Written by: Mikaela Contreras, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Did you know what you wanted to do when you were 18? Did you know what your core values were when you were 18? Did you know what motivated you at 18? Did you have enough life experience to make the best career decision for you at 18?
Most of us would answer “no” to all of these. But the fact is, most of us are no more than 18-20 when we are expected to make decisions about our career. No matter if you are going straight into the workforce or choosing a university degree, you are making a decision or indecision that will affect your career for the foreseeable future.
Our decision process is also often influenced by external circumstances. It might be influenced by convenience or chance, by pressure from your family or your friends.
Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that many of us are re-evaluating our career decisions after a decade of running around in a job that we’re no longer passionate about.
You might be feeling that your life energy is slowly draining away for each morning that you have to log on to your work laptop. You might be feeling so bored that you wish that you could be anywhere, literally anywhere but in that meeting room. You might be feeling like a failure because you think that you should be further ahead in your career, but you just can’t find the energy and motivation to go the extra mile.
So you are entertaining the idea of making a change. But how? And what? And where?
Perhaps you have been working on your CV and are throwing it in all directions, hoping that it might stick somewhere. Perhaps you have started an online course to try something else. Perhaps you are scrolling through jobs on LinkedIn on your morning commute. But most of us are going about a career change the wrong way.
How can you start looking for new opportunities if you are unclear about your values and vision?
The first step has to be this. It’s what I call, look inwards.
Look inwards is the first and crucial step when entertaining a career shift. Make the time and put in the effort of exploring your own core values and believes. What do you stand for? What are your deepest desires? What is truly important to you?
Clarify what you love doing and what actually motivates you. Here are some ways you can explore this:
Think of a day when you came home excited about your achievements for the day – what did you do? What got you so excited? Who were you with? Write it down!
What is it about your current career that is so soul-sucking? Is it the environment? The people? The tasks themselves? The industry? Clarify what it is you don’t like about your current situation.
And then do the opposite. What do you actually like about where you are? Do you like the industry but not the people? Do you like the people but not your tasks? I’m sure there is something that you would like to keep.
Who are you career-jealous of? Jealousy is a great indication of what you want. Use it as a direction!
What do you get energy from? As an extrovert, I get energy from spending time with people. I’m most productive and happy when I have people around me. When I have to sit alone for a long period of time, my energy levels decline, and my motivation wavers. Explore what is true to you.
What is your motivator? Is it chasing a bonus? Is it helping others? Is it regular recognition? Is it short deadlines? Recognize what drives you. It will play an important role in your next move.
Once you are clear about your internal desires, values, and motivators, the next important step is to look long-term.
Look long-term is essential if you want to make the right decisions. Before you run into the next thing, ask yourself how this will fit into your long-term vision.
How will you know that you have made the right decision if you don’t know where you’re going? Ask yourself what you want to be remembered for and how you can make your imprint on the world – big or small. Use your dream as a guiding star to set your intentions at the moment.
Before you jump ship, clarify which destination you’re trying to get to.
Once you know what you want and where you want to go, it’s time for the third step, look to your present.
An important part of attracting the right opportunities is to show up in a way that makes you appealing. This is very hard to do when you are over-worked, de-motivated, worried and anxious, uninspired, and want to crawl into bed with a bucket of ice cream. Therefore, creating more joy in your current situation is an undervalued step that greatly impacts how you show up in the world.
Here are a few things you can do:
Write down everything that is bothering you on post-it notes. Then sort them into 3 piles (Can Control, Can Influence, Cannot influence). Now throw away the pile that says “Cannot influence” and stop wasting energy on it. Look at your two other piles and start making plans for how you can influence these to create a better situation for you. This will help you put your energy in the right place.
You know the saying, “you cannot control what happens to you but how you react to it.” Well, it’s true, so how can you shift your perspective in difficult situations? Try taking on a positive outlook even if it’s hard. A way to do this is to write down everything you are grateful for every morning before heading to work.
Spend more time in “flow state.” You know you’re in a flow start when you’re so captivated by a task that time and space disappear. “The happiest people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time in a state of flow”.
Create good habits. Sounds easy and obvious, but sometimes we need a reminder. I used to rush into work on a cramped tube sniffing someone’s armpit, arriving at the office grumpy, annoyed, and sweaty. Instead, I started to walk to work through Hyde Park, and even if it took more than double my commuting time and it rained most mornings, I showed up to work energized, happy, and more pleasant. It set the tone for my whole day!
Now when you have clarified your desires and dreams and created a more joyful present, it’s finally time to look outwards.
This is where you can start looking at opportunities and options aligned with your first 2 steps. This is normally the first and only step people rush into when they are unhappy with their current career, but I claim that you are not ready to pursue this step until you completed the first 3.
The job market has changed a lot in recent years. Just uploading a CV and cross your fingers is rarely enough these days.
Here are some tips on additional actions that you can take to improve your chances:
If you are happy with your company but not your tasks, the first thing you can do is to explore options where you are. There are multiple benefits to this. People know you, so they are more likely to give you a chance even if you don’t have the exact experience they are looking for. You already know the process, procedures, and the industry so that you can pick up a new role easier. And you know that you are aligned with the company values already. Therefore, exploring projects, internal roles, and other teams in your current company can be your best shot if you want to do something new.
Research! You should know what kind of companies and industries you are interested in by now (if you completed the first steps). Stay updated about news, follow key people in the industry and connect with relevant people on LinkedIn. This will make you stand out from other candidates once a role comes up since you can show your interest and awareness of their company/industry.
Build your personal brand on LinkedIn. It’s not as scary as it sounds. There is a flood of free information on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. By spending a few minutes, a few days a week on the platform, engaging with relevant people’s and businesses’ content, you will already be on their mind when an opportunity arrives. It doesn’t have to take much of your time!
Ask your friends and friends’ friends to refer you if they work in places you are interested in. Most of us hesitate to ask for help, but most of us are more than happy to give it. The benefit of this is that your friends can describe you in a way that a CV never will.
By following this 4 step process, you are increasing your chances of finding a career filled with joy and purpose, and you will learn and grow on the way! Developing your career takes patience and commitment. Rome was not built in a day as they say, and that is true about your career as well. It will require discipline and dedication from you.
If you deeply desire a career change but don’t know where to start and how to go about it and need some accountability, then a career coach is your best strategy.
If you are interested in learning more about what it is and how it works, please feel free to connect with me and I can explain further.
Mikaela Contreras, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mikaela is a career development and leadership coach who works with women who are living the international life. Mikaela is Swedish, has lived and worked in 5 countries herself and is currently based in Abu Dhabi. She is using her 10 years of experience in Talent Acquisition and Talent Development to help women in international environments to explore their true vision, purpose and desires and to overcome any internal and external blockers to pursue them. Her mission is simple: For every woman to feel purpose and joy in her professional life!
