An internship is a great way to explore new careers.
It can be daunting when you have job experience, but you’re starting over. Whether you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, or just considering a new career path, some professional advice can help you jump into something fresh.
Recruiting specialist Carly Hazen shares six steps to take to explore new careers.
6 Ways to Explore New Careers
Start with yourself
Consider what interests you, what you enjoy doing and what motivates you. If you’re considering a career redirect, think about what you always wanted to do, or aspects of previous positions that you enjoyed doing and what you didn’t. Make a list of what’s important to you in a career, industries or causes that might motivate you and responsibilities you might enjoy having.
Research viable careers
Once you’ve made a list of the areas, schedules, and responsibilities that you’re most interested in, start researching options that could fulfill most of your criteria. Read up on job descriptions, average salaries, job outlook, required education and training and daily tasks. Make a list of your top choices. With this step, you’re able to have more information about the jobs that seem to fit you, and you can eliminate those that aren’t in your best interest or require skills or education you don’t possess.
Speak to others in the field
You can do a lot of research about your final career choices, but the best insight into your options will probably come from those who are already employed in the field. Reach out to those in your professional network—and ask if they know anyone you can get in touch with who would be willing to talk to you about their experience.
Make a list of your transferable skills
Transferable skills are those skills you have that you can use in many positions. You may not hold a leadership title, you can still have leadership skills because of the opportunities you had.
Write down your work achievements
If you’ve ever previously exceeded the goals set forth by your management team, or otherwise made an impact in the workplace, make sure to write down those details. You can include these achievements on your resume or use them as talking points during interviews.
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