WoW! Reset 2024: Thinking about resetting your career?

AS the post-Christmas, back-to-work blues kick in, lots of people may start thinking about changing jobs, or career or even returning to the workplace after time out. But is this the right time to do it? And what’s the best way to go about it?

Gillian McGrath, who has qualifications in psychology, life and business coaching together with over 20 years of experience in industry, and who set up Change Grow Succeed to help people unlock their potential shares her expert advice.....

I THINK it’s important to pause and reflect regularly, irrespective of the time of the year, to gain clarity on the change we wish to pursue in our careers and critically, to explore what this would give us, that we don’t already have.

But we must realise that creating change doesn’t guarantee that you will get what you want. Our success depends on how clear we are about our motivation for change. Don’t be fooled into thinking that any action will move you forward – even a dead fish floats downstream!

So, start by taking the time to understand your motivation for this change, as this will help you to gauge whether you are on the right path or not and empower yourself to take the necessary steps to bring you closer to your goal.

A good coach can be an invaluable asset in this process, someone who is experienced and accredited. A coach will you by helping you identify your present ions, priorities and interests enabling you to find clarity and take values-based action.

Having ed countless women and men in changing careers and returning to the workplace over two decades, I have identified patterns of challenges as well as tips and behaviours that empower people finding the right role for them, or in returning to the workplace:

Mindset is key. Watch out for self-limiting beliefs or expired stories such as “I feel irrelevant” or “I’m too old to start again”. Roosevelt says, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”. Be intentional about fostering a mindset of possibility (over judgement) and begin by getting curious about yourself, your interests and your priorities. Curiosity keeps judgement at bay and will enable a positive mindset.

Consider your career and wider interests, now , we are products of a dynamic environment and what interested you in a job five or 10 years ago is likely to be different to now. Life happens and this alters our outlook and priorities. I often ask clients to consider and make a note of what they love learning about or what experiences leave them feeling energised. This provides important insight into the ‘here and now’.

Complete an audit of your skills, strengths and talents. It’s important to explore what puts ‘fire in your belly’ and gain clarity on what energises you. There are some great online resources available to you in this regard. I often refer clients to the self-assessment section of www.careersportal.ie to make progress with capturing transferrable skills and completing interest inventories. Licensed psychometric test can also be invaluable. Seek out more information (a coach will be a good resource for you here).

List your professional skills and background. It doesn’t matter how long your career break was. The likelihood is that before, you were a successful professional. Capture your professional skills and work history – it’s your story to tell.

Your network is your net worth!

Did you know that you are four times more likely to find a job through your network than a recruitment agency? So, get curious about the people in your network (you might find them pitch – side or at the school gate also). Focus on being interested and be the first to give. Seek to build relationships and doors of opportunity will open.

Generate/update your LinkedIn Profile and accompanying CV Over 500 million people use LinkedIn and it’s the only social platform where employers and potential employees can connect. Unlike your CV, ing a photograph is paramount as current data tells us that your LinkedIn profile is more likely to be viewed with a photo. Once your profile is created, connect with people and groups and follow those companies whom you are interested in. Meanwhile, the best CV will always be written with a particular job spec in mind. My advice is to try and keep your CV to no more than three pages, write in the third person and include a ‘Personal Profile’ at the top – usually three to four sentences outlining your relevant skills and experience for the role at hand.

MAKING A CAREER CHANGE 

Careers are not linear. It’s unlikely that the career you embark on at 21 will go in a straight line until you retire. In fact, it’s highly likely that there will be many bumps along the way such as you end up hating your chosen career, you burn out, you find a new ion or perhaps you take time out to rare your children or care for elderly relatives. Careers ebb and flow.

When I meet clients who express an interest in making a change, I will always ask them to consider what do they want from a new role? What would a fulfilment look like and what would this give them that they don’t already have. Having the ability to answer these questions often offers clarity as well as motivation for change.

There’s no denying that the prospect of ‘changing job’ (or any change really!) can be a daunting process. It involves uncertainty, stepping out of our comfort zones and navigating various challenges.

However, at Change Grow Succeed, I find that it is by adopting the following behaviours that people will find success:

Embrace a growth mindset: Psychologist Carol Dweck says that our mind plays a powerful role in setting us up for success. How we choose to view the world and our place in it determines our quality of life. Embrace the idea that change can lead to new experiences and positive outcomes. Visualise your success!

