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In this article, I am going to teach you on how to make a successful career transition.

Rose says:

John says:

You may want to make a career transition for several reasons:

• You want to earn more money

• You want to improve your work-life balance.

• You want to gain new skills and experiences.

• You are looking for a more fulfilling and impactful job.

Unfortunately, you are stuck in your current job or you are unemployed.

You have tried to apply for the jobs you desire without any success.

You are almost losing hope and resigning to your fate.

But you keep seeing people successfully making the transitions you’d want to make.

What do they do differently?

This is what we’ll cover in this article.

What is a Career Transition?

A career transition is a change from one job to another.

It could be performing a different function in the same organization, performing a different function in a different organization or completely changing your profession (career pivot).

The easiest career transitions are externally driven:

• You get a job different to what you studied in school.

• Your mentor pushes you to try something new.

• You get promoted to another department.

The hardest career transitions are internally driven:

• What if you make the wrong decision?

• What if you regret not making the change?

• What if you don't succeed in your new career?

A career transition is not easy, whether externally or internally driven.

To help you make a successful career transition, you need to change how you think about jobs.

The Mindset of a Career Transition

Your career journey is like climbing a pyramid.

There’s a huge bottom and a thin top.

Lots of people at the bottom, few people at the top.

Every promotion you get is a step up the pyramid.

Let’s say you’re a finance professional:

• The bottom of the pyramid has entry level jobs like Junior Accountant

• The middle of the pyramid has Managerial roles like Finance Manager

• The top of the pyramid is has C-suite roles like CEO with a finance background.

So, you are all racing to the top. Some will make it and some will get stuck at a level.

To succeed in your climb, you must have 2 things:

• Knowledge of how the top of the pyramid looks like.

• Someone at a higher level in the pyramid to pull you up.

A mentor will give you these two things.

They will show you how the top looks like and help you get there.

They will open doors and mention your name in closed rooms.

They will help you set career goals that will help you make the climb.

There are three things that separate the levels in this career pyramid:

1. Skills: What problems are you equipped to solve?

2. Experiences: What problems have you solved? For how long?

3. Knowledge: Can you solve problems in a more efficient way?

In HR, the levels are called job grades, and job grades determine your salary.

There are three moves you can make in a career transition:

1. A horizontal move

2. An upwards vertical move

3. A downwards vertical move

A horizontal move is a step across the pyramid/pyramids.

• It could be that you are taking the same position in the same organization.

• Or that you are going to do the same job in a different organization that pays better.

• Or that you are taking the same level of position in a different industry/sector.

An upward vertical move is a step up the pyramid.

• It’s a promotion in the same organization

• Or a better paying job in a different organisation.

• Or a new job in a different field at a higher level than the job you’re in (this is the hardest move)

A downward vertical move is a step down the pyramid.

• It happens when you get fired and have to get a job to cling on.

• Or you change the pyramid and you have to start at the bottom again.

• Or you go back to school thinking you’ll come back and climb the pyramid only to find that the only positions available are at the bottom.

The riskiest move is the upward vertical move, for if you have not acquired the skills, experience and knowledge to operate in the new level, you’ll fall back to the level below.

Having this mindset will help you in interviews.

For we simply check if you have the necessary skills, experience and knowledge to occupy the level that we are recruiting for.

If you’re still reading, now you have the correct mindset.

Let’s get practical.

3 Steps to Make a Career Transition

#1. Take a personal inventory

• What do you like about your current job?

• What don’t you like about your current job?

• How sure are you that if you move jobs you won’t encounter the same problems you’re facing now?

You need to be honest with yourself.

Don’t jump from the frying pan into fire.

If you don’t let your current job prepare you for the next job, you’ll suffer in the same ways, no matter the job you take.

• What unique skills do you have?

• What skill combinations do you have?

• Do you need to take a course to upgrade your skills?

Apart from the cliché that you are a self-motivated, detail oriented, go-getter, result-driven, team player, with strong excellent oral and written communication skills who can work with minimal or no supervision, what are your true skills?

Let me give you a hint:

It’s not about you!

It’s about others!

• What problems have you solved for others?

• What unique experiences have you shared with others?

• How will your skills help the organization make money?

Craft your career story carefully and use it for your job search.

#2. Research, Research, Research

Speak to someone doing the job you’d like to do.

Even better, speak to someone who has left the job you’d like to do.

Ask them:

• What tips can they give you to succeed in the job?

• What are the day-to-day activities of the job?

• What are the rewards of doing the job?

• What are the challenges in the job?

Find out how the job level you’re targeting looks like.

Where do I find these people? You ask.

They are all around you.

• They are in your church.

• They are on social media.

• They are in hiking groups.

• They are in industry events.

• They are guests in podcasts.

Find them where they are.

Approach those that you have access to.

The best career research is not found by sitting on your computer.

It’s found by speaking to mentors and listening to them.

You want to be a CEO?

Speak to a CEO and ask what keeps him/her at night.

Don’t be fooled by the flashy lifestyles, they are rewards for hard work.

#3. Take Action

If you don’t take action, nothing will happen.

You will just have an amazing dream.

Do you need to take a professional certification? Start it.

You don’t have the money. Find some money or find someone who can pay for you.

Create a list of people you want to approach. Then approach them.

Do it quickly before your mind stops you.

Embarrass yourself if you must, as long as you meet your goals.

Are you looking for a new job?

Consider your current job level and your desired level in the pyramid you want to climb.

• Are you making a horizontal move or a vertical move?

• How many steps up do you want to go? Is it reasonable?

• What skills will distinguish you from the thousands applying for the same job?

Stop applying for jobs you totally don’t qualify for.

You’d rather apply for 2 jobs a month that you qualify for.

Than send your CV to 100 jobs you don’t qualify for.

Stop heart breaking yourself.

Be tactical in your job search.

If you’re not getting responses from Hiring Managers it’s one of the following reasons:

• You’re not a good fit. Simply put, you don’t have the required skills, experience and knowledge to do the role. Even if you think you have them.

• Your CV does not represent your skills, knowledge and experience. You may have them, but the Hiring Manager just can’t see it.

• You’re too junior for the role. You’re reaching out to the next level and your experience does not show you’re ready to climb.

• You’re too senior for the role. You’re reaching down the pyramid and the Hiring Manager knows they can’t maintain your interest in the job.

The people who are invited for the interview are those who are within a reasonable range of the level of the role that the Hiring Manager want to fill.

Successful job seeking is about making an accurate assessment of yourself.

Are you seeking to change industries/sectors?

You may have to make a downwards move to climb a new pyramid.

I have seen an Senior Accounting Manager climb down the pyramid to become a Junior Software Developer.

And then she grew into a Senior Software Engineer over a period of 3-4 years earning 10 times more than what she could have earned in the Accounting pyramid.

Some sacrifices make sense, others do not. Know the difference.

Understand what factors make one climb a specific pyramid faster

• Is it education?

• Is it some special skill?

• Is it some particular experience?

For example in the tech industry, education does not matter but skills and the depth of experience matter.

In medicine and law, education matters the most then the period, and not the depth of experience matter.

In digital marketing, your portfolio of work completed and client testimonials matter more than education and experience.

Conclusion

I hope that this article has helped you think about your career differently.

If yes, share it with a friend who needs it.

The principles here apply to all job seekers, whether you have a job or not.

What have you learnt?