During a global pandemic might seem like a strange time to be thinking about a career change or career development but a new year still brings the opportunity for reflection on all aspects of life including your work situation. In some ways, the events of 2020 have perhaps offered many people a greater chance that ever before to reconsider their career direction, review and contemplate how happy they actually were with their role and work/life balance pre-Covid.

Not only that but as employers realise that remote working is actually perfectly viable in this age of technology, the job market is recovering well in many industries, and opportunities for career change and development are becoming available.

So here are some things you might want to consider if you’re thinking about changing careers in 2021:

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Decide what you actually want from your career

It is vital to consider what makes you happy at work. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your ‘dream job’ (although this may be easier to achieve now that location is often no longer a factor with the majority of employees being based at home for the foreseeable future) but the main aspect is to consider what will give you the satisfaction you need to be happy on a day-to-day basis and allow you to be your authentic self at work.

If this isn’t readily clear to you, try making a list of priorities and decide which are essential. A tangible list of the things that will make you happy will be much more useful to you than a list of jobs you think you might like.

Consider developing your skillset

Once you have identified your priorities, this may reveal some skills gaps which need to be filled to achieve your career goals. Upskilling is a great way to enhance your CV and can help make you stand out to a potential employer.

A recent report by Silicone Republic identifies a list of the top soft skills and technical skills to focus on for 2021. These include:

·       Adaptability

·       Change Management

·       Emotional Intelligence

·       Cyber Security

·       Data Visualisation

·       Lifelong learning

We’ve certainly all had to learn to be adaptable during the last year but for something more concrete to share with potential employers,there are lots of great online courses out there to help you hone your skills and FE News had some top tips for how to upskill from home, including:

1.     Create a calm atmosphere and study area - Keep it organised and clutter-free, as a messy study area is likely to distract you.If you're in a high-traffic area, such as your kitchen, try choosing a study time when you’re less likely to be disturbed.

2.     Set learning goals and objectives - By creating objectives and milestones, you will be able to remain motivated to push yourself during your learning experience.

3.     Communicate - Being able to talk to your fellow students and the course tutor whilst studying at home will ensure your learning experience is a little easier during the current climate.

4.     Get a good night’s sleep – When you’re well-rested, the memory function that stores your knowledge on complex,fact-based information, is sharpened, so you’ll be able to take new information in and remember it.

Talk to a Career Coach

If you feel like you’re ready for a change but you are having difficulty finding direction, a career coach can help you to identify your skills and improve your self-awareness to reveal your true ambitions and help unlock your potential for career change or career development. A career coach can help you to detect where you might need to upskill for the career path you choose to follow and they may also be able to help with the practical side of things such as updating your CV. All of which can assist you in achieving your career goals.

If you would like to speak to one of our expert career coaches, get in touch today and find out how we can help you with your next career move.

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