A career change is a big undertaking for many people as it requires massive investment in time, effort, and money. In today’s post-pandemic world, most people have found it doubly difficult to transition to a different job. ASW Consulting know how crucial a career change is for you, so we offer helpful insights culled from our C-suite recruitment in Vietnam. 

Reflect on your career  

If you’ve found yourself wanting a different career, you should first ask yourself the simpler question: Do I just want a new job or a new work environment? To jump into a different career without considering the basic question might actually jeopardize your existing and future career.

However, if you’ve realized that you’ve experienced and learned everything you could in your job, or have outgrown your industry, or have unfortunately plateaued after reaching a career high, you’re right to think about shifting careers. You owe it to yourself to find something new to explore, contribute to, and grow into.

Assess your skills and values 

Once you decide to move to a different career, it’s time to get to know yourself a little better. Think about where your skills will most be useful, where your personality will work well with others, how you can better demonstrate your values, and where your interests will fuel your passion. You should also put extra emphasis on your experience and skills here to inform you which jobs and industries deem them critical.

You may already have companies or industries in mind, but it’s also good to be open to other things. Many executives we speak to engage a mentor or career coach to help advise them.  You may also want to check out different self-assessment tools or career assessment tools online to gauge where your strengths lie based on how you answer questions. Or you may also talk to C-suite recruitment agencies in Vietnam like ASW Consulting for professional insights and advice on where you could take your career, especially based on the market today. 

List your ideal jobs 

Based on your self-assessments, personal research and communication within your network, and professional consultations, prepare a short list of careers that you’d want to explore. Ideally, these jobs would be a balance of your transferable skills and something you’re professionally and personally interested. However, career changes can be completely different from your previous experiences as well, but may take additional study or starting in a lower-level role to jump in to.

Make a career plan and stick to it 

It would be prudent to set short-term and long-term goals towards your career journey. This could either be enrolling in short courses to get certification in the next few months, getting an MBA in the next three years, or building a business in your desired industry in the next five years. All these steps will be important in preparing you for your career change. Expanding your networks via LinkedIn and other industry associations and groups will also be crucial to your success.

As much as you can, create milestones along the way based on your specific timeline, and always hold yourself accountable to your progress.

The final word 

Changing careers can be a challenge, even to those in top management positions. In our years of C-suite recruitment in Vietnam, interviewing and counseling countless professionals, we know that shifting careers isn’t a solitary pursuit. ASW Consulting is available not only to source candidates for our clients, but also to help different professionals achieve their ideal jobs wherever they may be in their careers. To know more about how we support the many professionals we talk to, visit our Candidates page, and stay tuned to our blog for more updates.