Five Common Hurdles You May Encounter When Changing Careers and How to Overcome Them

Changing Careers Is Exciting But It Can Present Challenges - Learn Best Practices For Overcoming Those Challenges

Making a decision to change careers can be both exciting and challenging. There can be a fear of the unknown when you venture outside of your comfort zone.  It’s important to know that these feelings are normal and having the right tools can help to make a tremendous difference in how confident you feel in a career transition. 

Let’s look at the five common hurdles you may encounter when pursuing a career change and how you can overcome them.

1. Imposter Syndrome

What is imposter syndrome and how can you overcome this feeling?

Imposter syndrome is natural, especially when you are making a big change in your life, and it is when you doubt your skills, accomplishments, abilities, and talents making you feel like a “fraud”. Despite feeling validated and achieving success, when you experience imposter syndrome, you may still feel that you do not deserve everything you have achieved. 

There are four main steps that you can take to overcome the feeling of imposter syndrome and they are listing your achievements, saying yes to new opportunities to grow your skills, embracing your strengths, and developing a growth mindset. 

2. A Lack of Confidence

Feeling a lack of confidence in your abilities, resume, or interviewing skills may be stopping you from going outside of your comfort zone. The great news about confidence is that it is something you can build and grow. Being confident isn’t something you are, it is something you have. Take steps to build that confidence so that you are committed and capable when taking the steps towards a career change. 

The first step in building confidence in your abilities is learning what skills you have. This will help you discover what skills you might need to develop for your next big step in your career journey. Visit our blog to learn what skills you have and what skills you need for the job of your dreams. 

First impressions really are everything when you meet someone new, whether professionally or personally. Interviews are your chance to showcase your understanding of the job position and how you are a perfect match. Our guide to the toughest interview questions will help you build confidence in answering some of the questions you may be worried about. 

3. A Lack of Experience

A lack of experience doesn’t mean you can’t pursue a career change. 

While researching your next step in your career, you may find that the skills you already possess align with the high-growth roles you are pursuing. 

Worried about how your resume looks to an industry professional? Resume writing 101 will help you be confident in one of the first steps to changing careers. Having a strong resume that clearly presents your skills and qualifications for a particular job or industry is what makes you stand out in the candidate pool and can get you a call back for an interview.

You can thrive in your career transition by upskilling and learning skills on the job. 

4. Not Having a Network

Building a network in a new industry can be both a challenge and an opportunity to grow your career. A well-built network will serve you throughout your professional career. But where do you start, especially when you are trying to break through into a new industry? 

LinkedIn is a great resource to start building a list of contacts and professionals in the field you want to get into. Consider asking those contacts for an informational interview, where you learn more about the skills they have and the steps they took to get them where they are. Their approach to their professional goals may help you better understand what you are looking for. 

Skillup is committed to career coaching and community building, which is why we offer an opportunity for you to hear from and connect with experts who share action steps that will help you move into a high-growth industry. Also, Skillup can help you network with other professionals who are also navigating career and training opportunities.

5. Not Knowing Where to Start

The question you might be asking yourself - where do I even start? A career change is a new beginning so you can approach this journey like you are approaching a new year. Here are some steps to help you get started on your journey to claim your career with the skills you already have!

Learn more about SkillUp and our training catalog here.