If you're looking for work and aren't having much luck in your current field, it's tempting to decide now is the time for a career change.

    如果你正在找工作，并且在目前的行業也沒多少希望，那這時候考慮換工作聽起來就很有誘惑力了。

    But although it's always good to be flexible, it's also important to be realistic.

    雖然靈活一點總是好的，但是現實也是很重要的。

    "There's a bigger pool of more highly qualified people who are willing to work for less money" in a downturn, says Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions.

    Advantage Career Solutions公司的老總Richard Phillips說："在經濟低迷時期有大批比你更有資歷的人愿意以更低的薪水接受工作。"

    Experts such as Phillips offer these four tips for ensuring a career change will work -- before you make the leap:

    Phillips等專家提供了以下四點建議，確保你換工作成功，不過要在換工作之前實行：

    1）Do your homework.

    做好功課。

    Make sure you don't jump from one sinking industry to another. Ask, "is this a growth area?"

    要確保你不是從一個瀕臨死亡的產業跳到了另外一個。要弄清楚這是否是個有潛力的行業？

    You can start your research online, with government publications such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook.

    你可以從網上搜索資料，同時可以用《勞動統計局職業前景手冊》之類的政府出版物做為輔助。

    Also look at whether a particular specialty within your potential new field is in demand. For example, perhaps school districts in your area aren't hiring many elementary school teachers, but they do need specialized teachers.

    另外，也要看看你要進入的行業是否有特別的專業要求。比如，你當地的學校可能不會聘請小學老師，但是卻可能需要有專業技能的教師。

    2）Talk to people.

    和別人談談。

    Before you make a change, you need to find out "what the career and job really involve -- not your fantasy.

    在你換工作之前，你要弄清楚這項工作或該領域實際上涉及到什么，不能只是一味假想。

    For example, many careers, ranging from interior design to financial planning, may involve selling your services in addition to performing them. Or you may be enticed by the high average salary of your dream job, only to find that it's a field where a few people make a lot and most people make very little.

    比如說，室內設計到財政規劃等很多行業，既需要你出售服務還需要你實施服務。或許你會被你理想工作的高薪吸引，最后發現原來那個行業里只有少數人才能掙到大錢，大部分的人工資都很低。

    To get the real story, talk to people who work in the field you're targeting. You can find them through your college alumni association, professional associations, and schools with programs in the field.

    想要知道實際情況，就和那些已經在你的理想行業工作的人士談談。你可以通過大學校友會，專業社團，或該行業的培訓學校那里找到這樣的專業人士。

    3）Assess your experience.

    評估你的經驗。

    The lowest-risk decision for a hiring manager is to choose someone who has done the job before. So if you try to compete in a new field, you'll be at a disadvantage.

    招聘經理做出的風險最低的決策就是聘請以前從事過該工作的候選人。所以如果你打算進軍一個新行業，你就處于劣勢了。

    "It's just hard to sell yourself when you don't have any experience, or the experience that you do have is a complete disconnect," Philips says. "You can't make your past not exist."

    Philips說："如果你沒有任何經驗，或已有的工作經驗和目前應聘的工作毫無關系的話，你就很難推銷自己了。你沒辦法抹殺自己的過去"

    This doesn't mean it's impossible to change careers. But you may need to find a substitute for the experience you lack. One way to do this: networking.

    但這也并不意味著轉行業是不可能的。不過你可能需要找到一個優點來彌補工作經驗的不足。有個方法就是：人際關系網。

    "Does somebody know you from a former company?" Fireman asks. People are much more likely to take a risk on someone they have worked with in the past, even if it was in a different job. Volunteer experience can also help, Fireman said.

    Fireman問："是否有以前公司了解你的同事在呢？"即使是在不同的工作崗位，人們也更愿意信任以前共事過的同事。Fireman還說，志愿者經歷也是有用的。

    4）Build a bridge.

    建一座橋。

    Not all career changes are equally difficult. The hardest is to move to a field where none of your previous experience is relevant. Often, though, you can find a way to build on your previous experience while doing something new.

    換工作的難度并不是個個相當的。最難的是進入到一個與你以前的工作經歷完全不相關的行業。不過，通常來說，你可以找到一個途徑在嘗試新事物的同時，應用自己以前的經驗。

    Consider staying in your industry but moving to a new role so you can play up your industry knowledge. Or you could keep working in finance, for example, but for a biotech company instead of a publisher. In that case, you can show that you have already done the job, even if the industry is new.

    你可以考慮呆在你目前的行業，不過換個新的崗位，這樣你就可以積累行業知識。比如，你可以繼續做金融方面的工作，但并不是為一家出版社工作，而是為一家生物科技公司工作。這樣的話，即使是在新行業，你也可以說自己已經有了這樣的工作經驗了。