May 5, 2021 • 8 mins
The pandemic has caused a lot of us to rethink our jobs and even careers. If you're one of those contemplating a switch, we've got some great, practical advice from author and career consultant Kerry Hannon.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day. We just
need to look for it and share it. Here's something
(00:26):
Good for Today. Has the pandemic got you thinking about
a career change? Well, you're not alone. According to a
recent Fast Company Harris survey of middle income workers say
they're considering a job change, and of course many are
changing careers not by choice but because of layoffs. So
(00:47):
what are the steps if you're looking to pivot? Today
we'll get some great tips on making a career change
from Carrie Hannon, an author and a strategist who deals
in career management and personal finance. Her articles on these
topics have appeared in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal.
She's going to share some great insights as to how
we can best transition during these challenging times. Here's what
(01:08):
Carry had to say, Harry, thanks so much for joining us. Well,
thank you for the invitation. I appreciate it. Now, the
pandemic has caused a lot of people to think about
changing careers. If you're going to switch careers right now,
what are the most important things to keep in mind?
You know, the most important thing to do is to
(01:29):
do that soul searching about what is it that you
want to do? What is it really inside of you
that you've always wanted to do or that you have
a curiosity about moving forward? And then the second piece
of that is really do an m r I on
your skill set. What skills do you have? Your hard
(01:50):
skills and your soft skills meaning soft being communication skills,
that sort of thing, hard skills any particular um you're
a great writer, or your you know, data analytics, whatever
it might be. And look at those skills that can
be what I called redeployed into a different field. And
what's the first step in looking for this new position?
(02:13):
Where does one start? The most important thing to do
for your first step is to look around and see
what the job requirements are for the type of job
you're interested in. When you look at job postings, you'll
see they expect you to have you know, this kind
of you know, this qualification, this one that one, and
then compare them to what you have from that that
(02:35):
gives you a real launching pad to know where you
might need to add more education, to add a certificate,
or even just take one course in order to be
up to speed, uh, to enter into that field. That's
probably the most important thing is to have those tools
in your in your backpack, so to speak, so that
you're ready to go into the new field. And how
(02:58):
do you see the role of network working? How can
we be effective in our search with networking? Well, networking
is the heart of it, right. I always say networking
is one letter away from not working. So what you
need to do is reach out to everyone you know, alumni, networks,
friends and family, colleagues, you know, people you've worked with
(03:19):
in the past, and let them know you're curious, you're
interested in making a career transition, and talk to them.
Who do you know? Who do they know? Who A
is doing a job in this particular field you want
to move to. And then you can reach out and
you know, get those informational interviews about what does it
take to do that job, what do you need? You
really need to get that backstory about that job and
(03:42):
what what you need to know. But the most important
thing is to work your context to see, Okay, who's
doing this kind of work and who can help me
make a connection. And this takes time, but it is
the key to job hunting. It's employers don't hire people
just because of a resume. They high are people who
know people you know they it's the old fashioned way
(04:03):
of hiring. They need to know someone who knows you
to have some kind of reference. That's the best way
to get a job. And do you think that building
a routine is an effective approach? I do because I
think structuring our search is important in doing a career transition.
Um when you are making a shift like this, it
is not something you do overnight. This is a process.
(04:24):
It takes time to make this transition. Why you add
new skills, you do your networking, all of those important pieces.
And I often like people to try to volunteer or
go out in in moonlight and try to do the
job first to see if it's really something you want
to do. But it's the key thing is that it
may seem like, oh my gosh, there's so many things
(04:45):
I need to do to move forward into this new career.
And so in order to bring order to the what
may seem like chaos or too many things, give yourself
a to do list every day you know you're gonna
make that one phone call to somebody, you're going to
reach out, you're gonna do You'll take a look at
your resume and see what you need to do to
make it attractive to the new field, because it may
(05:06):
just be some tweaking that you need to do to
reposition the job you had with the job you're looking for.
