How to start a Career Change.

Hello and welcome to episode 4 of the Chloe Spillane Podcast. We talk all things careers, job search, being a female business owner, running a business, being a woman in general, and just the stuff that kind of comes up in life. So welcome if you haven't been here before. It's amazing that you're here and welcome back if you've been tuning in week to week. So before we dive in, I always am going to give a bit of an update on me. Let's talk about the week that has been. Okay, so last week I think I ended it on talking about how I've had a recent post go viral and things were just starting to move. So I had that post go viral and then from the wise words of my coach, she told me that, you know, rinse and repeat. So you take what is working and then you redo it, just like, you know, redo it in the same format, but maybe have some different messaging. And lo and behold, I did the same thing. I was making a smoothie talking about salary negotiation negotiations. And again, it went viral. And it's so funny, you know, these things that go viral. I'm starting to care less and less about what people think. Like, all the— you know, there's obviously going to be people that love what you have to say, and there's going to be people that hate what you have to say, and they're going to be super negative. And for me, I'm just learning more and more about how you need to detach from that. And the people that are going to resonate with you, with which— who are going to like what you have to say, are the people that you want to be following you, are the people that you want in your courses, your programs, your coaching, your memberships, whatever it is. So, you know, if you are a business founder and you are putting content out there, I strongly encourage you to really knuckle down on what is important to you, what you believe in, what your values are, what you think is right and wrong, and what works, and being very vocal about that. Because if you are talking about what's important to you, um, and your beliefs in the work that you do, then you're going to attract people that think like you. Yes, you're going to get people that completely butt heads with you, but that's the whole point. Like, you're, you're bringing conversations, you're talking about, you know, potential controversial topics or whatever it is, but your opinion is being heard. And if you are showing up on social media every single day like I am, it is so important that you are able to stand out from the noise. Because I can guarantee you that whatever you're specializing in, there's someone else doing it. There might be someone else doing it even better than you are. But what is gonna bring people in is how you distinguish yourself from other people. I literally just got off a call with a potential new client and she said, yeah, you're really different, which is why you stood out and why I wanna work with you. You know, being different is a good thing. Being different means that you have that point of difference from someone else that is doing something different to you. And the clients that you attract are the ones that are going to resonate with who you are as a person and those beliefs and values and thoughts that you put out there. So this is my permission slip to you if you are building a business and delivering content, say whatever you want, just say whatever you want and believe in what you have to say. Okay, cool. Because if you don't do that, you're just going to get lost in the noise of everything that's out there. I think there's something like over 2 billion reels that are played every day. So you're one of 2 billion. You've got to do something that stands out and shows the world that you are a different person to someone else doing what you specialize in. So I've had those reels go viral and my content is obviously just kind of, you know, continuing to grow because of that momentum. I've just hit 40,000 followers, which is amazing. I was stuck on like 35,000 for at least a year and a half now. So it's been, yeah, I don't know, I'm working really, really hard and it's not just about getting all these followers, like that's a bonus and that's great. For me, it's about continuing to build a community in this career space and connect with the people that are following me. I'm really being able to do that, which is important to me. Bringing in people that want to be a part of my world. I think with the noise of the internet and everything that's out there, it's so important that anyone that's coming to you, you make them feel heard, seen, understood, all of that. So that's been really amazing to experience. I launched, soft launched, a new course, The Interview Blueprint. It is everything that I want job seekers to be taught before they interview. It's literally my vault of interview knowledge. And it's just, it's so much value all packed into one course. I'm not going to hard pitch it on here, obviously. But I had like a free masterclass as a lead magnet and so had over 100 people sign up. I think I've had now since the masterclass has been, been and gone, now I have the, the video just as a lead magnet and people come in and they, you know, watch that and then might go buy the Interview Blueprint. I've had over 300 people view that, so that's really exciting. Really hoping to get some more sales come through. I've had 2 sales come through and that I know that seems like a tiny number, but for me who has gone through a massive sales slump and wasn't even getting any sales on any of my digital courses, getting 2 people over the line is huge. So again, I'm