If you have followed my blog for a while then you will know that I have worked in various different roles over the years, mainly within the travel industry. Although I left the industry sometime ago, my heart still very much aches for the time that I worked as cabin crew. My recent trip to South America has done nothing but reinforce this fact. So… If I was so happy in my job why did I leave and how did I find myself where I am today?
So, how did I do it?
1. Firstly I grabbed a notepad and jotted down all the things I enjoy, such as using my IT skills and working with people. I also made a note of things I didn’t like so much in my previous roles – sales targets being one of the main ones! There are plenty of ways to turn hobbies into your job so I thought about that too.
2. It’s a nice idea to think I’d slot into any career, but I needed to be realistic and work out what skills I have. I looked over my previous roles and worked out the areas I excelled in and made sure I was brutally honest with myself about points I was maybe not so great.
3. The next stage of the process was to start to match together jobs that fitted both my interests and the skills I have, I used this UK job search website, City Calling, to look for different ideas, spoke to friends and family and checked the local papers.
4. The next step is the crucial bit – I did as much research and homework as I could possibly do in the fields I was interested in. I looked online, met with people who worked in the roles I was interested in and investigated every angle, the key is to leave no stone unturned. Also make sure to research the company as a whole as your knowledge could be tested at interview.
5. Apply, apply, apply! Don’t be scared – just go for it! My experience did make realise exactly how difficult it is to change career – especially at my age, when most companies are recruiting newly qualified graduates or younger models. But you just have to go for it, things for me didn’t happen straight away but I kept trying.
