Is a Career Switch, Starting From Scratch?
– Yoshita Swarup Sharma
How do I justify it? How do I pitch it? Will I be accepted in the new line of work? Why will anyone hire me?
As someone who switched careers after 12 years of Marketing and Brand Management and became a “Freelance Facilitator & Coach” and then an Entrepreneur, I would like to share some thoughts and learnings that may be useful if you are contemplating a career switch.
1. Be very clear about the WHY
Why are you making the switch? Is it due to some external pressure or motivation, or is it aligned to who you are as a person? Are you convinced that you would be happier in your new career than you currently are?
List down your reasons and be totally convinced. In your heart. In your gut. Inside.
2. Know your STRENGTHS
This post is prompted by the pic below. When Canva celebrated my 50 designs, I was amused. I realized how effortlessly I have integrated my marketing experience into what I do now, whether it is to enhance personal branding as a coach or to market offerings of A Brighter Life.
Similarly, you have skills and strengths from your previous career that will really help you establish yourself in the new one. Know them. List them. Talk about them in your interviews.
3. Be RESILIENT
My best friend recently remarked on how resilient I have been through the ups and downs of my entrepreneurial journey to establish myself in my profession of choice. It is true.
It is important to commit to your success and keep showing up for yourself. Drop by Drop, you will notice how far you have come.
4. Get a COACH / MENTOR
If you are switching careers, it really helps to have someone who is with you on the journey, a sounding board, a helping hand, a guiding light. In the last 10 years I have worked with a couple of coaches and had some great mentors to emulate. It was part of my investment in my new career. As a result, I have always felt supported and inspired.
5. Get rid of SELF-DOUBT.
The inner voice that is critical is really our biggest roadblock when we are contemplating a bold career move. The fear hormones are all fired up and self-confidence can hit a low.
What helped me was to look at my past successes and my talents and keep reminding myself about my WHY.
I also took up a multiple new courses to keep learning about my new field and seeking the next level of mastery. It is a continuous journey and even now, after 11 years of being in this line, I keep a watch out for the #InnerCritic.
These are my top 5 tips from the last decade of (what I humbly state is) a successful career switch. And let me tell you that it has been so worth it!!
Hope this article helps you feel more convinced about your career switch! 😊
Yoshita Swarup Sharma:
Founder & CEO – A Brighter Life | ICF Certified Executive Coach | Leadership facilitator | NLP Practitioner| Inner Transformation Specialist
Yoshita Swarup Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder of A Brighter Life, is an internationally certified executive coach (PCC). For the last eleven years, she has coached several senior leaders and CXO across the variety of industries and organizations. Recently she was awarded as one of the most influential coaching leaders of India by the World HRD Congress. She’s a leadership facilitator, advanced NLP Practitioner and a specialist on personal transformation. She writes her blog from her own experiences and reflections . She brings with her 23 years of overall work experience and has previously worked as a Marketing professional in corporates like Coca-Cola, Dabur and Ranbaxy She’s also a Kathak student and co-founder of Subah, A Covid Widow support group
Contact Yoshita Swarup Sharma
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