Tips on how to make a career change

Have you ever felt stagnant in your job? 

Maybe you feel it right now.  

You don’t feel fulfilled by your work and when the alarm goes off, the prospect of another day makes you hit snooze and roll over. Yes, we know you can be content with your job and still do this, but if it’s happening continually you might have to stop ignoring the red flags.  

Said red flags might include: 

• Not seeing any growth opportunities 
• Not being motivated to contribute to success of company 
• Realising you’ve gained skills but aren’t learning new ones/you’re not developing your skillset 

Nodding along? We thought so. 

So, what do you do?  

First of all, do not: 

• Make an impulse or rash decision  
• Change roles because you’re unhappy but you haven’t explored internal opportunities and had discussions 
• Change roles without self-reflecting or doing your research 

The last thing you need is to leave your current role, and even though you might not be satisfied, leaving on a whim and not thinking it through could leave you more in the lurch than you intended.  

Enter, making an educated decision to change roles, ensuring that when you start your new job you are confident it will meet your expectations and satisfy what you’re looking and hoping for.  

So, what to do if you’re in this situation: 

1. Do your research. 
   

   What is it that you don’t like about the role? Is it a certain component? Have you explored the potential to shift roles internally/change up your day-to-day? 

   Changing roles and industries may require you to study or gain new skills. You might need to research where you can do this, if it’s worth the return on investment and if it’ll help you achieve your career goals. 

   
   
2. Talk to others.  
   

   Maybe they work in the role you desire, or they’ve made a career change recently, having conversations with people in similar positions will be highly valuable.  

   Chat with them about their day-to-day, what they enjoy but also (almost most importantly) what they don’t enjoy and what the challenges are. This will then likely inform your decision, making it easier to weigh up your options.  

   
   
3. Be realistic.
   This is some big sister advice. Changing careers or roles will take time and will likely not be immediate. And while it’s good to dream big the reality is that making a change of this size won’t happen as quickly as you’d probably like. 
   
   Making this change gradually will be more sustainable in the long run and will help you avoid making rash decisions you might regret. 
   
   So, take small steps, be realistic about what you’re doing and where you want to get to and don’t be set on getting there overnight.  

Career transitions or changes can be exactly what you need if you’ve realised you have passions elsewhere or you no longer feel motivated in your current role.  

Whilst we can’t be the ones to tell you what role or industry you should move into, we may be able to help you find a new role once you’ve figured out what that is.  

Reach out to the team at info@eightrecruitment.com.au or check out the available jobs on the jobs page to see if we have what you might be looking for.