread your net as wide as possible. Your family and friends have contacts. Shout it from the roof tops! Tell the people in the petrol station, in the take away, at the newsagents and corner shop. tell everyone at the gym, the hairdresser. This is the way of the world. Don't keep it a secret!
Career Change 40 – Not Such A Big Hurdle!
Beat back the fears and anxieties and forge ahead. There are lots of people today looking for a career change 40 and over. Why - you might ask yourself. Maybe it is because we are no longer willing to accept an unhappy or unfulfilling working life. Life is too short! So, to achieve a career change 40 successfully, read on..
Take a good look at where you are at the moment:
When we are young and just leaving school or college most of us have some plan in our heads to work towards the future goals we want to achieve. Now you are over the 40 age group mark, think about the many skills and the work experience you already have to offer. Also, when taking your age into account you will have general life skills learnt along the way and together these will form the basis for you new career.
Think about and consider the working location and environment:
Location often has a big bearing on career choice because although you may have found the perfect career, time and money should be accounted for. How long is it going to take you to travel, are the costs reasonable and what about the cost of relocation. Do you have children of school age and are the local school appropriate for their needs. What are the long term career prospects for the position you are considering? Will future relocation be a factor to take into account? It may be that a move away from the locality where you are now would be beneficial and exciting to have a fresh start but if there are other family members to consider, take into account that change may be daunting to some especially if it involves changes to schools, friends, sports and social clubs and there will undoubtedly be financial matters to take into account.
Have some firm ideas with regard to what you are going to do:
Just allot some time in order to produce a description of your ideal job, which you think is realistic and achievable, considering all the experiences that you have gathered in the last 40 years. Investigate what adult courses your local colleges have to offer. Many adult evening classes are run specifically to hep anyone considering career changes over 40. If you feel you will need new skills in your chosen career option it may be a good idea to search out someone who is already achieving in the same field as they will be able to offer advice.
Research:
Irrespective of age, a successful plan to move into a career change 40 phase is to make sure your research is thorough. We can all get carried away with the exciting prospect of a new career but as mentioned previously, all goals should be achievable and realistic and if that means work studying or updating skill levels then make sure you are prepared to put in the extra work required to reach the target.
Career Change Advice – Are You Ready To Consult A Professional?
If you are seeking a career change 50 and over you may be considering consulting the advice of a professional careers advisor. If you feel this is the best course of action in your circumstances, it is highly recommended. It can be quite expensive though, so be prepared by asking yourself a few questions before your appointment. Start the ball rolling by consulting a recommended Career Change Guide.
Take some time to consider the following scenarios:
First and foremost, just consider the reason why you are actually in search of a new job or what made you quit the previous job. Could your present negativity towards your working life be for the wrong reasons. Could it be that you are having a personality clash in the work place or you wish to be closer to home? These are certainly a reason to move on but not necessarily to a new career.
Think about your objectives - is it your career goals that have gone awry? Is your plan to explore various careers change options that may be new to you to achieve working fulfilment that you may not have been experiencing in your previous job. The most common reason why people look for new careers is because they do not think that their future is promising, in terms of salary, status and company's reputation.
By simply collecting your thoughts and answering the questions above you will have the answer as to why your present expectations are not being met and why you are looking for a new career change. The career change advice experts may advise you to go with a career change especially if your current job and company is not providing any sort of training, promotion or challenging work. These are the attributes that help your progression and keep you up to date in what can be a competitive workplace. So if you are searching for a career and not simply a job the career guidance advice experts will assist you to considering major factors such as the company standing, risks involved in the job, skills and qualification required and salary scales and benefits.
To collect together as many options, ideas and tools as you will require, research will be essential to help answer your questions and put together a complete picture. Seek out people who already work in the field, make use of the internet and find yourself a good career change guide. Starting your own business with your career change ideas may be an option to explore, in which case these details will be crucial when considering your particular market. You will need to consider demand for your product or service, the costs to produce it and purchase price. You may consider expert guidance will be the case to achieve your chosen career change if you do not already have the required experience to succeed.
