You know you need a new job, but you're not sure what to do. Should you continue on your current path or try something new? You're confused and need direction. You talk to friends, read career books, and seek advice.  

According to research from the Department of Education, Science and Training, most Australians will change career seven times in their life. With this in mind, we’ve put together ten, easy steps to help you reinvent your career.   

1.                 Change (The Paradigm Shift)

Career change can occur for a number of reasons – from the anticipated (marriage, empty nest) to the unexpected (illness, divorce, lay off) to "nonevents" (a promotion that fell through).

There are many reasons why ‘Real Age’ career people change careers. But whatever they are, ‘Real Age’ career people are constantly evolving and realigning their lives to increase their own personal fulfillment. Realising or acknowledging you need a change is the first step.

•         Due to a lack of employer branding communication platforms, 90% of what you think you know about organisations current career opportunities is wrong. Companies say 'Where are all the good people?' whilst people say 'Where are all the good companies to work for'?

The paradigm shift is to become vocationally intelligent. In other words, open your mind to receiving and reprogramming your knowledge base about the opportunities that actually exist in the current workplace.  

2.                 Reflection - SWOT analysis 

If you are looking for a career change to advance your own career then the SWOT analysis is an excellent tool for getting an accurate and informed view of where you the ‘Real Age’ career person is right now. It should be used before making any decisions about future career choice.

The SWOT analysis shown below asks the ‘Real Age’ career person to consider the following factors:

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses or development needs?
• What are the opportunities for development within your chosen career?
• What threats are you facing? 

Use the following guide in thinking about the types of areas you should explore in your personal SWOT analysis. The analysis will help in clarifying career choices, such as whether to move into another role within your current organisation or to exit the organisation.

You can effectively plan and manage career change through career choice analysis and the ways you choose to develop your career.

3. Wheel of life - Get the Balance Right

A week consists of 168 hours. Measure and reflect over the past 3 months and estimate the time you have spent on the following eight aspects of your life.   

Spiritual - Worship, community, volunteering

Family – Husband, wife or partner, kids, parents, relatives, etc

Business – Career progression activity 

Finance – Investment and other monetary activities and responsibilities

Mental – Reading, self learning, formal education                              

Physical – General exercise, competition or activity participation

Social – Friends, outings, movies, having fun 

Rest – Sleep, “me time”, massage, holidays.

Generally if any one of these parts of your life is taking up a lot of your time over a sustained period, other areas of your life suffer. Your career should be your passion, and contribute to your overall happiness and wellbeing.

4. Decide on your career roadmap - Get professional advice!

This step will separate the real career seeker from the pretender. Your career is one of the most important activities in your life that can bring you happiness. Achievement builds self respect which can become the cornerstone of your smiling face.

To maximise the return on investment in yourself, visit a professional Career Development Practitioner.

Career Development Practitioners will assist mapping out the steps and changes necessary for you to go forward towards your career of choice. They can draw you a road map! They do charge fee's so shop around, but it will be the best investment you can make in saving you time and frustration moving forward.  

Think of it like this! When you need your tax calculated you go visit your accountant, when you have a legal issue to resolve you see a solicitor, when you need career advice you go and visit a Career Development Practitioner.

Career Development Practitioners can be found in almost every city. For a complete list you may like to visit the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) website or Google career counselor in your area. 

5. Learn new skills or have your experience formalised (Recognition of Prior Learning).

When you were working fulltime you probably did not have the time to update your skill set. Why not take the time now to learn a new software application, read the latest business books, or learn a foreign language? Acquiring new skills can only make you more valuable to a potential employer. 

Whether you are working or not you can formalise your experience by approaching organisations such as Skilling Solutions in Queensland or Skills Stores in Victoria just to name a few, who will advise you on how to formalise your previous experience into a certificate level course or similar. Google ‘recognition of prior learning’

More importantly look for companies who are keen to offer 'on the job training' where you can learn new skills or upgrade your educational qualifications. A great start in boosting your confidence. Speak to the appropriate HR personnel of these organisations and ASK:

• What skill set do I need to get in?

Or meet them at the Reinvent Your Career Expo's if you’re in Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney. Time to reinvent yourself. 

6. Resume

Condensing all your experience into two pages can seem daunting. But it is an essential part of reinventing your career. To make sure your resume stands out, here are a couple of tips to get you started: 

• You need a clean design that grabs your readers’ attention
• Use action words; “managed”, “directed”, “developed”
• Include outstanding referees who can back your best work achvements.

Cover letter 

A cover letter should reflect your suitability and interest in the role advertised. Your cover letter should: be concise and to the point, clearly link your experience to the job, be no more than four paragraphs long and end on a positive note. 

7. Networking - Market your reinvented self to the Hidden Job Market 

70% of jobs never get advertised. People mainly become aware of job vacancies via word of mouth and referral. So, open your mind to new industries or go face to face where ever possible.

Write out a list of your career passions – have you always been a bit of a green thumb? Or have you secretly wanted to work in fashion, styling the rich and famous? Whatever your interests make a list of them, and do some research into those industries. You might be surprised what you uncover! 

The discrepancy between what’s in the media and what job opportunities are actually available comes down to communication, or the lack off.  

This fact coupled with the negative preconceptions people have carried about industry’s and organisations have prevented potential employees in the past from considering a job role or career opportunities.

Organisations are now more than ever looking to maximise return on investment. Their number one investment is in their people, their workforce.  

Work out a plan to market yourself to potential employers and/or industries. Strategically target the companies you want to work for with a new, updated resume and covering letter, marketing your updated career passion, skills, experience and strengths. Tell a great story.

People often underestimate the importance of networking. It can be a wonderful opportunity to meet people and develop contacts within your chosen industry to gather as much information you can. More often than not, people are happy to help. Get out there and sell yourself!  

8. Interviews 

Interviews can be intimidating, but there are ways you can minimize your nerves:

Read as much as you can about interview techniques.

• Research the company and its products & services.
• Make sure you are as informed as possible about the specific industry.
• Prepare for your interviews in advance. e.g. Have your suit washed and ironed, make sure you know where you are going and how long it will take to get there. Although it may be difficult, try to anticipate any questions they may ask you and practice your responses beforehand.
• As you are approaching say to yourself. I’m the best, I can do it, I like myself. Repeat these to yourself as many times as possible.
• Lastly, smile and be confident!  

9. Maintain a routine 

While you are in the process of finding a new career, try to maintain a routine. Get up early in the morning, research jobs and careers opportunity requiring your skill set continuously wherever possible, network and don’t forget to exercise. It will keep you feeling energized and positive about the future.

10. A Fresh  Start

If you follow these steps, you’ll soon be on the path to your new and exciting future. When you do get the job of your dreams, congratulate yourself on all your hard work, and don’t forget to thank all the people that supported you along the way.