What You Need to Know About Changing Careers With Expert Norine Dagliano

If you're looking for a job, you probably already know about Norine Dagliano. A coach and hiring expert who writes on ekm Inspirations, Norine shared with us some insight into how to find a job and use job boards to help.

What are some common motivations you see among people changing careers?

I've worked with thousands of career changers; some are motivated by ambition, others by circumstances. Divorce, death of a spouse, changes in health, company lay-offs, or other life circumstances "motivate" people to examine where they are and decide to pursue another path. On a more positive note, there are professionals who retire, but are not ready to quit working. They want to step back from a high-power career to move into an area with fewer pressures or pursue an earlier dream that got pushed to the back-burner. Veterans leaving a career in the military find themselves asking, "Now what?"—many military occupations do not translate to the private sector, so clearly a career change is in order. Then there are those who are motivated by sheer ambition and a belief that anything is possible—these are the job seekers that embrace change and go after it with gusto. Some have decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in a new field. Others have never let go of their dreams to work for themselves and have the confidence and support—emotional and sometimes monetary—to proactively plan a change and chart a course to make it happen.

What's the future of the career? Will we stick to one job still, or is the future in multiple careers?

The career ladder is no longer a reality, nor is the notion that one will have one job and one employer until he or she retires. Careers no longer follow straight lines; instead, they zig and zag, stop and start, step back and then forward. Forecasters predict that the average 21-year-old entering the workforce will make three to five career changes before leaving the workforce. Factor in the reality that dozens of new occupations are introduced each year, and it only stands to reason that what one is doing now may not even be around in a few years or may take on a whole new look. Employers who are not willing to embrace this new workforce and recognize that knowledge, skills, and abilities often outweigh experience will overlook valuable talent and, in turn, fail to thrive.