Where to Start with Making a Career Change

Thinking of changing your career but not sure where to begin? Perhaps you know you want to do something more meaningful but don’t feel ready to make the jump quite yet. It can be difficult to leave the security of a career you’re settled in to brave the unknown.

If you’re looking to dip your toe in the water of change, here are some small steps you can take to move towards a career in the charity sector.

Audit your current career

An easy place to begin is to start a notebook or journal. Keep track of your day-to-day work life by noting down what you enjoy and what you don’t. When do you feel excited and absorbed by, and when do you feel distracted and unfulfilled? What are your values and aspirations and how far does your current career meet these? Where does it fall short?

You can also note down your strengths and weaknesses, ideas you have about your new career and any barriers you might face to get there. The more you map your thought processes, the clearer the way forward will become. And before you know it, you’ll have an action plan down in black and white!

Learn more about different roles in the sector

This is important so you know what a new role might entail and so you can talk confidently about the sector in an interview. Start by reading our career guides. Volunteering is also a useful way to gain experience (and valuable contacts) in the sector. Plus it looks great on your CV and gives you the feelgood factor of doing something worthwhile.

If you want experience of a specific role and can’t find a volunteering opportunity, you could organise some work shadowing. This means you sit with someone doing your chosen job to watch and learn what they do. Although it isn’t possible in every role, many charities would be very open to this. It’s a great way to get insight into the reality of a job.

Invest in yourself

You won’t need to go back into education just to move into the charity sector. But now’s a great time to plug any gaps in your skills or knowledge. Even refreshing your existing skills will mean you can approach your new career with extra confidence. Check out our courses or have a look at organisations like NCVO to find out more about how charities work.

For a more radical career shift, you could consider consulting a career change coach. Yes, they can be pricey, but you spend around 90,000 hours of your life at work. So it can be worth it to make sure you’re 100% happy and comfortable in your chosen career. Or why not check out coachmefree.com for some free coaching?

Seek out others

Wanting to change career can be a lonely feeling, especially if you feel like you don’t belong in your current job. It’s also easy to worry what other people might think. But you’re more likely to take positive action if you have others on your side. That could mean confiding in a friend that you want to make a career change, or seeking out people who are in the same position.

You could attend a career change workshop or join a network or special interest group for the area you might want to move into. Use your existing network too. Speaking to people who already work in a given role in the charity sector is a great way to find out how to get into it and what it’s really like. Charities are full of lovely people who’ll be only too happy to talk to you. It’ll give you a different perspective on things. And who knows where those new connections might lead?

Rebrand yourself

Already know which job you’re targeting? Then it’s time to update your CV, refocus your experience and rebrand yourself. Start by identifying your transferable skills and rework your CV to highlight your experience that aligns the closest with your desired role. Also think about your social media presence. Who could you follow and connect with to prove you’re invested in your new area? Are there any networking events you could join?

Starting a new career can be a huge decision, and you may not feel ready to take the plunge immediately. But there are many small steps you can take to get you on the right path towards change. Which one will you choose first?

And when you’re ready, don’t forget to come back and browse new roles. Good luck!

This post was originally published in 2021. We’ve updated it to ensure relevance and to reflect the current job seeker experience.