5 things to consider for a mid-year career change

May 23, 2022

Woman staring into the distance deep in thought If you’re unsatisfied with your current role and don’t want to stay long-term in the industry, it can be a scary prospect to think about changing to something completely different. But many of us are doing it: research shows that a school leaver today could have five separate careers in their lifetime. And let’s not forget the impact The Great Resignation is having on the employment market as well.

On the plus side, a career switch can give you a greater sense of purpose, help you expand your knowledge and life experiences, improve your work life balance – and even lead to a better salary. But like any big change, there’s a little legwork involved. Here are the five things you’ll need to consider.

1: Can you tap into / expand your networks?

All job-seekers need a strong professional network around them – but it becomes doubly important when you’re changing careers. You’ll have a lot more luck if you work on expanding your current network to encompass people in the field you’re moving to, as well as leveraging your existing contacts.

To widen your network, you might like to join professional associations in the field you’re moving to, connect with key people on social media, attend job fairs and put the word out to your current contacts that you’re moving industries and would love an introduction to any relevant contacts they might have. Plus, don’t discount volunteer work or internships, which can help you get a foot in the door.

2: Have you considered your career priorities?

Doing a career audit can help you make sense of what you’re good at, what you like and loathe about your current job – and how it impacts your life outside of work.

A career audit involves reviewing your CV and the roles you’ve had up until this point. Jot down what you like about the work you’ve done. What you’d change if you could. What do you like / loathe about your industry? The workplace you’re in? Does it allow for work/life balance or leave you burned out? Also: what would you love to be doing? What do you need to do to get there?

3: Do you know your transferrable skills, and those you should build on?

Part of your career audit involves zeroing in on your skillset and figuring out which skills are transferrable (to other industries, perhaps) and which skills you need to develop or improve on.

You may be highly skilled at something and good at it, but know deep down it doesn’t make you happy. Consider the skills you have and those you enjoy using, and what motivates you to go to work. What are the tasks that enable you to use your skills and get satisfaction in your work, and what other types of work can you identify that would need the skills you have?

4: Have you put your finger in all the (job-seeking) pies?

Tapping into your existing networks and expanding your networks is a smart move, as we mentioned above. But it’s important to be across the bigger picture when making a career change.

Registering with recruiters who list the types of jobs you’re interested in is a good start, but you should also set up job alerts (here’s ours) and join Facebook groups in the industry you want to move into, so you can get wind of opportunities posted via the hidden jobs market and make valuable connections.

5: Do you know your worth in the industry you want to move to?

If you’re making a mid-year career change, you definitely want to do the legwork to find out a) what you’re currently worth and b) what your skills and experience would be worth in the industry you’re targeting. And if you’re currently not being paid fairly, this research will also identify what realistic compensation looks like.

One way to worth out your market worth is to research similar benchmark jobs and see what the salary is. You can also use sites like Payscale to see the average pay rates and salaries for different jobs. Talking to recruiters (like us!) can also give you valuable intel. And if you have friends in the industry you’re hoping to move to, see if they’ll give you some salary info as well, so you can use all this as leverage when you get to interview stage.

Good luck!

Whether you’re still deciding on a new career path or know exactly where you want to be, we can help

Our team will save you hours trawling through job sites, submitting applications and following up. We get to know you and place you where we think you will be the most fulfilled. We keep you on our radar and let you know when new opportunities pop up. Let’s find you the perfect role today!