Archive for Darcy Holoweski
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.
The true culprits of job dissatisfaction
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As a career coach, I consistently meet with career coaching clients who feel they’ve lost their sense of purpose in their work. They want to feel more passionate about what they do on a daily basis, and they often feel their work is the culprit. They feel their boss, coworkers, office environment, monotony of their schedule, or cubicle are the reasons for their lack of excitement and motivation for their work and life.
However, the truth is that these factors are actually symptoms of a deeper issue that is the true culprit of their frustration. The deeper issue is that they’ve lost touch with what makes them feel alive and passionate about life.
Our jobs are an important way we express our strengths and talents, and a way for us to feel we’re making a contribution to the world. When our jobs do not allow for this expression, we no longer feel fully alive. Instead we feel frustrated, and our days can feel more like drudgery than excitement.
Therefore, if you’re currently dissatisfied with your job, before running to a job board to find openings, spend some time on the following steps:
1) Identify your strengths
- What do people compliment you on?
- What activities cause you to lose track of time because of your enjoyment?
2) Identify the contribution you want to make to the world
- What issues do you get most passionate about?
- How can you help contribute to the solutions around these issues?
By taking a look at these two issues, you are working with the real culprits to your dissatisfaction at work. If you’d like help in identifying your strengths and the contribution you want to make in the world, contact us for a complimentary consultation.
Connect the dots with your cover letter
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In my career coaching practice I consistently hear from clients that they hate writing cover letters. They don’t understand what to include, they are annoyed they have to write one, and they don’t see the point. In our work together, I help them see how the cover letter is really their friend, and how they can use it to their advantage. There is one key reason why:
A cover letter is how you connect the dots for the employer of why you’re a good fit for the job.
The resume doesn’t always connect the dots clearly of how you have the experience and skills to be successful in the job you’re applying for. You do the hiring manager a great service by clearly describing how you are a good fit for their particular job in your cover letter.
Therefore, the best strategy for your cover letter is to follow these two steps:
1) Explain the top 3 reasons you are a perfect candidate for the position. Look through the job description, pull out the skills and experience that you have that match what they are looking for, and highlight these areas in your cover letter.
2) Include quick examples that confirm your experience and skills, so you gain trust and believability that you have the skills you list.
By keeping these two steps in mind, you will create compelling cover letters that grab attention instead of going immediately to the recycling bin. If you’d like more help with writing your cover letter, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.
Start your ideal career search today!
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As a career coach, a question I get from clients repeatedly is, “where do I start in identifying a career I’ll love?” They know what is not working in their job, and they know they have a greater potential that is not being expressed, but they don’t know where to start in making a change. They often immerse themselves in job boards; looking for a job title or job description to answer their problems. But it’s not working. They feel trapped and lost.
The best advice I can offer them is below:
Follow Your Interest and Enthusiasm – I find the key to getting out of stuck and stale thinking about your career is to allow yourself to follow your interest and enthusiasm. I call these two keys, interest and enthusiasm, the breadcrumbs that lead you to a satisfying career.
So what does that mean to follow your interest and enthusiasm? It means you give yourself a chance to dream, be creative, and allow inspiration to hit. It means you ask yourself on a Saturday morning what you would like to do, instead of following your routine. It means you begin to ask yourself what you’re interested in and excited about. For instance, is there a cooking class that’s been calling you for the past 6 months that you haven’t signed up for yet? Is there a beautiful park near your house that you meant to relax in during the summer, but never gave yourself that time? Follow these instincts for what is calling you. By doing that, you open yourself up to inspiration and possibility, and that’s what you need in order to spark new ideas for your career.
So step away from searching endlessly on job boards for your ideal career, and start asking yourself what interests and excites you. This is the first step toward building a satisfying career.
Starting your own business as an ideal career
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As a career coach, many of my clients consider starting their own business instead of working for someone else. Many times they are tired of not reaching their potential in their current position and working for challenging bosses. They want to be in charge instead of under someone else’s supervision. If you’re considering starting your own business, the following factors can help you decide.
- Do you want to be a service-based or product-based business?
First, decide what your business will offer. Do you have a skill or service you can provide that others will pay for, that you like doing? Or do you enjoy making a product that others will purchase? Keep in mind that often the upfront costs for a service-based business is the education needed to provide the service, and for a product-based business it is the cost of creating inventory for your product. Which is a better fit for you? - Are you self-disciplined enough to achieve goals without direct supervision?
Owning your own business does mean you own your time and are not punching a time clock. However, it also means you need to provide your own structure and discipline to make your business a success. Have you shown a lot of initiative in the past to achieve goals without direct supervision? - Are you passionate about what your business offers?
Starting a new business takes considerable effort and time, especially in the beginning. It is important that you are passionate about what your business offers so you keep up your motivation. - Are you willing to do all the aspects of your business including sales and marketing?
One myth of running a business is that you can just do the parts that you like, and hire others to do everything else. For a new, small business this is not the case. One of the biggest things a new business needs to do is market itself and make sales. Are you willing to learn strategies to be successful at sales and marketing? Consider if you are willing to do all the parts of your business, in order to make it a success.
If you’re still unsure of whether starting your own business is the right career choice for you, let us help you decide. Contact us to schedule your complimentary consultation.
The key to successful career change
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As a certified career coach, I have worked with hundreds of clients on identifying and realizing their dream jobs. Throughout this work, I have noticed that one consistent theme separates clients who are successful in their goals, versus those that continuously struggle.
The defining factor is commitment.
I have seen this play out time and time again. A client who comes to career coaching completely confused and miserable in their current job, but makes a commitment to finding their dream career, will succeed.
So, in contemplating your own career change, consider how you can make and keep your commitment to success. Below are 3 great ways to get started:
Time Commitment
How much time are you devoting to finding your ideal career? If you don’t have a set time set aside for it, make that a priority. I suggest committing at least 30 minutes a day to your ideal career search.
Staying Open Commitment
Are you open to new possibilities or do you throw away ideas before they can be fully explored? This is a common problem for career seekers. Make a commitment to be open to new ideas and to fully explore what inspires and excites you.
Taking Risks Commitment
Let’s face it: if you do everything the same way that you’re comfortable with, you’ll stay in the same place. If you want change, you have to be willing to try new things and take risks. Exercising your risk-taking muscle in small ways will help you with the big career change you’re trying to make. Go to a new restaurant, take a new route to work, ride your bike instead of driving somewhere. Taking small risks will give you practice for making larger changes in your life.
If you’re ready to make a commitment to your career search, there’s no better way to stay on task than hiring a career coach. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
