Are you not really feeling your current job? Or, are you worried your current job is not feeling you? Self-employed, but thinking of shifting gears into a new industry or going back into the workforce? Willfully or not, many people are taking a closer look at their career choices these days. If you’re thinking about changing your career, there are a few things you need to do before taking the leap.

Know what you don’t know

The best way to see what your chances are to get into a new industry or role is to find out what they need vs. what you have. You’ll need to compare the skills that industry or role requires to the skills you already possess. What are you missing? What do you have? Knowing this can help you to strategically prepare and possibly increase your knowledge base before applying for a new role, or launching a new business.

Find out what is working for you

I often tell my clients to use a “eat the meat and spit out the bone” method when struggling with big decisions. Consider what is really working for you such as your strengths, things you enjoy, or things you’ve always wanted to try but never had the courage, and discard the rest. It’s easy to point out what you don’t like, but if you don’t take time to sort out the things you do like, you could find yourself in a different place, but facing the same problem you tried to get away from.

Know your level of risk

Assessing the level of risk you are willing to take will be crucial to overcoming any fears you have about changing your career path. Fear is the number one reason many people end up spending their lives working in jobs they hate or being complacent. Looking for new opportunities can be scary, but it can also be an exciting new challenge. You’ll need to educate yourself on as much as you can about your next move to help increase your level of confidence and to see how far you’re willing to stretch yourself before making your next move.

Ditch the Résumé, go straight to the source

Don’t get too wrapped up in what to put on your résumé more than you are being intentional and direct, (and creative) about getting the role you want. Because you are stepping into something you’ve never done, it will require you to do something you’ve never done. The basic route of submitting your résumé online won’t work for pivoting. Try reaching out directly to a hiring manager. Writing a letter (yes, people still do that), and mailing it directly can be very effective. You don’t want to waste time waiting for an applicant tracking system (not) to select your résumé. LinkedIn is also a great way to use your current network to help you connect with people you may not have access to directly. Tap into your online and offline network to see if they can also aid you in reaching out to someone they know and make an introduction.