In the beginning there was the need for a job search.......
Changing jobs by your choice or not is possibly the most difficult situation we can experience during our adult lives. If we are terminated, the sum of all fears come together in an instant sitting in your managers office listening to their business decisions. The cold sweat, the ringing in your ears as you try to figure out when your medical benefits will end. You ask yourself, "why me? I was always" .....(insert best qualities here). The sum of all fears come together in an instant that hold your life together. You visualize your bills, your rent or mortgage payments, car payments, dollar symbols flash before your eyes. You think about your family, all the responsibilities they bring you, your vacation time as well as all of the other things you have earned that have defined your life. Now what?
Even when we choose to leave our jobs for a new one, the process for many is just as stressful. We fear the probationary period, we experience job changing remorse and second guess ourselves until all hours of the night. Typically we do not leave our current roles for new ones until we are so fed up with the nonsense of that job or the boss it can be a very bitter ending indeed. I hope to guide you through the career changing process with this blog and show you that there is a better way to feel and operate in these life changing situations. It can be done in a more positive and successful transition that will leave you feeling much better about this whole process.
Some people are constantly passively searching for their next role. They might be career gypsies that enjoy movement and constant change. In a way, I admire their courage but I am stuck on the other side of the coin worrying about what perceptions my resume might leave with a future potential employer. Others are simply not happy so they feel constant change of work environment may lead them to that perfect setting where they will retire. From my experience as a recruiter and career developer, they are likely in the wrong careers in the first place! Still others move from one role to the next to develop their work experience in their chosen field and this is a necessary part of that growth.
Could any of the above describe how you feel at this moment? Desire for a change in location or duties? Are you feeling stuck in your career? Are you second guessing the career you have chosen? Everyone feels this way on a fairly regular basis in their world of work. A suggestion I offer to you is to take the time to find a source for some great personality assessments or apptitude assessments. These are valuable tools because they can offer suggestions or confirm what you may already know. These assessments can tell you about your work style, the types of challenges you function best or worst in and depending upon the assessment, the type of management style that works best for you.
How can I find one of these assessments? There are many free online resources available as well as community job finding clubs in your local area. There are employment counsellors or facilitators trained in the delivery of these for a minimal cost or no cost at all. If you are serious about change but unsure what that looks like or you are suddenly in the middle of change through no planning of your own, this can be a very valuable use of your time. Start taking some control of your career now, make sure you are on the path you are meant to be on!
It is important to feel good about what you do and where you do it. North American workers spend more time in their work environments than they do at home with their families. Think about that for a moment. If you spend eight hours per day, five days per week at work that equals 40 hours. At home during your waking moments you average 20 hours on the weekend and about 20 waking hours during the week with your loved ones. Your most productive and conscious time is spent with your coworkers earning a living. If you are a manager or senior manager, this figure probably looks worse. This is just a rough estimate here but it is no wonder we have a health crisis on our hands. This is why it is so important to make sure that what you do makes you happy and when you come home, your day is something you can feel good about.
