Generation X belongs to the people born during the period 1965 – 1984 and are probably in the early thirties or late forties. This particular generation forms a substantial part of the workforce population and often finds itself squeezed between two major groups, namely Boomers and Gen Y. As the professionals belonging to this group find themselves sandwiched between Boomers who are on the verge of retirement and Millennial who have a relaxed attitude towards company norms and protocols, they have also witnessed a paradigm shift in the choice of careers and are testimonials to the altered definition of career success. Times have certainly changed, and it is essential that people belonging to Gen X must keep up with it to avoid feeling dissatisfied or neglected. Hence, to match steps with Gen Y and save your job, it is necessary you follow these pieces of advice to ensure a long-lasting career.

Understand your brand value 

Today, individuals don't refrain from trying exciting career options or following their passion. The formula 'get good grades, complete education, get a job and live happily ever after' has already been laid to rest. Hence, even if you have been employed in a particular field for more than three decades, understand that the corporate would still need you. You are an important resource to the employer as you bring experience, reliability and some seriousness to the table.

Understand Your Value

Be the driving force of your career 

Even if you are an employee who has been working at the same organization for almost a decade, you should not be afraid to make a switch for better opportunities. Being loyal is definitely an excellent trait and is also appreciated in the job industry. Many Gen-Xers are facing midlife crisis juggling between job and other responsibilities. If the work has become monotonous or is not something that makes you tick, it is never too late to pursue a career in a field of your interest.

Be The Driving Force

Get a hands-on experience with social media 

To stay aloof and detached from the latest buzz in your domain, means you are deliberately showing a smug attitude and are unwilling to learn new things. Being ignorant about social media can affect your status in the society as well as create a negative impression on potential employers. In today's tech-savvy world, it is important to stay connected and embrace opportunities that are available on the Internet. You can discuss opinions with like-minded people or listen to their views and thus be in a continuous learning process.

Get Experience  with Social Media

Relate to your colleagues beyond work 

Gone are the days, when work only meant giving hundred percent to carry out the assigned tasks. The changing company environment has emphasized the fact that work and fun must mutually exist to boost productivity in the workplace. Hence, it is necessary to develop informal relationships with your coworkers that exist beyond the desk. You can try going on short road trips or mini picnics to develop a stronger bond.

Relate to Your Colleague

Break your skeptical attitude 

The people from Gen X are often said to have a typical stereotype mindset. Even if you have been an employee who was with the company since its inception and have watched its phenomenal growth, do not act like an individual who is difficult to talk to or has a strong sense of cynicism. As you belong to the middle generation of workers, become a bridge between the youngsters and older colleagues and keep sarcasm out of it.

Break Skeptical Attitude

Whenever you have a chance to learn new things, grab the opportunity instead of lamenting 'I am too old for it now'. Even if you failed to get the outcome, you will be glad that you at least made an attempt. If you want to see your career progressing, it's time to get started. Stop giving excuses and learn to adapt. Instead of being critical, assimilate these minor changes in your professional life.

Career transitions are often daunting irrespective of who you are – an experienced professional or just a starter in the industry. A career change is a big decision and there might be many stakes involved, but it is necessary to do so at the right time than staying stuck at the same place and compromising with the life you always desired to live. Do you think your work-life balance has been completely thrown off guard, and life sucks? It's time when you should take the leap and not be afraid of risks for there will always be better possibilities. Changing careers is often tumultuous and an individual might not be able to navigate the entire process on its own. At such times, he/she must take inspirations from influential personalities who have jumped the ship or even took assistance from a career coach. Taking help from a career coach can prove beneficial in the following ways.

Career Coaching

Gives you a better idea of present and past

As your mind plays tricks in such delicate situations, a career coach is always in a better position to understand your condition and the challenges you might have to face and accordingly guide you on the same. The mentor will help you understand whether you want to shift just because you feel unexcited about work and want to precipitously make a decision, want to follow the footsteps of a colleague who has just resigned, are persuaded by peers who are doing well in their field, or there is an underlying ambition to achieve something big in life. The career guide will help you assess yourself and know the real reason behind seeking a change.

Helps you realize your potential

Even if you are hell-bent on making a transition and have a clear vision of what you want to achieve in life, but are low on confidence, a career coach will help you in boosting your confidence levels and take a look at the optimistic side of this life-changing phase. These mentors can help understand your transferable skills, talents and also assist in searching probable options that will guarantee success.

Makes the process manageable

Shifting careers can look like an obstacle race at first even if you know your goal. As you meticulously prepare yourself to begin a new phase in life, a career guide can help you build a platform to brush up your capabilities and make use of resources to live a life you have always imagined. These professionals can help you identify your dream lifestyle and break the entire transition process into small actionable steps. They will assist in setting achievable goals with specific deadlines and even help in emphasizing your vision, thus eliminating all trepidation.

