Our Blogs

Changing careers can be exciting, nerve-wracking and even a little bit scary if truth be told. But if anything, it can be exhilarating to enter into a new industry, new company and even a new role.

It can give you that ‘boost’ you’ve been looking for and when you start making headway in your new career, the idea of looking back doesn’t even cross your mind.

Nitu Sinha from our Singapore office did exactly the same thing. From working as a banker to working as a recruitment consultant, Nitu took a leap of faith. Find out how she’s been getting on.

I recently changed jobs from working as a banker to a recruitment consultant. From working in Financial Services to recruiting for it, was and still is, very different to what you might initially think. Making any kind of a career change can be extremely challenging, especially when it’s taking on a completely different role.

When moving industry, I’ll be honest, there is a lot of uncertainty involved. It’s often daunting at first, leaping into the unknown: the first few days can seem a bit of a nightmare. I was really lucky in that I had a lot of support to help with such a steep learning curve. However, for many, this can be a very daunting challenge and can become a very difficult time and doesn’t always go to plan. So, this had me thinking, what advice can I give to people looking for a change in direction or industry in their career?

There are a number of factors which you need to consider before making a career change. What do you want to achieve by making the move? It is important to know why you are contemplating a change of career and industry and whether this change will help you to reach your ultimate goal. You may not always know what your ultimate goal is, and sometimes the goal posts can move throughout your career. The economy, environment and personal/ family situations can also alter your aspirations at any given time. With all of this already to take into consideration, don’t be afraid of changing your career to one where your passion lies. 

Here are a few steps to keep in mind for a successful career change:

• Make sure your skills are transferable
• Compare your accomplishments to someone in a similar job who has been working in the industry you are targeting
• Be prepared to spell out how your experience translates to common themes in the new role/industry
• Network - Connect with other people and learn from the people inside your target industry, to shape your own presentation
• Research the new industry thoroughly
• Investigate educational opportunities that would bridge your background to your new field. Consider taking some courses that would enhance your skill set further.
• Look for ways to develop new skills in your current job which would pave the way for a change

Remember, we do spend a major part of our lives working and it's important to make sure that what we are doing is something meaningful and fulfilling. So regardless of your current job, take time to mull over whether what you're doing is what you want to do. If you follow your instincts and change it to a career where you have the passion - trust me, you will never regret it. Working in the world of recruitment, I certainly have never regretted it.