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Is it time to change job or career?

Oct 24, 2021 | Article | 0 comments

Where to from here? What are your beacons?

The world of work is undergoing profound change for many non-physical roles.

The pandemic triggered major changes in requirements on location and communications. Now, 2 years on, employees are reviewing not only their working conditions but the nature of their roles and their career aspirations. It has emerged that employees’ key consideration is the balance and proportion of time and effort expended on their private and family life triggering a review on what they do to earn a living and what they gain satisfaction from in providing the time and effort expended in earning that living.

Any new role or direction should be based on what interests you, something you enjoy and can do well.

The key  to satisfaction and a well-regarded reputation is, not what you do but how well you do it.

A poorly performing doctor is not well regarded. An effective and efficient tradesman is treasured. Disconnect your thinking from “social standing” and “future trends and opportunities” and focus on what you enjoy and do well.

If you are employing your skills optimally, you will be inherently resilient and able to adapt to changes in society and work.

When deciding on your career direction you need clarity about three main issues;

  1. What you can do and the level of role, within the parameters of your current circumstances and aspirations, that you wish to undertake
  2. The nature of the organisation, or self-employment, which suits you and promotes your commitment, and
  3. the micro culture in which you thrive.

If you have this clarity; you know who you are, then others will know who you are.

This enables you to better assess opportunities and represent yourself to your best ability……

To achieve this clarity, you need to be clear on the following:

  • The Role,
    1. What do you want to do and why do you want to do it? I.e., what motivates you? From what do you derive real satisfaction?
    2. Can you do it? This depends on your skills, knowledge and motivators. You need to clarify these to identify options to be explored.
    3. Are you a credible proposition? This depends on your work track record (achievements) and its context.
    4. Does it serve your career purpose? You need clarity about your aspirations and longer-term goals.
  • Your values. What are your values? These need to match any new employer and team.
    1. What the particular activities stand for and are trying to achieve.
    2. How the organisation that you choose will do this. You need to be willing to have it impact on your personal brand.
    3. If your values do not match, then real sustained commitment is near impossible and that is not a recipe for success.
  • Micro-Cultural fit; it is fundamental to your success and sustainability in a role that there is a degree of compatibility with those that are part of the culture.
    1. What types of people are best suited to work with me, for me, or be recipients of my service?
    2. How will I establish the culture that I desire?

To answer these questions, you need a clear and confident understanding of your personality.

So, what do you need?        CLARITY… about…

  • Personality, work style and values and the most suitable work environment and interaction style with your colleagues.
  • Aspirations, what do you realistically aspire to achieve in the short, medium and long term?
  • Capability, what is your generic “Commercial offer”? This is a combination of functional knowledge and learned (transferable) skills.
  • Criteria for next role;
    • Components of your preferred work tasks; nature of tasks and work environment.
    • Work style of Supervisor and how they lead their WFH team
    • Travel times and frequency each week
    • Work from Home criteria
    • Professional development support
    • Business travel requirements
    • Personal issues requiring special arrangements; could include medical, travel, disability related concerns.
    • Gap analysis; between your current knowledge and capability and that required by the next and future roles.

Gaps overcome by:

  • On-the-job experience,
  • Mentoring
  • Upskill training
  • Formal qualifications
  • Accreditation
  • Plan,
    • Job Search Plan
      • Goals; short, medium and longer term.
      • Resume(s), Fit to Criteria statements, Application letters, LinkedIn profile.
      • Network management
      • Sources of Advertisements
      • Interview preparation, research on potential employer, answers to likely questions, including your examples as evidence of your claims and questions you will ask.
    • On-Boarding plan for commencing the new role.
      • Raises questions and issues to be explored through the recruiting process.
      • Addresses the identified gaps.
      • Enables you to maximise your impact and use of your time in the first year.

IF YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, OTHERS WILL KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

IF YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY NAVIGATE YOUR CAREER IN THE DIRECTION THAT BEST SUITS YOU THROUGH HARNESSING MOST EFFECTIVELY AND SATISFYINGLY YOUR PERSONALITY, WORK STYLE, ASPIRATIONS AND CAPABILITIES TO ENJOY A REWARDING AND ENJOYABLE WAY OF EARNING YOUR LIVING AND LIVING YOUR LIFE.

 

*The information provided in this article is of a general nature only and not intended to be advice.