1. I will spend time in meaningful career exploration.
The missing ingredient for most every career seeker is the lack of meaningful time they spend exploring other career possibilities. One of my clients, Steve, a thirtysomething insurance executive in New Haven, CT put it best: “I’ve known that I am not happy with my work for years. Sometimes I talk to my wife and friends about it. Sometimes I randomly check jobs boards. But I never really do anything about it and now I’m another year older.”
2. I will create a vision for the next job I want before I create a resume
Janice, a forty year old account executive for a technology firm in Stamford, CT was finding no luck in changing jobs. She assumed that her resume needed editing. It did but not for the reasons she thought. She had a wonderfully professional resume but she spent no time thinking about how she would present herself to employers in fields outside her current job. Over the years, she had done enough different work activities to craft a resume that suited her career vision. We spent our time changing her resume but only after we clarified her career vision.
3. I will persist despite the inevitable obstacles that I will face in career transition.
There are two large clusters of blocks that our career counseling clients face: psychological and practical. Psychological blocks are often fear based (fear of financial scarcity, fear of public failure, fear of the unknown). Practical blocks are usually knowledge based (I don’t know how to switch careers). Providing solutions has been the best part of my career counseling work during 2015. I hope I can help you in 2016.