Taking a leap of faith
Although it’s undeniably a difficult thing to do and one that not many people opt for, nevertheless it is possible to switch to a completely different career from the one you are currently in now. In fact, it is well worth the effort, especially when the objective is to pursue a career you are passionate about.
I am living proof of this fact. Here’s my story.
I originally graduated from university with qualifications in both Accounting and Information Technology (IT). I chose to pursue IT as my career. Thus, I took on the position as a Software Engineer for my first full time job.
Time went by, and although my confidence and abilities in handling IT related tasks grew, my passion for the field did not. Slightly over two years into my IT career, I had alrady worked in two different IT jobs and accomplished various challenging tasks, yet I found myself stuck, bored and wondering why.
It didn’t take me long before I realised that I was actually in a career that I didn’t like and this was stunting my enthusiasm and hence, the excellence of my work.
In the end, I decided to take the risk: I tendered my resignation and began the scary process of job hunting all over again. However, this time, I applied for a different range of jobs altogether. Ultimately, I hoped to end up as a Writer – something I had always aspired to do, but previously did not have the guts to pursue as a career.
Initially, my attempts to get a writing job were unfruitful. Even though I had previously published articles to show my potential employers (I had worked as a Freelance Writer for a season during my university days), it did not earn me any job offers as I had hoped it would.
However, I did not give up neither did I stay idle. I started taking up small freelance writing tasks based on job advertisements that were posted on an online website. I wrote emails to the people concerned and offered my writing services to them. To my surprise, it was really easy to get short term writing assignments and several people asked me to write articles for them. So, I worked on building up my writing skills in this way.
A few months later, I got an offer to work for three months as an Editorial Intern at a publishing house. Although it meant accepting a much lower pay than what I used to receive for my IT job, I took it just for the exposure. It turned out to be a very pleasant three months, and I learned a great deal from the Editor and other writers in the editorial department.
At the end of the three months, I was back to job applications again. I was now in need of a more permanent employment and sought out full time job advertisements in the newspapers and also online. This time around things were different. Not only did I have the internship experience to lend credibility to my resume, I also had a much more substantial volume of writing experience from my freelance assignments. All this contributed to me gaining the attention of several employers and I was called in for a few interviews and even offered a number of jobs.
It truly amazed me at how I was now being seriously considered for the very jobs I was vying for. In the end, all of this culminated in me finally having the Writer’s job I had always wanted.
It took me almost a year to get here – from the time I first took on freelance writing tasks up to the time when I had at last landed a full time Writer job. But it has definitely been an interesting and valuable journey. I absolutely don’t regret the career change at all.
I have derived some good principles out of what I had gone through, and I’d like to share them with you:
If you’d like some advice on making a decision about which career would suit you best, visit this link: http://jobscentral.com.my/resources/index/1 .
I am living proof of this fact. Here’s my story.
I originally graduated from university with qualifications in both Accounting and Information Technology (IT). I chose to pursue IT as my career. Thus, I took on the position as a Software Engineer for my first full time job.
Time went by, and although my confidence and abilities in handling IT related tasks grew, my passion for the field did not. Slightly over two years into my IT career, I had alrady worked in two different IT jobs and accomplished various challenging tasks, yet I found myself stuck, bored and wondering why.
It didn’t take me long before I realised that I was actually in a career that I didn’t like and this was stunting my enthusiasm and hence, the excellence of my work.
In the end, I decided to take the risk: I tendered my resignation and began the scary process of job hunting all over again. However, this time, I applied for a different range of jobs altogether. Ultimately, I hoped to end up as a Writer – something I had always aspired to do, but previously did not have the guts to pursue as a career.
Initially, my attempts to get a writing job were unfruitful. Even though I had previously published articles to show my potential employers (I had worked as a Freelance Writer for a season during my university days), it did not earn me any job offers as I had hoped it would.
However, I did not give up neither did I stay idle. I started taking up small freelance writing tasks based on job advertisements that were posted on an online website. I wrote emails to the people concerned and offered my writing services to them. To my surprise, it was really easy to get short term writing assignments and several people asked me to write articles for them. So, I worked on building up my writing skills in this way.
A few months later, I got an offer to work for three months as an Editorial Intern at a publishing house. Although it meant accepting a much lower pay than what I used to receive for my IT job, I took it just for the exposure. It turned out to be a very pleasant three months, and I learned a great deal from the Editor and other writers in the editorial department.
At the end of the three months, I was back to job applications again. I was now in need of a more permanent employment and sought out full time job advertisements in the newspapers and also online. This time around things were different. Not only did I have the internship experience to lend credibility to my resume, I also had a much more substantial volume of writing experience from my freelance assignments. All this contributed to me gaining the attention of several employers and I was called in for a few interviews and even offered a number of jobs.
It truly amazed me at how I was now being seriously considered for the very jobs I was vying for. In the end, all of this culminated in me finally having the Writer’s job I had always wanted.
It took me almost a year to get here – from the time I first took on freelance writing tasks up to the time when I had at last landed a full time Writer job. But it has definitely been an interesting and valuable journey. I absolutely don’t regret the career change at all.
