Here's how you can discover and seize new career opportunities as a mid-career professional.

At your mid-career, the importance of continued growth and learning may be (or should be) a highlight at this point. So, to give your career a push, consider an additional or first "certification." This can be directly in your field or in a related field, through a professional organization or an on-line program. Share your progress with appropriate colleagues and when you finish up and receive the official certification, let staff and others know!

Conducting a thorough self-assessment of your skills is a foundational step in career development. By understanding your strengths and identifying gaps, you can strategically target areas for growth that align with your career goals. This not only enhances your marketability but also ensures that your career trajectory is aligned with your personal and professional aspirations. Moreover, recognizing hidden strengths can boost your confidence and open doors to opportunities you might not have previously considered.

"Cómo Crear un Currículum Efectivo para el Servicio Público": Un currículum en el sector público debe resaltar habilidades, experiencia y compromiso con la comunidad. Estructura tu currículum con información personal, objetivo profesional, experiencia, formación y habilidades. Enfócate en tu trabajo previo en el sector público, detallando proyectos exitosos y su impacto. Usa palabras clave específicas del sector para captar la atención de los reclutadores. Mantén tu currículum actualizado y revisado regularmente para reflejar tu evolución profesional y destacar tu idoneidad para roles en el servicio público.

One thing I have found useful is beginning by taking stock of your current skill set. Reflect on your experiences and consider which skills have been most instrumental in your success. It's also crucial to identify any gaps that might hold you back from advancing or pivoting into a new field. This self-assessment can reveal hidden strengths you haven't fully leveraged or areas where further development could open up new career avenues. Remember, the goal is not just to find any opportunity, but one that suits your unique talents and career aspirations.

Keep up with industry trends and find abilities that are in demand or could boost your marketability. To learn these abilities, consider taking online classes, getting certified, or attending workshops and conferences.

GOLDEN RULES of smart networking: 1. Prioritizing quality over quantity 2. Nurturing authentic relationships 3. Diversifying your networks across industries 4. Following up, both in-person and digitally Ultimately, smart networking isn't just about immediate gains but cultivating lasting, meaningful connections that propel professional growth

The Ultimate Rule of networking is to give value first and you can do this smartly by doing it on a 1-2-1 basis by messaging recruiters and employers direct. This can be sending a 60 second LinkedIn selfie video introducing yourself or a simple Loom recording video. OR You can be the lighthouse, by posting content sharing value and this is simply you providing your opinion on an industry topic. This will help you position yourself as a thought leader. These 2 methods are the best ways to network in today's digital economy!

Networking is essential for finding unadvertised opportunities. Attend industry events, join professional associations, and use social media platforms such as LinkedIn to interact with peers, mentors, and possible employers.

When updating your resume, consider these 3 tips: 1 - Be specific. Replace attributes such as 'Team work' with ‘Excellent team player with strong collaboration and communication skills’ 2 - Use power verbs that show your leadership. Replace: ‘Managed’ or ‘Implemented’ with power verbs like ‘Led’, ‘Drove’, ‘Influenced’ 3 - Less is more. Do bullets. Shorten your sentences. Recruiters want to know WHAT you achieved vs all the details on HOW you did it.

Updating your resume is a great way to have a total deep view on your background and skills and identify potential gaps to your future goals. You can pick 1-2 job adevertisements that seem appealling to you (even if you are not planning to apply now) and try to tailor your CV to them. Looking your CV from the employer side you can identify and areas that you need to develop either by further learning, certifications, volunteering etc.

I would 100% suggest to use ChatGPT to craft your resume, as it will be able to articulate your work experience in a smarter format. Remember this: Executives earning £100k+ lead with the tangible achievements they have achieved. This is how much money they have made, saved or time saved for the company. Mid-level professionals £40k - 80k lead with their experience. Juniors lead with their education on their resume. If you don't have any tangible key achievements estimate them. This is the best way not to only just be able to land an interview but also be able to secure a job offer.

