Tips on switching careers from Springboard Philippines

At some point in our careers, for whatever reason, we might feel the need to shift to another company or industry.

The reasons could be dissatisfaction, frustration, desire for growth, or greener pastures.

Whatever the reason, a career shift—or leaving that “comfort zone”—must be planned before filing that resignation letter and shifting to a new company or industry.

For this edition of Get Hired, GMA News Online spoke to executives of recruitment and jobs consultancy firm Springboard Philippines. They gave us these tips for people in the throes of a career change.

Assess your reasons

Workers thinking of shifting careers must first assess why they want to make the shift, said Springboard Philippines CEO Jake Go.

“First of all, before you shift careers, you have to know kung gusto niyo talaga mag-shift careers. You have to know kung bakit mo gusto mag-shift ng career and ‘yung totoong reason bakit mo gusto mag-shift ng career,” Go said.

 “For what purpose? Para sa pamilya niyo ba? Do you want to add a skill or get to know more people? You have to know what you want before anything else.”

“Know the company or industry you want to shift to, saan mo gusto lumipat before you do anything else, you have to do your research. You have to know sino 'yung gusto mo applyan at bakit,” Go said.

Be honest

“When you finally found the company you want to apply for or the company you want to shift to, when you dive into the actual interview, you have to put your best foot forward, but also you have to be genuine,” the Springboard CEO said.

“Being honest is the best thing ... during an interview for a job you’re applying for,” Go said.

Being honest must also be reflected in your resume as recruiters will scrutinize it during the interview, Springboard COO Tristan Ong said

“It’s paramount that you know what you’ve written in your resume ... They would check to see if you know what you’re talking about. Is this what you really accomplished?” Ong said.

There are applicants who tend to “inflate” their resumes by putting awards or past experiences that they didn’t actually have.

Second chances

Being fired by your previous employer is not the end of the road to one’s career.

“At the end of the day, the new employer will have to know why that person got fired ... If the person got fired because the company could not pay them anymore, I don’t think that’s a red flag. But if the person got fired because of an issue like insubordination or binastos ‘yung boss ... Still I’m not gonna say you have zero chances. We believe in second chances,” Go said.

There has got to be a reason behind that.

To help career shifters ace their interview, Go said try to answer potential questions which may be asked during an interview in front of a mirror by creating a script on the potential questions the recruiter is bound to ask.

“Tell me something about yourself. Where do you see yourself in five years? What’s your edge compared with other applicants?”

By writing those questions and trying to answer them in front of the mirror, you would be able to see how you look and put your best foot forward. —VDS, GMA News