Career Change Resumes – Tips To Create An Impressive One
You need to consider various aspects of your past working experience to write a career change orientated resume. Rules are same for writing the resume for career change, irrespective of the fact
focus is on your choice or due to redundancy.
Your resume for career change orientation should focus on the skills of the worker that he or she has acquired over their working experience and that could be useful for the new job. For example, If you were a plumber and is choosing your new profession as a tradesman then your skills would be beneficial in your new job. Skills acquired and mastered by a plumber such as handling receipts, dealing with suppliers and keeping accounts would be beneficial for a tradesman in his or her retail industry. However this may not be that important in the labor intensive industry. Such skills play a vital role in the design of resume for your career change.
In this case the resume for career change of a plumber with his skills would demonstrate how well he or she would be able to handle the administrative tasks in trade. For the job of teaching, plumber's skills such as previous training of apprentices, people skills, communication and career change format would prove to be beneficial.
If you are a worker who is looking for a profession in teaching then the most appropriate skill for you would be training apprentice. If you have the ability to pass on knowledge and share skills, then you are the perfect candidate for teaching job. Moreover, if you have some hands on experience or list of courses then it would be easy to impress prospective employers.
There are common skills required in every job. So, if you are writing a resume that is career change minded to migrate from outdoor lifestyle to any less physical career, even then you can figure out some common skills required for the job. For example, if you are a tour operator and had been doing all the jobs such as keeping accounts, books and receipts, has good communication skills, people skills, teamwork, independent work efficiency, being responsible, understanding safety, first aid training etc. then all these skills are required in retail or data entry jobs also. Although these may don't have relevance at first glance but in a career change orientated resume it becomes very important.
Always look beyond the basic skills of your past trade or job while designing the career change format resume. You must figure out the relevant skills in both the jobs and analyze your expertise in those skills. Everyday work experience is the best proof of accomplishment for any job or skill. This would lead you to get the job of your dreams easily.
Career Change – You Are Never Too Old To Change Direction
How many of you actually thoroughly enjoy your job, day in day out? How many of you have sat daydreaming about something you would really rather be doing to earn a living; other careers or lost opportunities? Well now you may have been pushed to make a career change through redundancy news or intolerable working conditions and from a personal point of view, although the prospect terrified me, I was also very excited about moving on.
You may be thinking that when you’re young, you have a myriad of choices ahead of you, and seriously, you do at any age. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, you can still make a career change choice that will enhance your life even if it appears to be a huge step!
The first reaction from most of us is to start looking for another similar job because of our comfort zones. Think positively – Why not look at the bigger picture and use this as an opportunity to try something different (age has no barrier to starting something new apart from your own negativity).
You may be thinking, where do you even begin to find something that you will be good at doing and really enjoy? The truth is plenty of people have made career changes later on in life. Many professional athletes HAVE to make career choices once they are no longer able to play sports at a competitive level. You may feel that is easy as they have the money, the notability and guidance to help them along the way and you may be right. But, what about the Moms who are now able to return to and achieve goals outside of the home environment? Many of these multi-tasking Moms stay on top of their careers by undertaking further home study and many have challenged their boundaries and learnt something entirely new!
Deal with immediate practicalities. Make a list of your monthly expenses and present income, if any. Have you got credit cards or loans that could be paid off in order to immediately reduce monthly outgoings? Everyone in the family may have to experience a little discomfort and pull their belt in. Consider how long your redundancy money or savings will last if you use it to pay off monthly bills? What unemployment benefits are claimable? These are things that you need to know if you are going to really control your situation, rather than letting it control you. You need to be master of your own destiny. Sit down and make a list of things you could actively be doing to bring in extra money while you are waiting to get that interview. It's even possible that an idea for a short term way of making money could turn into a new full time business!
So, perhaps now is the time to start that new business you have always dreamed about? Perhaps you can write that book you always wanted to write. The advice is to take some time out and smell the roses. The career change of your dreams could be right around the corner and it’s time for you to take action and go for it!