We’ve all done it haven’t we. Used that time off over Christmas to reflect on what we’re doing and where we’re going in our lives.
Not surprisingly January is THE busiest time for people to seek a new job and a new career, sometimes by choice and sadly sometimes through circumstance. Some of my clients may stay put in their existing role, but it’s my job to make sure that is a conscious career decision and not one made from fear of change. So here are three typical clients I’m guiding through their career journey, and if you identify with any of these then perhaps it would make sense for us to talk.
I don’t want to do more of the same…
Client X had a background in IT, but his role had evolved to one which was more about project management. There were opportunities to progress, but he didn’t know if that was what he really wanted. I began taking him through my process, which included looking at what his ideal job would be, and to list the things he liked and didn’t like about the two different career paths he was pondering. Taking him through the process it became clear that he hated project management and loved IT so needed to go and apply for IT management positions.
I can’t do anything else…
Client Y, a highly experienced nurse, said to me that she wanted to change her job but couldn’t do anything else. Having been in the one career for so long she didn’t think a career change was now possible. We began to look at her role at work and the things she did outside work. Through this process we identified a long list of transferable skills from problem solving to dealing with difficult people, and armed with these it meant she didn’t have to stay in the same career.
I saw it coming…
Client Z worked for an electric company as a meter reader. He knew when smart meters began being rolled that his days in his current job were numbered. Sadly, he was made redundant. He told me he saw it coming and wished he had spoken to me sooner but didn’t think there was anything I could do. Getting another job as a meter reader wasn’t an option – no – but helping him to identify his existing knowledge and skills and applying these to job descriptions and applications WAS an option.
Sometimes life throws things up and you go down a particular route which isn’t always the right path and you don’t realise it.
Are you doing what YOU really want?
The first question I ask anyone I support with career coaching is – do you know what your ideal job is? Or are you just taking opportunities as they arise but not doing what you really want?
- Look at your ideal job (use job descriptions on job sites) then compare where you are now – your knowledge, skills, and experience – how do they compare to your ideal job?
- Start looking at where your gaps are. First step, are there things you do outside of work which offer transferable skills and could help fill those gaps?
- Have a traffic light system – green for things you can do, amber for things which you can pull from your experience, and red for those which you have no experience in. Often these are the ones which stop people applying for jobs, but if you have a development plan in place when you go for interview to explain how you will plug those gaps then the job could be yours.
It’s ok to have Christmas career wobble, the important thing is to decide what you truly want and to plan how to get there.
Ready for a change?
I want everyone to be in a job they love, which is why I created my online Change Your Job with Confidence course to make it affordable for everyone to access career coaching.
You can progress at a pace which suits you through the 10 hours of coaching and activities, and at the end of it all you and I will have a review to see where you need to go next.
Book a free discovery call today; https://calendly.com/jmcoachingwestmids/find-out-how-jm-coaching-can-help-you
