5 Steps to Career Change 

The no 1 reason that clients seek my Coaching for is career change. The reasons vary, but the most common are feeling; unsatisfied, unappreciated, demotivated, uninterested & uninspired. Other common reasons are finding the current workplace / field to be toxic, draining and lacking purpose. Money is rarely the issue, it's the desire for personal satisfaction that tops the list for most women.

But when it comes to career change, most people are stuck and afraid. They don't know how to approach it. If this is you, please read on for some inspiration and advice, to help you move forward.

1: ASSESS YOUR SKILLS & STRENGTHS

In every job you had, you gained new skills and strengthened existing ones. The best way to identify these is to look at job adverts / descriptions that match your current and previous roles. List every skill you can by cross-referencing your experience with the job requirements.

Next, identify your soft skills – these are mostly related to your personality. Things like being organised, a strong communicator, delivering projects punctually etc. These are more and more desired by recruiters and companies, so do not neglect making an inventory of these. If you are stuck, ask your friends, family and co-workers to tell you what your strengths are.

2: SELF-AWARENESS

You need to know who you are and what matters to you. This is important because wherever you go next, your happiness and personal satisfaction need to be the priority, otherwise you will end up right back where you started.

This requires you getting real with yourself about your values. Your core values are the essence of your personality, and to be happy at work, you need a position that aligns with your values. Do you prefer teamwork or complete autonomy? Remote working or being in an office? Rules to follow or creative flexibility? These are just some examples. If you need a worksheet to help you to explore your values, contact me here and I will send you one.

Know your type – take the MBTI personality test free online here.

This is the only personality type I personally rate and use in my Coaching.

3: A CLEAR TARGET

Do you actually have some idea of the type of job you would like to do? 

Great – please go to the next step.

But if you don't...take your time with this bit.

Now that you fully understand your skills and values, the big question is where do you take them?

Have you researched different industries that align with your core values and skills? 

Do you know people in other jobs that you envy? 

Is there some childhood dream you are ready to finally make happen? 

What is your absolute dream job?

Before you can go any further, have something in mind to aim for.

4: PERSONAL-BRANDING

Now that we have gathered all of the information from points 1, 2 & 3, it's time to get that personal brand working for you.

Look at job adverts in areas you are interested in, and work on your CV and LinkedIn to highlight your relevant skills.

Use keywords from the job description (JD) in your brand.

Where you feel you lack experience, use transferable skills to demonstrate you have the ability and capacity.

Remember the 60 % rule -as long as you meet 60% of the criteria, it's worth applying for. A JD is just a wish list and companies know they are unlikely to find a perfect match.

If you need some free help with this, you can learn about my Personal Branding services here

5: MINDSET & TAKING ACTION

Now you are ready to take action, but it's very common for nerves and doubts to kick in here. Change is scary and the human brain is hardwired to "protect" us from change. It does this by generating scary scenarios and pushing limiting beliefs into your mind. If you are plagued by thoughts such as "this is too risky" or "I am not good / experienced enough" or "I am too old / young" etc. you need to know this is normal, but you have to push past it. You owe it to yourself, your life and your happiness to keep moving forward.

Get that LinkedIn optimized, network, tell your friends you are on the hunt, join groups and forums, send your CV to recruitment agencies. As soon as you start to take action, your confidence will grow.

Visualize yourself in that dream job and commit to making this dream a reality.

"When you entertain your dream more than your reality, your dream becomes your reality" (unknown)

If you need help, I have a Career Change Package and if you are in my free Facebook group, you can get 10% off.