Author: gisellacasolaro

Categories
Career Planning

How to Explore New Careers While Keeping Your Job

Time to Change Job sign

A professional change always involves a challenging and complex plan but if you are in no rush, take your time to “experiment” following my advice.

Is it time to move on from a meaningless job?

Are you looking for a career that will give you a paycheck that matches your expectation AND a sense of fulfillment?

You might get lucky and find your dream job through your existing professional or social network. Or, as it’s more likely, you’ll need to put more thought into your search if you have set higher expectations from your next job.

In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that only approx. 13% of full-time employees consider their present jobs ‘meaningful’. Can you relate to that statement?

If you do, it’s time to do some deep self-assessment and find your answer to the question “What else could I do as a job”?

As a professional Career Coach, I meet so many people – in real life and online – who get stuck at this specific stage: they have a job, they know they want a change but have no idea about where to start as they have many ideas in their head!

Here’s my advice to start your journey of change by yourself, if you are not ready to fast-track your plans with a personal Coach.

Dream Job road sign

3 steps to identify your next “Dream Job”

Step 1> Map out what you have Vs what you are missing

Be grateful for your present job.

The starting point is always to recognize what you have already. Assuming your present job covers all or most of your ongoing bills and expenses, take a moment each day to appreciate that you are in a privileged position: you can take your time to find a more satisfying activity to do.

Identify what are the key factors that make the difference.

Try doing a simple Pros Vs Cons exercise or write down a more thorough Likes Vs Dislikes Vs Tolerances worksheet. You could also write a list of all the qualities that matter to you (e.g. “A flexible work schedule”) and give a score to your present job against each one of those factors.

Decide what trade-offs you’re willing to make

Once the list is written consider what would be the top 3 must-have factors you couldn’t compromise on in your next job. By exclusion, you’ll be able to outline additional ones that act as ‘nice-to-have’. The latter are the ones that surprisingly make a difference sometimes when it comes to accepting a new job offer or taking a new career direction.

  • Ultimately, you need to define black on white all the things you like and those you would change in your future.

Step 2> Use your spare time to have a taste of new career paths

Identify pockets of time you can use for ‘other activities’

You may be doing the 9-to-5 right now or you may be a freelancer working on flexible schedules driven by client and project deadlines. Whatever your current status, we all have approx. 16 hours per day of awake time and have the ability to choose what activities fit within this time-lag. All you need to do is carefully plan your time and identify what slots you can free up, for which activity and with what frequency.

Volunteer in a field that is close to your heart.

Find an interesting organisation in the not-for-profit sector and approach them with a proposal for how you could get involved in what they do. Focus on a specific project or ask them about their needs. You could pick a group that you already follow or contact local organisations to investigate your options.

Develop your skills by offering your services for free to a mentor.

Identify one person that you know and admire professionally and contact them to propose to shadow them a few hours per week as their mentee. Once you start this collaboration, you’ll soon realize how your service hours are gaining you a range of new skills or developing your soft skills. Consider this an investment in yourself.

  • Acquiring extra-curricular skills is a massively useful especially if you have little previous work experience.

Step 3> Cast a Wide Net to understand what your new future could look like

Do your research.

If you’ve realised that you want to move into a completely different field, ensure that you understand all the requirements at entry point into that sector. Browse relevant websites, forums, blogs and social media groups online and talk with experts. Ask about the income potential and whether you’ll need additional qualifications or certifications.

Undertake further studies and training into your field of interest.

You can build on your existing skills and expand your knowledge into a specialist area of your current job or dip your toes into a new professional area. Depending on the sector, you could advance your education by signing up for distance-learning courses online or choose an organisation that provides intensive learning at week-ends or on one-week in-class formats.

Practice and persevere.

You may need to be patient when you’re trying different things at the same time. It’s possible that you will start a new course or training with heaps of motivation and energy investment and soon realize that it wasn’t what you were expecting after all. If and when that happens, remember that you do have options and you get to choose the next one!

  • Remind yourself that your efforts will pay off if you’re willing to take risks and devote your time to find the right road for you.

