Are You Using The Best Career Change Strategies?
January 23rd, 2012
If you are reading this article, I presume that you have reached the point when you are clear that changing your career is a very potent option for you. Good, realization is only a few steps away from making a decision, which is only a few steps away from taking an action, so you are definitely on the right track!
To help you move from the “thinking stage” to the “action stage”, let me introduce the following strategies to you. I am sure they can make you better prepared for what lies ahead on this adventure called “career change”.
1.) Treat a career change as you would treat any other project. Being a business professional, you understand you need a final goal, a deadline, some action plan and, most importantly, some actions! Make sure that you devote a dedicated amount of time every day towards this “project”. The “action steps” do not have to be huge, especially if you are still employed and, of course, if your deadline is not dangerously close. Pace yourself but do something every day. Even going for a coffee with a friend but taking the opportunity to ask openly for his help or her useful contacts is a step. From my own experience and those of my clients too, very often the invisible dots connect in a mysterious way and your dream job offer may come from a completely unexpected source. Yet when you track it back, you understand how it started from your own small actions.
2.) Focus and use your time effectively. If you are in a situation when your time is limited, be very careful about how you spend the time you want to dedicate to your job/business search. Look at your options and choose the one that you believe has the potential to get you to your goal the fastest. It might come as a surprise to you but by far the biggest percentage of your time should be spent on networking, the rest should be split between very targeted job screening/applying and advertisement answering. But be under no illusion and understand that networking is by far the fastest job seeking strategy and if you haven´t mastered this skill yet, you better start practicing it straightaway.
3.) Look at what you have to offer from the employer´s perspective. Imagine you are the employer who would be considering giving you a job. What would your ideal candidate look like? What qualities would he/she possess? What working experience would be the most valuable for you? Then, having that knowledge, adjust your resume to fit their needs. Emphasize those parts of your experience that might catch their attention first. For example, let´s say your background is in marketing. If you apply for a job in an advertisement agency, you would want to talk about your experience in the creative part of marketing. On the other hand, if you are looking for a marketing job in a large company, you would want to present a solid knowledge of their customers as well as point out your ability to work within a structure, be a part of a team and your desire to learn and grow. Your past experience is still the same; you are just presenting it in a different manner.
4.) Understand that getting a job or building a business of your dream takes time and diligence. When you enter the arena of job search, you are joining tons of others who have exactly the same objective. Make sure you are better prepared. Have your plan and follow it. Don´t be distracted and don´t get discouraged. Keep your vision/final goal firmly in sight. And if you need help, coaching gets people pretty far, because the process ensures you keep your focus sharp. Consider taking it up; you will have a huge advantage over the people who are just stumbling along with no clear path set in front of them.
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New Year, New You, New Career?
January 13th, 2012
If you, like many, are unhappy in your current job, perhaps a change in your career is one of the most important objectives for this year. Then again, maybe you are not that far along in the process; maybe the word “objective”, which implies “decision”, sounds way too strong and intimidating. Wherever you are on your journey that represents a bridge from where you are to where you want to get to, I thought I might pre-empt you with the following list of excuses.
Yes, you´ve read it right. I am going to beat you to it and come with the list of excuses that you will probably produce sooner or later this year. So I thought, why wait? Why not put them all out there and save you a waste of a year? Because here is the truth. If a career change appears on your objectives’ list year, after year, after year, you must be a master of these excuses by now, only you probably call them by a different name, like “solid reasons” or “plain facts” or better still, “real truths”.
So I am going to list some of your excuses and then explain to you why they are not valid. That way you can use the time saved by not having to build your excuses for something far more effective, like hiring a coach and working out a way to your new career!
Excuse 1.) I can´t quit. Nobody will have me.
Well, how many times have you tried? What evidence do you have? Sure, there are tons of people for whom this might be true. But there are equally huge amounts of people who tried and succeeded. You can be one of them. If you believe in yourself and have a very specific idea what it is you want, your determination and clarity will help you to succeed. Your courage will make you feel proud of yourself. Plus you can try while you are still employed. I have had many clients in these situations and each and every one of them managed to get the job they wanted. Each. And. Every. One.
Excuse 2.) It is too risky financially.
OK, so what´s new? Every change is risky; financially, emotionally, even physically sometimes. But watch your words here. You are not trying to cruise for the rest of your life (even though it might be the result of your career change, you never know). You are trying to replace one income (earned by being bored and uninspired) for another income (earned by having fun and enjoying yourself). So, technically speaking, you are doing a swap, right? What is so difficult about that? You see, it is all about how you look at it. Plus you would prepare yourself ahead with some smart financial planning. If your life depended on this single career change, you would come with ideas how to make it financially manageable, wouldn´t you? Well, in a way it is a live or die situation, isn´t it? If you count how many hours a day you spend working and if all of those hours make you feel miserable, then clearly you are not living your life fully but merely surviving?