Seek guidance: Engaging with a professional career coach can you in exploring your strengths, ions and priorities as well as ing you in identifying the best options for your next career move. You won’t feel alone.

Prepare and do your research: By approaching this process as a series of small steps, break down each step into a bite-sized task. Own your achievements and back yourself.

Get curious about your network: Think about those relationships you wish to build. Our ability to build and deepen our connections speaks to our performance in our career both now and in achieving results in the future. Start pulling people into your network by trading favours – it’s the lifeblood to a successful career!

Ultimately, accept that feeling daunted is part of the process, considering a new role or different career path can be life- changing (for all the right reasons). Speak to yourself as you would a dear friend- with encouragement and comion.

FEMALE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES

 More women than men still see their career as a series of reactive moves, responding to circumstances as best as they can but if you think like a chess master and play the long game – this begins to change. There is a bigger game at stake. It’s called the game of ‘creating your life’ and it’s played one move a time. It’s important to invest the time and energy in engaging with this process to set yourself up for success.

Having said that, there is a growing trend towards stepping back or leaving the workforce altogether with many women citing the longer working hours and feeling ‘on’ all of the time due to an increase in caring responsibilities at home. The ‘double shift’ – completing a full days’ work with parenting (or other caring responsibilities) is immensely challenging as s that were available in the past no longer exist for many due to cost and access. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has intensified the challenges faced by women. This situation that is becoming an emergency for employers globally as companies are losing women in leadership, future female leaders and unwinding years of painstaking progress.

However, it’s not all bad news, at Change Grow Succeed, we have developed a very robust and practical programme themed on Empowering Women in the workplace which we run with great success nationwide. Via group workshops and 1:1 coaching, we bring awareness to habits that are unique to women in the workplace and place a focus on Boundary Management, Prioritisation, Self- Care Practises, Communication and Education amongst other areas.

By leaning into the moral message of inclusivity, owning our roles in enabling choice and aligning our workplace values as well as empathetic leadership, we can all play a part in mitigating the risk of losing women in leadership roles and future proofing our teams and organisations.

• See changegrowsucceed.com for more.

Karen O’Reilly, founder of EmployMum and EmployFlex, a recruitment agency that specialises in flexible work shares some advice for those looking to get the year off to a proactive start....

I’m looking for more flexible hours this year – how should I go about it?

Most employers are more open to negotiating a more flexible position than ever in the history of mankind! I suggest approaching your current employer with a ready-made solution as to how it is all going to work. Spell out the practicalities of a new flexible arrangement and underline that productively may even improve. Suggesting a trial period is sometimes a good way forward for a boss who may be ‘flexist’ – committing to a trial period of a few months can be less daunting. You then, of course have to prove in those months that it can work for both the employer, employee and the financial bottom line. If your employer is not amenable to your request, do that you have new rights as the Work-Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill was ed in the Oireachtas in March of this year. This gives parents and carers the right to request flexible work. If all else fails, you can with EmployFlex and we will do our best to match you up with one our employers who is flexible friendly.

I need to update my CV - what are your top tips?

Your CV is your marketing tool and is usually the instrument that is going to get you the interview. It is VITAL that your CV stands out from the crowd, so that a recruiter can identify you as their next hire. On average a recruiter will spend less than 10 seconds on your CV – so make sure that your relevant experience and skills are front and centre. If you are dusting off a CV that hasn’t seen the light of day in many years, it might be worth investing in a CV doctor to ensure your CV looks modern and is laid out properly. We have a number of free resources on our website to help candidates with this.

I want to make a change – but I don’t know what that looks like. Help!

If you are struggling with where you want to go next with your career or at a crossroads, we would highly recommend that you engage a good coach. We have seen the transformational results that a really good coach can obtain from working with a candidate. Helen Walshe, from EmployFlex is a qualified life and career coach and has helped many of our candidates get the job of their dreams.

 A mum of two, she has great empathy and understanding of what mothers seek in the workplace. She has spoken to hundreds, if not, thousands of candidates while working for Employflex and also has a unique insight as to what employers want and need in the workplace at the moment. 

A few sessions with Helen can help you get laser focused about setting clear goals and objectives with your next step in the career.

Visit Employflex here.