But give yourself an assignment or several uh in order
that each day you can cross a few things off
that list and you feel like a sense of accomplishment
and you move the ball closer each time. But the
thing about making a career transition is there's no ideal
(05:27):
time to do this. You just need to get started
by making that phone call or taking that one class.
How should we be thinking about salary when we're changing
fields or careers. Salary change is a very important component
to put into the equation when you're thinking about this, because,
let's be realistic, when you're making a career transition, you're
(05:49):
rarely going to make the same salary you're making at
your former job, at least not initially. You'll get there,
but in order to make that shift, you need to
be haired to earn a little bit less. And that's
why it's truly key when you're making this kind of
career transition to make sure you're financially fit. Try to
(06:09):
get lean and mean where you can pay down debts
ahead of time and really do a budget to in
order to be able to take a pay to take
a salary at a little less than you were making
um in order to smooth that transition, and that makes
you nimble. When you're financially fit, you have opportunities, you
have possibilities, and you have that freedom to start over
(06:31):
in a new career without having to have a must
have salary in order to pay those bills. Such incredibly
helpful advice that we can all use when considering a
change in careers. So here's something good for today. Carrie
suggests that we start the process with ourselves consider the
question what do I really enjoy doing? Also, as Carry says,
(06:53):
we should put real thought against what our skill set
truly is and how we can bring those skills to
a new position. Second, it now working sits at the
heart of an effective search. Reach out to anyone and
everyone you know who may have some experience in what
you're attempting to do. It can be incredibly informative to
learn firsthand what the job might entail. Also consider moonlighting
(07:14):
or volunteering in a field to test the waters before
diving in. Finally, be prepared for a change in salary.
As Carry says, it's rare to get the same salary
as your former position when starting in a new field.
Of course, it's important to prepare a budget if you
end up earning less than you did previously, Ideally anticipate
your costs so that you can have the freedom to
explore without needing to land that must have salary. Thank
(07:48):
you for listening, and please share Today's Something Good with
others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co author
of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women. To
learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women dot
com or download the Seneca Women app free in the
app store. Care's Something Good is a production of the
Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio. Have a
(08:08):
Great Day. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check
out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day. We just
need to look for it and share it. Here's something
(00:26):
Good for Today. Has the pandemic got you thinking about
a career change? Well, you're not alone. According to a
recent Fast Company Harris survey of middle income workers say
they're considering a job change, and of course many are
changing careers not by choice but because of layoffs. So
(00:47):
what are the steps if you're looking to pivot? Today
we'll get some great tips on making a career change
from Carrie Hannon, an author and a strategist who deals
in career management and personal finance. Her articles on these
topics have appeared in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal.
She's going to share some great insights as to how
we can best transition during these challenging times. Here's what
(01:08):
Carry had to say, Harry, thanks so much for joining us. Well,
thank you for the invitation. I appreciate it. Now, the
pandemic has caused a lot of people to think about
changing careers. If you're going to switch careers right now,
what are the most important things to keep in mind?
You know, the most important thing to do is to
(01:29):
do that soul searching about what is it that you
want to do? What is it really inside of you
that you've always wanted to do or that you have
a curiosity about moving forward? And then the second piece
of that is really do an m r I on
your skill set. What skills do you have? Your hard
(01:50):
skills and your soft skills meaning soft being communication skills,
that sort of thing, hard skills any particular um you're
a great writer, or your you know, data analytics, whatever
it might be. And look at those skills that can
be what I called redeployed into a different field. And
what's the first step in looking for this new position?
(02:13):
Where does one start? The most important thing to do
for your first step is to look around and see
what the job requirements are for the type of job
you're interested in. When you look at job postings, you'll
see they expect you to have you know, this kind
of you know, this qualification, this one that one, and
then compare them to what you have from that that
(02:35):
gives you a real launching pad to know where you
might need to add more education, to add a certificate,
or even just take one course in order to be
up to speed, uh, to enter into that field. That's
probably the most important thing is to have those tools
in your in your backpack, so to speak, so that
you're ready to go into the new field. And how
(02:58):
do you see the role of network working? How can
we be effective in our search with networking? Well, networking
is the heart of it, right. I always say networking
is one letter away from not working. So what you
need to do is reach out to everyone you know, alumni, networks,
friends and family, colleagues, you know, people you've worked with
(03:19):
in the past, and let them know you're curious, you're
interested in making a career transition, and talk to them.
