Can You Make a Post-COVID Career Change?
No doubt you’ll agree, the COVID pandemic put a real spin on the world, what we accepted as “the norm”, and made most consider what was truely important to them. Many people took this push as an opportunity to reevaluate their life and their goals. New goals and life trajectories were made. Working remote showed many what they were capable while not being cooped up in an office for minimum of 40 hours a week. Still others found hidden talents and interests. Once the world readjusted and went back to the “new normal” many people took that opportunity to NOT return to the 9-5 job they had previously or they made requests of their company for an altered work/life balance.
If that wasn’t the time for you to make changes, it isn’t too late. Gone are the days where you choose you career in high school and stuck with it through retirement age. And increasing number of people are choosing to give up that first choice after realizing it isn’t all they expected it to be. It is never too late for you to make a career change. If you feel stuck, unmotivated, or uninspired by the job you currently hold, those are signs for you that it is time for a change. How can you convince you’re new potential employer that you haven’t lost your drive or touch? How can you show them that you are the right candidate, even though you are making a change? Be prepared to show them your new outlook in a positive light and how you can make that benefit them.
Employers look for the right candidates for the job. If you have switched careers or taken a break and want to sign on with a new employer, then its a good idea to make an appointment to go and see them. This will allow you to sit face-to-face with the consultant and explain why you took a year out, or why you decided to change your career course. Whatever your experience, you should be able to use elements of it to illustrate how you could be valuable to a company in a senior position.
For example, if you spent your time volunteering for a charity and working in Africa, you will have gained better communication and diplomacy skills than most people. If you were involved in a building project, you can illustrate how you managed to project, getting people to work together as a team to achieve a common goal. Whilst sorting out a problem business area isn’t the same as building a school, the things you learned from your project can be applied in any situation.
Its not whether you have changed careers that interests an employer; its why, and what you’ve learned that could benefit their business. It could be that your career switch gives them exactly what they’re looking for. Its up to you to turn it into the positives that could win you your next job.
