Career change

18 reasons why people stay doing a job they hate

March 15, 2014 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Spring is a time of growth and new shoots. It can also be a great time to change your work, but many don’t.

Here are 18 reasons why people stay put doing a job they hate:

1. Inertia
2. Fear of change
3. Like staying in comfort zone
4. It is easier NOT to make a decision
5. Lack time
6. Laziness
7. Want to get redundancy pay off
8. Financial commitments e.g. large mortgage
9. Dependents e.g. children going through University
10. Anxious about career change
11. Planning to have a child and want to take maternity leave
12. Worried about losing employment law rights if they move companies
13. Don’t know what else they want to do
14. Lack time to think/plan
15. Not sure what their transferable skills are and what they would be useful for
16. Find it hard to get a job elsewhere – common for over 50’s
17. Want to build pension for retirement
18. Self-employment feels too scary

What would you add?

For more insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

If no 15 resonated with you, why not download our free PDF to identify what your transferable skills are? Click on this link: http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/

My inspiring clients. Part 1 of 4.

October 27, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Most people don’t realize how amazing and talented they are, and hide their light under a bushel. My job is to help them to see their talent & uniqueness, work with them to define a career vision, strategy and plan and support them to market themselves and get to where they want to be, overcoming actual and perceived hurdles.

My clients inspire me so much and I learn a lot from them, getting new ideas that help myself and I can share with others. This is a 4 part blog series each sharing 5 current client scenarios and 5 success stories to inspire you.

5 current client scenarios:

• A female lawyer with a young baby who doesn’t want to return to work in private practice but wants a prestigious career which can be combined with growing her family

• A salesman in his 30s’ who has never enjoyed his career and wants to work out what career would fulfill him so he can enjoy the rest of his working life

• A finance manager in his 30s who chose to leave his job in the city because of a values mismatch and to become self-employed with better work life balance

• A female in her 60s who ran her own successful law firm for 30 years who now wants to enjoy a different second career rather than retire

• A talented female lawyer in her 20s with a young baby treated badly by her employer wanting to rebuild her confidence and find a new firm where she will be happier

5 inspiring client examples:

From employee to self-employed consultant (Chris)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1108094305074.html

A mid life career reinvention (Anne)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1108092201346.html

Child friendly self-employment and getting started (Sarah)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106786138068.html

Defining USP (Alison)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106787432800.html

Employment to contracting (Tony)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106770362848.html

Are you ready to create your own success story? Get in touch.

For more useful insights, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

My clients are very unhappy with me

October 6, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Sometimes my clients are very unhappy with me. They question what we are doing, how we are doing it and whether it works. I don’t mind. It is the storm before the calm.

Usually it is because they are very frustrated with themselves and/or feeling stuck and scared.

Changing career can be a pretty scary decision. A big change evokes big emotion and natural fears that need to be worked through.

During the process, they can feel very stuck at times, having made the decision to change, mentally left behind where they have been but not yet sure what they are going to do next and how they are going to get there. They don’t know what to do with this uncomfortable emotion swishing about so they project it onto us.

They can be slightly aggressive, defensive, ‘arsy’ even, but I see it as a positive because I know it is normal and healthy. They can be how they are and express exactly how they feel with me. Their friends and family may be worrying about the change they are making and talking about their fears to them can make them feel more worried and anxious, when they are feeling quite anxious enough as it is.

The breakthrough, or ‘aha’ moment follows this stuck phase and they move forward, often quite fast. The calm after the storm.

If you are considering a career change, it won’t be all plain sailing, but you will get to calm waters and be glad that you set sail, even if there are some squally patches along the way.

The alternative is staying in stagnant water that becomes more putrid over time, feeling more and more fed up, stuck and unfulfilled.

So what choice are you making for you? Get in touch if you are ready for change.

Click on this link for some blog about fears:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/?s=fears+

To follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Opt in to receive our Energise bulletins; career strategies, smart living and working, self-promotion. You can view previous topics and opt in from this page:
http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Who’s your Sherpa?

