A few career success stories
If you are anything like me, it is September, not January, that honestly feels like the beginning of a "new year." I am sure it is my decades-long career in education working inside schools that makes me eager and excited about planning for what the "new year" will bring.
What are you excited about in this "new year" (the one that begins in September)? It marks the fresh start of the possibility of something new!
Jump right in ....
TAKE BITE-SIZE PIECES TO STAY IN BALANCE
If you are a recent college grad, mid-level professional looking for a pivot, or a first-time empty-nester you are likely looking at career/life with eyes wide open. You may find yourself staring at some very open space.
You're probably feeling excitement along with some uncertainty.
Yep! Both of these feelings are what usually present themselves in the face of big life transitions.
Bite-sized pieces can help us ease into a bigger life transition. It's often a time of exploration, experimentation, and sometimes rolling the dice (aka taking a risk) that will open up doors and clarify for us in the process -- "What now??!!"
Sometimes we best find ourselves and own answers tucked inside a story. Below are a few quick stories of some past clients that might help illuminate your own journey into this next, new phase. (*Of course, clients' names have been changed).
A few real life "career transition" stories:
MEET SARA - Networking Strategies / Zeroing in on Workplace Values - Really stuck on what she wanted to do now that she had graduated from college with an Education degree, Sara was feeling the pull toward more Environmental work. She needed help clarifying her own workplace values, identifying her career strengths & talents, and using that to springboard her into an exploration of what kinds of "Green" jobs existed, and who was hiring. She needed both clarity, and she needed some new networking skills that got her out from behind her computer.
Resolution / Sara's new super-power - Together we worked on networking strategies that could get her noticed, and help her differentiate herself in the environmental field. From attending local Green Drinks to Chamber of Commerce Meet Ups to Informational Interviews to LinkedIn posts and increased followers she was on her way. Networking became her super power pushing her beyond her comfort zone and into real-world connections.
Fast forward six months and the phone rings. It's a call from Sara. She is now working for the Sierra Club, a childhood aspiration she had dreamed about for decades!
HELLO TO MELANIE - Planning Your Exit Strategy - Melanie was admittedly a pleaser (I am sure many can relate), and did not want to disappoint anyone – bosses, co-workers, parents, and most importantly herself, yet she was miserable in her current job. Growing up and being taught that “we stick with things, and we don’t quit” was echoing loudly as she wrestled with leaving her job after 20 years. Bottom line is that Melanie had out-grown her current job. She needed help with some communication tools that would enable her to face this new transition head on, and with compassion and respect.
Resolution / Melanie's Clear Communication was the Key - Together we mapped out her exit strategy. Melanie's confidence grew as we rehearsed some positive, clear communication strategies (Crucial Conversations is a great book for this kind of communication work), and soon she began to believe and adopt her new mantra: "Being clear IS being kind." This new thinking allowed her to provide constructive feedback to her boss in a way that celebrated her work accomplishments of 20 years, as well as opened the door for new growth and new employment opportunities. Melanie landed a new job where her evolved (wiser/ more experienced) self could really shine. This time around it is Melanie who is "pleased" and not the "pleaser."
FINALLY, MEET JOSH - Identifying Signature Skills & Transferable Talents/ Career Assessments - Josh was one of my young adult clients who early on felt he had landed in the wrong place. He was feeling paralyzed by his Bio degree. He knew he had spent 4+ years of college to earn this degree, yet now his career aspirations lay elsewhere.
Resolution / Refreshed Resume + Refined Career Search for Josh - First of all, Josh needed permission to "begin again" and explore a different genre of work. He needed to be told that it is so OK for our workplace values and interests to change as we grow in experience.
Next, we worked together to untangle the skills that he had acquired, and still really valued as a result of his degree:
being observant
analytical
fascinated by the intersection of living things
hands-on work
and together we looked at how he could parlay these same skills into a new career or field of study that was really capturing his ambition.
Career assessments and open dialogue gave us a foot hold, and from Park Ranger to Genetic Counselor Josh felt overwhelmed (in a good way!) about all of his new-found options! He was eager and confident to begin a new career search with a refreshed resume that we re-worked together, and a clearer understanding of his unique skill set that he would bring to the workplace.
Curious about your next chapter? For a FREE CAREER ASSESSMENT - Try this one! (similar to a Meyers Briggs assessment): www.16personalities.com
If you are at a crossroads and are thinking about making a few changes; career or otherwise, and an outside, objective resource feels like a productive next step, I'm here! Reach out!