Excuse 3.) If I quit and things don´t work out, I will feel ashamed to start all over.
Well, this excuse might have flown a couple of years ago but these days, when the whole working world is more flexible and fluid, your “case” would not be exceptional. Even the most hardened HR professionals understand that people who go out and try something different add value to the company, because they have the spirit for trying new things and being innovative. Again, you can view this situation as a predicament. You can also choose to view it as an advantage and an invaluable experience. And if you present yourself from that perspective, many doors will open for you.
Excuse 4.) My ego is in my way, meaning: I am too old, I am too young, I don´t have the right education, I will have to leave my title behind, etc.
If ego is in your way, there is only one solution. Put it aside for a while and explore how it would feel to have that new job/business. How it would feel to wake up every morning and be excited about what work you have ahead of you, what fun people you are going to meet and what a cool project you are going to work on. If you can do that and as a result understand that ego has no room in your decision making, you are on the right track. If, on the other hand, those feelings, as pleasant as they are, still don´t remove your ego reasons, then you are not ready. You need to struggle through your current work situation until such time when no ego in the world would stop you. Only you will know when the time is right.
I am fully aware that I have not exhausted all the excuses that are out there. I know we humans are a creative lot. We can find reasons for “not doing something” even if we have to steal it from a TV show. Therefore, for now, these 4 main reasons will do. In the future, watch out for my new product that can help you to overcome this initial status of confusion, indecisiveness and procrastination.
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Newsletter – What lessons have you learnt this year?
December 5th, 2011
“While one’s capacity to dream great dreams is infinite, the capacity to follow through with little, baby steps is quite rare.” Mike Dooley
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What to do when Your Career Change Did not Work Out
November 11th, 2011
There are many of you out there who are contemplating a career change at this very moment. Then there are those of you who have been there, done it and…it didn´t work out.
The process of career change is very complex and many different elements play a part in it. So, is there any wonder that often one, two or more elements don´t work out as you envisaged?
So if you recently changed your career and it didn´t work out as anticipated, you are most probably feeling hugely disappointed, you are asking yourself a lot of serious questions and you are experiencing a lot of self-doubt.
If you are one of these people, I would like to offer one word which might potentially carry you through this tough period.
The word I am talking about is: “bounce”. Let´s see what the dictionary has to say about it. To bounce: to fall rapidly, hit bottom suddenly with impact and rebound decisively.
Wow, pretty powerful, isn´t it? For me, these words stand out: fall, hit bottom and rebound decisively. Yes, changing career and then challenging that decision is not for the faint hearted. So, what are the possible steps for pulling yourself up and bouncing back?
Firstly, decide that you will treat all your falls as part of a bouncing action; meaning: the harder you fall, the faster you will bounce back. Don´t view your “falls” as “failures”. Take them exactly for what they are: trials and errors. Falls and rebounds. Mistakes and lessons learnt. Action and reaction. As you can see, the movement is constant. And movement is good news. It means, you are not sitting still. It means you are going after your goals and dreams. It might not be straight forward, it might be full of falls and rebounds but you are out there, taking action. And that is more than can be said about most of the population. So if you recently changed your career and it didn´t work out as anticipated, be immensely proud of yourself. Now bounce back and try again. This time you will bounce higher.
Secondly, “hitting bottom” will change you forever. It will either destroy you or you will emerge smarter and stronger. You will either burry yourself in self-pity or you will turn into an unstoppable, determined, super-charged “I am getting the career I want” hero. The choice is yours; I just felt like reminding you about the options.
Thirdly, think about which part of the process has the biggest potential to become “the making of you”. Is it the fall or is it the decisive rebound? Where will your focus be? Will it be on sadness about what could have been and should have been or will it be on the new adventures that lie ahead and bring so many opportunities? Stop looking back and start looking ahead. Remember, from the bottom you can only go up.
Lastly, enjoy the bouncing motion. By definition, it will bring you higher than you have ever been. Happy bouncing!
P.S. And by the way, feel free to apply the process to any other situation in your life that might call for it.
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Newsletter – Are you Suffering from the “Half-Way Syndrome”?
November 1st, 2011
“The secret to being at the right place, at the right time, is knowing you always are. Like today. Like now.” Mike Dooley
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Is Changing Your Career Really What You Want?
October 22nd, 2011
Recently I’ve been attending very specific coaching training. Naturally, part of the training was to practice our coaching skills. It was quite fascinating to watch, how each and every participant chose their career/business development as the main topic to be coached on.
