Archive for career change
Should you jump off the bridge for your dream job?
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out my latest YouTube video as I discuss why some risk and a leap of faith are required to make a career change. Listen to this message to learn the importance of managing the risks along the way. You have to take smart, measured and calculated risks on your career path. Don’t just jump off the bridge and do something crazy.
Clear your fear in career transition
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Do you dream of doing something new in your career? Do you spend hours daydreaming about how things will be wonderful in your new career and not stuck in the one you’re in? Do you find yourself hesitant to take the steps forward, even though you know you want change? You are not alone.
As a career coach, I have spoken with hundreds of people who dream of doing something different with their lives, but can’t seem to move forward. What’s holding them back? One word: Fear.
I see fear as the #1 reason people stay in jobs they don’t like. It could be fear of the unknown, fear of what other people will think, fear of failure, or fear of financial insecurity. There are as many different fears as there are people.
So what can you do if you want to make a career transition but are stuck in fear?
Here are my three top tips to clear your fear and make a career change:
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Take Things One Step at a TimeThe fastest way to feel overwhelmed and fearful is to jump 10 steps ahead of where you’re currently at. Instead, just concentrate on the next step in front of you. For instance, don’t worry about being offered the job if you haven’t sent out any resumes. First get your resume and cover letter in order. Whenever you jump ahead past the step you’re on, you will feel fearful.
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Spend Time Getting Clear Inside YourselfMany times fear is based on what other people tell you and what you hear in the news. Basing our decisions on what we think others will think is not helpful for you in getting clear on your career transition. Instead, spend time journaling, meditating, and asking yourself what you most want. Allow yourself to get excited and motivated towards making a change. You are in charge of your own life, so spend time getting clear about what is best for you.
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Find SupportIt is very challenging to make big changes alone. It is important to enlist a supportive team to help you with your transition. You don’t have to do this work alone. Why reinvent the wheel if there are professionals who can help? If you are ready to get support in your career transition, contact us today and we’d love to provide you a complimentary consultation.
Kick in the pants
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes people just need a kick in the pants. My friend Lauren’s husband started his own successful law firm 5 years ago. How long was he wanting to pursue that dream? 7 years. It took his law firm dissolving in order to get him to step out on his own. Now I’m not saying he never would’ve ventured out….he probably would have. But some people never would, and some of us just need a push to pursue our dream, because let’s be honest, it can be scary!
I needed that push years ago to start my coaching practice, I’ll admit it. I was comfy in a part-time job that paid my bills, coaching on the side and I was enjoying the dual income. I got comfortable and it took one of my career coaching friends reminding me I’d given myself a 2 year timeline to go out on my own. It was getting close to that time and I hadn’t yet made a move. She poked me, and I did, I gave my notice several weeks later. So do you just need a kick in the pants??? Here it is… Check out this video about how you should stop thinking about or planning your career change, and start talking to people about it to make it happen.
Quit planning-Start talking
Posted by: | CommentsI received this email from a prospective client, Joe, last week. I was thrilled to get it and see how he’s working towards his dream job. It sounds like he is very close to landing it!
Hallie,
I hope this e-mail finds you well and enjoying 2011. I just happened to be reading an article to which you contributed and wanted to say hello.
I can’t imagine you remember our conversations very well (this goes back about 3 or 4 years) but since talking with you I pursued a career in management consulting and ended up back at school. I’ll graduate from Notre Dame in May with an MBA, and recently accepted a job – starting this summer – at restructuring firm Alvarez and Marsal. I do believe our conversations helped me realize that the sky really is the limit on my career and that talking with people is the best way to realize all the options.
Anyway, I’ve enjoyed your e-mails over the last few years and am happy to see you living your dreams. You’ve inspired many people through your work, myself included, and I hope you continue to!
Warm regards,
Joe Rollin
The funny thing is, we never actually coached together. We did a consultation in 2008 and both decided he knew what he needed to do to make his transition. He just needed to get out there and make it happen! This is a good lesson for a lot of us - just get started! I encouraged Joe to just go for it. It looks like he did….
The lesson here, which I re-iterated to my coaching group this week, is:
Talking to people is critical to your success in making your career change. Talk to people to learn more about your chosen industry (informational interviews). Or if you haven’t chosen an industry, talk to them about industries you’re considering, but haven’t decided on yet! I did a ton of informational interviews with coaches when I was considering being a coach. Informational interviews can help you learn how you get into that industry
Brainstorm with friends and family about possible careers for you. Create what I call a dream team of support for your career transition. Choose people who will support you during your journey.
