Career changes are hard enough. But when you’re not sure what your next step should be, it can feel like there’s no way out of the difficult task at hand and into a better future. Not everyone goes about it the same way. However, everybody must work through a couple of significant steps to move along in the process. Below you’ll find the specific steps that I use to help my clients manage the difficult task of making a career move and achieve their vocational goals.
#1 – Clarify Your Goal
Before you step into the arduous process of making a career transition, it’s crucial at the outset to clarify why you want to make a career move. You might need to make more money or find a career that strikes the right balance between work and the rest of your life. It could be the need for a more significant challenge. Whatever it is – clarify your goal. What do you want to see happen by making this move?
STEP 2: ASSESS YOURSELF
You have a unique set of strengths, experiences, drivers, and values. However, it’s impossible to know if a career is the right fit for you without first understanding who you are at your core. What’s more, you’ll never know how to communicate to a future employer what you bring to the table if you don’t take the time to figure out what makes you come alive and how you stand out.
STEP 3: Create an Ideal Career Profile
In this step, we’ll take the time to create a career profile. The career profile is a written picture of who you are. It provides the answer questions like – what makes me tick? what would I like to keep, eliminate or find in your next career? After taking a deep dive into who you are with the help of various exercises and inventories, you’ll know more about yourself and what you can offer in your next role. So, the natural next step is to write it down so that you can see, in black and white, what your ideal career looks like.
STEP 4: Test Drive Some Career Options
Knowing the options available is critical to see if they fit well with your career profile and goals. So the next step in your planning process is to kick the tires of some possible career paths and take them for a test drive. We’ll provide you with the tools and guidance necessary to consider options and assess opportunities that may be right for you.
STEP 5: Create a Plan
It’s only natural that you start asking (and answering) a couple of questions like–what will I do now? What’s my next step? How will I get from here to there? Creating a written plan with tactics and a timeline helps you see where you’re going and how you will get there. It helps you cover most of the details and eliminate the confusion of an already potentially stressful time in your life.
STEP 6: Clarify and Communicate Your Value
Next step: Launch and Get the word out! Some think you can create a resume and “just” send it out. However, this is one of the least effective ways to search for a new position. Although it’s essential to have a well-written resume getting the word out involves several other important pieces. Social media, a network of relationships and connections, and excellent interview skills are vital in this day and age. We’ll help you communicate your value. We’ll help you determine who is on your team and assist you in creating a strategy to let others know that you are looking for a new role.
The steps we’ve outlined are a great starting point to managing your career transition, but they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Make sure to tailor them to fit your unique needs and situation. And if you ever find yourself feeling lost or uncertain during your journey, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. A career coach can be an invaluable resource when it comes to making the jump from one job to another. With hard work and a little bit of luck, following these steps should help you achieve your vocational goals and make the difficult task of transitioning into a new career much easier. Are you ready to get started?
