Do you have contacts in the career field you want to pursue? One of the most important thing you can do when you want to change careers is cultivate relationships with professionals who are already working in the career field that interests you.

For example, if you are working as a social worker, but want to move into a human resources career, your chances of finding a job in human resources re greatly enhanced when you get to know people who are working in the profession and let them know about your interest in changing careers.

You can go about cultivating contacts in a new career field in a number of ways. One of the best things you can do is take a look at the people you already know to see if any of them are working in human resources. If you do find that you already know some people, contact them and ask them for assistance. Let them know your plans, and ask if they have any advice for you regarding how to make a career change from social work to human resources.

Another excellent means of getting to know human resources practitioners who might be helpful to you is to get involved in a professional organization related to the new field. Most cities have a local chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management that holds monthly professional development meetings.

Find a chapter in your area and go to the meetings. You will have an opportunity to meet many professionals in the field that interests you, and have an opportunity to ask them for input regarding how to make a career change to human resources. You might even get leads about job opportunities from members.