Do you dare to change careers after 30?

When you've been working in an industry for more than 20 years and want to make a career change, you're giving up more than just a position; you're giving up the seniority you've already gained in the industry. During the transition process, this may be most visibly reflected in your compensation package.

Xu Yifeng, a 20-year P&G human resources director in Greater China, quit his job last year to join an Internet finance company. Moving his family from Guangzhou to Beijing, his salary was instantly discounted, Xu Yifeng said, "The gap will definitely be there, the previous transportation is a special car with a driver, now there is no such treatment." But he was willing to make sacrifices in income in order to get more space to perform. "When there is not enough room for upward mobility in a place, it doesn't matter how much salary is given anymore." He told Interface News.

If you're facing a career transition with trepidation, talk to people who have also gone through it. Xu Yifeng, when he was preparing to leave the traditional industry, had repeatedly exchanged ideas with his colleagues who had also left P&G, and then chose to join their entrepreneurial projects, utilizing his own human resources experience to start a new career in the Internet finance industry, which he had never touched before.

Everyone encounters confusion during the transition period, such as "Why do you want to change your job status quo?" "What difficulties may be encountered and how to overcome them?" The confusion and hesitations are generally similar, and Vicki Salemi suggests that middle-aged people in transition draw on the thinking of others to solve their own problems.

Salemi, who is a consultant for Monster.com, a leading employment Web site, also advises people transitioning in their forties to pay attention to image-building on the Internet: "Every working person should have their own online profile." So Tip No. 1, make the most of online platforms like LinkedIn and Wiseguy to build your brand image. In many cases one's e-resume makes the first impression on the interviewer. At the same time the social graph on the internet can be an element in judging an individual's worth, and people in their forties usually have an advantage over younger people in this regard.

Middle-aged people have a wealth of experience in the workplace, and even if they produce a separate personal website, it will not look empty. Salemi has received clients who have set up personal websites, and employers can understand a person's value through a simple browse, and job seekers are more likely to be recognized. "The online platform is an important channel for voice, to know that apart from those headhunters, even the hiring managers of Google search for candidate profiles." Salemi said.

Another piece of advice is to feel comfortable showcasing the expertise you've originally built up; some skills will still boost your competitiveness even if you change industries. For example, if you're a techie, put your strengths on display. Software development, digital programming and other skills are more valuable than you think, and this is a "catch-all" skill that applies to a variety of industries. It can help you add weight when you integrate into the industry.

Famous Chinese-American designer Vivienne Wang has been a fashion editor for 16 years, and when she started designing clothes at the age of 40, she retained the taste for design and control of fashion that she had developed at Vogue. Now she is known as the "Queen of Wedding Dresses", as she designs wedding dresses that cost as much as a luxury car.

Salemi herself went through a transition: "I felt it was time to do something for those who were looking for work, so I followed my wish and quit my steady job." She had already had a 15-year career in human resources, where she recruited and screened talent for companies. She then started her own business, a consulting agency that specializes in niche finding and career planning for job seekers.

Haofan Zhang, an expert in Internet consulting and human capital operations, also advises middle-aged transitioners: don't cut away from familiar expertise.

Zhang Haofan, who has 17 years of experience in the workplace, believes that the path of middle-aged people in the workplace is indeed narrower than that of young people, "When you are in your forties, your professional character, core competencies and workplace organization are basically shaped, and it is indeed very difficult to reopen a brand new field." Zhang Haofan said to the interface news reporter. But if you are interested in transitioning, you need to establish a positive and open mindset, face the uncertainty of your career prospects, and see your value to your employer.

"I've seen a lot of middle-aged professional managers acting calmly and steadily, and that's what employers look for." Zhang Haofan said there is no doubt that the Internet industry likes young candidates because of their spirited energy, and they usually gather in creative, research and development, and marketing departments. At the same time companies need a calm and rational thinking style to balance with them, which generates job opportunities for middle-aged job seekers. "Departments such as finance and human resources need such rational and calm people."

Summarizing the key points of middle-aged career transition, Linda Brimm, professor emeritus of Organizational Behavior at the Anglo-Saxon International Business School, ultimately offered seven suggestions:

Think fully about all the issues that come with career adjustments; reduce anxiety by sorting out problems and ranking them in order of importance; maintain confidence in your own career adjustments; ask trusted people for The first thing you need to do is to look at what you've gained, not what you've lost, and then look at what you've lost.

And the most important and central piece of advice is to eliminate the rejection of "change" and embrace more possibilities.