Helps to build a network

As you have decided to move to a new field, it is important that you add connections in your network as well as maintain old ones. Since a career guide usually handles and comes across professionals working in diverse fields, he/she can direct you to establish connections with people working in the same field you are interested in. Also, you will need to rework on your resume and modify your profiles on professional sites as well as social media.

Sets up an action plan

Although you are convinced and have made up your mind to pursue a new career, there might be times when you have to make bold significant decisions in life. You are aiming to embark on something that you have never tried before and might be hesitant to come out of a comfort zone. During such times, a career change guide will act as a motivator and help you achieve small milestones that will boost your belief, which is essential for success.

Opening up your heart to a career coach can help in making a smooth transition and the entire process look less challenging. The career guide will not only eliminate unnecessary thoughts but also relate to your ideas and ignite the spark to succeed in your new venture.

Want to give a new direction to your life? Going for a career change is not something that has been just born. Although questioning yourself whether you are on the right career path can induce anxiety and fear among many individuals, it is not something that has not been tried before. As the adage goes: “Better late than never,” some people do take time to realize their inclinations and get the right start. It is always better than being stuck with the wrong job. Today, there are plenty of examples of people who have switched their careers midlife and are living a successful life after taking the bold decision. Here are a few examples that demonstrate it is never too late to alter the career path.

#1. Jane Doze – DJ duo who make you tap your feet

Mozentor and Schlissel, the female DJs who are among the most renowned electronic DJ artists hit the right notes when they met at a show. Their bonding increased over the time while discussing electronic dance music and mash-ups of different songs. Before their instinct took over, both the ladies were employed in a full-time day in Manhattan. After their Chicago show and a print featured in Billboard magazine made them overnight stars, they decided to take the plunge and shift from a paycheck job to a full-time career in the music industry.

Jane Doze

#2. Roz Savage – An expert ocean rower

This woman in mid thirties with no previous experience in adventure gave her family and friends the shock of their lives when she suddenly announced her decision to row across the world's biggest deep-blue oceans. Roz actually wrote down two obituaries to determine if her current job was giving her the freedom to live a fulfilled life. When she noticed that it was taking her in wrong direction and forcing her to live a life of obligation, not only did she ditch the job but also became the first woman to row across the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian ocean.

Roz Savage

#3. Walt Disney – Creator of the most loved cartoons

A testimony to his own thought, 'If you can dream it, you can do it'. Walt Disney did not reach the pinnacle easily. Braving various childhood odds, he started to work as a newspaper editor at Kansas City Star newspaper, but was fired from the job due to 'lack of imagination and creativity'. He soon started his own venture 'Laugh-O-gram Studios' but went bankrupt. In later years, he went on to create the iconic Mickey Mouse and his group of friends, which is still quite a rage among children.

Walt Disney

#4. Andrea Bocelli - Struck the right chords with music

He holds a law degree from the University of Pisa and was working in a highly qualified role of Defense Attorney until the age of 34. Following his love for music, Andrea quit the high profile career to become a full-time singer. He struggled for the initial years until Pavarotti listened to him on tape and become one of the world's most famous classical singers.

Andrea Bocelli

#5. Jeff Bezos – Amazon chief and entrepreneur

Bezos went on to make a lucrative career in computer science in top firms of Wall Street after completing graduation. He served as the youngest vice president at an investment firm, D.E. Shaw before quitting the job to start his own setup in Seattle and created history by transitioning the world of e-commerce with Amazon.

Jeff Bezos

#6. Brad Pitt – Hollywood's heartthrob

Eldest among his siblings, Brad Pitt dropped out of college when he was just two steps away from completing a journalism degree at the University of Missouri. He worked as a limousine driver to make a living before realizing his love for films. Driven by his passion, he left that job and entered the world of glamor. He won several accolades, and the rest became history.

Brad Pitt

#7. Shaina Olmanson – For love of desserts and passion for food blogging

Shaina was working as a typewriter in 2008 typing the interviews taken by other journalists. Though the job kept her on toes and occupied a major part of the day, she knew this job was not something that would be appreciated in her career. Aspiring to be a writer, she was urged by her friends to take up writing as a serious career. Shaina slowly started getting recognition for her work and went on to become a successful food blogger and even published a book on desserts.

Shaina Olmanson

Changing careers is always a big decision and definitely not for the fainthearted. If you have the courage to ditch your monotonous job and guts to follow your dreams and accept the challenges, take example of inspirational individuals who dared to make the transition and took the jump.

Have you decided to follow your inclinations and start a fresh in a career that is entirely different from your current one? While suddenly shifting your career after having set a strong foothold in the current one can put any person a few years back. In that case, taking appropriate steps can help in smoothing out the process. Changing present career to finance after having spent almost half your life cannot only give you jitters, but also make your mind go buzzing with thoughts and unending questions. The finance industry offers individuals new challenges and at the same time gives them a chance to reap in the benefits with the help of incentives and compensations. If you are wondering whether it is a right time to take the decision, and if you should really make the switch, go through the points listed below to get a clear idea about the steps to be taken.

