Seven Key Steps To Making A Career Change

We spend approximately 50% of our waking hours at work. Doesn't it make sense to make the most of that time, otherwise what's the point? OK, it pays the bills but shouldn't it be about more than that. The happier you are at work, the happier you can be with other areas of your life.

If work's getting you down or you'd like to try something different, here are a few things to consider.

1. So, are you happy at work? If not, why not? Is it the type of work you do, the people you work with or your boss? What can you do to change your situation? How could you make it more interesting, how could you improve the relationships with the people you work with? Could you do the same thing but for a different company. Could you delegate tasks to someone else in your team?

2. Do you love what you do? What is your passion and what motivates you? What values in your life are important to you - health, money, security, family, relationships etc.. Follow these and you'll be happier in your work and in life generally.
3. What are you good at? What skills and abilities do you have? Where could you make improvements? Training for the job that you do could improve your job satisfaction and your job prospects and could enable you to take on a new role.

4. Where do you want to go? Are you looking for promotion, salary increase or a job change? Sometimes we have to start at the bottom in order to get where we want to be. Have your goal in mind so you don't lose sight of what you're doing and more importantly why!

5. Get yourself a mentor. Find someone you respect, who's where you want to be or done what you want to do. If you don't know anyone at work, is there someone outside work you could discuss your plans with and who would be prepared to give you advice and support?

6. Keep your CV up-to-date. Be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that might present itself if you're looking to change jobs. Alternatively, go out and find those opportunities - if you want to change, you need to make it happen. Opportunities will present themselves if you're looking for them.
Tip! A sizeable number (59%) of employees don't think depression and illness is a roadblock to their career advancement. The situation is worse with female employees thinking (of course, not without truth) that sexism/harassment, pregnancy and childcare are their roadblocks (source: depression center, University of Michigan).

7. Take control of your own career. There are always things we can do to change and grow. If you're looking for a new career then spend some time thinking about what you want from your work. What do you value, need, want? What does work mean to you? How important is it in your life? What are the things you're good at, what sort of work do you like to do? How could you create your perfect job?
Tip! Don't think of crashing the career party. Stop pounding on closed doors.

Sometimes living from day to day is fine but it helps if you have a plan in mind. Where do you want to be a year from now, three years from now? Set a goal "Next year, I want to be doing .....". Then set some specific steps to get you there.

Clare Evans is a Personal & Business Coach. She works with busy individuals and small business owners to enable them plan and organise their time more effectively. You can read more articles on Work Life Balance here.
Tip! Integration. Seekers often think that once the shift is made, their career transition is complete.

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