So there we were, plodding along with the career and business goals for a couple of sessions until such time when the “surface reality” was gone and we started getting deeper information. And boy, what we discovered was quite fascinating.
Low-and-behold, underneath all those grand business plans were plain and simple human needs, successfully and, may I say, masterfully covered up by the years of practice.
Overall, there was a big cry for recognition, validation, self-worth and love.
There were people who were lonely and instead of addressing that need they threw themselves into a gigantic career transformation. There were people who didn´t feel appreciated by anybody, so the thought of a higher and more important position seemed like the right remedy.
Basically, the change and advancement in their career was supposed to provide an instant plaster to their emotional needs.
The trouble with this approach is that once you get that further promotion and once you achieve your company´s financial goals, there comes the time when those emotional needs re-appear. You didn´t deal with them; you merely kept yourselves busy, hoping they would vanish by themselves.
If you are in the midst of changing your career or considering starting your own business, do yourself a favor called “due diligence”.
Open your heart and ask yourself what the real reasons for this new direction are. Will this new career be in-line with your values? Will it truly reflect who you are? Are there any issues from the past that you need to deal with first, before you commit to the whole process?
The answer to all of these questions is full and total self-acceptance. When you are ready to accept and embrace yourself for who you are, including all your imperfections (you should know by now that we are all full of them!), the following will happen.
- You will be able to see your priorities more clearly and maybe, just maybe, it will turn out a new career is not one of them!
- If, as a result of your newly found emotional freedom, you still believe that changes in career are necessary, approach them with this new perspective. I can promise you that half of the requirements you were after will be gone!
- If your choices are in-line with your true personal values (and you will make sure they are), your next steps will become much easier to define and take.
Most importantly, enjoy the process. It might not be the easiest one but it is highly rewarding in the end.
Thank you, Chris, for your comment. I think it is really important that people go beyond the obvious and search deeper when making big life decisions, should it be in their career or in other areas of their lives. All the best, Natalie
You a so right. People often jump into major life changes thinking that the outcome will lead to a perfect life. Sadly these choices are often misguided. Unless change is forced on you, then there’s always a fundamental reason behind it. Identifying what the reason is and planning around can not only help you make the right decision, but like you said can sometimes avoid these major changes completely. Most people who jump from job to job or even relationship to relationship are searching for something without really knowing what the something is. It's never as simple as "more money" or "better recognition". Often, it's all about who you are and what you want on a much deeper level. Great post!
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How to Deal With Disappointment When Changing Your Career
October 14th, 2011
Changing your career needs to be treated as any other big change that you undergo in your life. You will most probably go through the following motions: questioning the decisions you make along the way, feeling the loss of leaving something familiar behind you, facing the uncertainties of embarking on the unknown. There will be fear and there will be excitement. There will be expectations and there will be disappointments. Most probably, the whole process will be a bit bumpy and might leave you exhausted.
However, it doesn´t have to be this way; what you need to understand is that sometimes we can´t change the process but we can certainly change our reaction to it!
When things don´t go smoothly and the disappointment and fatigue set in, there are a few steps you can take:
1.) Make a decision that no matter how much progress you are making, you will enjoy the process and you will consider any setback as just another “building block” on the way towards your final goal of having your ideal career. Never underestimate the power of a decision. Thinking about something, considering it, visualizing it, discussing it, these are all fine activities. Making a decision is much more powerful, though. It implies that there is no looking back, only forward. It signals to you that you are in charge and you will move ahead on your own terms. Taking the decision means that whatever happens, you will have your ideal career and you will enjoy the process, you are moving ahead of those who wallow in their sorrows and get stuck half-way through the process without knowing it. You might take a few wrong turns but at least you are moving and that puts you way ahead of the crowd.
2.) Remain open-minded about how you will get the career of your dreams. Quite often, we make the mistake of having a very precise idea about how things will develop. Then if something doesn´t go according to plan we are left disheartened and disappointed. Imagine though, if there were tons of different ways to land your ideal career, if you only allowed them to unfold naturally! Please don´t misunderstand me. Taking action every single day and moving in the direction of your new career is extremely important. Which actions to take, however, can be left to your imagination and the immediate feelings of what is best for you. Sometimes you can be struck by an idea that seems completely farfetched and yet when you follow up on it, it might lead to an interesting contact, valuable information or a new avenue to pursue. Don´t underestimate the power of your intuition. If a new and crazy idea strikes, try it out, you never know the surprising outcome.
3.) Allow yourself enough time. Quite often, people who are determined and work towards change in their career steadily, make the easiest transitions. The reason being that once they reach the point of readiness to take the plunge, they have fully prepared and implemented plan B. They know exactly what they are doing, they have a financial plan, potentially a business plan (if transitioning to their own business), they have clarity and they have an action plan. To put all these elements in place can take time. Having a time frame is important but if you allow yourself to be patient, potential disappointments will not seem as fatal as if your deadline was set in stone for you.
