How to master a new career

How to master a new career by Heather Black, Founder of Salesforce Supermums

Retraining in a new career can almost feel like returning to your youth; it’s like returning to the bottom of the career ladder and becoming an apprentice in your trade. Your self-doubt and confidence will challenge you, whilst you gain knowledge, work experience, expertise to master your new skills.

It takes guts to give it a go, but if the opportunity is exciting enough then it’s worth the challenge to take the plunge,  just be prepared for the following to help you on your way:

The emotional roller coaster

Be prepared to enter the learning journey and acknowledge you will have the emotional ups and downs. Some things you will get straight away, whilst others you may need to try, try and try again until you eventually master it. The learning journey is like riding a bike!

Be ready to ask for help 

Be prepared to work alongside your peers to learn, ask and receive training and guidance. To progress from training to paid work, you will need to get involved in practical work experience and find a mentor to support you through it. It’s important to ask for help and to learn from those who know more. Undertaking volunteer work experience gives you a safe place to put your new skills into practice without the pressure you may have as an employee. Don’t feel bad about not mastering something for the first time or taking longer to complete something, this is normal during the first few months of working in a new trade.

Thrive outside of your comfort zone

Changing your lifestyle with new training and career commitments can push you outside of your comfort zone. It requires energy, commitment and planning to make sure you don’t drop all the balls you are juggling. Think carefully about what you need to have in place to manage this change and maintain the balance in other areas of your life whilst you take on the challenge of learning some new and building a new career.

Sell yourself well

Selling yourself into a new job role and career can be a daunting experience, so think about your transferable skills, industry knowledge, personality traits and relevant experience that you feel make you suitable for the role. Talk about your personal investment in your training and work experience to retrain, and demonstrate an interest and understanding in the company and job you are interviewing for.

At Salesforce Supermums, we provide a support programme of virtual training, work experience, mentoring and employability support over six months to support mums to retrain and secure flexible well-paid opportunities in the Salesforce CRM eco-system. To find out more about the opportunities with Salesforce and the retraining programme we offer please visit www.supermums.org

Come over to The Balance Collective with Clara Wilcox and share your career plans with like-minded working parents.