One of the most difficult aspects of a career transition is wading through the feelings of uncertainty that all career shifters experience at some stage. Maybe you’re feeling some of these doubts now: “There are lots of things I would like to do, but how do I know which one is right?”, “Is a change of career actually the answer - should I just try to make the most of my current job?”, “What if I put all my energy into trying something new and I don’t like it?”.
In our quest for a more fulfilling career uncertainty can be, at best, motivational – spurring you on to discover the answers to these questions – but, at worst totally disabling – leaving you in a state of confusion and worry. It can be a frustrating and exhausting experience. So just how can you manage your doubts and fears in a way which enables you to draw strength during uncertain times?
Recent research examining career transitions of professionals who successfully switched professions mid-career, offers some helpful insights into using uncertainty to your advantage. The study found several experiences to be common in successful career change:
1. Expect the unexpected
Sure, doing some planning around your career change is important, but it is equally important to recognise that there are some things that the best laid plans simply can’t pre-empt. Unlike the careers of our parents’ generation, which could be planned in a far more predictable and linear fashion, careers of today are fast-changing and ever evolving. It is predicted that today’s university students will have ten to fourteen jobs by the age of 38. And many of these jobs will be jobs that don’t even exist today, let alone be jobs that can be planned for. Given this reality, approaching your career change with a sense of adaptability and openness to new opportunities is a far better strategy than masterfully planning a linear sequence of events that could easily be disrupted by factors outside your control. We live in unparalleled economic times. And in this climate, the name of the game is adaptability.
2. False starts are not fatal
It’s an all too familiar situation. You’ve invested many years in a career, and have made good career progression, and then wake up one day to realise that the joy you once felt for your work has now completely left you. Whereas once you thrived on the challenges of your role, you now feel bored, frustrated or fatigued. Sound familiar? This feeling of a ‘false start’ can be frustrating and disheartening. Yet a recent study found that working through a process of finding the ‘right fit’ is an important part of successful career transition.
Sometimes you need to try different things on for size, to know what you like, in what circumstances, and what turns you off. Sometimes this might mean investing a number of years in a particular career before changing course, and sometimes it might mean trying a few different things in short bursts to try to hone your interests further. Regardless of your situation, what is important is the valuable learnings you take from these experiences. Being able to identify what you don’t like is equally as valuable information as learning what you do like and can help you to narrow down your vision of where you’d really like to be with your career. In addition, chances are you will have gained a number of transferable skills that will be helpful to you in your next move. Even in a totally different field skills such as planning, budgeting, dealing with difficult people, and influencing can be extremely valuable.
3. Growth from adversity
As many of us know all too well, our career reassessment can result from a change that was thrust upon us. Not only do we live in a world of rising unemployment, redundancies, and whole industries collapsing (who would have thought five years ago that banking or the motor industries were anything but ‘safe’?) but we have to navigate the personal impacts these changing times have on us.
Losing your job, or having your career options curtailed by industry changes can be a demoralising experience. But at the same time, it can also offer us hope. Eighty six percent of the careershifters who participated in the recent study revealed that adversity acted as a catalyst for meaningful, and positive career change. Forced change, and feelings of disillusionment, disappointment and anger provoked changes which ultimately enabled these individuals to find much more meaningful vocations. Adversity brings with it valuable opportunities to discover who you really are and what is important to you. Make sure that you seize the opportunity to reposition yourself positively.
4. The power of personal branding
Research has shown us that the power of personal branding should not be underestimated in the search for career success. Maybe you’ve heard stories from friends who have managed to secure great jobs through the most unexpected opportunities. A friend told me of his despair during his attempted career change, having abandoned a career in marketing, to find himself rejected for all 250 IT programming jobs he applied for. Yet shortly thereafter a chance encounter with patrons in a restaurant where he was waiting tables (as a way of paying the bills), led to their offer to help him find a programming role with their company. He started his new career with them the next week, and has never been happier. I know what you’re thinking: this is a fluke event and it won’t happen to me. Well maybe not exactly as it did for my friend, but the point is your personal brand is a powerful asset that can serve you well in your career quest. Staying positive and focused, and being careful to present yourself well, as my friend did to his restaurant patrons, can yield unexpected benefits.
So remember, whilst uncertainty in how to approach your career change may leave you feeling somewhat overwhelmed, remember you are not alone. By using that very sense of fear and uncertainty to your advantage, you too can create a more fulfilling career for yourself. Embracing unexpected, and sometimes unwelcome, changes will leave you far better positioned to adapt quickly and successfully to an ever changing world of work. And using your previous career experience – the ‘false starts’ that you are now looking to move away from - to extract valuable learnings about what is important to you and what makes you tick, is a powerful lever in redefining your career. Above all, stay positive, focused and be sure to put your best ‘brand’ forward. You just never know when your energy and focus will open doors that you never expected.
For further information on this career transition research, or to discuss your career change situation, contact Sharon Peake: www.sharonpeake.vpweb.co.uk
By Hiren