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Are you currently planning to change your profession or career path? And you are afraid that it might affect your pay scale? Well, then this blog is for you. Here, you will get to know how you can confidently ask for a career change without diminishing your value in the market.
You should:
- Work on Your Personal Brand
In this day and age, you require personal branding. Simply put, personal branding reflects your reputation and creates a strong impact on the minds of the hiring managers. It also helps in validating the resume, likeability factor, professional accomplishments. Now you might wonder what exactly is this brand. Well, it can be an elevator pitch, LinkedIn profile, thought leadership, or interview skills.
When you make a career change, it begins with a concentrated effort of you being a winsome job candidate. The process of brand building is part of a long-term strategy, and it will help you in the long run. In this way, you can attract ideal opportunities, showcase specialty, etc. Most importantly, you will be able to make new connections and relationships with important industry people.
- Be Objective
Self-doubt and fear might overwhelm you when you make a career change. Thus, it is imperative that you are objective in your life, instead of viewing everything black and white. You will see that the same principle holds true in the case of career. Bethany Corbin, the career coach and founder at Legal Adventures, had something interesting to say.
She weighed in that many people hesitated to change their careers during COVID-19 due to two reasons. While some regraded age as the problem, stating that they were too old to change the company. Furthermore, these people mentioned that they were comfortable with the present time and that they did not wish to take a pay cut as a result of the company change.
However, Bethany assures her clients by letting them know that their skills and experience speak for themselves. She maintained that they should not be bothered with the aspects that they fear. She also told others to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. For example, if someone is a lawyer who has a penchant for writing, he or she could explore jobs that are in the law sector but do not involve litigation.
- Seek Help to Reshape Your Thought Process
It is necessary to have a support system if you wish to make a career change. You can take the help of professional experts, or you can let your peers or family members know about your decisions and goals. Inspiring and like-minded people will assist you in your endeavor of searching for new jobs and offer valuable perspectives.
In this regard, Alexandria Butler, founder of Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech, had a good point. You should try to find a forum or get in touch with industry leaders and peers to gain an insight into the field you wish to venture into. They will let you know the advantages and disadvantages of joining a particular company, the prospects you have, pay scale, etc.
- Look for In-house Change
If you are tired of your present job role, yet like the company, you should try changing roles with the current employer. If you transfer internally, you won’t have to take a pay cut.
It might happen that you do not possess the skills for the job, but your employer knows, and he or she can trust you. If you had been a good asset to the company, then you need not worry about anything.
You might have to give exams if you wish for a promotion. For that, you have to prepare well and appear for the interview. You can even volunteer for other projects if you find the current project to be dull or not helpful for your career progress. Furthermore, you must enhance your networking and work with internal teams. By doing so, you might get referrals when it matters the most.
- Master the Negotiation Skills
You need to learn how to negotiate well. You must defer the in-depth salary discussion until you have the official offer letter in hand. You must research the market value and explain it to the employer based on the job description. In this regard, you must focus on what you are worth in the market and not what you wish to receive.
In addition to this, you must never accept an offer on the spot, no matter how captivating it might be. You can always negotiate. And you must negotiate only with the hiring managers, and not the HR or the headhunters.
Also, your approach matters. You should be confident and respectful, but not entitled or demanding. And it is crucial that you know your negotiating point and not drag the conversation over two or three meetings.
- Rewrite Your Resume
Today, modern resumes need to be filled with keywords. But that does not mean that the resumes lack value or material. Rather, your resume should paint a picture. If you wish to maintain the same salary, you have to write a strong cover letter.
You must delve into certain specific points like why you wish to make a move, and how you are the best fit for the present job. You can share your past experiences, achievements, and skills that make you the best candidate.
You have to refer to your transferrable skills and state how they will be valuable. However, you might need some work in order to fill up the experience gaps. In this regard, you can opt for training, internships, etc. In addition to this, you must highlight the projects that you have completed and are relevant to the present job role. And finally, share anecdotes that showcase your leadership, analytical thinking, decision-making, and research.
If you struggle to write a good cover letter, you can take the help of a cover letter writer. Hopefully, the points stated above will help you when you wish to change your career while maintaining the same pay scale.
