Oftentimes, our career is not as linear as we want it to be. We move around, change jobs, find something we like and do not like along the way. Career pivoting is completely normal. If you move to Canada and want to pivot your career, here are 4 steps you need to do in order to get started.
- Self Reflection
There are so many roles and industries out there, how do you think which one is best for you? Before you pivot your career entirely, you must do a self-reflection exercise. A self-reflection exercise helps determine and understand what career paths you would like to consider pivoting into. Ask yourself questions like these:
- What would you like to start doing?
- What would you like to stop doing?
- What would you like to continue doing?
- Skill Audit
Let’s say you are now pretty clear about what you want to do and which industry you want to be in, it’s time to look at what skills do you have to offer. Knowing the skills to offer upfront will make your career pivot easier. Conduct a skill audit and understand what you have to offer in the following areas:
- Transferable skills: What are the skills that you have gained from your past experience? What are you good at and other people don’t
- Industry Technical Knowledge: Start by understanding what degree of skill level is required to make a transition based on the target role.
The following resource from the Canadian government breaks down skills required based on roles (and NOC Codes). Check it out here.
- Canadian Labour Market Research
Settling down in Canada will be important for you so it’s important to think about your long-term career projection. Do this by understanding the overall labour market in Canada before deciding to pivot your career. Some occupations in Canada are more in demand than others. Do your research by the following.
- What are some industries/roles that will have future growth, whether or not they are impacted by Covid, and where the provincial governments are investing in?
- Conduct in-depth research on the industry and how it is in Canada. Who are the key players in this space? What type of terminology do they use?
- Follow thought leaders on social media
- Subscribe to career & industry-related articles or read books
- Attend events and learn from the guest speakers
- Rebrand yourself
Let’s say you already have a good idea of what you want to do, what industry you want to be in, and the technical knowledge you need. It’s time to rebrand yourself and start looking like you are in the role even before you are in it. You can do this by re-position your application (resume + cover letter), update a LinkedIn profile to match the job you aspire to be in. A few ways to rebrand yourself using LinkedIn.
- Re-share interesting articles, talk about the events you’re attending and engage with people in the industry by leaving insightful comments on their posts.
- Rebrand yourself to emphasize transferable skills (specific to the industry you’re targeting).
