No matter how long you have taken a sabbatical from your place of work, it can always feel a little scary to get back into the swing of things. This article is intended to help you clarify your future, get your skills in order and get you into an exciting new job.
Be clear about your construction career goals
Before you begin searching for available jobs, the best thing to do is to take a moment to look at the bigger picture. Where do you see yourself in your career within 5 or 10 years? This may seem like a challenging perspective but you don’t have to be too specific. Are you planning on managing a team? Would you like to launch out into more technologically-advanced or eco-friendly projects? Have you given any thought to a salary? Maybe you should do some research and conduct a salary comparison to see which positions in construction are more lucrative. Even if it takes a while to climb the ladder in rank, at least you know you’re on the right path.
Once you begin to examine your future projections you can begin thinking of your long-term goals and planning the stepping stones that will bring you closer to this dream. There is a good chance that taking a career break has given you the time to gain some perspective on what you are doing so that you can plan your career and career goals more precisely.
Refresh your skills and knowledge
Take a look over the skills and experience that you have. Do any of these align to your plans for the future? Do any of these skills need to be refreshed or updated? There is no problem if you need to update a couple of qualifications. This can be done by completing an apprenticeship, taking short courses or signing up for a refresher. Visit our page on useful qualifications for more information.
The construction industry is always changing and this makes it an exciting place to work. There are new skills emerging constantly and pushing people to expand their service and find meaningful roles. Now that you will be returning to work, you get to be a part of all this. Take a look at the qualifications and skills needed to improve your existing skill set.
Be specific in your job search
Look for the roles that are as closely matched to your skill set as you possibly can, after you have updated the skills that you hope to practice, of course. If you are not specific enough, you may find that some roles are just not suited to your skill set. Furthermore, don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the role you have in mind. Find a core set of skills in construction that you know you can do well and align basically with your current capacity. Stick to these as you begin your search for construction jobs.
Grow and use your network
Don’t restrict your job hunt merely to an online search, there are many different ways to get the job you are looking for. Try getting in contact with old teachers, mentors, coworkers and organizations that you have worked with before.
Even if your previous career was not in construction, there is still a good chance that you have a strong professional network. You will also have many friends in a similar line of work and you can take advantage of their professional networks as well. Get in touch with the people who inspire you the most and ask them for their advice.
It is also a good idea to subscribe to a newsletter describing the latest and greatest developments in the industry.
Hone your CV
You may think that a small gap in your CV will besmirch your record or make interviews a bit more complicated. Instead, try to make this a positive aspect of your record and one that sets you apart from the competition. Don’t try to hide it or feel that you must make excuses for this gap, a break can allow you the time and perspective to get a new perspective on your chosen career path.
Take a moment to write down all the skills you feel you have honed during your break. Then you can use your CV as a showcase to demonstrate these skills and expound on their important application to the career path you have chosen, Luckily you can use a free cv template. Did you take a course in technology? Did you volunteer or take time to improve your leadership skills? Have you taken time to travel and learn more about your country’s infrastructure? Take time to craft a CV that properly suits your skills and the training you have received.
Prepare for interviews
If you have not shown up to a job interview in some time, you might feel a little intimidated by this daunting routine, but there is nothing to worry about. You can take time to practice with family and friends or simply run yourself through a quiz on all the important points of your CV to boost your confidence.
Never forget that interviews are a conversation and the people asking you the questions will be assessing your role to see if the company is right for you. The questions you are asked will be for the purpose of learning more about your background and seeing how you will fit into the organization and operations. They can also be there to quiz you on the qualifications you have for the tasks. This is why a well-appointed CV is so important.
Thank you for reading!