What Career Changers Need to Know

As a job seeker you have many options for your job search: you can change occupations, change industries, or look for a job in the same occupation and industry you have been in. This process also works for job seekers that have been out of the workforce for a long period of time.

Here are some things you need to know about yourself and the job market before you explore occupations and/or industries:

• Research the trends. Some industries are less likely to lay off people than others are. Some industries, like health care, are growing and will need more workers in the future. Find out which occupations and industries are growing in your area.
• Transfer your skills. Know which of your skills you can use in other occupations and industries.
• Network. It is a good idea to make connections with people working in different occupations and industries you are interested in. They can provide you with information about the culture in their workplace and help you find out which employers are hiring people with your skills.
• Learn about salary ranges. When exploring a new occupation, you should know the expected pay and benefits to make sure it will support your cost of living. This will also help you during salary negotiations.

Find Career Information

Start researching occupations.
Using the occupations you listed in the Occupations that Match Your Assessments activity you can go online and use the Occupational profile tool to find more information about each specific occupation.

For each occupation, pay attention to:

• Skills
• Education or training needed
• The median or average pay
• The demand for the occupation in your area

Use the Occupational Research Summary (pdf) worksheet to keep track of your research.

Where else can you find career information?

• Look through the detailed occupational profiles and videos online such as Road Trip Nation.
• Do informational interviews with people working in those fields to get inside information.
• Attend industry related events; join associations, research companies via Google and/or Linkedin, etc.

Informational Interviewing

One of the best sources for gathering information about what's happening in an occupation or an industry is to talk to people working in the field. This process is called informational interviewing. An informational interview is an interview that you initiate - you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain information, expand your personal network, and build relationships; not to get a job.

Following are some good reasons to conduct an informational interview:

• To explore careers and clarify your career goal.
• To discover employment opportunities not advertised.
• To expand your professional network.
• To build confidence for your job interviews.
• To access the most up-to-date career information.
• To identify your professional strengths and weaknesses.

Listed below are steps to follow to conduct informational interviews:

1. Prepare for the Interview
   Read all you can about the field prior to the interview. Decide what information you would like to obtain about the occupation/industry. Prepare a list of questions that you would like to have answered.
2. Identify People to Interview
   Start with lists of people you already know - friends, relatives, fellow students, present or former co-workers, supervisors, neighbors, etc... Professional organizations, the yellow pages, organizational directories and public speakers are also good resources. You may also call an organization and ask for the name of the person by job title. 
3. Arrange the Interview by contact the individual:
   a: by telephone,
   b: by a letter followed by a telephone call, or
   c: by having someone who knows the person make the appointment for you.
4. Prepare for the meeting. Make a list of questions you would like answered.
5. Dress appropriately, arrive on time, and be polite and professional.
6. Conduct the Interview.
   Refer to your list of prepared questions; stay on track, but allow for spontaneous discussion. Before leaving, ask your contact to suggest names of others who might be helpful to you and ask permission to use your contact's name when contacting these new contacts. 
7. Immediately following the interview, record the information gathered.
8. Follow Up with any contacts you were given or requests made by the person you are interviewing.
9. Be sure to send a thank-you note to your contact within one week of the interview.

NOTE: Always analyze the information you've gathered. Adjust your job search, résumé, and career objective if necessary.

20 Suggested QUESTIONS!
Prepare a list of your own questions for your informational interview. Following are some sample questions:

• On a typical day in this position, what do you do?
• What training or education is required for this type of work?
• What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
• What part of this job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging?
• How did you get your job?
• What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?
• What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible?
• What is the typical salary range for a position in this field? At various levels?
• How do you see jobs in this field changing in the future?
• Is there a demand for people in this occupation?
• What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
• What types of training do companies offer persons entering this field?
• What are the basic prerequisites for jobs in this field?
• Which professional journals and organizations would help me learn more about this field?
• What do you think of the experience I've had so far in terms of entering this field?
• From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
• If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would you change?
• With the information you have about my education, skills, and experience, what other fields or jobs would you suggest I research further before I make a final decision?
• What do you think of my résumé? Do you see any problem areas? How would you suggest I change it?
• Who do you know that I should talk to next? When I call him/her, may I use your name?

Making long-term goals or thinking about a future career change?

Thinking about starting or changing careers in a few years? Then look at the growth of occupations. Sometimes that is called long-term projections, or growth rate. "High-growth" occupations are also called "in-demand" or "bright outlook" careers. An occupation with high growth is likely to need many workers in the next few years.

Need to make a career change or find employment right now?

Job vacancy reports help you to know which industries need workers right now. Job vacancies show the occupations that employers were recently hiring. They also show the average pay, and the training employers required of those they hired. Reviewing this information will tell you what industry to look into if you need a job immediately.

Career Exploration Resources 

• Career One Stop
• Texas Labor Market Information
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• My Next Move

What Are Career Clusters?

Career clusters are one way to group occupations. Careers that need the same knowledge and skills are in the same cluster. Every career that you can think of is in one of 16 career clusters. Each cluster can include hundreds of different careers.

Using clusters can help you to look at few career choices without focusing on only one occupation. If you target one specific career choice too soon you might miss other options that might be a good fit for you.

The 16 Career Clusters

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
• Architecture & Construction
• Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
• Business, Management & Administration
• Education & Training
• Finance
• Government & Public Administration
• Health Science
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Law, Public Safety & Security
• Manufacturing
• Marketing, Sales & Service
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Exploring Health Care Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the health care industry will have the largest growth in jobs compared to all other industries. In the next few years 26% of all new jobs will be created in the health care and social assistance industry. This includes jobs in public and private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, individual care, and family services. That equals an estimated 4 million new job opportunities.
Below is a short list of some of the health care occupations that will experience growth in Texas. Using your Interest code from Assess Yourself, you can begin exploring some of these occupations.

Occupation	Interest Code	Education	Average annual salary	Average annual job openings
Biomedical Engineer	IR	Bachelor's degree	$86,500	140
Diagnostic  Medical  Sonographer	ISR	Associate's degree	$64,300	240
Home Health Aides	SRC	High school diploma plus on-the-job training.	$18,500	5220
Personal Care Aide	SRC	High school diploma plus on-the-job training.	$17,700	7680
Medical Secretary	CS	High school diploma plus on-the-job training.	$28,900	3380
Occupational Therapy Assistant	SR	Associate's degree and on- the-job training.	$63,700	110
Cardiovascular Technologist and Technician	RIS	Associate's degree and on- the-job training.	$51,000	180
Physical  Therapist Assistant	SRI	Associate's degree and on- the-job training.	$64,500	250
Health Educators	SE	Bachelor's degree	$46,700	210
Respiratory Therapist	SIR	Associate's degree and training.	$54,100	570
Radiologic Technologist	RS	Associate's degree and on- the-job training.	$52,000	790
Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic	SIR	Some college.	$29,700	810
Healthcare Social Worker	SIA	Master's degree in social work.	$53,400	470
Occupational Therapist	SIA	Master's degree	$81,700	410
Medical Equipment Repairer	RIC	Associate's degree and on- the-job training.	$39,500	200

For a listing of all health care occupations that will experience growth, go to the Virtual Career Network. This site will provide educational requirements, a description of the occupation, average annual salary, and expected job growth for each occupation.