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On average, Australians have five to seven career changes in a lifetime. The most common reasons?

Well, they range from boredom to stress, job insecurity to feeling unappreciated. However, not all career changes mean a different company. In fact, there are ways you can work with your employer to change your career or workplace conditions without leaving the comfort of your current office. Let’s find out how.

Consider a mentor

A Mentor program can help to direct your career, especially for junior or mid-level employees who want to learn from senior staff. This will allow you both to discuss your goals and the ways to achieve them within the company. Having regular meetings and discussions about these goals will keep you on track. Who knows? This may invigorate the ambitions in the more senior person, while giving you a leg up.

Moving into a new role within the company

Ever looked across the office at another department and wished you were there? The move might not be that hard. You may, for example, work in IT, but want to be part of the Marketing team instead. Offer your services and make management see the value you could add to the Marketing team. Your experience could bring a new way of advertising a product, a smart way for the team to function or you could be the person that allows Marketing and IT to work in a more cohesive way and beneficial way.

Mix it Up

Another way to learn a new skill without completely letting go of your old skill set is to job share. This is where two colleagues learn from each other by sharing skills and knowledge yet split the days across both roles to gradually build up your skill set. It’s a great way to upskill and continue to challenge yourself without having to start from scratch.

Skills, Skills, Skills

Are you feeling stale in your role? Just because you’re a Business Analyst and have been for the last 10 years, doesn’t mean that you must keep doing the same thing for the next 10 years. So, think about what you really want to do, how transferable are your skills, where do your talents lie and what do you enjoy?

Ask yourself these questions to get to the bottom of your passions at work. You may be a Business Analyst who wants to get into Project Management or a Project Manager who wants to concentrate on Change Management. Figure out what you want to do and speak to your employer on what you need to do to get there. They may be willing to give you time off to complete a course or, who knows, they might create a new role for you if what you want to do matches their company vision.

If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

It’s the golden rule but it’s not always easy advice to follow. If you want something, you need to ask for it. How else will management know how to keep you interested and challenged in your role?

Do you want to concentrate on an external hobby and be a part-time employee? Ask! Do you feel you deserve a pay rise? Outline the reasons why you deserve one and ask. Do you want to organise a rewards system for you and your colleagues or have a day off if you reach a certain goal– whatever it is, make a good argument for change and ask management if they can make it happen.

Making a career change is not always easy or straight-forward, but the best thing you can do is make a plan so you have something to work towards. Afterall, nothing changes, if nothing changes.

If you want to know more about the Speller team, the SAP world or SAP roles, feel free to follow Speller International on LinkedIn.