What are the most common career transition mistakes and how can you avoid them?

"without a vision the people perished" from a very famous book. To avoid operating on auto pilot, its key to formulate a vision and work out what it is YOU want. In the absence of this, the danger is that you let others decide or expect your employer to do it for you - which may not align to what it is you want. Take control of what is in your control.

Starting your career transition without a strategy can lead to a prolonged search. Applying to jobs without an idea of what you want and what you do well can lead to frustration. It is much better to take time to consider what you enjoy doing, your expertise, your job target, and the best method for positioning yourself for your next role. A plan for your career transition is a plan for success.

I have noticed that when people think about transitioning to a new career or job, they tend to focus only on one aspect: the next career move. However, I believe in taking a more comprehensive approach, which involves 3 steps. Firstly, consider your life aspirations and priorities. Secondly, reflect on who you are as a person, and who you want to become. Lastly, think about your career trajectory. It's important to keep in mind that whatever move you make, it may not lead to long-term satisfaction if you're not clear on where you want to go. By understanding your full potential and value, you can discover audacious career paths. This will help you carve out your next best move.

Common career transition mistakes include: Lack of Planning: Transitioning without a clear plan can lead to uncertainty. Avoid this by outlining your goals, skills, and the steps needed for a successful transition. Ignoring Networking: Neglecting professional networks hinders opportunities. Stay connected, attend industry events, and leverage online platforms to build a strong network. Overlooking Skill Gaps: Ignoring needed skills can impede success. Identify gaps and invest in relevant training or education to enhance your qualifications. Rushing the Process: Hasty decisions may result in poor choices. Take the time to research, evaluate options, and make informed decisions aligned with your goals.

Here are the top three steps for gaining clarity when considering a career change: - Reflect on Values: Take dedicated time to identify and prioritize your core values, considering what truly matters to you in a career. - Assess Skills and Passions: Evaluate your skills and passions to identify areas of intersection. - Networking and Informational Interviews: Connect with professionals in your target fields through networking. Conduct informational interviews to gain firsthand insights into the industry, challenges, and opportunities. These three steps provide a solid foundation for gaining clarity by focusing on your values, skills, and obtaining real-world insights from professionals in your desired field.

Top areas to consider before transitioning to a new career or role: Talk with your partner/family, asses your finances, consider how this will affect your career moving forward. Is this move helping or potentially hurting future steps? Are you progressing or are you trying to get away from your current situation?

Timing is everything. Do a self-inventory to map out all of the resources available to you and invest in them before you start your transition. Cover your basic needs for financial and physical security, but don't stop there. Think about your social and psychological needs as well. Create new connections and build existing relationships, protect the environment that supports you, and develop the strengths that have helped you get to this point. Starting the transition with an abundance mindset (and not scarcity) will set you up for success. Then, listen to your intuition to know when it's time to take the next step.

Keep a couple of co-workers and higher ups close as your genuine friend before you vow to quit your current career. Your old network will help you not only as your references but also informants about how your ex-career may go in your favour: short-staffedness, growing demand, in that you won't miss it by returning. Moving forward, make sure you can wait for someone who's willing to 'take risk' - convince yourself there are skill set transferrable to your new career.

A crucial mistake to avoid during a career change is proceeding without a backup plan. The uncertainties and risks associated with changing careers, including financial challenges, competition, and potential obstacles, necessitate a well-thought-out contingency plan. To steer clear of finding yourself in a precarious situation due to setbacks or unforeseen circumstances, establish a comprehensive backup plan. Ensure financial stability by saving enough to cover six months of expenses, enhance your skills and qualifications to stay competitive, and cultivate a robust network of contacts and mentors who can offer support throughout your career transition.

It's always easier in our mind than it is in reality. It takes longer than we initially anticipate. We have a bias towards easy and quick. Yet reality is different. Knowing that it will take longer and it will be harder than you anticipate will allow you to create contingency plans. Think about what the worse case scenarios cans be and ensure you have those paths covered. Having back ups also allows you the safety to take bigger risks and play a bigger game.

In my experience, I have found that many people don't even know that their skills are transferable because it may be difficult to identify them. I would recommend finding a job spec for your potential career and doing a cross analysis against what you are currently doing. Be open minded. For example, if you take lead in any aspect in your current role, this translates to project management skills.

You are not able to leverage your transferable skills, which can be one of the most common career transition mistakes. You can avoid such common mistakes by understanding and identifying your transferable skills. These skills may include problem-solving, communication, collaboration, negotiation, teamwork, or leadership. You can highlight these skills practically by understanding the job description of the position you are applying for. Employers can easily understand such examples and correlate them with their requirements, allowing them to sort through your resume for the position you have applied for. During interviews, you can highlight your transferable skills through storytelling and providing examples.

When something becomes an unconscious competence, we tend to overlook that which could be a transferable skill. While transitioning, self reflection on how we got things done in past & what made it conducive is a great starting point. Then we can explore the complimentary skill the transition role requires & the proficiency level. The other 2 elements apart from skill are - where do we need to invest our time, energy & attention; and what value is to be created out of these roles. The challenge of transition may not necessarily be lack of skill but our fixation on old preferences towards what was working in past. Need to understand when to lean in or lean away

When changing careers, a crucial mistake to avoid is not leveraging your transferable skills—those adaptable across various professions, like communication and problem-solving. Neglecting these skills may lead to missed opportunities or difficulty adapting to a new career. To steer clear of this error, identify and emphasize your transferable skills in your application materials, showcasing their relevance to the target career. Provide examples of their application in diverse contexts and seek opportunities to acquire or enhance skills relevant to your desired career.

