It may take longer than you expected to find a suitable role or you might be struggling with the interview process which can deter you from trying again. But while it’s easy to get discouraged, it’s important to keep yourself motivated and push through the bad days to stay on track. 

If you’re having difficulty staying motivated during your career change, these tips may help. 

Use your time to prepare for a new role

You don’t need to be hired to start identifying and developing the new skills needed for a career change. In fact, getting ahead with the skills and qualifications you need could make you a more desirable candidate, and it’s a productive way to use the time in between jobs. In today’s job market flexible learning and an increase in digital courses means there are lots of opportunities to reskill for your career change. You may be looking to move into the tech sphere from graphic design into UI/UX design, for example. 

Taking the time to develop your knowledge of UI principles and user research to put you in a better position for applying for jobs. As Sakshi Gupta for Springboard says, “graphic design is specialised but UX design is a multi-disciplinary process. You don’t have to know everything to make a shift but educating yourself improves your chances of career success”. 

Set clear goals 

In order to stay motivated, you need to know what you’re working towards. If your mind is racing in 10 different directions, you won’t ever see the type of progress you want. Maybe you want to build on skills you already have. For example, you may be looking to level up your driving skills to take advantage of the demand for lorry drivers right now — as one leading HGV training company explains, “if you hold a valid UK car licence, you can now go straight to a Class 1/C+E course”, putting you in an enviable position for landing a job quickly if you are planning a new career in driving.

Or maybe you want to try something completely new, in which case it can be helpful to think about where your interests and passions naturally lie, and build your career from there. Perhaps you’re looking for a fast-paced job where you get to meet people, in which case a career in PR or advertising might be ideal for you. 

Know your reasons for change

Staying motivated when looking for a job ultimately comes down to knowing why you’re searching for a new job. It will ensure you don’t just take on any role when the options are limited and will make you more discerning when sifting through available opportunities. 

If you want a job that offers more flexibility to minimise the risk of burnout, then choosing a role which requires you to be in the office Monday to Friday won’t be a good fit for you or your productivity levels. Likewise, if collaborating with people is essential for you to work at your best, a solo job working remotely won’t work out. Make a list of your essential components for your next job so you can stay on track. 

Don’t get distracted 

It’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re looking for a new job, and go for something which on paper looks like a great fit but isn’t actually suitable for you. You want to stay in control when you’re shifting to a new career. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you’re thrown into a job that’s not right. 

Stay focused on the career you’ve chosen for yourself by setting up Google Alerts for that industry and choose keywords which are specific to the career you want to be in. It can also be helpful to sign up for specialist newsletters related to your new industry so you don’t waste time aimlessly browsing general job boards. 

Get into a routine

It helps to have a clear routine for each day of your job search, because it keeps your days structured and ensures you don’t veer off into tasks and searches that aren’t connected to your career. 

For example, you should dedicate a set number of hours each day to certain tasks, whether that’s building your skills and retraining or applying for roles and contacting people in the industry to build your network. It also helps to have a space in your home to work on your job search which has all the tools, books and information you need, and that’s clutter-free. 

Maintain your connections

It’s likely that, as part of your career change, you’ll be moving into a different industry or a new area of your current industry. So it’s useful to build your network and make connections in this new field to help you build your knowledge and learn of any upcoming opportunities. 

There are various ways to network, from meeting up with someone for a coffee and a casual chat to mentorship and talking to people at conferences. But they all offer the chance to gain support in your career change and learn more about your new role which will help to keep you motivated. 

Get inspired by your industry

Inspiration gives you that bolt of motivation when you’re feeling low. Whether it’s hearing from a leader in your industry about their journey or learning something new that you’re passionate about, staying inspired is essential to keeping yourself motivated while you’re changing careers. And thankfully, with a vast amount of content out in the world, there’s inspiration everywhere which you can call on to keep yourself fired up. 

Talks and conferences are the perfect way to listen to inspiring people speak about their craft, but you can also listen to podcasts for digestible information and interviews with industry leaders. Books are also a great way to get inspired on a specific topic while events and local resources are great for connecting with others who can offer a fresh perspective. 

Staying motivated during a career change is tough but important to do. You don’t want to lose focus and ultimately lose hope, because it can derail all of your progress. Stay positive, use your time wisely and keep yourself organised and you’ll find that the opportunities will soon appear.