Customize your CV and LinkedIn profile to highlight your transferable abilities and most recent accomplishments. Demonstrate how your experience may add value to a new role or sector.

Leavarage your skills, strengths,interests and experiences is a great starting point to to identify areas for growth and potential new career paths as well as pursue additional training, certifications, or advanced degrees to stay competitive and relevant in your industry. BUT, what if you don't have an idea of where to start looking at? In order to support you clear the fog you have in your mind, a mentor and career coach is all you need in order to find your way in the quickest and clearer way!

Lifelong learning is the key to career development & satisfaction. Most roles experience significant change over time due to factors such as technology advancements, economic ups and downs, political/cultural shifts and keeping current creates growth & stability. Learning does not have to mean a classroom setting or an online course- both good options. Learning can come from brief exposure to new topics, new skills, and new people. Joining a board, an industry association or an online discussion group will open doors. Get out and go business events to meet people and learn about industry trends.Within your means, attend conferences and workshops to gain awareness of new ideas and practices. Have fun and your career will grow naturally!

We can use the internet for our growth and for free. We have several courses online, groups to study or debate about an specific topic. If you don´t know hot to start, search for professionals in your interested area and see if they can help you on that or even look what they have been studying. When you focus in learn something new, you open your mind to a lot of new others.

Working with mentors and coaches has been crucial for my career growth. In my podcast and coaching practice I now am able to offer this to my listeners and my clients and students. Coaches and mentors can offer diverse perspectives that enrich your professional journey. Look for coaches and mentors who have successfully navigated career transitions or advanced in their fields, even if they're not in your exact industry. They can provide insights, share experiences, and help you avoid common pitfalls. Building these relationships can significantly enhance your career. For more career tips, please follow me on LinkedIn and listen to The Job Hunting Podcast.

Transitioning mid-career using your existing skills and experience is much easier. You’re not starting over and can leverage your past achievements. Job interviews focus on how your experience benefits the company. It's an exchange of value: you solve their problems with your skills, and they pay you. Many of you already have high-paying skills but are in the wrong industry. We’ve helped people move into high-paying tech careers from healthcare, education, finance and more. The principles used in managing complex tasks in other fields are highly valuable in any job. Hiring a mentor or gaining structured guidance or even gaining some experience in the desired field, is more valuable than gaining a university degree or a certification.

Seek advice from someone with experience in your preferred profession, or engage with a career coach to help you clarify your goals, plan your job search, and enhance your interview abilities.

Do not limit yourself to your current industry or job title. Investigate related subjects or investigate roles that require your skills in a new environment. Sometimes the best possibilities exist outside of your comfort zone.

Staying open while exploring new career options is key. Think of it as cultivating a curious mindset and letting go of any assumptions that might hold you back from experimenting. Not doing this can really limit your options and stop you from discovering amazing new opportunities!

Consider working together with Career Counsellor as can help you on all the stages of self awareness, identification of skills, exploring opportunities, steeting goals, making a personal plan and tailor your applications.

Self-knowledge will be a key tool in the development of your professional career. On one hand, it will allow you to work on your weaknesses, which, although they may still be present, knowing and working on them will enable you to adapt and develop strategies to address them, or in some cases, improve them to enhance your employability. It will also help you recognize your strengths so you can leverage them both at work and in job interviews, as well as in your daily life. Although it may seem like an exclusively internal process, it's actually something that is developed through our relationships with colleagues, social interactions, seeking guidance, therapy, etc.

Amazing inputs by all the contributors. I would like to bring in a different perspective, as I have firsthand experience of changing careers mid-way. Many of us take our first job right after graduation and stick with it, regardless of whether we truly enjoy it. I spent 16 years in technology, only to discover through a psychometric assessment that my real interests lay elsewhere. This helped me realize I was more suited for entrepreneurship, training, teaching, and psychology. A mid-career change is an opportunity to reset and align your work with your true passions. Connecting with a career coach can guide you in understanding your true calling.