Many skills in the corporate world and transferable. Especially when it comes to softer skills and a mindset. It's important to reflect on the value you can provide and how this related to success in the role. Focus on how your skills and mindset are the vehicle to the outcomes you want to create in the role. You have to sell yourself to yourself first. If you don't truly belief in the fit, that will reflect in conversations with the employer.

Networking is currency when changing careers. Spend some time looking for people who are in the industry which you would like to be in. Send them a message and give context as to why you want to connect with them. Maintain contact and engage with their content for a while before offering them value or asking for advice.

Do not be afraid to seek others for support, no matter how little you might know them. If you have a good cause, people will love to support you.

When changing careers, a common misstep is inadequate networking. Effective networking is crucial for discovering opportunities, but many neglect or poorly execute it. To avoid this, adopt a strategic and authentic networking approach. Identify your target network, including those in your desired career, industry, or organization. Use various channels for outreach, build rapport by offering value and seeking advice, and maintain connections until you achieve your career transition goal.

Networking in today's world is easier yet noisy. It's important to be specific and targeted on the types of relationships you want to create and with who. Focus on being someone of value. Offer value first. Go with an energy of curiosity and giving. People want to be around others who are not energy draining yet energy giving. When you are someone of value, people want know you more.

Explore your curiosity! What does this look like? Reach out to people on LinkedIn whose career journey interests you and connect. Extend invitations for concise 30-minute chats, seeking to learn about their unique career paths. People often generously share their time and insights. This can help provide invaluable insights and clarity when going through a career transition.

Be agile and embrace the opportunity to learn something new. Be compassionate towards yourself. Understand that the confidence which you may have once had, may not to be enough for a while and that's okay. Making a change is not an overnight process and you may not see external results for a while. Be patient and try to enjoy your metamorphosis.

Change is constant. Grit is required. We must be able to let go of out fixed expected outcomes in our mind and adapt to physical reality. The faster you can adapt to the situation and move accordingly, the easier it will be. The requires assessing feedback, reflecting on challenges, and then making shifts accordingly. We must adapt to the market feedback and be less fixated on the self-created fixed vision in our minds. This requires self-awareness and a growth mindset.

Changing careers without embracing flexibility and adaptability is a fifth common mistake. Career transitions often involve learning new skills, adapting to new environments, and navigating uncertainty. Failing to be flexible and adaptable can hinder your ability to cope with these challenges and seize opportunities. To avoid this, cultivate a growth mindset and a positive attitude. A growth mindset believes in continuous learning and improvement, while a positive attitude helps you navigate difficulties and embrace change. These qualities enable you to learn from mistakes and effectively adapt to the demands of your new career.

A successful career is a lifelong journey because there will always be something that you can learn and improve to make it stronger. A successful career is a living thing; it either grows or dies, and it does not stay the same. Flexibility and adaptability help you learn and adjust to grow your career.

In a recent post, I asked: What can Millennials learn from GenZ in terms of creating career paths? One learning I identified was their adaptability to change. In a highly dynamic world, they are quick to embrace new technologies and ways of working, which allows them to innovate more effectively in the workplace. The need for adaptation often results in creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and newly created jobs. Millennials can refine their ability to innovate on their tasks and work by staying agile and proactive in responding to shifts in the industry. Moreover, by following a "Creator Mindset" over an "Adaptability Mindset", they can gain more control over their career paths by constantly reinventing themselves.

Does your new organisation match your personal values? Often people think this doesn’t matter, it’s a step up on the career ladder you can put up with anything right? It’s much harder to work in a place that you don’t think fits with your values than you think! I have always been an activist speaking out and improving circumstances for the beneficiaries. Once in a role week one I was issued instructions, lines you are allowed to take! I knew straight away it was not a place for me, I’m not a ‘lines to take’ kind of person. Not the same as being very loyal to my organisations.

Bear in mind that the world has changed.. Linear career paths are not necessarily the norm anymore.. non-linear trajectories are becoming more and more the norm.... don't judge someone simply because they have pursued a different path than what you might consider to be "traditional"

Career transition can happen in different ways and possibilities. It does not necessarily mean that you have to abandon everything you've built up over the years or embark on a completely different path. Sometimes, making small changes and adjustments to your current path can already have significant impacts. Therefore, it's worth considering the big picture before diving into a brand-new world.

Reflita profundamente sobre alguns aspectos chave: - Tenha clareza sobre os motivadores da mudan?a, garantindo que estejam alinhados com seus valores e objetivos de longo prazo. - Avalie sua situa??o financeira e crie uma reserva para enfrentar possíveis desafios durante a transi??o. - Conte com uma rede de apoio composta por familiares, amigos e mentores para fornecer suporte emocional e prático ao longo do processo. - Busque conhecimento sobre a área, o mercado ou a nova empresa, através de conversas com profissionais da área. - Fa?a uma análise cuidadosa do investimento necessário e do momento ideal para fazer a mudan?a.

If transitioning to a very different career - it might come as a shock to family, friends and colleagues. It is important to remember that your career is your choice, and while others opinions can be weighed in, that you have the final say. Sometimes you may expect support and not receive it because others cannot see your full vision or may not believe as strongly in its possibility as you. That's ok - and it's why you need a clear why, and all the other points noted throughout this article. At the beginning it may just be you who believes in your vision, or a small handful of supporters. Just remember, it's ok to be misunderstood during this process.