Simon North shares his top tips for how you can stay motivated, focused and in your best form during your career change.
1. Be clear
You will get the most motivational energy from being clear about what it is you’re trying to achieve. Narrow your options down to the one career you want to change to, instead of pursuing several different potential avenues. Choose the career you want to change to by asking yourself what you wish you were doing right now and identifying your strengths by possibly using a tool such as StrengthsFinder. Once you know what you want to be doing and what your strengths are, make a list of the careers that incorporate both your passions and your talents. Choose the career that jumps out at you from the list to try.
2. Act smart
Acting smart is about good habits and taking care of yourself. It is so important that we don’t exhaust ourselves in the career change transition. You need to be rested and on your best form. Be sure to get eight hours of sleep a night. If you have trouble getting to sleep, try doing something relaxing like taking a warm bath or reading a couple of chapters of a book before heading up to bed. It’s also important to eat well by cutting down on processed foods and increasing your intake of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Getting regular exercise will also increase your well-being and alertness, even if it’s just a short lunchtime walk three times a week.
3. Don’t be distracted
It’s so easy to pick up newspapers, to login to online recruitment boards and to get driven along by the seduction of a job that looks just right for us. When some people call the recruitment game for a candidate a lottery, it’s because the candidate puts themselves in a position where they’re not in control. When you’re distracted, you lose control. Stay focused on the career you’ve chosen by setting up Google Alerts for keywords relating only to that career. Visit specialist job boards instead of general ones and use the keyword search engine on the site instead of aimlessly browsing vacancies unrelated to your chosen new profession.
4. Set a routine
The most effective way of keeping yourself motivated during a career change is to have a clear routine for each day. Whatever routine you establish for yourself needs to be as well thought through and balanced as if you were preparing for a marathon. Split the day up into hourly instalments and decide what order you’re going to tackle tasks in. Decide how much time you’re going to assign to each task, be it one hour, two hours or three hours. Different job search tasks to incorporate into your schedule could, for example, include searching a particular organization’s website for current job vacancies suited to your aspirations or going out for a coffee with an old contact who now works within the field you’re interested in. Clear a space at home for you to work on your job search, as a clutter-free environment will make it easier to stay motivated and stick to your timetable.
5. Keep your connections up to speed
It’s highly probable that as you make your career change, you’ll be connecting to some key people in your network. These people are not only important to you in the process of making a shift, they are also important sources of energy and motivation for you. Keep them in the loop by calling them up every now and again for a casual chat or even going out to lunch with them. Invite them to networking events or career workshops that you’re going to be going to. Having a source of moral support present can motivate you to get more out of these occasions than you might otherwise.
Leave a comment below: Are you doing all you can to keep yourself on track with your career change?
Simon North is a specialist in career change, career planning and helping people to be clear about the right career direction for them. He is the co-founder of www.positionignition.com.
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