validating anyone out there who is trying to sell something online and has had one, one person buy it. That one person has bought it. So if one person buys it, that means someone else is going to buy it and someone else is going to buy it. You know, don't be disheartened by the fact that, oh, it's just one person. Oh, it's just 2 people. That's 2 people that are invested in you. Think about that and then build on that. Okay, awesome. So that happened. And yeah, just the usual, hitting up the gym, um, again, some extra cash from my wonderful parents who I am doing some gardening for. Um, you know, just with a lot of things that I'm trying to put money towards now, I need, I need the extra cash. So I spent, uh, the weekend doing a lot of gardening, hedging. You can call me Hedge Queen now. Uh, hedging for my mum, um, in her garden. So it's nice to actually switch off from social media and get out in nature and, and do that. So that's been my week really, and here we are. I'm recording this a little bit late, um, but it's here. And, uh, now we're going to get into the topic that I'm going to cover today. So I thought it was a really interesting time to talk about career change and how your career can evolve, change, and grow over, like, over your career. I think there's a lot of people who will do a degree at university and then think, okay, well, I've done that degree, I need to just do what I know. Let me just do this degree, do the work that specializes from that, and then I'm just going to stay in my lane because this is what I know. What you'll find, and what I find a lot from people that come to me in their, you know, 40s, is, is that usually at 40s, maybe early 50s, is that they've done this thing for so long, they think it's all they know, and they kind of get like narrowed into this box of going, oh well, this is what I study, this is what I've done for the last 25 years or 20 years, this is where I have to stay. And what they don't realize is that there is a whole world and wealth of opportunities out there that the skills that they have acquired over those 20 years they could transition into one of those many, many opportunities. There is so many opportunities out there that you don't even know about. There are jobs and industries that you don't even know exist. And I think if we keep ourselves in this narrow mindset of going, oh, well, this is what I know and this is what I have to do, you are limiting yourself to so many options. I think we're in a time now where there's obviously a lot of stuff online. A lot of opportunity around that. But there's so many more things that people can do with their career. There's— I think we're not as limited as what we once were as to what a good career path looks like. And I think as well, if you are able to articulate what that skill set is that you have and can apply to multiple industries, that is when you are going to open the door to so many more options. So that's one part of what I wanted to touch on today is that don't feel that just because you've done one thing for 20 years, that that's the only thing that you can do. You need someone to come in with a very objective lens and go, okay, this is your skill set, this is your experience. Let's package that up all very nicely and then look at, okay, well, what industries or roles could that transfer to? Which of these skills align with skills in another industry? Once you see that, it's very hard to unsee it. You look at this, you'll look at a list and go, oh my God, I didn't even know that I could be a candidate for these kind of industries. I didn't know this was an option for me. I thought I had to stay in this, in this, you know, channel or in this box my entire life. No, we're living in a time where, as I said, if you know how to articulate yourself, you can move to a different industry. So that's one part of it. Let's talk about the how you do that. The best way to kind of, you know, understand how you can identify what those skills are is literally using a really good AI tool. Chloe Spillane AI obviously is going to help you get there. And you want to get your resume, you want to put it into those AI tools, and you want to prompt it with, pull out all of the skills and experience I have that would be transferable to another industry. Prompt 1. Prompt 2: Please tell me a list of industries and roles that these transferable skills would align well with. Voilà! You're going to get a bunch of, bunch of opportunities you didn't even know could be your next career move, all coming through to you. So that is a very simple task that you can do with your resume right now to see where else you could start a career. Now, I want to make it really clear, and it's very important, that before you probably do that exercise, like, that might just be something you do for fun. You're like, oh, let's see what else I could do. Like, go for it, fine. But you want to get clarity as to what's important to you, what you value, what's a priority, what you see as being next for you. Like, you want to get some clarity on what that looks like first, because if you put into, you know, an AI tool, tell me what my transferable skills are and where I can go, it's going to bring up a, you know, potentially a lot of options for you. And then you're going to have, like, decision fatigue. Your brain's going to get overloaded. You're going, well, I don't really know what I I want or where I want to go. So you need to do a bit of a career clarity exercise. We'll do another episode on that, but a career clarity and redirection exercise which will help you kind of understand or discover