Is it time for a Career Stocktake? ✍️
If you're feeling restless, ask yourself these 3 questions:
Am I still enthusiastic about my career and the work I perform?
Am I thinking "what's next"?
Am I feeling less than excited about the prospect of returning to work?
Many people at this time of year think about what the next year may bring and what they want to achieve during the next 12 months❓
If you’re starting to think about what’s next, what your options are and what possibilities exist for you to make a change, here some tips that will help you make important decisions. 💠
Keep in mind that your career is only a part of your life, and while it is a major part of your life, there are many other aspects to consider in order to lead a fulfilling life. A life and career of purpose and one that gives you meaning!
If you’re thinking that it's time to aim for a promotion, there are some useful tips in the attached article that I’ve recently contributed to in the Australian Financial Review written by Euan Black – here is the link:
For those who would like to make a change – either within their organisation or externally - here are my tips for planning ahead:
Think about how you’re using your Strengths 💪 if you’re not clear what they are, I recommend taking the “Expert” version of your Strengths Profile – www.strengthsprofile.com
Ask yourself: "Am I using my Strengths in my work"? If not, what might you be able to do so that you can use them more in your current role? For example, job crafting, also called job redesign!
As an accredited Strengths Profile Career Coach I can guide you on how to use your strengths, both realised and unrealised strengths.
Think about your Motivated, Transferable Skills. Are you using the skills that you enjoy using at least 80% of the time? If not, how might you change parts of your role to ensure that you are using mostly those that you find motivating? Is there an opportunity to do some "job crafting"? If not, can you change to a different role?💭
It’s important to separate the skills you enjoy using from those you don’t because you can be very good at using your ‘unmotivated’ skills but not enjoying using them in your role - and that holds you back from achieving job satisfaction!
Your skills are transferable to other roles, organisations, and industry sectors. You are not limited to an industry sector because you’ve worked in a sector for some years! I’m sure you’ve been told when applying for jobs outside the sector of your experience that ‘BUT... you don’t have industry experience…’ This is often what holds people back from exploring other sectors. Use your network more to make a change!
Carefully consider what other roles exist in your present organisation that you could aim for. Then, network to the appropriate area of the organisation and do your due diligence – what are the activities you would perform in the role of interest, who would you be working with, and is the area aligned with your values?
Bring your resume up-to-date! Think about what you’ve achieved during the past 12 months and capture these achievements in your resume. It helps you clarify where you’ve been successful, what transferable skills you were using, and what you’ve enjoyed doing.
If you want to change to a new organisation and a different industry sector, consider developing a Career related SWOT Analysis, a very useful way to capture your Strengths, the Opportunities that exist (internal and external), and what Threats may exist (for example, how well is the industry sector performing, what might be some roadblocks ahead in the sector?)
Finally, think about the Weaknesses – or as I prefer to call them – the Gaps that you may have to address in order to achieve your goal. Are there any training courses you might need to do, or for a more radical change, do you need to do a degree?
If you’re struggling with making a decision, are feeling overwhelmed and ‘stuck’ because there are too many choices and you don't have enough clarity about your options, I can help you become clearer so that you can achieve your goals.
If what you've read above describes how you're feeling, please reach out to discuss how I can help!
