Ten questions to help you reboot your career
Career Alchemy founder and lead coach, Carolyn Parry offers some advice and free resources for the Telegraph Reboot Your Career event delegates
Although COVID has disrupted our everyday lives, careers and jobs more than we could ever have imagined, it does provide the opportunity to re-evaluate how we want to spend the gift of life we have all been given. That gift is ours to use as we choose to create the working life we really want.
Whether you are experiencing career turbulence due to being lost, bullied, burn out, redundant, or a desire to do something more meaningful the following ten questions are designed to help you re-evaluate your future and use the disruption as a platform to create the working life you really want to live. After all, we only get one shot at this thing called life, so we need to make it work for us.
Whether you are experiencing career turbulence due to being lost, bullied, burn out, redundant, or a desire to do something more meaningful the following ten questions are designed to help you re-evaluate your future and use the disruption as a platform to create the working life you really want to live. After all, we only get one shot at this thing called life, so we need to make it work for us.
Do I need to take some time out to think and regroup?
Facing the threat of redundancy often leads to feelings of worry and anxiety. The wait to find out if your job is at risk or not is the hardest period to go through and can provoke all sorts of emotions from despair to anger. The Kubler Ross change model can help you to understand and name the emotions you are feeling and this alone will help you go through the experience a little more easily. It will also help you to manage your reputation effectively. This is important for you to do, even though it may feel challenging.
Setting some time aside to maintain your wellbeing and also to really think through what direction you want to move forward in is a wise investment. If you like the organisation and want to see if you can stay on, have a look at what other opportunities are open to you. Being an internal candidate is an advantage as many organisations will prioritise candidates at risk for prior consideration in new roles.
If your career is at a crossroads due to ill health, burnout, or being bullied, you may find that the best thing to do is to take some time out. There is no shame in being signed off sick to help you regroup if things are getting too much for you. If you take this route, make sure you get the support from those equipped to help you rebuild effectively. Often, organisations will offer confidential
Sometimes a change of working patterns can make a big difference and give you more time to think and plan your next steps. Have a think about whether working compressed hours and having a three-day weekend will give you enough time to recharge. If you don’t need a complete break, explore whether working part-time is an option and then identify the business benefits it offers your employer so you can keen them onside. Working part time creates the space for you to try something new with little risk.
Setting some time aside to maintain your wellbeing and also to really think through what direction you want to move forward in is a wise investment. If you like the organisation and want to see if you can stay on, have a look at what other opportunities are open to you. Being an internal candidate is an advantage as many organisations will prioritise candidates at risk for prior consideration in new roles.
If your career is at a crossroads due to ill health, burnout, or being bullied, you may find that the best thing to do is to take some time out. There is no shame in being signed off sick to help you regroup if things are getting too much for you. If you take this route, make sure you get the support from those equipped to help you rebuild effectively. Often, organisations will offer confidential
Sometimes a change of working patterns can make a big difference and give you more time to think and plan your next steps. Have a think about whether working compressed hours and having a three-day weekend will give you enough time to recharge. If you don’t need a complete break, explore whether working part-time is an option and then identify the business benefits it offers your employer so you can keen them onside. Working part time creates the space for you to try something new with little risk.
Does my current career suit my values?
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Sometimes, our sense of being lost, not fitting or burnout comes when we are working against ourselves and what we believe at our core. Values are at the heart of all good careers. If your work does not sit comfortably with your values either in terms of role, sector of environment, your salary will only become golden handcuffs. If this represents how you feel, our values exercise will help you gain clarity from which to move forward. You can download your copy here.
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is my current job shrinking or growing in demand?
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Before COVID hit, jobs were already being affected by the automation of Industry 4.0. The pandemic has simply served to speed that up. The World Economic Forum has identified that 85 million jobs will disappear between now and 2025 due to automation, so if you are working in a sector which is undergoing massive change through automation, it may be wise to think about changing career. You can check out how future proof your current role or a role you are considering is using a free tool developed by the OECD: https://oecd-futureofjobs.org/
LinkedIn also has a useful Get Hired newsletter you can subscribe to which highlights the most in demand jobs You can also check out the current demand for specific role including rates of churn, salaries etc using our labour market information tool |
Do I want to pivot or change direction completely?
Sometimes a small course correction makes a big difference so all that is needed is a pivot rather than a complete change. Some roles are easier to pivot from than others. Take sales and marketing for example. The fundamental skills are the same and transitioning from one to another in the same organisation or in another organisation or sector even is comparatively easy. Staying in the same type of role but shifting to a different sector with different values may make all the difference to how you feel about your career.
Alternatively, you could go for a more radical career reboot and use the same baseline skills in a very different context, as I did when I changed from sales and marketing to becoming a careers specialist. Such a shift often involves a lot of retraining and qualifications and you also need to consider any potential negative impact on salary. It might also provide that chance of a change of location and lifestyle. Whichever route you go, make sure that you are playing to your innate strengths and talents and check out what the shortage occupations are via this Government occupational shortage list, the Office of National Statistics vacancies list by industry and well as on job boards.
