Careers are at the front of many Australian’s minds right now. Not only are people unemployed and underemployed, there’s another group who are considering a different career. The pandemic has caused changes in the economy, incomes and housing – for some, almost every part of their life has been impacted. Here are some tips on how to succeed in your next chapter of life.
#1 Transitioning to a New Career
You may have made a decision to change jobs or careers but you’re not sure what to do next. Visiting a career counsellor can help you uncover your natural skills, talents and tasks you enjoy doing. They can then help match those to a specific career.
A counsellor may make you aware of career opportunities you’ve never considered. PeopleSense by Alius uses experienced psychologists and employment consultants for its outplacement service which includes career counselling and career suitability/preference assessments. People are most satisfied with their job when it matches their natural abilities.
For others, they know what they want to do in their next job but don’t know how to go about securing that new role. A career counsellor can help with a proactive job search or help you make the transition through advice on what courses, training or experience you may need to secure a role.
#2 Help with your Job Application
Recruiters may only spend seconds looking at a job application before rejecting it so yours needs to stand out as being worthy of a longer look. Many recruitment and large organisations use technology to assess applications before they’re even assessed by a human so it’s important to know how to make it through the first cut.
Your resume and cover letter can gain you an interview so you want them to be as strong as possible. You can ask a friend or family member to provide feedback on ways to improve it. Even if you’re happy with the content, it can help to have a person with fresh eyes do a final proofread to ensure you haven’t missed any typos.
For professional advice on where to start and how to improve your resume, a career support advisor can give you valuable feedback. They have usually helped to prepare hundreds of resumes and cover letters so they know what employers are looking for.
#3 The Right Mindset
Your mindset can have a big impact on whether or not you’re successful in your job hunt. You know the saying. ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.’
If you’re in the job market due to redundancy or termination, you’re more likely to be negative about your prospects than someone who left their job voluntarily. You may think that you’re too old, not skilled enough, lack experience or even have too much experience.
Leaving a job when it’s not your choice can be difficult to deal with. There can be so many emotions – anger, sadness, even grief. Some people find it difficult to start the next chapter in their work career until they have come to terms with the loss. For many people, counselling after redundancy can help them cope with the life change and prepare them for their job search.
#4 Mastering the Interview
Performing well during the interview is daunting and for some even terrifying. If you have worked at the same organisation for years, you may feel out of practice with what to say in an interview. But there’s no need to worry. If you spend some time preparing for an interview, you can improve your performance.
You can use Google to search for practice interview questions, then either write out or say your responses. Remember to use examples of when you encountered a similar situation in your previous job. It may help to write out a list of your experience or skills and learn them so they’re top of mind during the interview. These demonstrate how your job history will help you succeed in the new role.
Some people seek professional help to improve their interview performance. PeopleSense by Altius helps candidates prepare for interviews with role playing and feedback on how to improve their responses to questions.
#5 Mental Health Support
Career transitions can be some of the most stressful times in a person’s life. It can take months to secure a job and during that time, it’s common for job applicants to feel stressed, lose hope, and develop anxiety or depression.
Unfortunately, this can negatively impact a person’s confidence to apply for jobs or perform at an interview, which in turn adds to the feelings of anxiety or depression. A psychologist or career counsellor can assist to break this negative cycle and provide strategies for managing mental health during a career transition.
Career Support Services
If you’re looking for help with finding a job, we provide career transition support to help manage mental health during a period of career transition and provide you with practical skills to succeed in your job search. Some employers will allow you to access this via the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), our career counsellors also help with interview training, updating your resume and provide personalised job matching to help you find long-term employment.
For more information about our career counselling services, call Altius Group on 1300 307 912 or register your interest as a job seeker.