Is changing your career or getting a new role in a new industry something that you’ve been thinking of doing for some time now? You could have lost interest in your current career, or started to feel burnt out.

Are you part of a workforce that can possibly be replaced by automation, and you want to remain relevant and in-demand in your industry?

Has the fear of not knowing what to pivot to or even how to make it possible, stopped you or is stopping you from moving forward?

The key is preparation.

But how exactly do you prepare for future job roles, and be skilled enough to make a mark in your new industry or career?

Career Pivot is nothing new today. With a trend that says Millenials have jumped jobs over 4 times a decade after graduation, and a recent Gallup reporton the generation reveals that 21% of millennials say they've changed jobs within the past year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials who report the same.

Gen Z has also joined the job changing race.

Another reason for a Career Pivot is disruption: Either by technology and automation, or by other unforeseen circumstances.

McKinsey recently reported that over 75 million of the workforce may need to change their occupational categories and learn new skills by 2030. This is brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the digital revolution.

On the other hand, on 2022 (3 years from now!), there will be a 27% increase in newly emerging jobs, amounting to 133 million jobs globally.

The scenario now is not focused on the loss of jobs, but the lack of skilled labour to fill out the occupations in demand.

This is where the question comes in again; How do you prepare for future job roles, and be skilled enough to make a mark in your new industry or career?

Here are a few actions that very impactful and will make big differences during your transitions:

1. Watch, read, listen, and learn

Think podcasts and YouTube videos. The availability of information online has grown to an astonishing rate. There is no scarcity of content that is short, useful, and packed full of practical tips from almost all kinds of source: Industry leaders, corporations, startups, entrepreneurs, and communities of end-users.

If reading is more your thing, there are thousands of articles that are hard or soft skills-specific and have complete step-by-step guides. But blogs are not the only reading materials that are helpful out there. E-Books and E-Workbooks are also great sources, and you can also get those for free.

2. Coaching

Career coaches can help you fast track your career pivot in so many ways. Their expertise and wide network can benefit not just your career, but also other significant aspects of your life.

3. Webinars

There are a ton of free webinars on the internet that teach both hard and soft skills, and show you processes and ways to practice it. Have due diligence and choose the one that comes from a credible source.

4. Micro courses

Sites like Coursera, Thinkific, and even LinkedIn offer courses by professionals of particular industries and even professors who teach on universities for free. Take advantage of it, or enroll yourself to courses to learn comprehensively about a skill or topic.

5. Building a network

Start reaching out to industry leaders and players online by sending out emails or LinkedIn messages, expressing your desire to connect and learn more about a field or role. In exchange, offer a platform where they can promote themselves or simply offer some of your own knowledge, and ask how you can help them with their own challenges.

6. Exposing yourself to new situations and environments

It's been proven time and again that those that survive are not the most physically fit, but those who are most adaptive to change. Keep that mindset as you decide to expose yourself to situations and environments that are unlike what you've experienced previously.

If learning a new language or skill is what will help you get to the career you want, then go for it and keep looking for new ways to experience and learn.

7. Volunteering

Reach out to people you know who have a small business and see if you can get them to take you in to mirror with their employees for a week or so.

8. Start projects that exercise your new skills like in or put up an NFP organisation

So even if you don’t know what to do, or where to pivot to, you can gain the knowledge to know if it’s a career or industry change that you need, what skills you need to prepare for that role, and what it’s like first hand to be in that position.

If you want to fast track the process of your Career Pivot and execute it the right and strategic way, don’t hesitate to seek help. You can send us a messageand we can help you assess your situation and take the necessary steps with you using our tried and tested methods in 1:1 coaching.

How to Make a Career Pivot When You Don't Know What to Do