Lacking the confidence to make a career change? It may seem like a daunting task, but a career change could just be the fresh start you need. Read on for our top confidence tips to help you take the plunge.
When thinking about changing careers, you may feel as though you’re facing a whole host of uncertainties. Understandably, you may not feel 100% confident about your decision or even your abilities. It’s important to remember that making a career change is a big step and one that takes a tremendous amount of courage.
The Importance of Confidence
When looking for a new job, including filling out applications and attending interviews, it’s essential to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. This self-confidence can be the driving factor to venture outside of your comfort zone. In doing so, you’ll be helping yourself to achieve your goals and career ambitions.
However, it’s not uncommon for people to lose confidence in themselves and their abilities over time. This is especially true for those who have been in the same job for many years. Yes, you may know your current role like the back of your hand. So the thought of starting from scratch in another career can be terrifying. It’s unchartered territory and may even feel like a move in the wrong direction.
At Refreshing a Career, we believe that a smart career change is essential for reaching your full potential.
Tips to Boost Confidence
Confidence, like everything in life, is something that needs practice. It requires nurturing by showing yourself all the reasons you can achieve your goals and reach your potential.
To give you a helping hand, we have compiled a short list of confidence tips to help you stay on track throughout the career-changing process.
Take Pride in your Achievements and Experience
As we mentioned before, many people who are planning to make a career change have been in their current role or field for a significant period.
When applying for new jobs, this is not something to hide. It’s important to demonstrate the skills and achievements you have gained despite it possibly being in a completely different sector or industry. Good employers will appreciate your transferable skills and perspective. They will consider what your experience and achievements say about your personality and character. In many cases, the confidence you show by looking to make a career change can put you ahead of candidates with experience in the field.
Head over to our dedicated page on How to emphasise your transferable skills for more information.
Remain Positive
Just like a regular job hunt, you may face knockbacks and rejections. It’s important to remain positive in your job search. You will get where you want to be eventually, it just might take a bit of persistence to find a role that is best suited to you. Furthermore, having a significant amount of work experience behind you will stand you in great stead against other candidates. Remind yourself how far you’ve come. Why give up now?
Fully Commit
If you’ve still got one foot in the door of your previous career, you’re never going to fully open another door to new opportunities. Make a conscious decision that “This is going to happen.” This positive mental attitude will get you through the times when doubt inevitably sets in. Remember the reasons behind your decision to make a career change and fully commit to making it happen.
Consider Training
Most professionals could benefit from learning more about a specific job role or gaining a greater level of experience. Therefore, it would be wise to look into online courses, internships or volunteering opportunities that are related to the field into which you want to transition.
Retraining will allow you to gain additional knowledge and skills and build confidence in your ability. Moreover, it will be a further demonstration to employers that you’re committed to a career change and potential job role.
Think About All the Things That Can Go Right
Especially with an interview, focus on everything that could go well. There’s no point in thinking about what could go wrong; you will only stress yourself out more than necessary.
Picture all the possible positive outcomes and the steps you’re going to take to get there. This will help you keep calm when approaching challenging or nerve-wracking opportunities, as you’ll feel like you’ve done it before. Imagine yourself being relaxed and optimistic and, more often than not, this will translate into real life.
For more information, check out our section on Interview Tips.
Put Yourself Out There
Expanding your network to include individuals in your new field can provide valuable support and insights. You can go to them for advice and guidance to aid you in your new career venture. Who better to ask than those with experience and expertise in the specific sector? Furthermore, once you have settled into a new role, many may become useful contacts for years to come.
Visit our Networking Tips for Career Changers for more.
In Closing
Making a career change takes courage and a can-do attitude. Many people may lack the confidence necessary to take the plunge and fully commit to the change. By following these simple confidence tips, you can refresh your career and start a new chapter in life. As the saying goes, “a change is as good as a rest”.
Visit the Refreshing a Career jobs board for all the latest career change opportunities in your area. We’ve got dedicated guides for career changers including help dealing with CV gaps, choosing a career that’s right for you, and CV writing tips.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions and be sure to sign up for our newsletter below for all the latest from Refreshing a Career.
