5 Steps to Take When Considering a Career Pivot

If you’re considering a career change but worried about taking a step backward, remember, it’s better to lose the past two years of progress than to waste the next 20. Let’s normalize career pivoting, no matter what stage of your career you are in. In order to build the groundwork of creating these types of transitions, you must understand what it means to pivot in your career. Career pivoting is a popularized phrase that suggests going from one career path to another with little to no experience in the field. Pivoting is an intentional and purposeful shift to a new position and in order to make a successful transition, you must prepare yourself effectively.

First, understand why you are making the switch. When navigating career transitions, you have to clarify what your plans are in order to see it through. Make sure that you have done market research and that you are prepared to emerge into a new career field. According to a 2021 survey conducted by Achievers Workforce Institute focused on engagement and retention, 36% of employees are considering changing careers in 2021 due to better compensation and corporate benefits and 25% are considering a shift for better work/life balance.

Follow these steps as you plan your career pivot:

Start with why

People outgrow their jobs everyday, but it’s important to understand why you’ve outgrown your job. Is it because you don’t feel challenged? Are you bored at work? It’s important to identify why you might want to make this change. Why you think a new career will make your life better and what the downsides are.

Assess your hard skills

Many people don’t realize that there are so many skills that you may possess that are transferable across different career fields. Make a list that highlights hard skills that you’ve developed. Some examples of hard skills are: analytical skills, management skills, project management skills, etc.

Make a plan of action

Once you have an idea of what direction you want to take, make a plan of how you are going to get there. Will you be taking courses on skillshare? Will you be teaching yourself technical skills by using YouTube tutorials? Assign yourself daily or weekly tasks that will help your strengthen the skills you need in order to make your pivot.

Track your progress

Make sure you are able to identify your progress and track your performance when building on a skill. Monitor your progress and what you need to be doing next.

Be open minded

You may not want to start from scratch, but when you are diving into a new career that you don’t have much experience in, sometimes you have to start in a role that may be a bit junior to your liking. Don’t let this discourage you. You never know what the next step can be. Especially if you are a skilled professional, you might be able to advance quickly once you’re in the role and are able to prove yourself as an experienced professional.