Has working from home given you a new perspective on your career?
If you changed jobs during the pandemic you may have had to navigate a few extra obstacles, but the shifting business landscape has also created new opportunities. To find these opportunities you need to be clear on your personal, professional, and financial goals.
Answer these four questions to help you determine how a career change could impact your Return on Life.
Understand your ‘why’
Easy answers rarely address core problems. One way to dig a little deeper and arrive at a more proactive solution is to keep asking yourself, “Why?”
For example, why are you rethinking your career? Because I don’t like my job.
Why don’t you like your job? Because I can’t do what I’m best at.
Why can’t you do what you’re best at? Because I should be working in a different department.
Without self-reflection, you might have started applying for similar jobs at different companies that would have left you similarly unfulfilled. By getting to the root of your ‘why’ you realize can use your top skills more effectively and create more options.
Maybe you aim big and apply for a dream job at a new firm. Maybe you talk to your supervisor about a different position at your current employer. Or maybe you take the dream job at a new company you create yourself.
Uncover areas for improvement
You’ve probably picked up some valuable new skills during quarantine. Zoom and Slack are your second languages. You’re more comfortable managing projects and collaborating with coworkers remotely. And now that your kitchen table is also your office and your kids’ classroom, you’ve improved your time management.
Take a moment to assess other professional skills that could help you achieve a career change.
Have you enjoyed being backup tech support during your company’s digital pivot? Take web design or IT security classes. Would you like to focus on marketing now that so many companies are trying to reintroduce themselves to customers online? Get SEO certified or start a blog or newsletter to sharpen your writing skills. Is your company trying to expand its European operations? Brushing up your French could put you in line for a leadership position.
Think through details and outcomes
Weighing the financial plusses and negatives of a career change can be tricky once you move beyond salaries and start comparing benefits packages.
The pandemic environment has created even more factors for you and your spouse to consider. Will you be able to work from home or will you have to clock in at a socially distanced office? Will your hours be flexible? Can you accomplish key tasks with your current home office setup? Would you need to invest in new technology, or even a larger home with a dedicated office?
Your ‘whys’ should be part of this conversation as well. For example, if coronavirus and social justice movements are inspiring your career change, you might be willing to make a horizontal job move to an organization where you’ll be making a bigger impact in your community.
Establish key connections
Quarantine and social distancing may have interrupted your professional networking. Reestablish those key connections with a video chat, an invitation to your company’s next virtual event, or a good old-fashioned phone call or email. Get some new perspectives on what is going on in your industry to provide vital intel that will help you plot your next move.
Many job hunters form or join social media groups where they share leads, vent frustrations, and provide mutual encouragement.
If you’re married, your spouse could be a critical resource as you contemplate this change. No one knows you better, and no one can provide better feedback as you work through the questions on this list.
We can help you navigate this important transition. Schedule a consultation to discuss how making a career change could help you craft the life and career of your dreams.