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How to get ready to make the transition into your new path

We probably spend about one-third of our life at work. So, being innovative about your career path will help you to make those hours more rewarding. True, you can’t be on “new job pursuit” mode all the time because this would drain your energy quickly and you would end up underperforming even in your present job.

So, what steps can you take to be well prepared to make that change once you find your next chosen path? Here’s a little extra advice.

1. Maximise your network. Build a strong off-line and online network where you can share both practical and moral support. Ask others for help when you need it. Be generous with sharing information and referrals.

2. Increase your visibility. Be active on social media and promote yourself in your professional area(s) of interest as somebody who is an expert or has an opinion on relevant topics. Write articles for your company’s website or publish your own new blog.

3. Get the right mindset. If you want to excel at work, you’ll need to move beyond your comfort zone. Focus on gradual growth you can sustain, and the small victories will add up. For example, deliver a presentation at an important team meeting as a way to prepare for a bigger public speaking event you are due to host.

4. Stay positive. Your professional career may last 30 years or more, so an optimistic attitude will help you to persevere. Look on the bright side of difficult situations and learn how to laugh at yourself.

5. Key takeaway: start planning today your future career. Your journey to your Dream Job can be a long one, so the sooner your start gaining clarity about your Likes, Wants and Needs the smoother you will get to your happy professional state.

Thinking it’s too hard to do all alone? I am here to help!

Chat To Me.

If you are ready to see some changes in your career or business, let’s chat!

BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL
Categories
Professional development

How To Stand Out When Working From Home

Work from home letters

All hail the new WFH lifestyle! You’ve finally gained more freedom… but are you missing out on the chance to stand out in your workplace?

It’s time to Embrace the “new normal” of Working from Home

Yes, Working from Home has given us more freedom from the close supervision of the boss, more spare time gained by not having to commute, and the flexibility to dress up for the job only on the upper part of the body… while wearing our pyjama bottoms!

The pandemic has suddenly turned us into screen stars… featured in a little screen of a digital tool called ‘Zoom’ or ‘Teams’ which many of us are having to use daily now we are safely working from home.

The issue is some of us haven’t had enough time to prepare for this abrupt change in our day-to-day engagement with work colleagues, suppliers or clients.

I get it. Not everyone feels comfortable interacting with a group of people laid out on a computer screen while you have only a fraction of time to get your message across.

It can be daunting to understand when it’s appropriate to speak up when you are in a busy digital chat room with 6 other colleagues.

Deep down, it’s natural that you miss the chit chats you had with your colleague by the water cooler.

You may also be feeling that you’ve lost some networking opportunities now you can only use emails, chats, videocalls and the odd off line call!

If you have been feeling out of your comfort zone being miles away from the key people you work with, I offer you a little coaching guidance here.

Woman working from home

3 steps to master your Working from Home set-up

STEP 1) BE CLEARER THAN EVER ABOUT YOUR GOALS

Interrogate yourself about your present long-term goal relating to your job:

“What are you trying to achieve as a next step in your career?”

Spend some quality time to analyse your situation and write it down in all its contextual details.

Maybe you are currently enjoying the security of a long-standing job with the same company so you feel you just want to please everyone at work so that you can continue to pay the bills at the end of the month.

Or, it could be that you heard that your colleague from the marketing department is leaving the country and her position will soon be vacant. So, you wonder: could this be my chance to move from sales into marketing and ask for a promotion?

Or, it could be that you are the last person who joined the company and still have a lot to learn from your colleagues. Maybe you’ve realised that your direct line manager is not a great mentor but you could learn a lot from a colleague you met from another department, so your goal is to have as many opportunities to shadow that person as possible.

STEP 2) BE A BETTER NETWORKER, ONLINE

If you have gone through the first step, you are even more conscious of how fundamental it is to strengthen your relationships with one or more key people in your job. These are the people who are going to get you one step closer to your professional goal: it could be your line manager, or your Head of department, or the HR manager or a combination of colleagues and clients.

It’s true: you have less chances to interact with them in person but you can still do this in a one-to-one way, online. How?