Whether you decide to stay in your current type of work, to pivot or to make a wholesale change, make sure you are clear what your skills are and how to articulate them through good examples in your applications and at interview. There is a skills shift happening at the moment with human skills including self-management/emotional intelligence and team work, problem-solving, and IT related skills whether as an skilled user or a programmer in particular being increasingly important. You can find out more about these and the other skills needed between now and 2025 by reading the World Economic Forum's latest report of the Future of Jobs.
Alternatively, you could go for a more radical career reboot and use the same baseline skills in a very different context, as I did when I changed from sales and marketing to becoming a careers specialist. Such a shift often involves a lot of retraining and qualifications and you also need to consider any potential negative impact on salary. It might also provide that chance of a change of location and lifestyle. Whichever route you go, make sure that you are playing to your innate strengths and talents and check out what the shortage occupations are via this Government occupational shortage list, the Office of National Statistics vacancies list by industry and well as on job boards.
Whether you decide to stay in your current type of work, to pivot or to make a wholesale change, make sure you are clear what your skills are and how to articulate them through good examples in your applications and at interview. There is a skills shift happening at the moment with human skills including self-management/emotional intelligence and team work, problem-solving, and IT related skills whether as an skilled user or a programmer in particular being increasingly important. You can find out more about these and the other skills needed between now and 2025 by reading the World Economic Forum's latest report of the Future of Jobs.
what sort of impact do I want to make?
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Every job is designed to make an impact. After all, that is what performance targets are all about. But those targets reflect the employer’s agenda. If you choose wisely, you can get paid to make a difference to something you actually care about too which will make your working week much more enjoyable.
Having a specific problem you want to contribute to solving offers a golden thread for your career which helps you make sense of it and tell your career story to others as new opportunities arise. One place to look for your golden thread is to explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Originally intended to be completed by 2030, latest represent our biggest challenges globally. Latest estimates indicate that these are more likely to be achieved by 2083 which means a themed working lifetime of opportunity is on offer – literally. |
Where can I find out more about different roles and sectors?
There is no shortage of websites when it comes to careers information and reading current vacancies will help your understanding. For unbiased and high-quality insights, looking at generic role and sector overviews is useful. The Prospects websites focuses on jobs where a degree matters, whereas the websites by the various national home nations careers organisations (National Careers Service, Careers Wales, Skills Development Scotland and the Northern Ireland Careers Service) offer information on all types of jobs- whether they need a degree or not.
Could I run my own business successfully?
For many, the solution to developing a successful career comes from following an interest or a passion and turning it into a business. Like all things, you can learn how to do this and there are plenty of agencies who can help. Have a look at Enterprise Nation if you are England based. In Wales, Business Wales can help. Scottish would be entrepreneurs can get support via https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/ while in Northern Ireland, https://www.enterpriseni.com/business-support/business-start-up can help.
Who do I know who has experience I can learn from?
Your social network can help here as can your LinkedIn network. Think about setting up a virtual/real coffee for insights and advice. Research shows that some 70 – 80% of jobs never get advertised so reaching out will help you tap into the hidden job market and may well lead to an opportunity organically. Before you connect, however, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and reflects the right image you want to create.
Another way to expand your network and gain valuable sector experience before you pivot or change direction is to become a non-executive director on a board., while volunteering on the ground will also give you insights.
If you know which direction you want to go in, rather than relying solely on job boards like Reed or Indeed, or CV Library, consider working with a recruitment agency which is a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation who can help position you with prospective employers to get you a foot in the door.
Another way to expand your network and gain valuable sector experience before you pivot or change direction is to become a non-executive director on a board., while volunteering on the ground will also give you insights.
If you know which direction you want to go in, rather than relying solely on job boards like Reed or Indeed, or CV Library, consider working with a recruitment agency which is a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation who can help position you with prospective employers to get you a foot in the door.
Ultimately, ASK yourself "What do I want out of work and life"?
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Given we are currently set to spend 50 years of our life engaged in work-related activities, it occupies a vast proportion of our lives, yet most people simply do not invest enough time and energy in deciding how work and life fit together. We suggest that you spend some time really working out what exactly you want from life.
Our unique and research proven INSPiRED Career and Life planner tool asks you eight questions to help you to create an inspired life. You can get your copy here.
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Who can help me make my decision?
Sometimes you just need to talk your options through with a trained and experienced career coach. High quality career coaching is priceless in its impact but does not need to cost a fortune or take place over protracted periods.
Our ability to work confidentially, listen deeply, to help you dig into the bedrock of what really matters to you and what you are seeking, to mirror back your needs and wants and to gently challenge confused, or incongruent thinking can really make a difference.
Why not get in touch for a free discovery call and find out for yourself what difference coaching can make to your life.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck in your journey.
Our ability to work confidentially, listen deeply, to help you dig into the bedrock of what really matters to you and what you are seeking, to mirror back your needs and wants and to gently challenge confused, or incongruent thinking can really make a difference.
Why not get in touch for a free discovery call and find out for yourself what difference coaching can make to your life.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck in your journey.
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