Master Your Career Change With These Proven Steps
If you’re feeling like you want to make a career change happen but don’t know where to start this is for you.
In 2021 I made the change from being a Tech Recruiter for over 10 years to a Scrum Master, in the middle of a pandemic after executing this exact plan to get me there.
Use these proven steps master your career change:
1: Skills and Strengths
I considered the skills I’d learned and used over the course of my career.
I dug out job descriptions, job adverts, my CV and noted down all the skills and strengths I’d used over the years. I noted patterns, and common threads throughout.
As you embark on a career change it’s important to remember the skills you already have in your tool kit.
2: I got curious:
I started to pay attention to the jobs people around me did; people I worked alongside, my friends, my network on Linked In. I took more interest in the duties they did, the skills they seemed to have and made a note of any jobs that sounded interesting.
(This can be a good place to start if you know you want a career change, but aren’t sure what it needs to look like)
3: Research
I researched the jobs I thought were interesting. Using a whole bunch of websites like Linked In, Glassdoor, Indeed.
I followed people on Linked In who were leaders in the industry, researched job adverts and matched them to my list of skills and strengths, salaries and industry demand for talent.
4: I started conversations:
I approached people who looked like they knew what they were doing and asked them for a chat about their role. I explained I was considering a career change and keen to learn about what they did; most were happy to oblige for a 20 min conversation.
Not only did this help me gain knowledge, it also built my network full of potential colleagues and hiring managers.
5: Shadowing
I started to shadow people who were doing the job.
I had decided a Scrum Master was a role that I would be able to put the skills I had to use in and also grow and learn new ones. So I approached Scrum Masters in the company I worked in and joined their sessions to watch them in action.
If you don’t work in a company that can offer you this, look for relevant webinars and research on other sites like YouTube.
6: I practiced
I offered to cover sessions for the Scrum Master in my area when they were on leave etc. They became an amazing mentor for me, giving me opportunities to run other sessions and supporting me.
This was all experience I could put on my CV to prepare for my job search for my career change.
7: I did extra work
After some cut backs, we no longer had a Scrum Master in our area, so I volunteered to take on the role, along with continuing to do my recruitment job.
Now I know that a lot of the messaging we get is things like “don’t do more work for free” but at this point it was to my benefit.
It gave me more valuable experience that I knew I’d be able to talk about in interviews and put on my CV. This undoubtedly accelerated my career change.
8: I got certified
I did my PSM1 certification which was one of the most popular at the time. I self-studied for it, learning about Scrum and Agile (this is the book that made it all make sense to me).
Certifications will open doors for you at the application stage and it demonstrates commitment to your career change.
9: I applied
At the turn of the year I had a good few months of experience under my belt and my certification, so I promised that if I saw any jobs that were at the right level in the right location I would apply.
I ignored those feelings of “not being ready” and thought at least if I can get interviews, they’ll be good practice for me. Feedback would also help me continue to learn and grow.
There comes a time, when you have to just put yourself out there.
10: I accepted a job
In spring 2021 I was offered a Scrum Master role, and I couldn’t have been happier. You can read about how I prepared for the interview here. I was excited for the new challenges and learning opportunities, along with being closer to the tech.
I also knew I’d find comfort being able to use the skills I’d spent my career building, whilst learning new ones.
I’ll be honest it wasn’t easy, but most things worth doing aren’t.
Making a change is just another process you need to learn to manage.
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