This is a very difficult question. It really depends upon your current career and your future career. It also depends on your competition and the type of companies and organizations recruiting for your chosen new career.
- Some positions are easy for transition such as a nurse who rather be an EMT and on the front lines. The skills and knowledge are perfect for a transition and in fact any Ambulance Service would love to have a nurse on their staff.
- However, if you want to go from being a social worker to being a nurse you will have to go back to school since one can not become a nurse without the appropriate degree even if you already have a masters in social work.
- If you are applying for a position that you have never done and all the other candidates have been doing the job for 5-10 years it will be very hard to pass the recruiters screening process since the employer would rather have a candidate with experience then one they would have to train and don’t know could adopt to such a different position.
- However, there are some very innovative firms and organizations that are looking for the right type of person and not a person with specific experience. These firms will recruit for certain skills, personalities, values, and ethics of candidates and then train them. For example, some of the large consulting firms go directly to graduate schools and find students that excelled in school and pass certain personality tests then train them to handle consulting projects under senior consultants with years of experience.
- So, you need to do your research on the new career. Gather as much information about the career, look at job descriptions, review educational programs about the career, etc. Then research the types of companies that may have the appropriate careers and find out about their recruiting methods and what the advertisements say about the position – are they looking for experience or the right fit. Maybe there is someone you know already in the position you can get to know and ask for advice. There are always career coaches and personal coaches that can assist. If there is an executive search firm being used – contact them.
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