THE COURAGE FOR PROFESSIONAL REORIENTATION
NO FEAR OF CHANGING JOBS

Hand on heart: Are you satisfied in your current job? Even if you answer “yes” to this question, it may be that you have come across an exciting job opportunity and simply can’t pass it up. Suddenly, you're wondering whether you really are so happy in your job, or whether it's time for a new career start.

Can this exciting vacancy be your professional reorientation? Can't you stop thinking about this new job? Do you catch yourself thinking about new exciting tasks, a pleasant commute and new colleagues? Perhaps you’ve even updated your CV and written the cover letter. But you’re lacking that last bit of courage to send off your application.

And even if you’re initially plagued by self-doubt and “what if...” thoughts – your fear about the new job is probably unfounded.

The majority of reservations can be overcome with some simple mind games. This is how you can overcome your doubts and devote yourself to your professional reorientation.

We will help you to sort out your thoughts regarding a job change:

1. Do you feel like you're starting at zero with a job change?

2. Your qualifications aren't a 100 percent match for the position described

3. You don't know your way around the industry yet

4. You think that your competitors are better than you

5. A career restart scares you

6. What if you don't get on with the team?

7. A change of job might not fit into your personal timeline at present

8. Tips for combating fear before a career restart

When you change jobs, you lose a lot of security. Your new commute is the least of your worries. It can be more complicated with new colleagues, the new boss and particularly with new tasks. It often feels as though you’re starting from zero. Because you need to establish new contacts and rebuild processes and routines.

But you’re not starting from zero. You are bringing in your experience and knowledge from previous jobs, and will certainly find a way to incorporate these into your new job. Put the pedal to the metal and use your skills as an opportunity to make a fresh start and develop both professionally and privately.

Do you think you cannot fulfil the requirements of the new position? Or do you think that you aren’t good enough for the job and your qualifications are insufficient? There is no room for self-doubt in these considerations. Because if you're looking for a job you can do blindfold, you shouldn't be thinking about professional reorientation. The challenge and your professional development are the appeal of a new job. This is the only way to progress in your career.

Even though some knowledge is a prerequisite for certain positions, you can still impress with your soft skills. Show that you are inquisitive, pick up new skills quickly and work reliably in your CV. It’s best to demonstrate on the basis of a practical example. For example, when you started your last job, you didn’t know how to design newsletters and send them to your customers. But after a quick explanation and some practice, you got the hang of it and could now describe yourself as a professional in this area.

And remember: You’re switching to a new company and possibly a new industry, It is completely natural for you to not know everything yet – which your future employer is also aware of.

Are you not yet completely familiar with the industry in which you are going to be working? Do you not know the jargon, and think that you are a complete outsider?

But who is an expert when they first start a new job? With enough motivation and curiosity, you will quickly become a professional in the industry and will be taking a massive step forward in your career at the same time. There is no better way of developing your expertise and adaptability. And there is no other way of finding out what you are really enthusiastic about. Don't you think?

A view from the outside is often very valuable for employers. They may even benefit from your experience from other industries. It would be best to show in your cover letter that you would like to learn more about the industry and why.

Do you always assume that your competition is better than you? To be honest: You can't know how qualified your competitors are. You also don’t know whether their CVs and cover letters really appeal to and impress the personnel managers.

Therefore: Concentrate on yourself and think about what could happen in the best case scenario. Because you are the one, or one of many, who stands out from the crowd with their CV.

Consciously keep in mind everything that you’ve achieved already in your professional career. In this way you will increase your self-confidence and also radiate it. You are sure to find reasons why you are exactly the right candidate for the job. Write these down!

It is also useful to note down important keywords in the job description in your own application and integrate these into your CV. This a simple way to show how suitable you are for the position, and make yourself stand out from the competition.

Professional reorientation is within your grasp. As exciting, unexpected and promising as job opportunities are, they can also be equally as daunting. Suddenly it's a case of: Leaving your comfort zone, deliberately making changes and dealing with new things. Is your current job perhaps more secure and sensible? After all, you know the commute, the working conditions, the environment and your tasks well. Does the job change really make sense?

Absolutely. Security is not always a good thing, and standing still won't take you any further in your professional career – in order to do this you need to take the plunge. Also: Nothing is set in stone merely by applying. Look at it as an opportunity to use the application process to find out whether you really want to change jobs and whether the job will suit you. Take one step at a time, and gather all of your courage as soon as the right opportunity presents itself.

Having a good team around you is one of the most important criteria for job satisfaction for most people. Particularly if you are leaving a good team behind you, you may worry that your new colleagues will not be as good.

However, most of these thoughts will quickly evaporate. Because more and more companies will ensure that you fit in well with the team during the application stage. They will probably also ensure that you integrate well in the team when onboarding takes place during your introduction phase. And last but not least, everyone is interested in you becoming a fully-fledged team member.

If you are open, communicative and authentic, nothing will stand in your way of being accepted in the team.

Would a new career start suit you better in a year and three months? Or, in other words: You may be waiting for the perfect time in vain. So why not now? Does a promotion, salary increase or development opportunity await you that you don't want to miss out on?

These factors don't need to be the deciding factor as to whether or not you stay with your current employer. Because you will have to negotiate a salary, training and benefits with your new employer.

Or would leaving give you a guilty conscience? Is your team currently understaffed, are you needed by your boss, or a project currently in a critical phase? Thoughts like these are completely normal. But think about it another way: Do you think your boss would stay with the company if he or she found their dream job?

There is a reason why you have a notice period. Your company should take this time to find a suitable replacement for you – and you can arrange for an orderly handover at your leisure. Your guilty conscience is therefore completely unfounded. This is about your career and your needs. Put yourself first for once, even if you are otherwise not an egotistical person.

A new career start can spark a wide range of fears in us, which are more or less justified. You may be confident in some situations and faced with a major challenge in others, depending on the experience you have gathered so far.

You're not on your own with your fears, and above all there are some simple tips for keeping your worries under control:

1. Believe in yourself

2. Be confident, you have often successfully coped with a new start on previous occasions

3. Find out what is causing your fear

4. Deal with your fears, and  find out ways of working round them

5. Accept your fears, and maybe speak to some people who you trust about them

6. If you make a change of perspective, you can turn fears into opportunities

7. Realise that this can even include failure, and that's OK