what it is that is like a driving force for you. You know, is it about career fulfillment? Is it money? Is it stability? Is it security? Like, there's some things to think about. You know, what are, what are your values? What kind of environment do you want to be in? How do you like to work? How do you like to operate? What are some deal breakers for you? What do you desire? Like, what are must-haves for you? What do you want to be doing day to day? Like, getting really clear on all those different things and having, like, putting that together in a little package is then going to help you kind of identify when you get that list of all the different things you could do to go, okay, well, this is what I want, and it sounds like that's going to align well with industry A, B, or C instead of these 10 different industries. Cool. So that's like a really good exercise that you can do literally listening to this or watching this to kind of figure out where next might be for you. But really want to make it clear that you are not confined to what you think you should be doing. That's your own self-talk. That's your own limiting beliefs. If you continue to tell yourself, oh, I can only do this because this is what I know, then that is you limiting yourself. So the best way to get out of your own way is to do an exercise like this that literally opens your eyes to what else is out there. So if you want to change your career, if you want to pivot, but you're sitting there going, I just don't know what to do, then do that exercise. And if you're sitting there going, well, I think I want to change, but I'm a bit scared, um, you know, maybe I'll just stick with what I know, then that's you just holding yourself back. So do you want to continue to hold yourself back or do you want to move forward? The choice is yours. Yes, I get it's scary. Yes, you're making a risk. Like, yes, you're taking a risk, sorry. But would you rather continue living in a world where you hold yourself back from fear and when it's the end of your career you were like, oh, I wish I kind of took a chance when I was in my 40s or when I was in my late 30s to kind of change careers and see what else I could do. I guess I just never believed in myself enough. Or do you want to be the person who looks at the end of their career and was like, gosh, I took a massive risk, but I'm really glad I paid. I'm really glad I did that because it paid off because I opened up another career avenue that I never thought was possible. Or you could be the person that says, I took a massive risk and I took a huge leap to change my career. It didn't work out, but it actually pointed me in a completely, completely new direction that I didn't even know existed. Whatever risk you take, whatever leap of faith you do, yes, there is risk. Yes, it might not work out, but there is always something golden at the end of that. So trust in yourself enough, have enough self-belief that even if you don't know what it looks like now, even if you're still trying to figure it out, that it's all going to work out for you in the end. But you need to believe in yourself that you can make that change happen. Great. So let's kind of talk about my career history and how many times I changed and how I navigated that. I think it's always helpful me to share my journey because it kind of shows you that this stuff is possible and obviously you can relate to me. So in the first episode, I kind of gave like a high-level overview as to everything I did and the changes I made. So we'll kind of go back to it. When I went through school, I was super, very talented musically. Like I was classically trained on piano. At one point I could have pursued music, but I didn't. I was a typical teenager and was like, I don't want to do that. I never want to touch a piano again. Like that whole thing. And then I obviously went into acting. Um, so I went and did a degree in acting. I thought that was going to be it for me. I literally did it for a year. I went out into the acting world for a year and I thought, no, this is not going to be me long-term. This is not what I want to invest my life in. So I'm going to make a change. So I was sick of waiting tables and waiting for auditions and I went into travel sales. Now I'm someone that is very adaptable. Put me in any environment and I'll make it work. So I jumped into this role. I was there for 3 and a half years. I knew it wasn't what I wanted to like the be-all and end-all for me. I remember sitting down with one of their like career counselor people. I think I was, God, I would have been maybe 24 and they said, oh, what's your end goal here? And I said to be CEO. I literally told them that I want to be CEO of this company and they were like, oh wow, that's some big goals. I'm like, yeah, well, that's what I want. And now it makes sense that I'm running my own business. Like I always wanted to be the boss. Okay. Now I'm the boss. I'm boss of myself, but I'm still the boss. Anyway, so I had did that for 3 and a half years and learned like a lot of different skills in there. But again, like didn't really know where I was going to go to next after that, but just, I knew I'd figure it out. It's like, okay, well, I'm really good at sales. I'm really good at relationships. 