September 27, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

I recently heard an amazing speaker at an Ernst & Young quarterly women’s network event: Herta von Stiegel.

She decided she wanted to climb Kilimanjaro as a challenge for reaching 50. Not only that, but to do it taking a group of disabled people and their helpers too. It took two years of planning and she succeeded. The climb resulted in a book called “The inner mountain” which draws parallels between leadership lessons and her experiences climbing Kilimanjaro.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Within-Leadership-Lessons-Inspiration/dp/0071773061

Two things I personally took away from her talk were:

Vision is the intersection between something you are passionate about/a major strength and how it meets a human need.

The aptness of the ‘inner mountain’ metaphor for career change.

Many people want to change career but don’t start because the change feels too great, the climb too steep, too daunting. No one who has climbed a mountain or done a marathon would say it is easy, but they focus on the motivation of the outcome and break the stages into steps just as climbers have different camps along the way e.g. base camp.

Two of the highlights for me about helping people to change career are the ‘aha’ moments – insights about what they really want to do, what is stopping them and breakthroughs in progress. Career change like climbing a mountain is an outer journey too, but very much an inner one of personal discovery and change.

Three questions for you:

What do you feel passionately about doing through your career to help others?
What are you really good at?
What’s stopping you from career change?

Here is what a client of ours said recently:

“Coaching has been very instrumental for me, because it helped me carve my own path at my own pace, to reach my goal. I’m not sure that without coaching, I would still have had the willpower to change and enter a completely different line of work – I may have thought about it, but whether I would have put it in action anyways? I’m not so certain!

Also, I enjoyed speaking with Rachel, because I knew that she wouldn’t be judgemental or biased – she understood where I was coming from and she understood why I needed the change, which has been at times, difficult to explain to friends and family.”

Click on this link for some blog about fears:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/?s=fears+

To follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

11 career steps to a second career

August 5, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Fancy a second career different to your first? Many people fall into their first career, so it’s not surprising that more and more people are seeking a second career.

It can feel like a void when you change career, so it helps to have career steps to pave the way to your future.

Last week I did telephone coaching sessions to prepare two clients practically and mentally in their decision to negotiate a career step in their career change.

Client A is working full time and wants to change career direction and needs to be able to do an internship in the Autumn in their new area of work. They broached the subject of a sabbatical with their line manager with 3 options. It went really well and it is looking like a ‘yes’ to the sabbatical.’

Client B’s current role is being made redundant and they have been offered alternative roles but are concerned that this is not the right choice for them and they want to take the opportunity to do something different. Result – they successfully negotiated redundancy.

Coaching is really useful to help people to prepare and think through different options, make the right decision for you and communicate this in the best way to the target audience to achieve your desired outcome.

What could your stepping stone be to a different career? In future, work will become much less guaranteed and more transient with temporary assignments the norm for many of us, so this is an important thing to start thinking about.

Here are 11 possible stepping stones to pave the way for your new career:

1. Get made redundant and get a lump sum
2. Take voluntary redundancy and get a lump sum
3. Take a sabbatical
4. Take a career break
5. Switch from working full time to part time with your current employer
6. Leave your current employer and do contracting/interim work in the same industry/profession
7. Switch from full time employment to freelance project work in the same sector
8. Help out a friend in their business to gain new experience
9. Save up a cushion to dedicate to creating your career change
10. Do some volunteering
11. Fund your own retraining while still self-employed to broaden your skills, qualifications and choices

What other career steps would you add?

If you are thinking about career change, start the career steps to your new career this August.

For more insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Have you downloaded our free PDF to identify what your transferable skills are? Click on this link: http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/

Is a new career like a marathon?

July 29, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

I was chatting to a potential client last week who runs marathons. How they approached the 26 mile race reminded me of people who want a new career.

Many people want a new career, but it feels so huge and overwhelming that they never start.

If a marathon runner dwelled on the fact that they had to run for 26 miles, they would probably be put off doing marathons, whereas if they focus on 1 mile at a time, the race is far less daunting.

