How to handle the ‘change’ in career change
As usual, I'm surrounded by change. Several friends are moving away or having babies. My parents are downsizing from my cherished childhood home. A wonderful elderly relative has died. An adorable lost kitten has charmed his way into our hearts and our household. I'm congratulating several clever, courageous clients who are starting new roles, having completed our sessions over recent months.
A view of autumnal trees from a weekend yoga retreat got me thinking about how we deal with impermanence. Ok, so it probably wasn't ideal to be thinking so much as I moved between Downward Dog and Warrior One. However, I caught myself meditating on all kinds of change, the big scary ones like leaving a comfortable, familiar job and the small, almost imperceptible ones we often miss, like nature's seasonal shifts or our partner's new haircut.
Nothing stays the same.
Not the skin we walk around in, not the landscape we love or loathe, not the people we spend time with, not the work we do, not the way the world works.
Although we 'know' this in our rational minds, we crave safety, security, and understanding about what's next. We struggle with life's uncertainty and flux.
When the jitters hit me hard just before I moved to Australia, a friend offered this wise insight,
'At the moment, you are feeling rubbish because you can only see what you are leaving behind, and you can't see what you are going to.'
Career change is a prime source of fear and uncertainty. It's hard to let go and even harder to trust that what's coming won't bring you unstuck. It's a kind of monkey bar experience. You're holding a bar you know will support your weight, but you can't just hang there. You must move on. But have you got the strength and skill to grab the next bar and the one after that?
Hamstrung by fear of career change?
Focus on the things you can control. Gather as much information as you can before you leap. Begin by looking inwards.
Know your game
Ask yourself, 'who am I and what do I want?' A lot of the work I do with clients begins with finding clear, honest answers to this question.
Getting a good grip on this rung of the career change monkey bars can help you reach for the next one. You're set to measure any likely looking new career against your skills, strengths, and motivations.
Set your career change boundaries
Firm up your 'must-haves,' cover the big-ticket essentials and the small practical things you could easily overlook when we're suspended in career change mid-air. For example, do you need to work with a particular type of manager? Can you work in an open-plan office, or do you need a quiet private space? Do you need a work culture that supports working remotely or an active social program?
Work your 'must haves' into your interview questions. Remember that interviews are just as much for you as they are for 'them.' Ask if someone can walk you through the office. Get a sense of the 'who' and the 'how' of a place where you might end up investing big chunks of your time and energy.
Test the waters
Think laterally about how to explore the day-to-day reality of any potentially perfect career. Take a deep breath and approach someone in an attractive role or organisation. Ask about work shadowing or volunteering for a day. Offer coffee to someone you know a little or lot who works in a role you covet. Ask them about their average working day as well as their broader aspirations and experiences. Try some of these tips for dipping your toe in the water and trying new things.
The more new career intell we gather, the less change scares us.
Reframe a fall
Finally, I'm a fan of author Susan Jeffers's timeless advice in 'Feel the fear and do it anyway.' In short, every decision offers us a chance to grow and learn. Reframe your fear of the unknown and stop waiting for the worst to arrive. Work on believing that you can handle the consequences of career change or change of any sort.
If you're swinging along the monkey bars and slip, aim to learn from how you react to the fall and how you pick yourself up.
Keen to improve your swing? Let's chat about changing your stance.
By Jo Green, Career Change Coach
I know what it feels like to be lost in your career. I also know that when you find what you love, heart and soul, your life changes. I work every day with people who are reshaping their current careers, starting new enterprises or searching for a new direction. Basically I help people who don’t like their job to figure out what to do instead!
As a Careershifters and Firework Advanced Certified Coach and experienced career changer myself, I can help you figure out what fulfilling work looks like for you.
Drop me a note to organise a free 20 minute consultation to chat about your career change and how coaching could help.
