The Hour

When you're faced with redundancy it can feel like the end of the world – believe me, I've been through it twice. so I know the rollercoaster of emotions you go through – but it doesn't have to be such a bad thing.  Redundancy can also be an opportunity to re-assess your career and make new choices.

These days most people will change direction in their career at least three or four times. The idea of a job for life is outdated, so don't feel trapped by the choices you've made so far in your career. You made the best decision you could at the time given the circumstances. Now you're facing a new set of circumstances, you can make a new decision.

How do I decide on which direction to take?
A change in direction can mean starting a whole new career or making some shifts in the career you're currently in. It could be moving from marketing to sales, accounts to finance, or from the same role in the public sector to one in the private sector. It could be taking a year out to volunteer on a wildlife conservation project in Africa or starting your own business.

It's time for some creative thinking about what you want in your career in the future. When I'm working one-to-one with my clients who are changing career, I ask them to answer these questions:

• What appealed to me about my last job when I accepted the position?
• What did I enjoy most about my job and why?
• What did I dislike about my job and why?
• What do I enjoy doing in my spare time?
• What do people say I'm good at?
• What do I want to be doing in five, 10 or 20 years time?

Don't worry if you answer 'I don't know' to any of the questions when you first think about it. Go for a walk or do something you enjoy and think about the questions while you're doing that. The more you try to force the answers, the harder it is.

KEEP WORKING YOUR CAREER FOR YOU

• How to network your way in
• Finding a dream job
• Is it time to reinvent
• And increase your knowledge and skills

How much preparation will I need to do to change career?
Think of it as career evolution rather than career change. You might not able to walk into your dream job straight away (unless you have very good connections), so think a few months and years ahead about what you'd like to do. Look for roles which act as a stepping stone from one career to another.  

You might need to take a job in the short term which isn't exactly what you want, but it will teach you the skills you need to move into the career you do want. This might be the time to call in some favours and get an unpaid or minimum wage internship or temporary work at a friend's company to get a foot in the door.

Make connections with people you used to work with using social networking sites such as LinkedIn so they can see your current experience and recommend you for suitable roles as they come up. If you say on your profile what you're looking for, recruiters will be able to see this as well – yes, they do search profiles when they are looking for candidates.

Don't just focus on the people who you know who are employed, your friends and contacts who run their own businesses could help as well.  People who are self-employed or are business owners have to do much more networking, so they may know someone who can help you with getting the experience you need or making an introduction for you.

A word of caution, before leaping in and asking people to help you – be very clear about what you want them to do for you and stick to it. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to help a friend by asking a contact to speak to them, only to find that your friend has changed their mind and doesn't follow up once the connection has been made.

How do I adapt my CV for my new career?
If you have contacts in the industry ask if there are any conventions with writing CVs. You might need to use a different style of CV. For example if you're thinking about using the time you have now to work as an extra on TV shows and movies, they may struggle to be impressed with your in-depth knowledge of databases. You need to make your skills relevant and this may mean picking out things you would not have thought to put on your CV before.

In some cases you’ll just need to describe things differently, for example in the public sector you may have been focused on outputs and managing surpluses, in the private sector you’d talk about meeting targets, profits and return on investment.

Managing director of HRM Coaching Ltd, Hannah McNamara is an experienced career coach. She has also survived two redundancies and reinvented herself twice. She is currently offering STV readers 10 per cent off her coaching services – go to www.hannahmcnamara.com/stv for more details.