Career changes are more numerous and thus have become a component of career development and career life for many, especially younger generations.
Although we do see trends like the “quiet quit” or the “rage quit”, most career change takes preparation. Change requires some reflection, some perspective, and some planning.
Career conversations can help to clarify the “why”, help bring perspective to what you are experiencing, help to gather information, and plan a personally appropriate strategy for change.
Here are 5 starting points:
Why Change – Why Now?
Career change requires some time to clarify the personal reasons behind the desire for change. At the outset, we may not know what change will look like, but we often know what we want to feel and experience.
What are you currently experiencing?
Are you thinking about a career change or a change in positions/roles?
What do you hope a change will bring? What possibilities might open with a career change?
Reviewing what work means at this stage in your life.
The meaning of work and career changes throughout our lives. And that meaning tends to feed our motivation, our aspirations, and even our desire for change.
Can you describe what work and career mean to you?
How has that meaning shifted at different stages of your life?
What do you want to experience from work and how do you want to contribute to your work going forward?
Reviewing your skills, your expertise, and your value.
Most of us have transferable skills: natural skills, which we often ignore or overlook as part of our “professional” skill set. And most of us have skills we undervalue – particularly “soft” skills.
Think about your skills holistically.
What kind of skills are most prominent?
Can you name 3 natural skills?
Can you name 3 skills you possibly undervalue?
How would you describe your skill set or the expertise you have developed thus far?
Reviewing your interests and aspirations at this stage in your life and career.
Just as the meaning of work changes throughout our lives, and just as our skills and expertise develop and change, so too do our interests and aspirations.
What are your current interests?
How have they changed over time?
Are some of these interests reflected in the work you do? Would you like some of your current interests to be reflected in any career change you make?
What more do you want to experience and learn?
Reviewing what you have learned from your work experiences.
We often neglect our own perceptions and perspectives on the work world as we have experienced it.
These perceptions and perspectives provide valuable information about how we see the work world, our expectations of work, our attitudes towards work, how we work, and how we interact generally with the work world.
What perspectives on the work world, or the job market, do you now hold?
How does this information influence or inform your desire for change?
Contemplating a career change? It starts with a conversation. Career Counselling can help at any stage of your career life. Contact Canvas Career Counselling at [email protected] for more information or to book a consultation.