Who do you know? Who do they know? Who A
is doing a job in this particular field you want
to move to. And then you can reach out and
you know, get those informational interviews about what does it
take to do that job, what do you need? You
really need to get that backstory about that job and
(03:42):
what what you need to know. But the most important
thing is to work your context to see, Okay, who's
doing this kind of work and who can help me
make a connection. And this takes time, but it is
the key to job hunting. It's employers don't hire people
just because of a resume. They high are people who
know people you know they it's the old fashioned way
(04:03):
of hiring. They need to know someone who knows you
to have some kind of reference. That's the best way
to get a job. And do you think that building
a routine is an effective approach? I do because I
think structuring our search is important in doing a career transition.
Um when you are making a shift like this, it
is not something you do overnight. This is a process.
(04:24):
It takes time to make this transition. Why you add
new skills, you do your networking, all of those important pieces.
And I often like people to try to volunteer or
go out in in moonlight and try to do the
job first to see if it's really something you want
to do. But it's the key thing is that it
may seem like, oh my gosh, there's so many things
(04:45):
I need to do to move forward into this new career.
And so in order to bring order to the what
may seem like chaos or too many things, give yourself
a to do list every day you know you're gonna
make that one phone call to somebody, you're going to
reach out, you're gonna do You'll take a look at
your resume and see what you need to do to
make it attractive to the new field, because it may
(05:06):
just be some tweaking that you need to do to
reposition the job you had with the job you're looking for.
But give yourself an assignment or several uh in order
that each day you can cross a few things off
that list and you feel like a sense of accomplishment
and you move the ball closer each time. But the
thing about making a career transition is there's no ideal
(05:27):
time to do this. You just need to get started
by making that phone call or taking that one class.
How should we be thinking about salary when we're changing
fields or careers. Salary change is a very important component
to put into the equation when you're thinking about this, because,
let's be realistic, when you're making a career transition, you're
(05:49):
rarely going to make the same salary you're making at
your former job, at least not initially. You'll get there,
but in order to make that shift, you need to
be haired to earn a little bit less. And that's
why it's truly key when you're making this kind of
career transition to make sure you're financially fit. Try to
(06:09):
get lean and mean where you can pay down debts
ahead of time and really do a budget to in
order to be able to take a pay to take
a salary at a little less than you were making
um in order to smooth that transition, and that makes
you nimble. When you're financially fit, you have opportunities, you
have possibilities, and you have that freedom to start over
(06:31):
in a new career without having to have a must
have salary in order to pay those bills. Such incredibly
helpful advice that we can all use when considering a
change in careers. So here's something good for today. Carrie
suggests that we start the process with ourselves consider the
question what do I really enjoy doing? Also, as Carry says,
(06:53):
we should put real thought against what our skill set
truly is and how we can bring those skills to
a new position. Second, it now working sits at the
heart of an effective search. Reach out to anyone and
everyone you know who may have some experience in what
you're attempting to do. It can be incredibly informative to
learn firsthand what the job might entail. Also consider moonlighting
(07:14):
or volunteering in a field to test the waters before
diving in. Finally, be prepared for a change in salary.
As Carry says, it's rare to get the same salary
as your former position when starting in a new field.
Of course, it's important to prepare a budget if you
end up earning less than you did previously, Ideally anticipate
your costs so that you can have the freedom to
explore without needing to land that must have salary. Thank
(07:48):
you for listening, and please share Today's Something Good with
others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co author
of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women. To
learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women dot
com or download the Seneca Women app free in the
app store. Care's Something Good is a production of the
Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio. Have a
(08:08):
Great Day. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check
out the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
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