The same is true with a new career – it is a big decision and best tackled one step at a time.

The world is changing so fast, taking this approach with a new career is wise because you can review your strategy as you go along, just as a marathon runner would depending on the weather conditions, speed of the other runners, terrain etc.

How do you perceive a new career? What would be your first step?

August is a great time to start so you are prepared and ready in September.

To follow us on Twitter, click on this link:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Free Skills download:
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/

Read about two of our clients who created a new career:

Persistence to realise a career vision (Anna)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106812347557.html

Starting a charity (Mary)
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106770362344.html

Does your job ever make you weep?

July 24, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

I had an e mail this week from a potential client. I bet some of you can relate to what they said in their e mail or know someone it reminds you of:

“I am not happy in my current role and have for a while been thinking about what to do next. I know I do not want to stay in my current profession but in truth do not know what I want to do. This has been brought to the fore last week as I was put at risk of redundancy by my employer although there are a number of new posts that I could apply for and I think the expectation is that I will take one of these. This would be the easy option but I think will still leave me wondering ‘what if?’

‘What if?’ is a hard one isn’t it? It is in the future and an unknown quantity, so you don’t know if you will wish you had done something differently and have regrets or not.

This week I have worked with a number of new clients who hate their job/career. It is not uncommon for them to feel depressed and sometimes they cry in the session because they are so fed up of feeling fed up.

It is not surprising is it? As a metaphor, it is a bit like a plant trying to grow without any sunshine and in the wrong environment for it to thrive.

When we first start working together, we do a session in two hours which helps them to identify what motivates them and what is important to them (their values). They quickly see that their job or career is not giving them these things. You can see the light bulb go on. Sometimes moving department or company can make all the difference, but for many changing career is what they choose to do.

Career change is a big decision so we tackle it thoroughly, strategically and practically.

Who do you know who is wondering ‘What if?’ It is never too late to change track, get on the right path and have more career fulfillment. Summer is a great time to do the career change programme when the pace of life and work is a little less frenetic.

Here are a couple of examples of career change:

Anne

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1108092201346.html

Duncan

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106786590378.html

For more insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Mind the gap

June 30, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Do you find career change daunting?

Many people want to make a career change, but choose to stay put instead. With an uncertain economic situation and with perceived security, this is a common choice. But at what cost?

Sitting on a fence for too long gets a bit sore.

Many people will happily buy 2 coffees a day or eat out three times a week, or buy clothes and shoes, the money for which over a year would fund a career coaching programme or a course to further their skills. We call this unconscious eating, drinking, shopping habits; ‘filling a gap’. Sound familiar?

Better to mind the gap than fill it.

This week during a coaching session with a client their fear about career change was palpable. Our client was clear about where they wanted to go, they had an impactful CV, and are extremely marketable. But they were in the void.

What is the void?

It is a place of ‘not-knowing’ and not knowing is scary and unfamiliar.

You have gone beyond where you have been in your career but not yet reached where you are going to be, and you don’t know how you are going to get there. People who have only worked in one company or type of work feel this especially strongly.

At this point in the process, common questions and themes are:

– How do ask for introductions?

– How do I get on the radar of headhunters?

– My network is very narrow, how do I build it when I am busy at work?

– How will I make the right decision?

– There is so much competition, how can I stand out?

We help our clients with these topics and a lot more, including creating a career strategy and plan and being a ‘Sherpa’ to help them get to their summit.

For those of you reading this, what are you doing to do this week to move your career in the direction you want it to go?

One action would be to set up a savings account to invest in your career, skills and knowledge. Even a small amount e.g. £5/week adds up over time.

In future, people will need a higher level of skill to secure the job they want, take responsibility for their own career, rather than leave it to their employer and to market themselves.

Be one of the wise ones.

Don’t wait for the end of the downturn to start creating your future.

For insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

To read our Career Strategies, Smart living and working and Self-Promotion bulletins with useful insights and tips/opt in to receive future ones, click on this link:

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=106

Lawyer career change – you can do it!

