How to make a successful career change?

Career transition: make sure you make the right choice

Frustration, unhappiness at work or a desire for fulfillment are all factors that may prompt you to make a career change. Before negotiating a contractual termination of your permanent employment contract, make sure you're not making a spur-of-the-moment decision.

When you're an employee looking to change jobs, the first step is to analyze your situation, taking into account your professional needs and expectations. To do this, make a list of everything that makes you want to change jobs.

If your job no longer seems to suit you, find out what the problem is and try to fix it. Deciding to change your job without understanding why you're doing it can set you up for another failure. On the other hand, it's possible that by taking a step back, you'll realize that your situation doesn't require a radical change of working life, but rather a reorientation of your career.

Opt for advice and support from qualified professionals

Even if you're convinced that a career change is the right thing to do, it's a good idea to seek advice from professionals in the field. Several forms of support are available to steer you in the right direction.

To give yourself the best chance of success, take a skills assessment. This is a very useful way of pinpointing your skills and shortcomings. Lasting 24 hours, the skills assessment costs between 1,000 and 3,000 euros and can be financed by your Personal Training Account (CPF).

You can also take advantage of the support offered by specialized career transition coaches. They can help you make the right career move. Unlike skills assessment, which is standardized, career coaching is more personalized and introspective.

A final option for employees is to turn to a career development advisor. This service, which is free of charge, enables you to situate yourself in relation to a professional environment. This will provide you with more material if you wish to retrain.

Check that your new business sector is promising

Once you've taken stock of your skills, motivations and shortcomings, you need to find out what opportunities are available on the job market in your geographical area. It would be a pity to leave a position where you enjoy a certain stability to take a dead-end path.

Bear in mind, too, that you haven't applied for a competition or recruitment in several years, and that market needs may have changed. What skills are employers looking for? What are the growth sectors and which professions are recruiting the least? Getting informed about the job market is the key to getting a feel for the reality of a profession. The more you know about job vacancies in a given sector, the less difficulty you'll have finding a job.

Learn from the experiences of employees who have undergone professional retraining

Drawing on the experience of others is sometimes the key to a successful career change. So, before you decide to terminate your fixed-term contract early, read the testimonials of people who have made the decision to change their lives.

Make sure you are present at events such as trade fairs, as networking will give you the opportunity to exchange ideas with career transition professionals and young returnees.

In addition, doing a web search focusing on topics such as entrepreneurship or personal development can help you find the right job for your project. Finally, you can prepare for your new career by taking part in an immersion internship.

Opt for training recognized on the job market and learn to sell yourself

When retraining for a new career, you don't need to have a diploma or certificate at the end of your training. In some cases, retraining is optional. Before embarking on a new course of study, take a skills assessment or ask your coach for advice. If training is necessary, check that the center offering it is recognized by most companies.

How do you sell yourself if you have an atypical career path? First and foremost, you need to adapt your CV (curriculum vitae) and cover letter to the type of position you're looking for. Don't hide the fact that you're changing careers. Instead, highlight your career path in order to convince and reassure the recruiter of the reasons that led you to choose this profession.

Plan all the financial costs involved in your career transition

If your career change project involves setting up your own business, there are a number of business start-up grants available from Pôle Emploi. These offer economic or operational support to employees and the unemployed wishing to set up their own business.

Whether it's the CPF or the AIF (aide individuelle à la formation), you can finance all or part of your training. However, it's best toanticipate the costs of the various components:

• training,
• skills assessment,
• coaching,
• move,
• meals and accommodation,
• equipment and software.

Doing so means you won't have to give up on your conversion project because of financial worries.

Anticipate failure and be ready to accept it

Not all career transition projects succeed. In the event of failure, you need to take a step back, ask yourself the right questions and accept the situation:

• What has this experience taught you?
• What are your alternatives?
• Is it possible for you to return to your old job?

You should also have a back-up plan in place. If your career transition fails or you're not satisfied, leave the company you're working for for another one. If, on the other hand, you've started training for a new profession, but it's taking you further away from your aspirations, don't hesitate to stop and change direction.

If you've set up your business, but it's struggling to get off the ground, change your strategy. Revisit your communications or reconsider your project from another angle.