Stuck In A Rut With Your Career? How Online Learning And Lifestyle Changes Could Help

Sometimes we can feel like we are stuck in a rut with the career choices we have made in the past. It isn’t easy to start thinking about a decision that will determine how you spend the majority of your time until retirement age. Who really knows where their passions lie or skills lie best without a little experience of the world?

This is why many of us end up taking any sort of job, and finding that we create a career from that. We work hard to climb the career ladder and better ourselves. But is that really what you are passionate about? Whether you are lucky to know early on what you want to do or whether you like the idea of soul searching and truly understanding where your skills like best, you can look to make a change for the better. So if you feel like you are stuck in a rut then maybe now is the time for change. With that in mind, here are some of the things that you could consider to help you make the career change you want.

Work on Your Resume

One of the first things you can consider would be to work on your resume. This is the way that you can advertise your skills and what you can offer to a business advertising for someone new to join. Make sure that your resume is up to date, with all your relevant job experience and skills you have learnt. It could be that you may want to tailor the resume to the type of job you want to get. Your resume is something that should be changed each time you apply for a job. This is so you can personalise it to meet the requirements. There may not be drastic changes that need to be made each and every time, but it can make a big difference if it looks like you have read the job description and taken into account the experience and skills you need.

Is It Time to Go Back to School?

Maybe you may want to work on different skills to help you get ahead and sometimes this may be going back to learn new skills. You may want to think about specific degrees, where business management options can help you learn some new ideas or experience different ways of doing things or something specific to the jobs that you are wanting, maybe something IT related where online study at Deakin could help. It could be a great way to really help you decide on what you want to do moving forward. Some people consider learning something before going for a new career. It can help to consider the subjects that might help as well as understanding whether it is what you want to do. You may, after all, think you are interested in it or have the skills necessary but after taking the time to learn might find it isn’t where you want to be. Studying can help in your current job as well as highlight a new career, so it is definitely an option worth exploring.

Go After the Jobs You Really Want

Maybe you need to think about the jobs you want and seeking them out directly. Not all opportunities will be advertised, or when they do, you then face steep competition to get in front of the potential employers. Contacting companies directly could be a great way to ensure that you get to be first in line for those jobs you really want. It also shows great initiative, which could be a quality these employers are looking for. A great tip is to make a note of all leading players in the industry as well as google searching to see if any smaller companies come up in the search. Having a list to hand means that you can regularly check them over every few days or even just once a week to ensure you are not missing out on fresh updates. Aside from that you could also just send them a covering letter and your CV every few months to ensure that you stay on their radar just in case a job becomes available.

Start Your Own Business

Could now be the time to start thinking about working for yourself? Many people think about starting their own business when they get to a crossroads in their career. Perhaps working in a specific industry has given you ideas on ways that you can move your own business forward. Or you have spotted a gap in the market and nurtured an idea for some time. Many people start their own businesses while working so that they don’t lose the security of a job and a wage. Perhaps this could be an option for you? If it is, then take some time to write up a business plan. This can help you to identify the areas that might need some work as well as looking at some of the ways that you can make a big difference in the industry and business area you plan to step into. Last of all, it takes time to establish a business, so be prepared to work in the evenings or the weekend to ensure that you build it up enough to be able to leave the security of your job.

Are You Ready to Land Your Dream Role?

Finally, are you ready to land the dream role? Maybe you need to look at the way you can make a decent first impression. Or maybe looking at ways that you can prep in advance for the interview, so that you can make the right moves. Sometimes we need to make a few changes to ourselves such as making ourselves look presentable and also with our mindsets to ensure that we can go after what it is we want from our working life. Take the time to think about first impressions in person as well as on paper on your resume.

Let’s hope that these tips help you to make the changes that you want in your career.

Featured Image: Danielle MacInnes, Unsplash.