Time to Disrupt your Career?

Was this you a year ago?  “I want a new job or career direction in 2015”  

If you succeeded - CONGRATULATIONS!  If not, I’d ask you “Did you have a Career Plan?”   The most common response is “Well no; but that’s a good idea." Where do I start?”     

“Start with the End in Mind”  was the recommendation that Stephen Covey gave in his bestselling classic:  7 Habits of Highly Effective People and it rings true for designing and executing on a Career Plan.

What’s your One Year Plan? Imagine it is next year at this time.

What would you like to be doing?

Where would you like to be working?

Who would you like to be working with?

How would you like to be using  your strengths and talent?

And WHY?  That’s a good starting place to start your plan.

Start with the end goal and work backward, writing down a roadmap to include the steps or milestones that will take you to that place and in order to reach that goal.

After researching what the job/career is and knowing what is required, in terms of education and experience, ask yourself if you have the resources, time and commitment to make a change.  Then research as much as you can in order to make an informed decision.

MICHAEL'S STORY: A client of mine had a desire to serve the senior population and hoped to be in an administrative capacity.  He was working for the federal government  in an analyst role and had an MBA as well as some volunteer experience in a hospital during his high school and college years. He wanted to help others and was not fulfilled by his job of 5 years. Here’s what his plan looked like:

GOAL:  to be employed as administrator of an assisted living facility within one year. He knew that many jobs are filled by job  boards but even more are filled through networking within the industry.   

Month 1

• Research Linked In and other resources for positions.  Study the key words, responsibilities and requirements
• Identify transferrable skills  
• optimize existing resume
• Complete Linked In Profile and include keywords from desired position

Month 2

• Join Linked In groups related to position and engage in discussions
• Network via Linked In with people already in the field or desired organization

Month 3

• Obtain at least 50 Linked In connections
• These include potential employers and recruiters
• Engage in conversation via email or Linked In to develop rapport and learn more about the profession
• Identify professional networking groups and attend meetings
• Explore volunteer opportunities related to desired profession

Note:  This is only a three month plan and is fairly aggressive given that the client was working full time; however, he was driven to succeed.

RESULTS:  He was successful in meeting all these goals and has some interviews as manager trainee in an Assisted Living Facility as well as in a hospital setting.

Depending upon your goal, your plan might require more time or less time.  To ensure your success, make your goals S.M.A.R.T. and celebrate each milestone you achieve.

Want to learn more about how you can make a successful career change or land the job of your dreams? I have over 25 years’ experience as Human Resources Manager in Fortune 200 companies and now help people, like you, get hired by developing a smarter job search strategy.   I’d love to discuss your career success.

Visit my website for more info:  www.CareerWisdomCoach.com or contact me:[email protected]

Photo credit: startupnation.com; linkedin.com