Get Clear About Your Next Career Move
Watch my webinar about career change to deep dive into tips and tricks for starting a new successful career.
Are you interested in making a career change because you’re burned out?
Feeling like your current job or career doesn’t really fit you anymore?
Are you tired and unable to see a clear path forward?
I want to help you find a clear first step in the direction of your more joyful, fulfilling career.
I know how difficult it is to be in the throws of burn-out, unable to see the forest for the trees. I was there, arguably for most of my career. I put work first, not on purpose, out of habit, and I lost connection to myself, and to my values. I wasn’t sleeping well, eating well, or spending time with the people who mattered most to me.
It wasn’t until I took the first step into a new possible career that things started to open up for me. I didn’t know where the path would take me and I didn’t even know what career was on the other side of it. But I committed to taking one step, in my case signing up for a coaching certification course. I followed my heart, and it led me here. I love my work, I’m fulfilled, and full of joy. And I’m in control of my time and how I spent it. I want the same for you.
You might be watching the news and thinking this isn’t a good time for a career change.
That’s absolutely not true.
I made my career change during Covid.
I also do a lot of consulting with companies on growth and operations and trust me, employers are still having a hard time filling roles and finding good talent.
They are paying HIGHER SALARIES and signing bonuses to keep good people. So don’t let that stop you.
But also, if you’re thinking about a career change because you’re unhappy, leaving a toxic environment or getting away from a job that’s causing you burn-out isn’t enough.
You have to make some changes in your current job so that you don’t bring past baggage with you.
Shifting your mindset means seeing what’s a fact and what’s a story. From those stories, we generate feelings within ourselves. To shift your mindset in your current environment think about what you don’t like about it. What’s your trigger?
Write a one-sentence description of what you don’t like about your current job.
Look at what you wrote.
Is it a fact? Something not attached to an emotion? Like, “I have a job.”
If not, what’s the story there? Where is it coming from? What emotion does it create? What emotion do you want to feel? What new story will help you feel it?
When we’ve spent a lot of time in those emotions, shifting out of them feels uncomfortable. That’s why we look for jobs in our comfort zone and why we sometimes repeat patterns of burn-out and toxicity; it’s familiar.
Be aware of these thoughts and stories and the emotions that come from them. If you’re telling yourself you can’t apply for a new or different job, the emotion you’re creating is self-doubt, and self-doubt is not going to land you that job. Now don’t judge it or try to change it, just start to notice and be aware of them.
Now that you have some tools to break old patterns, let’s talk about finding work that really aligns with you.
Don’t dismiss that thing you've always wanted to do because it doesn’t feel realistic. This is why we’re here, to find the right fit, not to keep doing things the old way.
Close your eyes and sink into your heart space for a minute.
Finish this sentence. The thing I’ve always wanted to do is:
Write it down.
What we want to focus on are the things that give you excitement, inspiration, and motivation. These are the emotions people don’t feel when they are burned out or living a life full of obligation and forced action.
What we want is to shift our lives into inspired action.
Of course, adulthood requires us to keep some small percentage of forced action in our lives: paying taxes, bills, navigating doctor’s appointments, etc. But we want to shift as much of the forced action off of our plates as possible to make room for inspiration.
Write down 3 skills or talents. Both related to work and not related to work.
Of the three which gives you a little bump of excitement?
How would it feel to incorporate this skill into each workday?
Now think about having joy in your work, and a job that checks all of the boxes would anything else shift in your routine?
Would you sleep in?
Would you exercise?
Would you eat differently?
Would you dress differently?
Would your house be different?
Would you work from home or an office?
Would your relationships feel different?
What would you do on the weekends?
How would you end each day?
One of the things we worry about is what other people will think. So let’s think that through. What would people think if you pursued this thing?
What if you felt confident about pursuing this thing instead of fearing that it won’t work out? Imagine for a minute that the fear is gone, you are sure this is the right thing. What would be your first step? Would you write to a former colleague working in the industry you’re pursuing? Read an article written by someone who is leading that industry?
That leads us to how we go about finding this work.
It’s cliche but absolutely still true, you have to network. Sorry introverts, but you are going to have to have some actual conversations with people.
Instead of looking for open positions, start to look for companies that look like the right fit. This has worked twice for me. I wrote to the owner or head of HR and I talked about how I was inspired by their work and how I thought my skills might fit. And both times I landed a job, both times they were positions that they hadn’t had in the company before.
Start some conversations via email or LinkedIn but make sure you talk about them and then talk about you. Draw some connections between you and their company and brag a little. Play up what’s unique about you and your skill set.
Employers are looking for culture fit as much as experience fit. Show them that you are a culture fit by going around the typical application process. Find ways to get in touch with the people who are leading the type of work you want to pursue. Make a connection with them.
Don’t limit yourself to your town, city, or even country, this is a new world where working remotely is the norm.
So what’s one thing you can do tomorrow to get started on your new career path?
Write down one small thing you can do to start moving in a new direction. Now go do it.
Jaime Gennaro is a certified business coach with decades of experience working with and growing start-ups. She’s always been committed to finding creative ways to make money, either by starting businesses or landing interesting roles that helped her pursue her passions. Book a consult call to learn more about her coaching programs here. Enrollment for January is open. Spots are limited.