'Let me see what's next.' So I actually took a risk and was like, 'You know what? I think I might want to go behind the scenes. Let me do a non-people-facing role.' And I literally had no experience doing this kind of job. Yes, it was still in the same industry, it was still in travel, but I knew the person that was hiring for the role. So I sent him a message and I'm like, 'Hey, I'm interested in this role. Can we have a chat?' And I pitched myself to him as to how I could be the person for the role. But I like the whole role was about like conflict management. I literally was giving people bad news all the time and then managing, managing the conversation. So it was a terrible job. I lasted a year, but taught me a lot around conflict resolution and how to have hard conversations. So, but I guess like the point of me sharing that is I didn't have any experience in conflict resolution specifically, but I was able to pitch myself as being in the same industry, having people skills and being a very good communicator. And that got me across the line with that. And then obviously my interview skills, you know, have always been quite good. They were not amazing back then, but they've always been pretty good. So I moved into that same industry, different kind of role, switch sold my experiences, did that for a year, hated it. And then I thought I need to go to a recruitment agency to figure out what I want to do. So I didn't really know what was next. So I went to a recruiter And because of my specific skill set in sales, people, relationships, they switch, sold me to recruitment. That was a really interesting experience because they said to me, what you are good at, what your skills are, which I was able to articulate very well and sell myself. I wasn't afraid to sell myself. How I articulated myself, they said, you know, you'd actually be a very good recruiter. So I got presented with a job opportunity when I went to the recruiter to work for them. So that was a really interesting career pivot because the person I went to for help, I ended up being that person that helps people. So that I guess is a good story around you never know where the conversations are going to lead you. Open yourself up to different conversations, to different opportunities. Open yourself up to meet new people, to talk to people in industries that you wouldn't think about, to talk to people in industries that might connect with what you do. Like, so obviously recruitment has a connection for me from salespeople relationships. So there's like a linear connection there. Find an industry that has a connection like that, start having conversations with people in that industry, and they might also switch sell you into it and say, you'd actually be really good here. So there's that option. Then when I was working through recruitment, I was in agency, realized that I wanted to go into a more like an internal role where I was like championing one company and bringing people into that organization instead of doing like the whole client candidate thing. And that was a very bold move that I did. Like, I left the agency, I didn't have anything lined up, but I backed myself enough to know that I, again, I'd figure it out, right? I've got a high risk tolerance. I'll just jump, I'll just be like, no, I'll figure it out, I'll work it out. I know what I'm doing. Delusional amount of self-belief, guys. Delusional. Highly recommend. So anyway, I saw this job posted. I knew I wanted to get into internal recruitment. And of course, this is quite an easy career change because I'm going, I mean, essentially in a similar industry, like agency recruitment is different to talent acquisition. Like talent acquisition, yes, you are doing the recruitment piece, but you're also doing employer brand. You're assisting with whole like recruitment strategy, workforce planning, hiring processes. You know, you're kind of running the whole internal recruitment of an organization, which you don't have that whole oversee when you're in agency. It's much more on that sales focus, whereas in talent acquisition, you don't actually get paid commission. You get paid a salary, a wage, and you're there to bring in people into the organization, promote that organization, attract the right talent, and also like look after the people that are coming in. So there's a whole like employee experience piece there. So yes, slightly different, like different role, but again, within the same industry. So the pattern here that you're seeing is that I kind of stuck within similar industries. That had a lot of cross, like a lot of crossover. So agency recruitment to talent acquisition, that was, you know, because I had the recruitment skills, that was a bit more of an easy transition for me. But what was the big standout was how I actually got that job. So I saw the job advertised. It had over 300 people that had applied. And I thought, stuff that, I'm not going to put in my application. I'm going to call them directly. So I, no joke, I got the number of the office. It was a small team. Obviously it's different if you're trying to like call a big corporation, but it was a small team. I called the office and I asked to speak to the managing director. I got the managing director and I pitched myself on the phone to her as to why I would be the best candidate for the role. I did not send in my application. I pitched myself over the phone. Now, funny, when I told my parents this, my mom was like, "I would do that." My dad was like, "I would not do that." So I'm not saying that everyone has to do this, but I am saying that this is something that will A, make you stand out, and B, you'll skip ahead those 300 people that are waiting to have their application reviewed. Like, have the guts to do something like that, know how to articulate yourself really well, and you're going to get ahead. Now, of course, I then had to go through an interview process. And I'm not like, I won't lie, when I