Want To Reinvent Your Career In 2021? Here’s How To Do It

By Lisa Osiako

2020 for many was all about surviving and going through all the motions the year brought. With all the uncertainties and chaos that existed, there is one thing that you might have realized you need to do in 2021 – reinventing your career.

Whether you are still working from home, facing major decisions as you reenter your workplace, or are looking for a job, this is the year to reinvent your career. It’s never too late.

Here are the first steps you should take towards creating opportunities and making 2021 your year – career-wise.  

1. Utilize the time you have right now

With things slowly starting to get back to ‘normal’, realize that you may have more time now than you will likely have in a few months, and use it. This is the time to set aside a few hours each day to polish up your CV, update your LinkedIn profile and connect with old colleagues and professional networks while at it. Also, dedicate each morning to catch up on new job postings. Utilize this time wisely because you may not have all this free time in the near future.  

2. Look at what others are doing

When John was transitioning his career from non-profit marketing to the for-profit world—first at a creative agency, now in technology—he spent hours scrolling through LinkedIn looking at the journeys that others took to get into roles that sounded like they might be his dream job. He went through their portfolios, picked how they might have gone from Company A to Company B, and saw that he wasn’t the only one who went from a non-profit into the corporate world. 

Most of all, he got ideas! He discovered both the positions he wanted to pursue and how to change his experience. He found roles and startups he had never even heard of. 

While there is no one right road map, sometimes seeing a road that’s already been taken can add some guidance and clarity to your own search. Start with people you know who are doing something you would like to do. See how they describe themselves and their own experience and then go through LinkedIn and see where it leads you.

Want to know more from them? Reach out! Find something relevant in their CV that you want to know more about. Add them as a connection and ask a specific question to strike up a conversation. Remember, there’s a human on the other side and most people want to be helpful where they can.

3. Take stock of your experience and how it might apply outside of your role

When you look at your job description, does it encompass everything you do? Is there an area you would like to explore? If so, it’s probably because you’ve been exposed to it somewhere in your day-to-day responsibilities.

How can you show that on your CV? Can you add a bullet or two that emphasizes those pieces of your roles that you enjoy most, even if they aren’t what defines your position? 

A job description isn’t static. You’re not just repeating what was on the listing you applied to three years ago. Think about what you’ve learned, what you’ve enjoyed, and how you can use your experience to fit the roles you want. 

Do you feel like you still don’t have the experience? Consider how roles you have outside of work might apply. Do you volunteer with an organization and work on their content? Do you organize events? Volunteer work is still very much work and you can use it on your CV.

4. Map out your next steps

Once you’ve looked at the paths that others took and assessed your own experience, map out a tentative plan for your next role. 

If you’re making a huge career shift, it may not be an immediate switch, but rather a two, three, or four-point turn. For John, he wanted to go from fundraising to marketing at a tech company. That jump could have happened… but, realistically, it would have been a big one that might have required falling back to entry-level. Instead, he took gradual steps, moving from non-profit fundraising to non-profit marketing to agency marketing and, eventually, to tech marketing. He had mapped out a general plan and, as a result, fortunately, did not have to take a seniority cut. 

5. Find where you can make a big impact in your current role… for your next

Companies right now are facing a turning point as positions face long-term remote realities and market needs have been turned. Things are changing quickly and constantly, so if you feel like you need a big win on your CV—something you spearheaded and ran with—now is the time. See where you could add inefficiencies or save your company some money. Think about how you could bring people together. Pitch something new to your boss. Now’s your opportunity to make your mark—and it will give you an accomplishment to show off on your CV. 

6. Enroll in a course to learn a new skill 

Utilize the few hours you have to identify skills you might be lacking or areas that could be holding you back from transitioning to a new role or shifting your career entirely. Do you feel like your marketing career could benefit from Public Speaking skills? Register for the Public Speaking course and get your certification. Have you always wanted career mentorship guidance? Sign up for a career mentorship program. Now is the time to get the skills that might be holding you back from pursuing your next big role. 

7. Lastly, keep updating your CV and be persistent

We have no idea what 2021 holds for us or the job market, but you’ve got the motivation and the drive to make this the year that you reinvent your career. And, whether or not it brings your dream role immediately, you’re positioning yourself to find fulfillment in the moment and gain new skills along the way. 

Update your CV, and remember, it’s never the wrong time to make a pivot or total transition—particularly when it feels as if the entire world has been turned upside down.

This is the time to take a step back and work through reinventing your career. All the best!