Career Change to Finance

Develop finance skills 

As you are planning to step into a new field, it is going to be a walk in no man's land. Therefore, you should first get information about required skills of the finance profession. When you have almost made your mind to take the leap, ensure that you have complete knowledge on how finance and accounting works. In addition to this, you should be proficient in using computer and must have the ability to handle various software applications. Also, an individual aspiring to make a career in the finance field must have good interpersonal and communication skills.

Do research 

Before taking a career jump, ensure that you examine the situation from all angles and avoid making mistake. Do a thorough research and collect maximum information. This will help you in assessing yourself. If it is possible, contact those professionals who are already working in this field or have similar job profiles and understand the kind of work entailed. Talking to them will clear your queries and also give an idea about how the tasks are carried out in a real world. One of the most important factors of career change is the ability to build a strong network and tend these professional friendships.

Take informational interviews

It often happens that individuals working in a field are more than happy to help others and speak profusely about their profession. When you get a chance to interact with professionals from the finance field, grab the opportunity to conduct informational interviews. This will give you a small insight into the finance industry as well as help you know information that otherwise may not be accessible. Also, be sure to come prepared for interview so that you can ask intelligent questions to the interviewer.

Assess yourself 

Many people opt for a career change due to trivial reasons such as bored with their present work, they dislike being pointed on mistakes by seniors, or were never truly interested in the field. Therefore, before you start working in any profession, it is extremely important to know likes and dislikes and do some self-introspection. You should understand if you are really interested in finance to continue with it for the rest of life. It is also necessary to whether you possess the needed qualifications and skills. If not, are you willing to take the steps to learn them and bridge the gap. At such a juncture, you can also go for online assessment tests and even consult a career coach if you are shaky about the decision.

Even if switching a career when you have reached the pinnacle of your career can seem a wrong decision to others, you should not be afraid to make the transition if you are determined and are willing to work hard for it. Your transferable skills, research and a strong network can help in making a smooth transition in this new field.

Are you opting for a career change? It can happen due to two reasons – going for a  totally different career field by choice, or you want to take on new challenges. Whatever be your cause for switching career, the first thing you need to do is write a fresh and relevant resume. Before you do, understand that using the same methods to draft it that landed you an established job would not be sufficient now. As hiring managers have limited attention span, it is necessary to put your best foot forward and market yourself appropriately. Following tips give an insight on how to write a good career change resume and secure a job in a new field.

Career Change Resume

Create a strong first impression

Take efforts to write a captivating cover letter. It is the first thing that the hiring managers are going to read. It gives you a chance to convey how the past work history and skills make you a suitable candidate for the job. Even if you have little or nil experience of the new field, and are competing against individuals who have worked in a similar background, the cover letter is an opportunity to stress on how you can achieve an effective transition in the new role.

Mention Transferable skills

Understand the role by reading the job description. Analyze skills you have gained relevant to the new position that can convey you as a perfect match for the role. For example, if you have decided to move from the team leader to teacher, find out the things that are common in both the profession. It could be strong presentation skills, ability to convey your thoughts in simple language and capacity to hold attention of audience. To compare your skills with the applied job, use these resume samples.

Use a resume objective 

An objective can be used in top section of your document to specify the type of job you are looking for. While this statement is going to be about you, its main purpose is to sell yourself to the hiring managers. Write an eye-catching objective statement that helps recruiters connect the dots and make them understand how your previous career has given you skills that are apt for the new job.

Decide on format 

There are many types of resume formats available. When you are switching to a new field, it is important to revamp your resume as per a specific format that is most convenient to you. It could be a chronological resume in which your past work experience is highlighted in reverse order along with a qualification summary. Or it can be a functional resume where priority is given to your experience and skills rather than the organization you have worked for. One can also use a combination of both the types to make the right impact.

Mention valuable experiences 

Include the description about key projects that helped you develop transferable skills. It can be training or volunteer work you have done in the previous company. If you have little experience of the new field, emphasize work done beyond the office hours. For example, if you are working at a customer care center and are looking forward to moving in website design, include the website you might have designed for a local restaurant during your graduation years. Demonstrate your passion for the new career and tell how you have made use of opportunities to improve your skills.

Do not include unnecessary information 

You might have worked in a variety of projects in the past, but not all should be included on the resume. Even if you have accomplished many tasks in your previous organization, highlight only those that are relevant to the new field.

A career change can occur when there is a scarcity of jobs in the current industry, increased competition, or no progress in the pursued field. Regardless of any reason, an individual must concentrate on writing a proper career change resume that is bound to catch the recruiter's attention and make him/her fix an interview.