Disclaimer: this article is a flagrant piece of self-promotion but I am really passionate about the results that you can get from coaching. If you are determined to change your life and career for the better in 2021 then read on or to get straight down to business book in with me for a FREE career chat.
In all honesty I was unhappy in my professional services marketing career throughout my twenties and for most of my thirties. I did a lot of reading about career development, took many online quizzes to try and figure out careers that suited me, increased my responsibilities at work, did further study and attempted a change in sector. I also tried to focus on my life outside of work, booked holidays and nice things to look forward to, and reminded myself that work was not my life.
But as time went on I became more and more lost in my career.
Looking back now I can see I was making these major career change mistakes. Do any of them sound familiar?
- Overthinking. I spent a lot of time in analysis paralysis. Thinking about changing career or how I could make my current career more tolerable. I was waiting for the answer to hit me like a thunderbolt. But it never did.
- Being too narrow. I was scared to let go of everything I had worked for in the past and start at the beginning so I focused heavily on my marketing career and how I could make it work. I thought that I would be happier if I worked in marketing for a charity or not-for-profit. Or perhaps I should focus on PR or digital marketing and stay within that marketing umbrella?
It’s like the teacher who googles other jobs that teachers can do. Seems logical but the focus is still on the career that makes them unhappy, not on the individual themselves. - Being hard on myself. I thought that I was being unreasonable to expect to be happy at work. Everywhere around me I saw people who were miserable at work. I concluded that I was selfish for wanting more and tried to numb my unhappiness, focusing on the money and what it could get me. I drank a lot of wine to get through it. I also told myself it was my fault because I wasn’t good enough at my job. Overall, I was not in a good place.
The main thing that was holding me back though was that I was going it alone. Sure, I complained to my friends and sought their counsel about how to improve my career. But mostly I stayed stuck in my head.
Everything changed when I saw a coach. Coaching gave me:
- Accountability and commitment. Because of the investment in time and money that I was making, career change became a priority in my life. I treated it as one of the most important things on my to-do list, not something I’d google on the train when I had time. I had someone holding me accountable to my actions every two weeks. This made me do the work.
- Clarity through action. I did a lot of navel gazing as part of my coaching experience. Reflecting on past experiences, likes and dislikes but I wrote my reflections down and reviewed them for themes. I also took a lot of action. I asked others what they thought my strengths and weaknesses were, I interviewed people in careers of interest to me and I read books and did mini-courses. Clarity came from engagement, not thinking.
- Peace. I made peace with the fact that I was unhappy with my career and, for me, this was impacting my life and I needed to do something about it. Work means different things to different people. For me, it is not simply about a pay cheque. I suspect you’re reading this because you feel the same and that’s absolutely fine.
Ultimately, seeing a coach was the start of a journey that led me to where I am now – peaceful, content and working in pursuit of something I love that affords me a good income and time with my family. I should point out that change didn’t happen overnight and coaching was not a magical wand but it gave me the tools to be my own best coach in the future.
What are you looking for in 2021?
Now I am a professionally qualified career coach myself and I am passionate about helping others have lives and careers that feel more like them. There are two main areas where I work with clients. If you would like to find out more about my services and pricing then click here or contact me for a FREE career change chat. You can also check out testimonials from my happy clients here.
A whole new career
If you’re looking for a change in direction, then you are not alone – according to Gallup over 60% of workers would like to change career – however it is easy to feel like you are the only one who feels this way. That’s why it is important to get some support.
By working with a coach like myself, you will get your career change musings out of your head and finally start taking some action. I will get you to think about you, your strengths and weaknesses, interests, passions and your vision for the future. If you have ever googled career change or borrowed a book from the library on the subject you will have seen a wealth of career self-awareness exercises, you may have even done a few. As your coach I will ask you challenging questions and offer objective insights. I will then strongly encourage you to test your insights in the real world. If you don’t do the work, I will ask you why. You won’t get that from a book.
I will also help you identify your barriers, come up with practical ways to overcome them, make a decision and come up with a realistic plan for making your career change happen. I can also help you with job search strategies, identifying study paths (if necessary) and learning how to market yourself (see below).
That’s a whole lot of work, which, let’s face it, most of us would struggle to do on our own.
A new job
A new job is not always as straightforward as it sounds. If you’re a mum, like most of my clients, then you’re probably looking for flexibility of hours and location in your new job. It’s doubtful that your dream job will be advertised on Seek and you may need help with a more creative job search. I help my clients with speculative approaches, networking, LinkedIn and how to balance traditional job hunting techniques with creative approaches.
Perhaps you’ve had a break from the workforce and you need help addressing the gaps in your resume or preparing yourself practically and emotionally for your return to work. I understand this and I’m as happy discussing the pros and cons of childcare options, hiring a cleaner and fitting in self-care, as I am interview techniques. I know that it’s hard to feel on top of a job hunt, if life outside of work is messy and uncertain.
Finally, as a career coach with a background in marketing, I can help you present yourself with a professional resume. Written self-promotion is tricky and goes against everything we are told as kids about being modest. But it is vital to be open and proud of our accomplishments when looking for a new job. When you get an experienced third party to write your resume for you it removes that bashfulness and will help you see yourself in a whole new light. I have had clients report back to me that not only did my resume rewrite help them score an interview, it also improved their confidence, and that is what ultimately got them the job.
If you are looking to make big changes in your career in 2021 then I sincerely wish you all the best in your endeavours. Whether you use a coach or not, remember that you have the right to be happy in your job.
If you’d like to discuss how I can help you in your career then please book in with me for a Working Mum SOS. This is a free, no obligation 30-minute chat where we brainstorm solutions to your biggest career issues. Click here to book.