Katherine Wiid, Career Management Coach at Career Ambitions writes:
Unexpected career change
If you’ve lost your job suddenly you might see this as a setback, asking ‘Is this really happening?’ Shock and denial might then turn to anger, or feelings of grief at leaving behind friends, colleagues and the comfort and familiarity of what you know.
It’s important to know that these feelings are perfectly normal. To help you to process them, I suggest writing down what’s happened and what action you can take to move forward. To help you with this, you can download our free resource Understanding the Change Curve. It’s also a good idea to find a way to express your emotions safely, for example by talking to someone you respect and trust. This may help you gain new perspectives and start to see change as an opportunity rather than a setback.
Dreaming of a new you
If you’ve decided to change your job because you’re looking for a new challenge, this probably feels very exciting. But even so, you may also be experiencing anxiety and second thoughts about whether you’re making the right decision and whether you should stay where you are and just keep dreaming.
Put aside anxiety like financial worries for a moment and ask yourself two simple questions: ‘Did I enjoy my last position? Do I like what I currently do?’ If the answer’s a resounding ‘no’, then this is the perfect time to explore what it is that you really want to do instead.
Whichever situation it is that you find yourself in, the first thing to do before looking for a new role, is to consider where you are now, what you can learn from it and what you would like your career options to be.
Did you choose a career or did your career choose you?
So many us drift through our working lives, never really knowing what we want to be doing with our careers. We often ‘fall into’ jobs, and then find ourselves stuck and feeling frustrated.
- Almost 40% of people say that they have ‘fallen into’ a job they’re not suited to. Some of these people actually end up loving the job they ‘fell into’, but others wish they had fallen into something else.
- Another 40% actively chose a career because of the possibilities, the variety and the way that job made them feel. I often think of my oldest sister who from the age of 10 wanted to be a teacher! She would sit my sister and myself down in her makeshift classroom for hours on end until we rebelled and escaped. Sue did go on to become a wonderful high school teacher …
- What about the other 20%? They are in the middle of this continuum and did a bit of both, falling and choosing.
Which camp do you sit in?
When it comes to careers, self-awareness is one of the most powerful career tools out there. Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager. How can they be sure that they are employing the right candidate, if the candidate themselves isn’t sure it’s the right role for them?
Assess what you have to offer
When assessing your options, think of the skills you’ve learned in your career, and determine which ones you can transfer to an alternative career, one you’ll like doing.
Also consider the skills you enjoy using in all aspects of your everyday life, for example creating, connecting, building relationships or problem solving. And when you update your CV, ensure you include and highlight these skills.
As you go through this process, it’s also worth reflecting on what’s really important to you in your work life. Is it a good work-life balance, flexible hours, recognition, new challenges, great perks, or something else?
I recommend you write down these thoughts and create a checklist of all the things you really want from your career before you start applying for new roles.
Look at the bigger picture
Once you’ve decided what you’d like to do, take a step back. Think about –
- Is the move you want to make going to get you where you want to be?
- Is it in an industry that’s growing?
- Is what you’re going to be doing meaningful for you?
- Does it fit in with your lifestyle?
Having these conversations with yourself, as well as creating your checklist, will help you to effectively evaluate all your options, and guide you to making the right decision.
Don’t let career change be a setback – embrace it!
Career change can be daunting, and as we have discussed, it’s important not to let it manage you. If you start to believe that it is possible to find a new role that ticks all the right boxes, you’ve already taken a big step in the right direction.
If you are interested in discovering what motivates you about your work, you can read more about a career profiling tool, the LAB Profile on our website. By finding out what makes you tick at work, you can consciously choose a career that will involve more of what you love, and less of what you don’t.
