Making a career change?
Look before you leap!
Is making a career change or looking for a new job something that you are presently thinking about?
It's in your interest to make sure that you are doing so for the right reasons.
For example, being bored in your current job is not necessarily the strongest reason for making a career change.
On the other hand, don't be like people who ought to change their career or job and who don't......either because they don't know how, or...... they don't know what options they have for a career change.
There's no real reason why you should put up with a career, job or work situation that you hate.
Some people procrastinate in making a decision to move on. If you suffer from procrastination - get over it!
Make the decision today, right now, to move on in a more positive direction in your life.
BUT.....before making the final decision to move on, do your homework - it's called career development planning.
Take the time to evaluate your career change motivation. Think through the benefits of taking on a career change opportunity - and the disadvantages of making such a move.
If you need help in carrying out this evaluation use some of the tips outlined in how to choose a career.
This involves doing some career planning...which is basically a step by step approach to help you make the best possible decisions about your future.
Making a career change
We can all make poor career decisions!
For example, in my own career, I relocated my wife and four children to a completely new city, and into an entirely new career and job direction.
My eldest two, girls, were 15 and 14 years of age and at a crucial stage in high school, and socially - you know, expanding their network of friends, boyfriends etc.
As far as success in my new career? Well, it was one of my career goals to make the move, and to work in this new field.
Outcome - I learnt plenty, including that this type of work and career direction wasn't for me!
I could have, and should have made a much better decision for me and my family if I'd done some career planning.
Why are you thinking about making a career change?
An online survey conducted by a leading international human resources consultancy, Right Management, found these were the top reasons for people changing careers:
- Downsizing or restructuring (54%)
- Sought new challenges or opportunities (30%)
- Due to ineffective leadership (25%)
- Poor relationship with manager (22%)
- To improve work/life balance (21%)
- Contributions were not valued (21%)
- Better compensation and benefits (18%)
- Better alignment of personal and organizational values (17%)
- Personal strengths and capabilities weren't a good fit (16%)
- Company was financially unstable (13%)
- Company or job relocated (12%)
It's a common misconception that people are changing careers because they want more money.
According to the survey though it's 7th on the list. AND...only 18% of survey respondents said more money was their main career change motivation in looking for another job.
Career change opportunity or not?
Why are you staying?
Some of the reasons people give for staying where they are often don't stack up when those reasons are closely examined.
Consider this - How true for you are some of the common excuses that people give for staying in their current job or career:
- I'm not sure I can find another job
- I don't think I can do anything else but what I'm doing now
- I don't think that I can find another job which pays as well as this - I've been working here for ages
- What I do is very specialised, there aren't other jobs out there that are like this
- I don't think a new job would be all that different to what I'm doing now
- I can't afford to change jobs
- I'd like to change jobs, but what job would I do
- I'd rather not take a risk and change jobs, because it might not work out
- I don't want to go backwards in my career, or financially
- My employer wouldn't survive without me
- I'd be letting my work colleagues down if I left
- I'd lose contact with all my friends here if I left
- My organisation is undergoing change management - I'll wait and see how my job is affected
- I'm saving up my recreation leave and money for a big holiday, so I can't afford to leave now
- I'm too close to retirement, or accruing some job benefits (such as long service leave entitlement)
If some of the statements above are true for you, what does this mean?
Possibly it means that you've decided consciously, or unconsciously against changing careers.
Please consider:
- Is the statement really true for you?
- Can you come up with reasons why you think or feel this way?
- If you were to change your answer so the statement would be FALSE for you - what would have to happen, or what would you need to do?
Making a career change
What are your options?
You'll realise by now that an important part of career research is to fully understand what your options are.
You are likely to have many options for making a career change....you just need to explore and evaluate what they are.
Chances are what's stopping you from changing your career is lack of awareness of your options.
Let's help you fix this now. Get started by going to this link - how to choose a career direction.
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