If ever you were thinking of making a career change, many are saying that now is the best time to do so. As the Great Resignation (a phenomenon that describes record numbers of people leaving their jobs after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.) soldiers on, employers are struggling to fill vacancies. One example is EasyJet who are reportedly offering staff a £1000 bonus to try and persuade them not to quit. Here in the UK, unemployment is at a record 50 year low and almost a quarter of workers plan to change jobs in the next 3-6 months. So, it is an employee market right now.
The global pandemic has had many people revaluating what it is that they want for their career. For some, it has led them to reassess whether they are aligned with their values. Realising that they are not, they are now looking to make a career change and do work that is more meaningful to them.
If this is you and you’re not sure what you want to do next, the following will help you to make that move:
Can you improve things where you currently are?
Before you jump the gun, first figure out whether you really want to quit. I you are currently unhappy at work, what is the reason for this? Is it your job, the people, the organisation, or is it something else? Explore the reason for your unhappiness and make sure it’s not just a temporary glitch that you are going through.
Think back to what attracted you to the role in the first place. What has changed for you to be so unhappy now? What (if anything) can be done to improve things?
What do you want to do?
If you’ve made your mind up that it is definitely time for you to move on, you will need to figure out what it is that you want to do. Do you want to stay working in the same field? Or are you feeling unfulfilled by the type of work that you do and want to do something completely different?
If you already know what you want to do, you can now go and spruce up your CV and start looking. If you’re uncertain about what it is that you want to do, read on.
What really matters to you?
Our values go to the core of who we are and it is important that we take them in to consideration when we are making a career move. What are the values which, if the are not present in your life and work, make you feel dissatisfied, inauthentic, unfulfilled and unhappy?
As an example, a client of mine was unhappy at work but could not figure out why. When we examined her values and whether her work was aligned with her values, she had an ‘aha’ moment. Integrity was a core value of hers and she felt that the way she was expected to treat clients lacked integrity.
Identify your values and not just that, think about the sorts of values you want to see in an organisation if you are to work there.
What are your skills and strengths?
What are you good at, but most importantly what skills do you enjoy using? You will have gained many skills over the years but not all those skills may be ones that you enjoy using. You may have developed them, because you needed the skills to perform a particular role. If you want to do work that you love, utilise the skills that you are not only good at but that you also enjoy using.
Also, take in to consideration your strengths, the things that come most naturally to you. If you are able to utilise your strengths in your work, you will enjoy it more and perform better. If you are unsure of what your strengths are, ask someone who knows you well. Often other people see things in us that we can’t see in ourselves. Or, take a strengths test.
Where are you at in life?
We want different things from our careers at different stages in our lives. Do you want a career that is challenging? One that is fast paced, stimulating and demanding, and where there is plenty of opportunities for progression. Or do you want a career that enables you to have a better balance? Perhaps you have caring responsibilities, or maybe you just want to have a good work/life balance, recognising that there is more to life than work. Or maybe you are at a stage in your life where you’re done with the office politics and want to be authentic. You just want to be you and do work that aligns with who you are. Work that is meaningful and purposeful.
Figure out where you are at at this stage of your life and take this in to consideration when deciding what it is next for you.
Pull it all together
Having identified your skills, strengths, what really matters to you and where you are at in life, what roles would enable you to combine all this? What causes do you have a passion for? Spend some time brainstorming ideas, looking at jobs advertised on LinkedIn, on job search websites and publications to identify roles that would be suitable.
Speak to people that are doing these roles and find out more about what is involved. Do you need to do any training? If you want to transition to a different sector, find out more about the sector from the sector skills council or professional bodies for the sector you want to work in.
If you don’t have experience in the field that you want to go in to, look at what transferrable skills you do have. Also, if you want to gain some practical experience, do a bit of volunteering or adult work experience.
Or perhaps you no longer want to work for someone else and want to start your own business. If you have an idea for a business and are not sure where to begin, get some advice. Complete a business plan and start doing your research to make sure that your idea could be a viable business and not an expensive hobby.
Have you previously made a career transition to a completely different sector, if so, what else would you add to my list?
First published on LinkedIn.
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