Most importantly, remember why you decided to change your career in the first place. I am guessing it was because you wanted to spend your time doing something that you truly loved! Keep your eyes on the prize and all your disappointments will become but little stories to share at dinner parties and lovely reminders of how much you have overcome and how far you have travelled.
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Newsletter – Why the End is Actually the Beginning (and what comes in between)
October 3rd, 2011
“Once you make peace with the inevitability of your expansion, and once you accept that it is the journey that is the joy, not the destination, it’s the JOURNEY that is the joy, then there is no end to the fun you can have along the way.” Abraham-Hicks
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Why Your Passion is Not Enough When Changing Your Career
September 27th, 2011
In many of my previous articles I have written that in terms of identifying your ideal career, the area that holds your interest and passion is the first one to look at. While this is definitely true, looking for your dream career while following your passion only is not enough.
We live in the age of many reality shows, so I am sure you are familiar with at least a few of them. When you watch some of the participants (mainly taking part in singing or dancing competitions), their passion is so palpable, you want to hug them through your TV screen. And yet, most of them do not succeed. The reason for that is simple. While they might have the passion, they lack the talent.
You can apply this example to your own situation. You might have a great passion for a specific occupation but if you lack a gift for that particular area, it might be very difficult to succeed. I am not saying it is not possible but in all likelihood your efforts will deliver average results and (this is my own personal opinion) if you are taking this huge step towards changing your career, surely your intention is to excel?!
In order to excel, let´s look at the other part of the “successful career change” equation. What are you passionate about and really good at? If you look at it from this perspective, I am sure you will be able to come up with some great ideas! All of us are really good at something, be it a fantastic cupcake maker, a brilliant wine expert or an inventive home decorator.
The combination of your passion and your abilities is the best basis for identifying and consequently changing your career. Be open to any ideas and possibilities and remain open minded throughout the process. (By the way, did you hear about the teenage boy who had made millions online selling ebooks about skateboarding? He was passionate about skateboarding, could not find any good textbooks on the subject, so decided to write one himself. Who would have ever thought that this topic would be such a huge success?)
Once you have identified your strengths, start developing these even further; turn them into your “superpowers”, if you will. If you are good at writing, take yet another course and improve your skill (plus many of the writing courses these days teach you how to sell your work too). There are evening classes available on so many different subjects. Online information is basically at your fingertips, so develop a sound and solid plan to:
1.) Identify your strengths
2.) Improve them and turn them into your “superpowers”
3.) Infuse them with your passion for the subject / area of interest and off you go.
Congratulations.You have just become unstoppable.
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How to Keep Yourself Motivated When Changing Your Career
September 20th, 2011
First of all, let me say that if you are changing your career because you want to do something better, more satisfying, more rewarding, more “you”, then the issue of self-motivation should really not exist. If, on the other hand, you are at the point of changing your career but you don´t know which direction to go in, then motivation (or the lack of it) could be a good indicator of whether you are on the right track or not.
If you wake up every morning and can´t wait to take another step towards getting that dream career of yours, you know that you are looking for something worthy, fun and exciting.
But if you find the prospect of looking for a new job, daunting, scary or downright depressing, you have clearly not done your homework to identify what it is that you really, really want to do. In this case, I would recommend going through a thorough process of identifying your ideal career (using coaching or any other tool that you have at your disposal).
In reality, no matter which group you belong to, finding the right job might take longer than anticipated and in order to stay positive and upbeat throughout the process I would like to share a few tips with you on keeping your motivation up.
1.) Surround yourself with people who share the same interests and passions, to keep your enthusiasm alive. I had a client who wanted to be a middle-aged fashion model (yes, it is possible!) and the agencies she contacted just could not make up their minds. In the meantime, my client kept going to fashion shows, followed the fashion trends, kept herself fit and beautiful and continued taking new and different pictures until such a time that one agency finally agreed to take her on! The “in-between” activities didn´t cost much but it kept her focused on what it was she really wanted.
2.) Think about projects you will do when one day this job/business comes through. If it is the right direction for you, new ideas will come easily and when you speak to your potential employers, you will blow them away with how prepared and well suited you are for the particular job.
3.) Use the time between the jobs doing things you have always wanted to do but never had time for: play that very famous golf course you always wanted to try, learn a new skill, join an evening class, or sign up to a mastermind group. Spend your time doing things that make you happy and relaxed. That positive state of mind will translate into other areas of life, changing your career being one of them.
And remember that the best motivation is the knowledge that there are many people out there who have their dream career – and so will you.
Copyright: 2011 LB Coaching
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