pitched myself, I was terrified. I was like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, am I doing this? Am I doing this? Like, I was terrified. I was like, okay, like, here we go. And did the pitch. And after that, I was like, I don't know what I just said, but I did it. And then I ended up getting the job. So that was that move. And then I stayed in talent acquisition for a while. I was then headhunted to go build another build a talent acquisition function. And then after that, I was made redundant. So that's kind of the journey of what I've gone through as to how I've changed and pivoted my career. I understand that there'll be people watching this or listening to this that go, well, I don't really want to stay in the same industry or a similar industry. I want to change like completely. And that is absolutely okay. I think what it is really about is getting really clear on what that skill, like that skills and experience and personality offering that you have, like being able to kind of dissect that and then put it all together into a nice little value offering is what is going to make you sellable, make you sellable, make you someone that organizations will see as attractive if you are moving to different industries because it will be very clear as to how your skills align or transfer to this new industry that you're moving into. Now, the thing is, when you identify what the new industry is, you need to make sure that the skills that you're putting together in this nice little sell package or pitch package have alignment to this industry and to this role, obviously. Okay. And then when you're in interviews or in your applications, you need to be addressing the gaps and talking about how you're going to manage those gaps. There's a lot that goes into a career change. It's 100% achievable. You need to be speaking to the right people. You need to be networking. You need to be getting in the room with the people, like with the industry that you want to change into. You know, if you want to move into a different space like AI or whatever it is, or you want to move into, I don't know, communications, whatever industry you want to move into, you need to start networking with people in that space and you need to get yourself in like networking rooms or events or anything that is to do with that because you're going to meet more people in that space more introductions and more opportunities for you to pitch yourself and talk to someone that could open up a door for you. But of course, this all comes down to being able to pitch yourself and articulate your value very, very well. And we will be talking about that in another episode. What I think is really important as well that I want to briefly touch on is when you're applying for roles that are in a different industry, you do need to really tailor that resume. You need to tailor that resume. You need to speak about why you're moving industries on your cover letter. Tell them your story. Own the career narrative. Don't just put together some generic cover letter that talks about your experience. Like, tell them on the COVID letter why you are moving. What is that story? Talk about it on your LinkedIn. Like, I think what people are looking for now is a lot of that human aspect, that human element. So The more they can understand your story, your career narrative, why you're making these changes, the more that they can connect with you and see, oh, that's her why. That's why she's doing this. And this is what she can bring. Okay. She sounds interesting. Maybe let's have a conversation. That's really important when you think about how you put together those applications. Look, I think, you know, there's a lot of steps and a lot of information that I've shared in this episode around career change. But the most important thing is around that being able to articulate yourself. Get clear on what your skills are. Get clear on what your experience is. Understand the industry and roles that you can move into. Figure out which ones you want to move into. And then start talking with people in those spaces. Get your, you know, your job application materials up to scratch. Get your LinkedIn profile showing that you're moving industries. Get everyone that you speak to knowing that you are trying to change industries. And that change can happen for you. Awesome. Well, anyone that is looking to make a career change, I highly encourage you to follow me on my socials, my Instagram, my TikTok, my YouTube. I talk about career change quite often and how you navigate that. You can also connect with me via DMs if you want to send me a message. I'm always happy to respond. You know, if you want to talk about working together or want to access any of my resources, all these things can support you through the current stage of your career and where you're at. And, um, if you are looking to make any kind of change. Amazing. Well, thank you so much everyone for tuning in this week. Um, loving the momentum here. Like I'm a month in, I've been doing these every week. This is so cool. Uh, and, uh, next week I look forward to taking you through something else that's just as awesome as this. Okay, I will leave it at that. Have an amazing rest of your week, everyone. And always remember, I think it's gonna make— I'm gonna make this my new tagline, okay? Always remember— oh my God, am I gonna like forget it as I'm trying to— as I'm trying to say it? Let me get it up here so I don't forget. Here we are. Let me go— oh yeah, don't be afraid to ask for what you need, what you want, and what you know you deserve. Boom! See you next week.