Making Career Changes-A Blue Print
Being a recruiter and offering advice on career change may seem like an oxymoron pursuit. Last year was a difficult year for many and I hear people tell me that they are tired of what they are doing and wish they had a Plan B as we used to call it when I was in the military. I feel their pain but unfortunately my job description does not include career change.
Having thought about this for some time and asking advice from people who have successfully made their career transition a reality, I offer a few suggestions for those whom I cannot help professionally but may be able to help with this article.
When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was deciding when to quit his well-paying hedge fund job, he went to his boss and told him that he was thinking of selling books online. He had already been talking to him about the power of the internet, but for the first time, he was seriously considering quitting to become an entrepreneur.?Bezos asked himself what he would regret more when he was 80 years old: Trying to build something he had strong conviction in and failing, or failing to give it a try? He realized that not trying would haunt him every day.
Whether or not you are pursuing a passion or side hustle, confused about quitting your job for a new one, or just looking for a change, know that it’s not a straightforward decision. It requires careful planning and thinking.?
Transitions aren’t just about doing something different. A career transition is a lifestyle redesign that often entails rethinking how you want to feel at the end of the day, how you want to spend your time, and how this relates to your longer term goals. When you feel this need for change, it isn’t necessarily related to a fancier title or more money, but your inner voice whispering that you could do more, be more, experience and achieve more.
Start by asking why you want to quit your current job.
Is it the culture of the organization, is it the people you work with, or is there something else bogging you down? ?You might also discover that you love your job, but you want to build something new or experiment with a different sector. It is critical to be radically honest with yourself and think things through.
Keep the end in mind.
It is challenging to plan for the long-term, but it helps to have a mental image of the kind of life you want to build.
Work and life are not separate entities. Work is part of life. Try to visualize where you want to live, the kind of person you want to partner with (or if you even want a partner), and how you want to spend your time on a daily basis.
Assess yourself.
While some may know already they want to work in another industry or go back to school to learn something new, many don’t know what their next step should be. But it is impossible to know where you are going if you don’t know where you are. The simplest way to conduct this self-assessment is to ask yourself these questions:
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Be realistic.
Some transitions are unlikely in the short-term. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals in unrealistic timeframes. We overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in 10. You can change your industry, your function, and your geographical location but all three are unlikely to change immediately. Gradual change is often much more sustainable.?
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Have a backup plan.
Create an alternative you can live with when things aren’t going as envisioned or planned. It might be somewhere in between your ultimate aspiration and your current state. This can bridge the skill and network gap you might be facing during career transitions.
Set a time frame
Suppose you want to transition from law to social impact consulting and making that switch is proving to be difficult, perhaps because of lack of relevant experience. Here your backup plan could be time-bound. You could give yourself one year to make the switch from law to social impact consulting by acquiring the right set of skills, building a tribe of mentors, and networking with industry professionals. If it still doesn’t work out, you can rethink your goal or look at accomplishing it in the longer term if it still interests you.
If you aren’t thinking about a career transition today, some day you will. As and when that day comes, my hope is that you approach it with curiosity, conviction, and commitment. Career transitions are messy, but they can also turn out to be catalysts in shaping a future self you will be proud of. There is no way of guaranteeing success, but not trying might just leave you wondering what if?
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