Navigating the Transition for a Career Change

Making a career change can be a complex and time

consuming process. Where to start, what to do, what career
is right for you !owever it can be time well spent if the
outcome leads to "nding rewarding work. #or most people
there is more than one career alternative so choices and
priorities must be based on an assessment of skills,
interests, values, strengths, and opportunities. $ou need to
take time to look at who you are, what you%ve done, where
you%d like to go and what you need to do to get there. The
following resources are designed to guide you throughout
this process.
$ou can go through the process at your own pace && spend a
few hours a day, or focus on a section each week && whatever
works best for you.
Career 'ecision (uide
)now $ourself
The "rst step in the career transition process involves
gathering information about yourself. *nderstanding your
values, interests, aptitudes, abilities, personal traits, and
desired life style will help you become aware of the
interrelationship between you and your career choice.
+dentify your interests,
What do you want to accomplish professionally, What%s
important to you in a career What you en-oy doing What
areas do you excel in These are important .uestions to ask
in the career planning process.
We suggest taking a self&assessment to help determine your
attitude and interests as they relate to possible career
choices, Online Assessments
What types of work activities do you prefer 'o you
en-oy working with people, organi/ing and analy/ing data,
creating ideas, doing hands&on and practical activities, or
some combination What are speci"c examples from your
previous experiences that support your preferences
'iscover your personality
+n many cases, people tend to seek work environments that
compliment and are similar to their personality type, which
usually produces greater -ob satisfaction. To better
understand your personality type, try using this online tool,
Personality test
'etermine your 0ersonal and Work 1alues
+n trying to determine a new career, it is important to
understand your values. $our values have been shaped by
your life experiences and become the criteria for your
-udgments, preferences, and choices. Making career choices
that agree with your values is critical to -ob satisfaction. *se
this worksheet to help you determine your work values.
Identify your transferable skills
Transferable skills are the skills you2ve gathered through
various -obs, volunteer work, or other life experiences that
can be used in your next -ob or new career. +n addition to
being useful to career changers, transferable skills are also
important to those who have been laid o3, and to those re&
entering the workforce after an extended absence. *se this
worksheet to help you organi/e and rate your skills.
Consider your M4.
!ow does it impact you on the -ob *se this worksheet to
help you to identify how your M4 symptoms may impact a
career decision and determine how or if they may be
accommodated.
)now What%s 5ut There
6esearch the occupations and career "elds that interest you.
This step involves extensive research and investigation in of
the world of work. *tili/e the resources below to gather
career7industry information and compare it to what you
already know about yourself.
O'NET, an online a tool for career exploration and -ob
analysis, has detailed descriptions of the world of work. 8
summary report can be obtained for 9:; occupations,
including a brief description, sample -ob titles, tasks, work
activities, work context, interests, work styles, work values,
knowledge and skills re.uired, wages, employment trends,
and related occupations.
The 'ictionary of 5ccupational Titles provides concise,
accurate -ob descriptions for more than <9,;;; occupations.
=ach occupation is assigned a nine&digit '5T code number.
$ou can search for occupations using the alphabet letters
and subgroups. 8ccess the '5T online at Dictionary of
Occupational Titles to search for speci"c -ob titles.
The 5ccupational 5utlook !andbook can be found online at
Occupational Outlook Handbook. *se the 8&> index to
"nd a speci"c occupation by clicking on the letter that
corresponds with the "rst letter of the occupation you want
to review. $ou can also type in the name of an occupation or
-ob title directly.
now the !ob outlook for !obs of interest.
What are the career "elds that will o3er the most work
opportunities in the next "ve to ten years "obs of the
#uture
Obtain $rst%hand career infor&ation'
=xplore internships, networkin( and infor&ational
interviewin( that can help you gain more information
about career options. +nformational interviewing can be a
very important tool when considering a career change. +t
involves meeting people who are currently working in a "eld
that you are looking to become a part of to learn "rst hand if
this may be a good match for you.
8dditional resource s,
What is an +nformational +nterview and !ow it Can !elp $our
Career
+s there a Match ?etween $ou and $our Career Choice
This step involves the synthesi/ing of all accumulated
information regarding one%s self and the world of work you
have identi"ed and comparinge it to various -obs7work
environments that interest you. *tili/e this worksheet to
make your comparisons. 1iewing this information side by
side can help you determine if there is a match between you
and a particular -ob choice.
'o this for each career choice you are considering.
8fter you complete the worksheets write the barriers of each
occupation7career "eld you have compared into two
categories,
What are the challenges @long and short&termA Time
Money =nergy 4acri"ces !ealth
What are the rewards @long and short&termA 'oes it
meet your goals
6ank the options according to the challenges, decide what
you can realistically accomplish, select a goal and develop a
plan.

'evelop a 0lan
5nce you have gone through the exploration process and
have decided on a career goal that meets your criteria you
are ready to take the next steps.
?egin by developing a plan or strategy for achieving desired
career goals. Consider the following,
What additional education or training will be re.uired
Contact your local vocational rehabilitation agency to "nd out
how they can assist you with planning your next steps
and7or funding for additional training.
What types of career&related work experiencesB
internships, part&time -obs, etc. will best assist you in
reaching your career goals =xplore ways in which to
do this.
!elpful websites for internship and part time
opportunities include, Idealist Internship
Opportunities) *areer+uilder'co& Part Ti&e "obs)
Indeed'co&' *se the 8dvanced 4earch option, then
select 0art Time from the Show Jobs of Type listB "ob
,earch En(ines use the advanced search option and
search by type of position and narrow the results to
include only part time -obs listingsB ,i&plyHired'co&
Part Ti&e "obs
'evelop a timeline for getting career&related work
experience.
*pdate your resume and cover letter toward your new
career choice
Career Changers2 Most 0owerful 6esume and Cover
Cetter Tool
Career Change Cover Cetter
6esumes for Career Changers
6esume Tips
0repare for the interview. 4witching to an entirely new
"eld where you have little or no experience poses
special challenges during the interview process. The
following tips are designed to help you navigate this
challenging task so you will be better prepared to
interview with con"dence.
+nterview Tips
4ix +nterview Tips for Career Changers
8dditional 6esources,
Career (uidance 0rogram
This website is dedicated exclusively to helping you discover
a career direction that best matches your interests, skills and
personality.
+t is a step&by&step program that guides you through the
process necessary
to help you determine a new career. Internet *areer
*onnection
Career Changers Website
This website is a comprehensive resource for resume writing
tips, career counseling, networking, -ob&search tools and
help for interviews.
Career Changers +nfo
Careerology
This website provides career assessments, career
counseling, helpful resources and articles about "nding the
career that is right for you.
*areerolo(y
"ob Hunters +ible
This website, developed by 'ick ?olles, author What Color Is
Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters an
Career-Chan!ers, has everything you need to know and
more about -ob hunting, counseling services, resume
training, research on the internet and networking.
The Depart&ent of -abor website has a page dedicated to
career exploration. *areer E.ploration ,ites
*areer /ui01 ,hould I *hoose This Occupation2 8fter
you2ve gathered information on the occupations you are
considering, take this 3ui0 to "nd out if you are heading
in the right direction.