There are generally three key factors that will contribute to making you more “liked” by your colleagues. Find a way to own these factors, using your online channels:

1) Be helpful – whatever their role is, they also need work done from you and other people who are WFH. Try ask them what is it that they are finding more challenging now that they are not at the office: e.g. is it taking them more time to get a report back from Finance? Is there something you could do to get those numbers earlier?

2) Be empathetic – your colleagues are on your same boat: whenever you get a chance to speak one-to-one, try ask them an open question about how their WFH mode is affecting their home life. You may find that you have the same feeling about it and could bond over exchanging tips on how to manage it better. E.g. ask them if they have re-arranged the furniture at home or if they can recommend a store to buy a laptop stand or a more ergonomic chair! Anything that is more attuned to your personal lives will make you feel a deeper connection.

3) Be fun – often WFH means we are more exposed to feeling lonely or bored so it’s only natural to want to gain back moments of fun during the working hours! So, find the right moment to do just that: propose a virtual coffee or tea break with your colleagues. You could even do that at the end of another scheduled work meeting. Propose them also non-work-related activities – e.g. are they into meditation? Could you join an online group meditation class together?

STEP 3) STRATEGISE HOW TO STAND OUT

If you are at a stage where you recently joined the company and want to make yourself known by everyone or if you are up for a promotion, you need to implement extra tactics to find a way to shine through the digital interfaces you use.

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How to shine as a WFH or Remote employee

1) Always show a positive mindset  

People don’t like moaners – yes, you can bond with a colleague over one common pain point you have about your work place but ultimately, they could use that “private information” against you at any time. 

If you are new in your company or want to demonstrate you are worthy of that promotion, start by working on your PMA (positive mindset attitude). 

There is nothing more attractive than a colleague who smiles frequently and lifts everyone’s spirits up in a company meeting.

2) Do an extra dose of homework

Get well up to speed with your company’s current goals, the KPIs or business objectives communicated to all staff, research the competitors of your company and your industry sector’s news. Find an opportunity to share any relevant breaking news you found with your colleagues: e.g. write it as a PS. comment at the bottom of an email or type it in the Zoom chat at the end of a virtual meeting.

Surprise everyone with your commitment to the company.

3) Communicate effectively on digital channels

Adaptability is one of the key soft skills employers appreciate, in any sector.

In these days of fast-paced changes to our ways of working, you need to demonstrate that you can adapt and communicate clearly across any channel – off and online.

Find the way to master any digital tool your company may be asking you to use: Zoom, Skype Business, Slack, etcetera. If needed, ask a tech guru friend of yours to show you how to use all the features of the tool, so you don’t have to ask your colleagues.

4) Run and attend any virtual meetings efficiently

Before any scheduled virtual meeting double-check that you accurately know:

  • the latest agenda (even a draft one)
  • what the time zones of the participants are (you need to say “good morning” to some colleagues or “good afternoon” to others!)
  • who exactly the participants are
  • who is due to take any specific actions
  • any follow-up actions that are dure to happen.

At the start of any meeting, ensure you extend a warm greeting and introduce yourself in a confident way to any new attendees, speak up when it’s your turn to speak in the group and articulate clearly any points of the agenda you own.

If anyone asks you questions on something you are not sure about, never say “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know” – just say “let me double-check that detail before I get back to you with an answer. I’ll follow up right after this call”.

Conclude the session with a re-cap of what you will do directly to follow up to the meeting.

If you don’t want to take notes manually, record the call at your end to re-listen to the action points in your own time (then delete the recording, for privacy reasons). Sometimes the devil can be in the details and you don’t want to omit one key point made by a colleague which happens to be connected to your own tasks.

5) Key takeaway: the more effort you put into adapting, the better you will get

I do think WFH is here to stay; it’s not just a temporary solution to the pandemic and economic crisis we are living. It’s a sign we are all shifting towards a more human-centred way of combining “work” and “personal life”.

Chat To Me.

If you are ready to see some changes in your career or business, let’s chat!

BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL