How to make a career change

Do you love your job? You should, and you certainly could. Although many people complain about their work or see it as a necessary evil, it doesn't need to be that way. If you think you'd rather be somewhere else on a Monday morning, take control and do something positive to change your situation.

Would you do your job if you weren't being paid?
It's a good question, and one that most people would probably answer in the negative. Imagine what it would feel like to enjoy your job as much as your leisure time, waking up every day eager to get on with the job.

The average person will work 40 hours a week for the better part of 40 years. That's nearly 80,000 hours of your life. Doesn't it make sense to spend your working time somewhere you want to be?

Once you've discovered the right job for you by assessing your skills and interests, there's only one person who's going to make the change happen – you!

The first step is tailoring your CV for the new career you're after. Take a look at the different skills you have acquired over the years - many of them may be useful in another industry. These transferable skills are often overlooked by career changers but are desired by almost every employer:

• IT literacy
• Numeracy
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Research and analysis
• Foreign languages
• Presentation skills
• Organisation and time-keeping
• Commitment

This applies to achievements as well. If you've been successful in one job, the chances are you will continue the trend in another. Remember that specific details of the tasks might not be recognised in an alternative sector, so keep the examples brief, with just the key facts or figures clearly shown.

Getting your name out there
Changing career is not easy, but very achievable. Once you've convinced yourself it's the best thing for you and have the hard evidence to back this up, it's going to be much easier to persuade a potential employer.

Find out as much as you can about your new industry by attending conferences or networking events and keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry you're heading towards. You'll really impress your interviewer if you can show a dedication to the position, before you're even in it.

Getting yourself featured in industry news pages will also alert companies to your expertise and is something else to add weight to your CV. 'Published writer' sounds quite impressive doesn't it! The people who put together websites, magazines and newspapers are always looking for pieces of content to fill their pages and will be easily swayed with an informative piece on a recent issue that's opinionated and well researched.

Unless time-travel is invented, you won't get a second chance, so make sure you act now to create the life you want for yourself.