As humans, our interest in matters can change over time. What we may have liked doing the past year may no longer carry any interest or the same level of relevance to a person anymore. This fact can just as well apply to one’s career too. Keeping this in mind, this article will be particularly helpful for mid-career professionals!
Especially for those who may either be looking to upskill to explore alternative job prospects. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, keep reading to find out more!
A word of caution:
What each company, employer and hiring manager may be on the lookout for in a potential employee can vary from organisation to organisation and person to person. They may also change according to the job role you apply for within a company.
While some organisations may prefer hiring individuals with prior experience within a specific industry, others may be more open-minded with new hires too. These factors can affect one’s chances of switching career paths or up-skilling.
As such, this written piece only aims to function as a guide and should not be read as a comprehensive or exhaustive list of things to take note of! The best way to succeed at any job application would be by conducting ample research individually. Browsing through this article could function as the first step you take into improving your current job hunting process 🙂 A little touch up can go a long way!
3 Tips for Mid-Career Professionals Looking To Upskill
1) Identify the industry you wish to join next
When it comes to upskilling or switching career paths midway through one’s career, an individual will find that he or she will eventually have to make up his or her mind as to which industry they are looking forward to joining next.
It could be something that works like a specialisation to what one is already pursuing. For instance, if you already work within the field of communications, you could consider upskilling to take on the job scope of a digital marketing personnel or switch career paths to explore that of film production instead!
Just as diverse as the above options sound, identifying the industry you wish to join next is important. Deciding on this earlier on can help individuals figure out what they should pursue in the future. It can also help them to decide whether to consider upskilling or switching their career paths to a different work sector entirely.
2) Chat with someone knowledgeable on the topic
The second tip for mid-career professionals looking to upskill is to chat with someone who is knowledgeable about the topic. Find someone who is already working in the industry you are considering shifting to.
Set a time to chat with them and this will enable you with the opportunity to find out more about your next plausible job opportunity. Take the chance to ask as many questions as you can come up with.
What sort of job roles and types exist in this specific industry? Will your existing qualifications make it easier for you to transition to this new job prospect? Do you require further upskilling courses or training for you to be eligible in your application for that particular job position?
Alternatively, individuals can also consider speaking with professionals who provide career counselling services to figure out whether they fit the bill for the job role you may be eyeing.
With years of expertise on their belt, these professionals should be able to provide you with guidance in relation to the industry, your past work experience as well as that of your educational background. And this can help you figure out whether you should consider upskilling.
3) Ensure your own financial stability
Last but not least, the third tip we have to offer mid-career professionals who are looking to upskill is that they ensure their own financial stability before embarking on major career decisions.
In the event that you do decide to search for a different job opportunity by upskilling, it is important that you have your financial stability sorted out. Especially, prior to having this decision being set in stone. This will help function as a backup plan should you realise that the next job opportunity may not work out.
Having sorted out your financial stability means that even in the worst case scenario where you may have lost your current job and did not get hired for that next job positions you were eyeing – due to unforeseen circumstances, you can fall back on your savings to tide you through the time you need to figure out your next steps.
Upskilling by taking relevant courses and undergoing specific training programmes can also cost you quite a bit of funds. Having your finances sorted out will also enable you to pursue your career goals without disrupting the other aspects of your life. And that’s a key point to note!
To wrap things up...
And there you have it – a compiled list of the top 3 tips for individuals looking to upskill or switch their career paths midway during one’s professional career. This piece should provide you with some useful content to help you decide on whether you should consider upskilling!
With all that being said, we have to come to the end of this article! We hope this written piece has provided you with some insights as to how you can improve your job hunting process to match what your future employers are searching for!
With this article, we hope we’ve managed to calm some of your nerves as you prepare to send in a job application to potential companies. After all, you’re a little more equipped with the power of knowledge to do so after reading this article 😉
We wish you the best of luck as you embark on the job hunting process. More power to you! In the meantime, if you’re on the lookout for similar job opportunities within the Middle East, read on! 😉
Need some career resources?
As was briefly covered above, GrabJobs shares career resources in the form of articles for people at different stages of their work lives. Our resources share details on how freshers can start to look for jobs more effectively. We also share about the best job interview practises, how individuals can grow their career and so much more!
These are just some of the topics we explore, namely.
Feel free to visit GrabJobs here for more information and interesting reads! We hope you find our resources helpful and useful 🙂
On the lookout for a job?
If you’re just about to begin the job hunting process, why not consider giving GrabJobs a visit?
GrabJobs is an efficient recruitment platform that connects thousands of job-seekers and employers around the world on a daily basis. Individuals can rely on the platform’s free job search functionalities to receive job matching alerts, access the career resources library and online courses to build their career.
With its instant live chat feature with employers, job seekers can expect to not miss a single opportunity while receiving timely updates about their applications as well as automated reminders when they get invited for an interview.
Through the platform, you’ll be able to filter through specific industries, part-time, freelance and full-time positions too. No matter the industry or the position, remember to visit GrabJobs to find a job opportunity in Singapore easily!
