When they feel stuck in their current positions, career
changers look for new opportunities to better meet their needs. While starting
a new career may seem daunting, you may be glad you made the switch to a
different industry in the future. Learn how FBI negotiator Chris Voss made a
successful career change and how you can do the same.
About Chris Voss
Chris Voss is a world-renowned expert on the art, science,
and practice of negotiation, with twenty-four years of experience in the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, many of which were spent as the FBI's lead
international kidnapping negotiator. Chris moved to the private sector in 2008,
establishing the Black Swan Group. As CEO of the Black Swan Group, he trains
business leaders, government officials, and others to be highly effective
negotiators in their own right.
Chris Voss on Why He Changed Careers
Chris Voss, bestselling author and expert negotiator, was
overjoyed when he first got a job with the Kansas City Police Department. It
wasn't until they moved him to a new location that he realized he might want to
take a different path.
Chris applied to the FBI after a brief period of burnout.
After joining the Bureau, he realized his true calling was hostage negotiation.
He began volunteering part-time at a suicide hotline to gain experience for the
position. He got a full-time job as an FBI negotiator after doing so for
several months.
Pros of Finding a New Career
Finding a new job can provide you with a lot of
satisfaction. These are just a few of the benefits of starting a new career:
Enhanced sense of purpose: A career change to a different
industry can be a critical step in your professional development. Changing
careers from an unsatisfying job to one that fulfills you allows you to live
with a much greater sense of purpose.
Possibilities for personal development: Meeting your career
development objectives can benefit you personally. Taking on new challenges
will help you grow as a person. Along the way, seek advice from trusted friends
and mentors.
Potential benefits: Changing careers allows you to meet all
of your needs. Perhaps you'd be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for a
remote job. Perhaps you want better health-care benefits or a more welcoming
work environment. You may also have a better chance of obtaining a significant
pay increase by changing jobs than by remaining in the same position.
Cons of Finding a New Career
Starting a new job search has some drawbacks as well. Here
are a few disadvantages of changing careers:
Stress: Choosing the right career can be a stressful
experience. Many people dislike change, and leaving your day job to pursue a
new role can make you feel unstable for a period of time. To pursue a career
change, you must be comfortable with uncertainty.
Less seniority: Job searching is only the first step in
changing careers. You'll have to prove yourself at your new job just as you did
at your old one after changing jobs. You'll also have to start from scratch
when it comes to developing social relationships with your coworkers.
More research: Sending out job applications and cover
letters can be exhausting, especially when compared to sticking to your current
job's established routine. Informational interviews with human resources teams
can also be stressful.
Chris Voss Offers 4 Career Advice Tips
Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, like you, was once
a job seeker looking for a career change. Here's some of his best professional
advice:
1. Acquire transferable skills. While working at your
current job, you can learn new skills for your next position. Chris began to
see how he could apply the negotiation skills he was learning when he
volunteered at a suicide hotline. "I remember thinking at the time, 'This
can't just be for crisis hotlines,'" he says. "'This has to apply to
everyone,'" says the author. Consider speaking with a career coach about
how to use your current skill set to pursue new opportunities.
2. Follow your heart. It will become clear to you at
some point whether changing careers is the right decision. Then it's just a
leap of faith. "I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy it until I got
there," Chris says. "It was for the show." The big game had
arrived. 'We're in the Super Bowl every day in New York,' said the office's
head, and that's how it was." You'll know you've found your dream job when
you get this feeling.
3. Gain experience. Before he could work with the FBI's
negotiation team, Chris had to prove himself to them. "There has to be
something I can do," Chris recalls telling the interviewer. "'There is,'
she said. 'Go work on a suicide hotline.'" He honed the skills needed to
succeed in the negotiation field for years after doing so for five months.
Shadowing someone in the new industry you want to work in can also be
beneficial.
4. Look for the right opportunities. When looking for a
new job, keep an ear to the ground for suitable opportunities. Chris applied
for both the SWAT team and the FBI. "Whoever makes the best offer first
gets my business," he says he told himself. "And the FBI hired me, so
I accepted the position with the Bureau." Starting a new career requires
being in the right place at the right time with the right skill set. Prepare to
make the correct decision as soon as the opportunity arises.
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