Unfortunately, not all of these transitions are really successful. One reason is that the candidate is too frank. Another is that the individual is not really sure of what he or she is looking for. Here, we are going to examine each of these problems in detail.
Being Too Frank
There is an old saying that you can never be too honest. I will not debate ethical standards here, but I will say that sometimes people undermine their own credibility by saying things that need not be said. For instance, if your manager has asked you to forge a document (claiming greater sales than you actually attained or claiming profits never realized) you might decide to quit. While this is quite laudable, and should evoke strong positive responses from the potential employer, it could result in the opposite effect. Admitting that you are quitting for this reason may be true, but to the potential employer it might also seem disloyal or ungrateful.
The trick here is to modify your response by saying that you simply want to work for a company that more closely matches your own business interests and style, or that you are leaving because your present situation does not offer you what you need.
Or perhaps it is a question of being passed over at promotion time. Again, if you show a bitter attitude toward your present employer it will prejudice your case. It is much better to simply say that you are looking for new opportunities.
Focusing Your Sights
One of the biggest difficulties in changing jobs is focusing your sights on exactly what you want to do and where you want to do it. Do you want to continue what you are presently doing in another organization or do you intend to change careers? Depending on your answer to this question, you will have a little or a lot of research to do. Let us begin with just changing locations.
If you simply want to work for another company, you should begin by researching the possibilities. The most obvious starting place is the local newspaper. The telephone directory classified section may prove useful as well. There you will find the names of all companies doing business that relate to your present occupation. You can then make a list of those that interest you based on their reputation. If you don't know much about them, you can call or visit your local Chamber of Commerce and ask for specific information about a company's size, sales volume, etc. Then it is a question of calling on the company and arranging to fill out an application or scheduling an interview.
Then there is the networking process. The difficulty with networking, however, might be that you might want to keep your move confidential; in that case, networking would be foolish since the process requires that you let the world know that you are looking for another position.
If you want a change of scenery and think that a move to another city might interest you, you might consider reviewing the Wall Street Journal, the National Business Employment Weekly, The New York Times, or a newspaper from the city in question. Many of these are available free of charge in your local public library. You can also write to the newspaper and ask for a limited subscription.
Now, let us assume that you want to change your career. It now becomes a question of keying in on the kinds of jobs that are of interest to you. Glancing through the classified ads in your local newspaper will give you a fair idea of the range of possibilities in your area. You will want to make a list of any openings that seem attractive. Don't be too concerned at this point that you don't have the skills or training required. Those can always be gained, within reason of course.
If you are an accountant and you see ads for over-the-road truck drivers, training to become a truck driver can be obtained through various schools. If you are a salesperson and you want to be an accountant it might mean years in school but the moment you make the decision to start, you are on your way. If that prospect seems too long-term, you might decide to settle for an auxiliary job such as becoming a bookkeeper. The point is that you should make as broad a list as possible and then weigh various factors such as: 1) the skills required; 2) the time it will take to acquire them if you don't presently have them; 3) the income you can expect to earn; 4) the cost of training; 5) the personal advantage that you think you will gain; and 6) the personal disadvantages the job might hold.
Once you have made your list and narrowed down your career choices, you should ask people in the field about the positive and negative aspects of the new occupation or profession. A colleague of mine at a university changed from being a PhD philosophy professor to becoming a computer expert. He decided that university teaching did not pay enough money for his growing family so he did the research I have mentioned. After talking to professionals in the field, he discovered that computer engineering was a very high paying job. Accordingly, he went to a neighboring university and began taking computer courses. When he decided he had enough training, he applied for a job with a large firm and was hired. He then went on to get a Masters of Business Administration.
Another avenue for making a job change is to contact a career counselor. They are especially useful if you have an idea of what you want to do. Some are better than others, but they can help you determine what is right for you. You will find them listed under "Career and Vocational Counseling" in your telephone directory. If you decide to choose this avenue you can make things a lot easier for yourself and save money by limiting the possibilities. Normally, these agencies give you aptitude or psychological tests and then discuss the range of your potentials. The more you have thought about your specific interests by doing your own basic research in advance, the quicker and cheaper it will be for you.
Finally, there is the question of deciding at what level job you are willing to start. Whenever you decide to make a job change, you must face the fact that people and their professions are valued differently from company to company. For example, a person with a, masters degree who teaches at a two-year community college or junior college is highly valued and highly paid. However, if he or she switches to a four-year university, he or she will generally start at the bottom because he or she does not have a PhD. In some organizations, an engineer is regarded as one of the company's most important assets; in other organizations, an engineer is seen as little more than someone who helps to maintain systems. On a similar point, if you change careers, you will be a novice and you will probably have to start at an entry level position. For instance, an inexperienced truck driver, no matter how much training he or she has had, is not as valuable as an experienced person who knows how to avoid mistakes. So you may have to resign yourself to starting at the bottom of the ladder.
