In a recent article by the Harvard Business Review, it states:
“Recent research shows that two-thirds of employees felt the pandemic caused them to reflect on their purpose in life and that 70% of employees see their purpose defined by their work.”
If this statement is true why wouldn’t you want your work, something that defines you, to be in line with your values, interests, and goals in life?
At Ahria, we think these considerations are critical to success in one’s career. Consider the following:
- Embrace new opportunities.
With so many open positions currently, is now the time to embrace new opportunities, especially if something doesn’t feel quite right? Perhaps now is the time to explore why that may be, find the connection and link it to a new role that is a better fit.
- Timing is everything.
Some individuals like to take a break and really think about their next move, whereas others like to hit the ground running. Either method is fine as long as you have a plan and allow yourself the time to process and truly embrace what your purpose is.
- Opportunities for change.
When considering a career transition reflect on your values, interests and your ideal future – and use these to identify opportunities that match.
- Invest in yourself.
What does professional development look like for you?
Going back to school
Certifications
Leadership courses
- Focus on value.
Reflect on how you can add value to an organization rather than focusing only on what is it in it for you.
- Network, network, network.
There’s the old saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”, it’s an old saying for a reason. It’s who you know that allows others to learn about your ability drive value, gets your resume to the top of the list or be that initial personal reference.
We worked with a candidate in transition during the pandemic. He choose this down time to network. He found individuals who currently held the job of his dreams and reached out through LinkedIn. Some connected, some didn’t. But one specific individual, who works for a major league hockey organization in Canada, did engage and the two had a great conversation about the steps needed in order to get to where they wanted to be. Cut to – a role opening up with said organization, this candidate reached out to his contact and landed his dream role, that’s networking at it’s finest. Fundamentally, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
- Always remember, it’s okay to take a break.
Making a transition and job searching can be exhausting. It can be utterly soul crushing when you’re scrolling through job postings, reaching out to people who won’t connect with you, getting rejections emails or no responses at all – it’s okay to step back and take a break, re-evaluate and re-structure.
- What you put into your job search is what you will get out of it.
For more information and conversations around a positive, effective and successful career transition, reach out to us today.