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，并且在目前的行业也没多少希望，那这时候考虑换工作听起来就很有诱惑力了。

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

    虽然灵活一点总是好的，但是现实也是很重要的。

    "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公司的老总Richard Phillips说："在经济低迷时期有大批比你更有资历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等专家提供了以下四点建议，确保你换工作成功，不过要在换工作之前实行：

    1）Do your homework.

    做好功课。

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

    要确保你不是从一个濒临死亡的产业跳到了另外一个。要弄清楚这是否是个有潜力的行业？

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

    你可以从网上搜索资料，同时可以用《劳动统计局职业前景手册》之类的政府出版物做为辅助。

    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，也要看看你要进入的行业是否有特别的专业要求。比如，你当地的学校可能不会聘请小学老师，但是却可能需要有专业技能的教师。

    2）Talk to people.

    和别人谈谈。

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

    在你换工作之前，你要弄清楚这项工作或该领域实际上涉及到什么，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.

    比如说，室内设计到财政规划等很多行业，既需要你出售服务还需要你实施服务。或许你会被你理想工作的高薪吸引，最后发现原来那个行业里只有少数人才能挣到大钱，大部分的人工资都很低。

    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.

    想要知道实际情况，就和那些已经在你的理想行业工作的人士谈谈。你可以通过大学校友会，专业社团，或该行业的培训学校那里找到这样的专业人士。

    3）Assess your experience.

    评估你的经验。

    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.

    招聘经理做出的风险最低的决策就是聘请以前从事过该工作的候选人。所以如果你打算进军一个新行业，你就处于劣势了。

    "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说："如果你没有任何经验，或已有的工作经验和目前应聘的工作毫无关系的话，你就很难推销自己了。你没办法抹杀自己的过去"

    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.

    但这也并不意味着转行业是不可能的。不过你可能需要找到一个优点来弥补工作经验的不足。有个方法就是：人际关系网。

    "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问："是否有以前公司了解你的同事在呢？"即使是在不同的工作岗位，人们也更愿意信任以前共事过的同事。Fireman还说，志愿者经历也是有用的。

    4）Build a bridge.

    建一座桥。

    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.

    换工作的难度并不是个个相当的。最难的是进入到一个与你以前的工作经历完全不相关的行业。不过，通常来说，你可以找到一个途径在尝试新事物的同时，应用自己以前的经验。

    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.

    你可以考虑呆在你目前的行业，不过换个新的岗位，这样你就可以积累行业知识。比如，你可以继续做金融方面的工作，但并不是为一家出版社工作，而是为一家生物科技公司工作。这样的话，即使是在新行业，你也可以说自己已经有了这样的工作经验了。