You can change your career successfully by tweaking your resume, upgrading your skill set, joining a short-term course or a certification program, and taking up a job in a startup or a small company. You need to do all of these diligently to make the career change a smooth process.

Make small changes in the Resume

Companies hire people based on their experience and skill set. If you want to change your industry or profile, then the current and previous experience will not help your cause. Therefore, in the resume, it is better to highlight the skills which are suitable for the desired job. For example, my first job was in the banking and insurance industry where I was responsible for generating sales from many branches of a bank. I hated the job to the core and wanted to shift to either B2B or Corporate sales(selling to Businesses, CEOs, HNIs), Digital Marketing, or Advertising. Also, I didn’t want to work in the banking, financial services or insurance (BFSI) sector. I made two profiles on Naukri.com.
This is how my resume summaries of both the profiles looked like:

Profile 1

Profile 2

As you can see, I made two profiles; one for applying to jobs in the digital marketing domain while another for applying to jobs related to Corporate or B2B sales, etc.
Here is the screen shot of cover letter:

I wrote this almost six years back when I wanted to get out of banking and insurance sector. It not only helped switch my career from insurance to digital marketing successfully but also played a crucial role in overall career development.
As you can see, despite working in banking and insurance sector, the resume, as well as the cover letter, highlight my skills in digital marketing and advertising. Remember that the keywords in your resume play a critical role in getting calls from recruiters for relevant positions. Thus, make sure that you include relevant keywords in your resume, profile summary and headline of your profile on job portals.

When you apply to a job on Naukri.com, this is how recruiters see your profile. It clearly shows that most critical elements of your resume are headline, profile summary, skill set (keywords), educational qualification, experience and your current CTC.

Thus, write these details very carefully. Don’t copy from others. It is okay to make mistakes and write your own thing.

Of course, you need to have some knowledge about the topics and keywords that you are mentioning in the resume. This is where the next step comes into the picture.

Upgrade Your Skill Set

You can’t write something on your resume which you don’t know or have not done. It is not just unethical, but you might et caught during the interview process. Therefore, it is important to upgrade your skill set before writing it on the resume. Acquiring knowledge and new skills will help you not only in getting the desired job and a better salary but also in moving ahead in life and building a bright career. Thus, upgrade your skills. I always recommend that every working professional must have excellent communication skills and average mathematical skills. These skills will be of tremendous help in your career and beyond that. Apart from these skills, you also need to learn technical skills which are unique to the job or industry. In my example, I learned digital marketing skills. Similarly, you can learn a new programming language, designing, accounting, selling, marketing skills, etc.

Join a short-term course or a certification program

You can acquire the skills mentioned above by self-study or by joining a short course or a certification program. A short course will save you a lot of time. Also, certifications from reputed institutions validate of your knowledge. Certifications also help you gain credibility and trust in a hyper-competitive market, especially when you have no work experience in a particular domain. Choose the courses and certifications carefully. Not all certifications are made equal. For instance, getting a certification in C++ or Java from NIIT means nothing. This is because many students who don’t even have a basic knowledge of a language get certified from NIIT in that language. Therefore, always opt for a certification from top notch institutions, reputed organizations or government agencies.

Work for a Startup or a Small Company

Large corporations have a strict selection process. They usually hire freshers from campuses. The lateral hiring is done on the basis of experience in a particular domain. So, until you have an experience in a particular domain, your CV may not be considered by recruiters in the top organizations. Therefore, start with a small company or a startup to gain relevant experience in the new domain. In the smaller organizations, you will get an immense opportunity to learn various functions of a business and contribute significantly towards their growth. You will also be responsible and accountable for specific activities that come with your role. It will not only boost your confidence but also accelerate your career growth. Later on, you can also switch to larger organizations if wish to do so.

Note that while switching your career, don’t expect a raise in your CTC. In some cases the compensation may even decrease. However, don’t pay much attention to money at this stage, and until you have got considerable experience in the new field.

Conclusion

Changing your career successfully is easier than you think. If you will follow the right process and have patience, you can easily get better job opportunities. But before you start looking for a change, choose a right career first. You can’t let it depend on the luck. You need to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and evaluate the pros and cons of various career opportunities before making a final decision. Don’t select a particular career option just because your friend, relative or colleague has done it. You are unique, and so are your abilities. Think independently and choose a career in a field in which you can work for 12-15 hours a day without getting tired. Once you decide a right career option, getting a job will be a cakewalk. I hope that the tips mentioned in this article will be useful for in switching your career successfully.
If you have any queries or concern regarding your career, you can ask it here.
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