I have derived some good principles out of what I had gone through, and I’d like to share them with you:
- It is possible to switch careers, but it isn’t always a smooth transition. You will need to do whatever it takes in order to convince employers that you have the ability to take on the job. Although you may not have much experience in the field, find other ways to showcase your skills. For me, this was done through taking up freelance assignments.
- The position you may initially get offered may not be exactly what you’re looking for, nevertheless you should consider taking it up if it helps you advance towards your preferred career path. For me, even though being an Editorial Intern meant a temporary reduction in salary, deciding to take up the position really helped me later on in getting a full time Writer position.
- Above all else, don’t give up. Your big break could be just around the corner. Furthermore, for every job you didn’t take up, you will at least gain confidence and invaluable experience through having undergone the entire candidate selection process (interviews, aptitude tests, etc.).
If you’d like some advice on making a decision about which career would suit you best, visit this link: http://jobscentral.com.my/resources/index/1 .
A new point of view on interviews
The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that attending interviews is really not that much different from going on a first date.
Well, for one thing, you and the company are meeting face-to-face for the first time. Then there’s that other part where you’re checking each other out and seeing if there’s a perfect match. And don’t forget the consideration of which one (company) benefits you the most.
But of course, the similarities end when it comes to the point of salary discussion. Anyhow, I suppose you can see what I’m getting at here.
It’s common to get a little jittery about interviews, especially if it’s your first time or if you haven’t been for one in quite awhile. However, it shouldn’t come across as anything stressful, but ought to be viewed as a privilege instead.
For one thing, not everyone who applied for the job got called in for an interview. The fact that you were chosen means that you are one of the selected few who were shortlisted. That in itself is good reason enough to pat yourself on the back. The initial stage has been cleared. Now all that’s left is for you to impress your interviewer and you just might land the job.
Another point I think is worth mentioning about interviews: we often view it as a situation where we will be judged based on who we are or what we’ve previously accomplished. In other words, it’s like a court in session and we’re waiting anxiously for our verdict. What most of us fail to realise is just as much as the company wants to evaluate us, we should also be actively making our own assessments on whether or not the company is a good place to work at.
The way this affects our attitude towards interviews is that we go for it not just prepared to answer the interviewer’s questions, but also ready and armed with our own personal set of queries as well. Whilst it is not good to push for specifics on salary or benefits too early in the candidate selection process, there’s really nothing wrong in asking for further information on whether weekend work or overseas travel is required. This idea lends a whole new perspective to interviews, and it means that you should think of it as equally important that the company should impress you as well.
Even if an interview doesn’t get you the job or you subsequently decide that it’s a place you’d rather not work at, all is not lost. Just the experience of attending the interview itself is something to treasure. In my personal career, I have found that with each interview I attend it builds my confidence further for the next one. So, if you ask me, I’d say never pass up a chance to attend an interview, no matter the size of the company or what position it’s for.
What are your thoughts on interviews? Do you agree with what I’ve mentioned, or perhaps have a totally different way of looking at it? Do feel free to voice your thoughts, I’d love to hear what you have to say too.
Meanwhile, if you’d like more tips or information on facing the interview process, head over to http://jobscentral.com.my/resources/index/3.
It’s common to get a little jittery about interviews, especially if it’s your first time or if you haven’t been for one in quite awhile. However, it shouldn’t come across as anything stressful, but ought to be viewed as a privilege instead.
For one thing, not everyone who applied for the job got called in for an interview. The fact that you were chosen means that you are one of the selected few who were shortlisted. That in itself is good reason enough to pat yourself on the back. The initial stage has been cleared. Now all that’s left is for you to impress your interviewer and you just might land the job.
Another point I think is worth mentioning about interviews: we often view it as a situation where we will be judged based on who we are or what we’ve previously accomplished. In other words, it’s like a court in session and we’re waiting anxiously for our verdict. What most of us fail to realise is just as much as the company wants to evaluate us, we should also be actively making our own assessments on whether or not the company is a good place to work at.
The way this affects our attitude towards interviews is that we go for it not just prepared to answer the interviewer’s questions, but also ready and armed with our own personal set of queries as well. Whilst it is not good to push for specifics on salary or benefits too early in the candidate selection process, there’s really nothing wrong in asking for further information on whether weekend work or overseas travel is required. This idea lends a whole new perspective to interviews, and it means that you should think of it as equally important that the company should impress you as well.
Even if an interview doesn’t get you the job or you subsequently decide that it’s a place you’d rather not work at, all is not lost. Just the experience of attending the interview itself is something to treasure. In my personal career, I have found that with each interview I attend it builds my confidence further for the next one. So, if you ask me, I’d say never pass up a chance to attend an interview, no matter the size of the company or what position it’s for.
What are your thoughts on interviews? Do you agree with what I’ve mentioned, or perhaps have a totally different way of looking at it? Do feel free to voice your thoughts, I’d love to hear what you have to say too.
Meanwhile, if you’d like more tips or information on facing the interview process, head over to http://jobscentral.com.my/resources/index/3.
Labels:
analogy,
career development,
careers,
experience,
interviews,
jobs,
personal development,
perspective
