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May 12, 2008, 2:03 pm
Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of
us have gears we never use.
Charles M. Schulz
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Life
Coaching..
Building Focus, Energy & Courage - to Make a Better Life for You |
Are you Ready For Career Change?
At the beginning of January it's very common to see adverts with the headline New Year New Career and indeed it is often a time when people are thinking about making career changes.
It is a sad fact that most people are unhappy in their work and that they spend more time planning their holidays than their career. I am sure the two are linked. Surveys show that it is common for people to just “fall into” their jobs, the result mainly of chance – what was available at the time. This often leads to unhappiness. For most individuals careers are vital, they have the potential of providing meaningful activity and a necessary level of economic reward.
So how do we improve our career prospects either in our current jobs or in a new job or career? I’ve used the following method and other tools on my clients and myself with great success. Although these techniques work well on their own, the results are far more powerful when used in combination with coaching. Coaching helps to inspire and motivate individuals to go for their dreams as well as sustaining momentum and overcoming obstacles when difficulties arise, far more effectively than if they worked on their own.
How Happy are You in Your Career?
The first question to ask is what’s important for you in your career?
The following is a common list; create your own list if necessary:
1. Income needs
2. Social and business relationships
3. Location, including commuting
4. Amount of hours spent working
5. Prospects for career development
6. Status
7. Security
8. Influence
9. Creativity
10. Fulfillment, how interested are you in the job, are your skills being fully utilised, are you using the skills you want to use and how meaningful is the activity for you?
Grade each area on the list with your satisfaction level with a score between 1 and 10 (10 being fully satisfied).
Decide for the areas, which you are not satisfied with, usually below 7, how important it is for these to be improved. If it is important, then how much power do you have to improve things, who can help and what action do you need to take? Completing this part of the exercise may be enough to enable you to be satisfied with your present job or career path.
If you are not able to make the necessary changes then you may have to consider leaving your present job and it may be sufficient to obtain the same job with a similar company or work for yourself. If not, use the following sections. The following piece is also very effective for the unemployed.
What is Your Ideal Career?
To get started ask yourself, if you won the lottery what would you do? What attracts you to this? Write the answers down and keep them in mind as you complete the following exercise.
There are three categories of switches you can create when you make career changes.
1. Work in the same field but in a different job using different skills (Use skills audit).
2. Change the field you work in but use your existing skills (Use interest audit).
3. Change the field and skills (Use both audits).
Career Skills Audit
What do you have to offer the world? We all have a unique set of personal skills and qualities and business skills. Do you want to learn new skills and/or embody new personal qualities?
What are your favourite transferable skills? Decide which skills you like using the most and which you would like to learn. Try to come up with 20-30 skills and make a shortlist of between 5 and 10 and rank them in order of importance. For example, I love to communicate, discover, learn etc.
Career Interests Audit
Think about areas of interest and write them down.
1. Which subjects were you interested in during your education?
2. Which areas do you love to visit in a bookshop?
3. Which websites do you visit most often?
4. What hobbies do you have?
5. What do you watch on TV?
6. What do you love talking about?
7. Which activities do you lose yourself in?
8. Which clubs are you a member of?
9. Which magazine and newspaper articles do you enjoy reading?
10. What subject would you write a book about?
Rank your interests in order of importance.
Your ideal career(s) = the overlap between your skills and interests (the field). You may have to play about with the combinations a bit to get the best blends.
Ok, so hopefully you have some idea of what your ideal career looks like, now how do you get it?
How to Get to Your Ideal Career
If you want to work in the same field but use different skills, think about how to gain those skills e.g. your company may pay or you may need to foot the bill.
If you like the idea of using your existing skills in a new field, one way of achieving this is to emphasise your transferable skills and interest in the field at the application and interview stage. Staying in your existing job and doing voluntary work, 1 day a week or month in the new field will help in building experience and contacts too.
If you want to work in a new field with new skills use a combination of the above two strategies. These methods also work if you want to be self-employed.
Finally, if you haven’t done so already, research companies you would like to work for and where you can use your skills and talk to any relevant people. Don’t wait for jobs to be advertised, approach the person who hires for the specific job you want. It’s often a good move if you can avoid the HR department if possible. And good luck.
Space limitations mean this article must be a general guide only. Career change is often complex and long-winded - which is why many of us just stick it out where we are! Life coaching can help you to stay focused, positive and resourceful through the often-difficult process of finding your new career. Needless to say - I am at your service!
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 Joe Jimenez |
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