These are all critical ways to make your transition successful!
Here’s to having a career you love!
Get In a Group – Group Coaching gives you the best we have to offer: Individual coaching plus support and feedback from other career changers in a regularly scheduled call. Find out if Group Coaching is what you’re looking for.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!
Posted by: | CommentsI was thrilled to be featured in this article on CNN last week, Trading a six-figure salary to become a teacher. Jon Fitch’s story is inspirational, but as we all know, it’s not applicable to everyone. Not everyone can afford to make a dramatic career change like he did, but that doesn’t have to stop you from finding your dream job.
Two important points to keep in mind:
1) Remember doing what he did and having enough savings to live off of is only one of MANY ways to realize your dream career. Read further in the article and you’ll see that I made my dream a reality by having a bridge job – a job that paid my bills while I was working towards becoming a career coach.
2) Jon’s career change is dramatic. He’s taking a much lower paying job, in a different industry, in a time when the economy is tough. What I find, fortunately, is that most career changes don’t have to be this dramatic. What happens to us is we become so frustrated by our current jobs, and sometimes we are so unhappy, that it feels like we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is not the case. With my clients, 7 times out of 10, they don’t make a change into a career that is completely different from their current career.
I was talking to a group coaching client, Jenny, about it this week. She desperately wants to make a change, but it’s primarily because of her boss and the culture of her company, not because of her industry. Jenny’s right career fit we’re thinking, is actually something she’s done in the past, and similar to what she’s doing now but in a much smaller organization. It’s a slight course correction, not a dramatic change.
Your transition may seem bigger than it actually is, just because you’re so frustrated. Take a step back, a deep breath, and re-assess how dramatic your change really needs to be to make you happy!
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
P.S. For more career help, be sure to contact us for a complimentary consultation to see what products or services are right for you!
Are you the obstacle to a career you love?
Posted by: | CommentsI was speaking with a coaching group client this week and he was saying how his confidence has always affected his job search. It’s been his biggest obstacle to finding his dream job. He doesn’t feel like he had anything to offer an employer, much less try to make a move into a different industry.
This is very common and I see it all the time with career coaching clients. They allow their fears, negative self-image, and lack of confidence to get in their way of making a career change.
These obstacles can stand in your way of taking a step towards the career AND life that you want. The first step is awareness. You have to know what you’re dealing with in order to face it!
Take some time in the next few days to sit down and identify your obstacles. What obstacles get in the way of you making a career change?
“Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.” ~Orison Swett Marden
Here’s to having a career you love!
Set boundaries in your career transition
Posted by: | CommentsLife can get a little crazy when change is happening all around us. If you've still got one foot in your former professional role and the other foot has stepped into the future, you may feel unsure of whether you're coming or going!
This is natural, especially in times of career transition. The trick is to set boundaries for yourself as a way to curb the feelings of overwhelm. One boundary could be, turning off some of the channels of information overflow. For example, if you've signed up for new career membership associations or email newsletters, you could create a special email address for this purpose alone. This way, personal pursuits can be kept separate from your daily responsibilities, helping you to feel less distracted and stressed.
Time can be another boundary that keeps anxiety at bay. For instance, you can make a commitment to not to think about anything career-related after 8 p.m., instead reserving another time slot for this purpose. Your commitment could be, "I will work on my career transition from 5:30-7:30 at least twice a week."
By setting and maintaining boundaries between your career goals, everyday responsibilities, and leisure pursuits, you will feel more in-control of your life, balanced and at peace with yourself and the process.
If you need help with your career transition, you might find this report helpful "Top Three Tools to Identify Your Ideal Career".
Here's to having a career you love!
Are you in the ideal career for you?
Posted by: | CommentsAre you in the ideal career for you?
Find out if you are on the right track with this quick Ideal Career Quiz!
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Is your job no longer rewarding?
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Are you unhappy in your career?
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Have you been considering a change but are wondering if it’s the right thing to do?
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How do you know when it’s time to move on?
We all have our ups and downs at work. So before you make a move — and begin the official career search — take this Career Quiz to help you determine whether it’s time to take action or if this is just a passing phase. What you discover could be very revealing!
Simply complete the form below to get started.
As my gift to you, you’ll be automatically subscribed to my free monthly e-newsletter, Create Your Career Path, full of tips and tools for finding a career you love. You may unsubcribe at any time.
Here’s to having a career you love!
Hallie Crawford
Career Coach Atlanta
