In order to really understand the true realities of working in a new career or occupation, you really need to talk to the people who work in that career on a daily basis - this is your primary research. These meetings are called informational meetings or career research meetings.
Research is key to making a successful career change. In the first article in this series, I discussed how to explore career paths for a potential career reinvention and the 5 key resources for researching your career online. While this is always a productive use of your time, this type of secondary research will only provide you with one side of the equation.
Now, you need to find appropriate people you can meet with to discuss potential career paths - your primary research.
In order to illustrate this concept more effectively, I am going to use a fictitious character. Tom, a lawyer in a Boston law firm, has decided he wants a career change, possibly changing to the field of professional fundraising.
Here are five sources Tom can use to find people for information meetings:
Finding people to meet with on an informational basis is actually quite easy if you have a few connections to start with and you do some good Internet and LinkedIn research.
In the next article of this series, I'll offer specific questions you can ask these people to really understand the realities of working in a new field and how to get prepared for a reinvention into that field.
Job-Hunt's Career Change Expert, Randi Bussin, founder and president of Aspire!, is a career coach and counselor with more than 25 years of business, entrepreneurial, and career counseling experience, including DISC assessments. Randi has experienced several major career transitions (from corporate to small business owner to career counselor to coach) and personally understands the effort and commitment involved. She has appeared on public television's "Job Doctor," and is a frequent contributor to Bridgestar's Leadership Matters newsletter, The Ladders job-search Web site (www.theladders.com) and her own blog, which offers advice on career transition, job search, and labor market trends. Follow Randi on Twitter @Aspire4Success.
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