Starting over is never easy. Despite the fact that professionals change jobs more frequently now than ever before, it’s still difficult to manage a transition from one occupation to the next. This is even more pertinent if you’re looking to change career paths.
The good news is, you don’t have to spend your time off wondering if anyone’s going to pick up the phone and call you. Rather, you can take action yourself to improve your chances of landing a job interview while increasing your professional experience at the same time. Here are three smart ways to bolster your resume while looking for a new position:
Freelance
Are you a creative person who has worked writing blogs or designing web pages in the past? Then you don’t have to worry about finding profitable opportunities to explore in your downtime. Indeed, just about every company under the sun maintains a blog of some sort, and many businesses look to freelancers to write content and redesign web pages for them. The key here is to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things. Just because you’re not an expert on ski equipment or digital marketing doesn’t mean you can’t prove useful to a company in need.
Acquire Specialized Knowledge
Understanding a niche is something that’s always valuable –– particularly for someone looking to jumpstart a new career. Since “specialized knowledge” can refer to any number of things, you’ve got lots of options to investigate in this regard. One common way forward is to go back to school to pick up another degree. However, you may also want to consider outside studies as well; learning a new language or studying on-the-job with other professionals can prove massively advantageous later on. Remember, no detail is too small in this practice. It doesn’t matter if you’re learning about Leucosep tubes in a laboratory or modern SEO practices online –– the true value is in the process of discovery.
Network with Your Past
If you’ve been around the block a few times, chances are you’ve made a fair few connections along the way. Don’t be afraid to reach out to old contacts because they may be able to steer you toward new opportunities. And even if they can’t, they still could supply meaningful advice, or at the very least act as a reference on your CV. It’s easy to forget about people after a few years –– that’s why it’s critical for all professionals to stay in touch with old acquaintances. One might just help you out massively some day.
