New career search doesn’t have to be daunting

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2018 (3008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every day when you read the paper, or listen to the news, you learn of business closures and new business launches. You learn of layoffs and you glance at a long list of exciting new job opportunities. And while you are reading, every once in awhile, you say to yourself, “Mmmmm, maybe it’s time for me to do something different.”

Has that ever happened to you?

Perhaps you are one of the folks recently laid off and, instead of drowning in sorrow, you look at this as an opportunity. With severances paid these days, a layoff provides an opportunity to change careers and/or return to school for upgrading and/or try an entirely new profession or trade. Still others recognize they are no longer happy in their job or their profession, and just know that it is time to plan for a change.

So how does one go about making these decisions? How do you go about identifying what you are interested in? How do you go about finding a new job in your new profession?

The first thing to do is to engage in self-reflection and review all the different stages of your work life so far. This small thought, along with the following tips, will assist you in seeking future opportunities and attain that success you are looking for.

Life reflection — draw a straight line across a page of paper. Mark each job throughout your career on this line. Next, place a mark above the line if you liked the job and a mark below the line if you didn’t like the job. Now, take time to ask yourself just what you liked or didn’t like with each job. Make a list and determine if there is a pattern.

Skills assessment — now that you have recalled all your jobs and the likes and dislikes, take steps to ask yourself what skills you were using in each job. Next, identify the skills you enjoyed using and that you feel confident in. Continue listing these skills and look for patterns until you have seven to 10 key skills. Prioritize the skills into those you want to be using 80 per cent of the time.

Values assessment — take time to once again review your career timeline. Think about your values and whether or not your jobs fit with your values. Values include the need for achievement, being with people, having adventure, being in authority, and/or the need for life-work balance. Values are very personal, but believe me, you intuitively know when you don’t fit into an organization.

Interest assessment — now that you have reviewed your jobs, skills and personal values, think about what interests you. Are you interested in technical-related activities such as creating, building or fixing things? Or are you more interested in helping others and being with people? When you engage in your favoured activities, you feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. These should become the target focus for finding your next job.

Start exploring — now that you know more about yourself, do some internet searches. Focus on skills and see what occupations you can explore. Make a checklist of your preferred new career activities, and match each new job opportunity with your list. Check out Canadian government websites to learn more about the future predictions for each of your preferred jobs. You can also approach a local college and ask for more formal assessments so that you can confirm what you identified in your informal self-reflection.

Read job advertisements — take time to read the weekly job ads in the newspaper and/or online. Use your checklist to compare the job to your needs. Disregard job titles, because every company has their own. Instead, focus on the job duties and the skills required. Underline all of the skills listed. If you match eight to 10 of the required skills, you could probably do the job with the right experience. You might surprise yourself with the variety of opportunities out there.

Informational interviews — the best way to really get a feel for a job is to meet someone who is in your desired career. Call up a professional association and ask for a referral, they’ll gladly help. Meet several people in different organizations, ask a lot of questions and continue until you have a good understanding of how you might fit into that career.

Plan to qualify — great if you can go back to school full time, but otherwise part-time studies and being a member of a new association can work just as well. It simply takes longer. Of course, if there is a wide difference between your current job and a new occupation, you will need more time. So, try to choose an occupation that allows for some transferable skills.

Job search — don’t wait until you are job-ready. Start exploring where you would like to work, both from a geographic perspective and from an industry perspective. Pay attention to the preferred industry sector by reading the paper, viewing websites, receiving newsletters or any other means to stay in close touch. Some organizations, especially those in the social services field, allow for volunteers.

Use a skills resumÉ — keep in mind that you are not selling your old employer or your previous jobs, you are selling your skills. Therefore, it is important to use a skills- or competency-based resumé. The internet provides a wealth of information for sample statements of almost every skill you can imagine. Use these, but be sure to use words and terms that you understand and that are “really” you. Readers can tell when you just copied a phrase and claimed it as your own.

Get out and network — there are plenty of associations and interest groups you can join in order to network and meet people to make yourself known. These groups often have monthly meetings, but they also have committees where you can take a leadership role. This will help you become what is called a “known entity.”

Manage your emotions — changing careers can be scary. It’s a new venture and a new territory, so it might conjure up a strong sense of fear. Well, face the fear and do it anyway. List your fears and then explore them and find an answer. Once you review these fears, you’ll find you already have the answers to each fear and/or you know where to go to get help. Don’t let fear stop you, seek out support from family and friends.

There’s a whole big world of opportunity out there in every industry sector. Looking for a new career is exciting, it’s all about reaching out and grabbing the future. Think about it. And go for it.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCPHR, CMC, CCP, M.Ed, is president of Legacy Bowes Group. She is also an author of eight books, a professional speaker, executive coach and workshop leader. She can be reached at barb@legacybowes.com and/or barbarabowes.com.