Experts say the first quarter of the year is when the majority of us start dreaming about a career change. But where to begin?
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For Sophie Coombes, a conversation with an inhouse psychologist while in a media marketing role prompted her first career pivot, into publishing. "He told me to write down five times in my life when I had been the happiest and felt the most myself. I realised it was all about books and writers and he suggested publishing," she said.
She jumped ship into roles at two major Australian book publishing houses, before re-evaluating her work-life and pivoting again, into donor relations for ReachOut.com.au, a not-for-profit in youth suicide and mental health.
Spurred on by marriage and motherhood, the 46-year-old has since had another pivot and is now working as a NSW northern beaches marriage celebrant - a job she is relishing. "I'm loving working for myself, not having to get dressed up every day," she said. "It is seriously the best job."
Ariane Taylor from boutique recruitment consultancy Evergreen Careers is seeing increased clients looking to change careers. "These things are synonymous with the beginning of a new year: an improved fitness regime, better financial management, taking up a new hobby and of course changing careers," the Manly local said.
"And whether you're forced into making a career shift due to redundancy or unemployment or are just wanting to find a new career path that is more fulfilling, there are now more opportunities for finding enjoyable and sustainable work than ever before."
She said that "work" was increasingly seen through a different lens, meaning people were more open to career change. As well, the traditional retirement age was increasing annually, creating greater need for a more sustainable career path.
But she advises against just responding to online job ads. "At times, it won't matter that you could be the most qualified and well suited candidate for the available position - hiring managers are just overwhelmed with the vast numbers of ad response and research suggests that they don't look through all the resumes," she said.
"The key to creating success around your career is to be proactive and to take inspired action. Think of all the ways in which you can add value to the lives of others and to be of service. This can be translated into so many different areas and across many different industries."
IN OTHER NEWS:
She recently met with a client who had been out of the workforce for many years for personal and health reasons. "Throughout our coaching calls we discovered her natural talent around organising her home and her sense of achievement when de-cluttering," she said.
"We came up with a plan to advertise her to her local community, real estate agents and cleaning businesses as the lady to go to when tenants are moving out or home buyers are moving on and need to throw out all the things they don't want. She then added a recycling service and a disposal service to charities and employed extra people to help meet the growing demands of her now thriving business."
Sophie Coombes said every career change involved a "leap of faith" - and some initial butterflies. "Working in the not-for-profit space compared to a corporate was such a big career change, but it was a great career change. Then, when I changed again, during my first big wedding at Jonahs, I was so nervous, my voice was shaking and I thought 'maybe I'm not cut out for it'. But the more you do the better you get at it. I love change but I've never felt more myself in any other role."
She suggest people pondering a career pivot do what she did - think about what makes them happiest and go from there. "What are your passions, interests, even a business product you really love? Write it all down and then approach people to find out more about the company, industry, role, culture. It's also important who you work with and that the culture and values align with yours," she said.
"You only have one life - work is such a big part of it, so take that risk. Life is too short; you want to wake up every day and do something you enjoy."
NEW YEAR, NEW CAREER?
Career coach Julie Knox from Blue Sky Career Consulting has these tips for finding a new job.
- Create your resume and template cover letter now. You can always tailor it later.
- Know the role you want. Be clear on the type of position you want to move into from the outset, this makes searching on those job websites much easier and is a much more productive use of your time.
- Keep track - if sending out multiple applications, it can be easy to lose track. Create yourself a spreadsheet or use a good old fashioned notepad and pen to track the roles, when you applied, when you need to follow up etc.
- Prep for interviews early - often we are only given a few days' notice of an interview, so take time to prep common questions and answers in advance. It will take the pressure off in the run up to that all important meeting.
- Check your online brand. What do your LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram profiles say to a potential employer? Don't miss a role because of a bad online reputation.
- Consider recruitment agencies, word of mouth or cold calling to access the hidden job market. An estimated 70 per cent of jobs are not advertised.
- Network. The term can cause fear but your network is really just everyone you know! Who can you tell in your network that you are looking for a new role? Who might be helpful in your job search? Make a list and contact them!
- Apply well. A large percentage of applications are culled instantly for not following instructions, such as attaching a cover letter or responding to specific criteria.
- Stay positive and don't overdo it. A couple of hours per day if you are out of work, or a few hours per week if you are in a role, is enough time to job search.