We get a lot of people coming to Careershifters wanting to find a quick career change solution. They're often in panic mode with a driving sense of urgency to change career as soon as possible, usually for one of 3 reasons:
1. Need a job asap: They're unemployed and while they want to find a career they can really enjoy, they also need to find a job so that they can pay their bills...and quick!
2. Need to escape: They are desperately miserable in their current job and holding out for more than a week, let alone months, sounds like torture. They need to get out and they can't hold out much longer - they need to find a new career asap.
3. Need to get out of limbo land: They know they don't want the career they have now, but they have no idea of what they do want and being in that not-knowing, directionless limbo land is too uncomfortable to bear - they want answers and they want them now.
It would be fair to say that most people arrive at Careershifters in one of these 3 states and the last thing you want to hear when you're in a state like that is 'let's start by exploring what you're all about...'. When you're feeling panicked and lacking direction or control you want a quick fix solution, so people try to skip stages and want to rush straight to 'finding career options', insisting that they don't need to do the whole 'getting to know yourself and discovering what you really want from work' stage , they already know that and are just ready to get going.
Problem is - and we see this time and time again - when people try to rush through their careershift and skip over the first stage of getting to know yourself, their career change ends up taking even longer. They might make a swift career change, but more often than not, when that happens you'll find them a year later embarking on another career change because that last one didn't work out.
Take my house mate for example, he was fed up with his career and couldn't stand the not-knowing what to do. So he leapt on his first idea - training to be a pilot - took out a £15,000 loan and 3 months later, heavily in debt, he realised it wasn't what he wanted to do. He had to go back to square one and this time with a huge loan to pay back.
Trying to change career in a hurry is the biggest mistake you can make
There is no quick fix to changing career - finding a career that you will really enjoy and that suits you down to the ground takes time - it has to take time (anything from 6 months to 3 years). I know people want to be coming out of a 2 1/2 hour workshop knowing what their new career is going to be and how they're going to make it happen...tomorrow, but that would be like going to a speed-dating event and expecting to come away knowing who you're going to marry.
The good news is...there are quick solutions that will sort out your financial concerns, anxiety and discomfort in the short term, so that you can then relax and give time and energy to making a successful careershift into a role that you'll really love.
3 Quick Solutions
1. If you're unemployed and needing work asap: Get a fill-in job in the short-term - something that will pay the bills and put your mind at rest, but that will also give you the head space, time and energy to really take on your Careershift. For example I did short term contract work in events when I was making my career change. It was regular work, boring yes, but it meant I didn't waste all my time worrying about money and also didn't take my work home with me so my spare time could be spent on figuring out what I wanted from my new career and then getting there.
2. If you're desperately miserable in your current job: Often just making the decision that you are going to leave your current job takes the pressure off. If it doesn't, then look at short term ways to improve your work situation - what is making you so stressed and what can you do about it immediately? If it really is too much to bare then quitting and finding a new job that doesn't cause you the stress of your current role might be your first priority so that you have the time and energy to take on your careershift.
3. If you can't bare the not knowing and want an answer now!: Discover ways of being able to cope in that limbo land - the biggest mistake people make is trying to rush out of it. Read this article - "Making the most of the in-between times" - brilliantly written by career coach, Sarah Cooper.
Careershifting doesn't have to take as long as 3 years, it can be swift, but don't count on it. The worst thing you can do is give yourself a time restriction. Careershifting isn't the same as changing jobs. It starts with a shift in mindset and attitude. If you don't have a thorough understanding of what makes you happy, fulfilled and motivated then how are you ever going to recognise the right career for you when it comes along?
So, if you've been trying to skip that first essential stage of getting to know yourself so that you can rush through your career change as fast as possible, then pull on the hand break and spend some time figuring out what it is you really want out of work. It will be one of the best investments of time you could ever make for yourself.
Here's how Careershifters can help you do this:
1. The Careershifters Guide breaks down this essential stage into 5 key questions, providing practical exercises to help you answer each one. Find out more and buy the Guide here.
2. Careershifters Workshop #1: "How to discover what you really want from your work" takes you through this first essential stage. Find out when the next workshop is.
3. Free articles and exercises on the Careershifters site will give you plenty of tips and exercises on how to get to know yourself.
Good luck and enjoy getting to know yourself better!
Are you ready to change career but don't know where to start?
Then the brand new Careershifters Guide is designed for you.It will take you step-by-step through the career change process with practical exercises and expert guidance on how to figure out the career that suits you best through to the practicalities of making the change happen (even when you have a mortgage to pay and family to feed!).
By Selina Barker
Hi Stef, I found all my jobs through people that I knew. I started off by emailing every one of my contacts - friends but also former colleagues and acquaintances basically advertising that I was looking for any kind of short-term work, the kind of work I was ideally looking for and what I was able to offer eg. experience in events (very limited experience at this stage), Spanish and Portuguese, driving skills etc. and that I was happy to travel and work away from home. So it was pretty vague but gave people a rough idea of what I was looking for and had to offer.
A couple of days later a friend called up offering me a job for 10 days working at an event in Barcelona starting the following week and I was off. Over the next 12 months I got all my work through personal contacts - events work, PA work, a job driving a van around the UK for a month, selling ice creams at festivals. I suppose I got a reputation as being the friend that people turn to when they have an odd job they needed filling. Now and again when job offers seemed to be drying up I'd send out another email to let people know I was still available.
It wasn't always easy. Because I was doing jobs that usually lasted anything between a couple of days and a month I was constantly wondering where I'd get my next pay cheque and there was always the fear that nothing would turn up and then what, but I always managed to find something. When I finally decided I wanted more permanent work I used exactly the same method - emailed everyone I knew to say I was looking for permanent work and again it was through their suggestions that I finally landed a more permanent job.
I hope that helps. I think it's a good idea doing what you're doing and finding out how other people have got fill-in work. I took one route but other people I'm sure have taken very different approaches that have worked.
My advice would be to get clear on what you have to offer, what you're looking for and then let EVERYONE you know, know about it.
By stef
By stef
By Selina Barker
Hi Stef, if it's work that you need then be clear on what you can offer and make sure your CV demonstrates it well. Figure out how much money you need to earn to cover living costs.
Once you're clear on what you're looking for and what you can offer go out there and find jobs that you can do (don't bother applying for jobs that you're not qualified for).
For jobs that are advertised go to online jobsites, recruiters and search listings in the papers. For jobs that are not advertised (and that's apparently about 80% of jobs!) use the people you know to keep an eye open for any opportunities that might suit you. Let everyone you know, know that you're looking for work and what kind of work. People often hear about job opoprtunities through their friends and if that friend is in a position to recommend you to a potential employer then even better.
Good luck with the job finding!
Selina
Careershifters
By stef
By Selina Barker
Hi Stef, not sure who John actually is - I wrote this article and those tips I gave are exactly what I did to find work and I found lots of it!
If you're doing all these different things to find jobs and still not finding work then it might be worth looking at what beliefs and attitudes you have in this area. If you think you're unlucky when it comes to finding work, for example, then you'll be less likely to spot opportunities when they do arise, or you might think there are no jobs out there and again, to prove yourself right, you'll miss seeing all the jobs that ARE out there.
Often we don't realise we have all this going on in the background, so it's worth taking a look.
Good luck!