How To Master Career Transitions

'Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and beautiful in the end.' Robin Sharma, author of The 5 AM Club.

• How many of you consider yourself to be an early bird?

• How many of you really get going, in your work groove about mid-day?

• Any night owls out there?

***No 2 of us are alike; we have similarities, but we are not identical in the way in which we work or might handle a shake up in our careers.

Each of us is hard wired differently in terms of how we reach our maximum productivity.

Knowing this about ourselves helps us push through career transitions- whether it be for ourselves or our teams.

What is a career transition?

• A crossroad in terms of what you want to do/be next when you grow up.

• An end in formal education or internships and now it's time to find a 'real job.'

• You could have been 'let go' involuntarily and find yourself unemployed.

• You may want to completely switch gears professionally from being an entrepreneur to an employee or vice versa.

• Perhaps you've taken a career break to care for kids or aging parents or to volunteer and now you're left wondering: what's next?

• It could also be a key employee left from your department and now you have the opportunity to consider restructuring your team, department or organization as a whole.

Each of the aforementioned career transitions requires:

• Taking stock

• Thoughtful planning- both big picture and tactically

• Clarity on NEXT steps- notice I said NEXT, not forever

• A willingness to embrace change and being uncomfortable for a bit

For those of you that are more linear thinkers, here is a 'Recipe' to help you manage A career transition you may be facing now or in the future:

1. Values. What matters most to you right here, right now? List your top 10.

2. Problems. What are the hot button problems you are facing?

3. Skills. What skills are needed to tackle market needs? How will you develop them?

4. Timeline/Deadlines. What is your timeframe and by when do you need to have clarity?

5. Plan. What steps do you need to back into your goal/timeframe?

6. Resources. What resources do you need to accomplish your goal/plan?

   1. If you are a business tackling a resource need in your department with an open position due to a sudden departure, what resource do you need to fill your open position? Does someone on your team have the band with to creatively source your open position? Are you asking the hard questions for what you really need in the position?

   2. If you are considering a career change, do you have a reliable sounding board who can ask you the tough questions to help you discern your skills and talents and help you deduce your next right career move?

   3. Are you able to clearly tell your story in a way that resounds with market needs and that the market will clearly understand?

   4. Do you need any traditional materials: LinkedIn Company Page, LinkedIn Personal Profile, A Resume, a CV, videos, etc.? All of these are needed no matter if you are the job seeker or you are seeking to hire for a position.

Above all, no matter the career transition you are facing, you should not go it alone.

People know people; we are social creatures and especially if what you have done before doesn't seem to yield the right outcomes or results you are seeking.

In the words of Albert Einstein, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'

For Leaders of Teams/Organizations:

If you are in need of enhancing your team, we should chat. Schedule your Strategy Session here now.

For Individuals:

If you have been relentlessly mulling over if you should stay or go in your current position AND/OR you are personally experiencing a career transition, you can schedule your Career Strategy Session here now.