Tags: recession

Is now the time to make a career change or life change?

Cath Roan, Careershifters MD, joined author & philosopher Alain de Botton and entrepreneur Sahar Hashemi on BBC Woman's Hour today to discuss the realities of find meaning in our work in the midsts of the current recession.

You can listen here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jwxz4/Womans_Hour_27_04_2009/

Are you stuck with your career change?

Perhaps you know you want to make a change but haven't got a clue what you really want to do. Perhaps the recession is putting you off making any moves right now. Perhaps you instinctively know that there's something much better out there for you, but feel tied down by your responsibilities. Or, perhaps the whole thought of a huge change in your life just fills you with dread.

Perhaps too, you've started to do a few small things to try to kickstart your change. Talked to friends. Read a book. Done some research on the web.

But you haven't yet got any further.

Maybe you've looked into professional support for your career change: consultancy, coaching, workshops or courses. But either they've been too expensive, haven't felt right or you've not been in the right place at the right time.

Any of the above apply?

Read on...

Careershifters is putting the finishing touches on a unique, new programme designed specifically for people like YOU.

The aim? To enable you to move from a place of being stuck with your career change into ACTION - and specifically to help you determine what you want to do, how you're going to make the shift and how you can secure your ideal job.

Our first-of-its-kind 12-step career change programme will literally hand-hold you through the key steps of making a successful career change. You'll be able to follow the programme at your own pace at home, you'll be supported personally by two of the UK's top career coaches and the Careershifters team, and you'll be part of a group of fellow career changers who will be travelling the journey with you.

And all of this in a package that will be surprisingly affordable.

Curious to know more?

Well, we'll be revealing more about the programme over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, if you have any thoughts, questions or suggestions, just let us know.

John Lees, a career transition coach we respect enormously (and a contributor to our 25 Top Tips to Kick-Start Your Career Change), has recently published a list of 10 tips to help anyone survive and thrive in more difficult economic times.

They are:

1. Look at what's working, rather than what isn't. Which parts of your job are still effective even in difficult times?

2. Find leverage. Concentrate your efforts on projects which are seen to be fireproof, or ways of protecting your income stream.

3. Find a fast-track mentor - an informal arrangement with someone more senior than you who can help you decode your organisation while it's going through tough times.

4. Don't ask for a pay rise just because everyone else is reacting to rising costs. Demonstrate your value - not your cost.

5. Go way, way beyond your job description in value-adding ways. Career progression, ultimately, is not a question of what you do, but how far you are seen to be doing the things that matter.

6. At the same time, work smarter not harder on tasks which your organisation recognises as things that make a difference.

7. Stay on winning teams. This is the time to negotiate a move away from a dead-end role, or a part of the organisation which is seen as under-performing or peripheral.

8. Stay in touch with changes in your sector, and don't stop networking - both for industry knowledge and for insider tips on the hidden job market.

9. Don't adopt cynicism of the marketplace. Not all organisations and markets are in decline - don't miss opportunities by seeing your glass as constantly half-empty - adopt a glass half-full mentality.

10. Stock your lifeboat before jumping ship: understand what you are really looking for rather than passively reacting to advertised or headhunted opportunities. Well-informed job seekers find great jobs in tough times.

The fifth edition of John's book, How to Get a Job You Love, will be published in October this year.