As you work on embarking on a new career, you likely have many hopes for what this will bring to you. You may be excited about the opportunities that will happen for you once you get into a new career. Yet, before you can make this type of change, you need to convince someone to hire you. If you have worked in a completely different career for the last few years, you will need to show potential employers that your job skills transfer from your previous career to your new career.Meet QualificationsThe first thing you need to do is to meet any qualifications in place for the new job. For example, as you are reading through job descriptions, if you need to have a certification or license to do the job, you need to get that first. If you need to have a bachelor’s level degree, get it. Ensure that you meet the potential employer’s job qualifications before you go any further. If you do not, work to achieve this first.
Focus on AchievementsWhat did you do for your previous job? What did you do in your previous career that is something that shows that you accomplished something? For example, if you broke a sales record, consider what you did to achieve this. You may have worked at marketing the business or worked to improve your sales skills so that you can achieve that goal. Show that this is a positive in your new career. Your drive to learn to excel in sales skills helped you to break the sales record. In short, focus on your achievements and what helped you to get them. Relate this to the new career you are working towards.Some Job Skills Always TransferAlso focus your job resume and your hiring interview on those job skills that almost always transfer. For example, if you are ambitious and willing to work hard to learn new things, that is a very good thing. If you are a solid communicator or you are good with people, this, too, always will be something employers are looking for in job applicants.
There is no doubt that moving into a new career is going to be more challenging than getting a new job in the same field. Yet, you should not let your previous job hold you back. Use it, and the job skills and accomplishments it has provided to you to be a launching pad into the future.