June 21, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

The legal profession is experiencing huge change and a career change is a reality for many lawyers in the current market. The career model, like the law firm model, was fit for purpose yesterday, but not necessarily tomorrow. There are less partner places, and many associates are ‘caught in the middle’ and won’t achieve partner, some have a different career aspiration than partner wanting a better work life balance and more fulfilment or variety, and some will be pushed out or jump with the ‘up or out’ policy. Many lawyers fell into law, found out it doesn’t suit them and want to do something else, but what and how?

Career change can be a daunting prospect, especially in uncertain times. However people are so close to themselves that they cannot see how resourceful and well-equipped they are to tackle career change. Lawyers’ bright analytical minds can torture them in career change, going round and round in circles.

There is good news! Lawyers do have useful skills and experience to help them create a successful career change.

Here are 14 reasons why lawyers possess skills, qualities and experience that make them well-equipped for career change:

1. Research skill useful to explore new career options;
2. Intelligence to make a good decision;
3. Persistence to make it work, having spent many years training;
4. Society’s perception of lawyers as intelligent professionals to be respected and listened to helps you be considered as a candidate;
5. Rigorous approach analysing and synthesising information and seeing an issue from all angles;
6. Robust risk assessment and looking at different scenarios increases the likelihood of making a sound career change decision;
7. Keeping up to date with changes in the law – new careers are appearing all the time;
8. Love of knowledge and learning – get up to speed with a new area;
9. Commitment to study and learn serves well in getting up to speed in a new career;
10. Flexibility – experience of having different seats and working in different practice areas;
11. Tolerance and resilience acquired when junior working in a law firm;
12. Individualistic in nature – carve out own path in market;
13. Breadth and mix of skills needed to be a lawyer, i.e. critical thinking, client relationship management, negotiation, sharing complex information in a simple way – analysis and synthesis gives a transferable and useful skillset and good mix for becoming self-employed; and
14. CPD requirement to keep up to date with changes in legislation enhances being predisposed to skills refreshment.

Lawyers may not perceive it, but they do have useful skills and experience to make a change and are not the ‘one trick ponies’ than they often they think they are.

It is time for the rigid and linear lawyer career path in law firms to be changed.

We help lawyers to achieve career success – staying in the law and moving out.

Read our blog about how the very training that lawyers undertake can inhibit lawyers in career change:
http://www.energiselegal.com/2013/06/16/second-careers-for-lawyers/

Read our blog for The Law Society questioning the traditional role of partner:
http://www.energiselegal.com/2012/06/19/does-the-traditional-role-of-partner-need-to-be-reviewed/

If you are a lawyer at a career crossroads or a law firm wanting to be more innovative in your career model, e mail us for a confidential/no obligation chat:
http://www.energiselegal.com/contact-us/

Career change – an obstacle course?

January 12, 2013 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Making a change in your career always feels daunting, let alone in a downturn with lots of uncertainty about.

You can choose to do nothing or do something.

I remember once laying out an obstacle course on the floor with a client, Duncan Goose who worked in advertising, with each obstacle representing a challenge to overcome.

They went on to win a Greatest Briton award and provide the water at Bob Geldof’s Live8.

Just imagine how many people wouldn’t have had fresh water in their village if they had given up at the first hurdle!

This is their story:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106786590378.html

Here are four more examples of clients who have taken action and are now smiling and very glad they did!

Ever been at a life AND work crossroads at the same time?

Read Kam’s story:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs193/1102862873131/archive/1112075112149.html

Has a career change ever seemed insurmountable?

Read about Kerry’s successful transition from the public to private sector.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs193/1102862873131/archive/1112114912854.html

Do you think getting a dream job is a pipe dream?

Read how Emily achieved her dream job:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs193/1102862873131/archive/1112027555365.html

Worried about changing jobs in case it doesn’t work out?

Read how Hemal tackled this:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs193/1102862873131/archive/1112072645153.html

What most scares you about career change and what one action would get you moving forwards?

Read this blog about career change fears:

http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/career-change-fear/

Read this blog about feeling stuck:

http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/feeling-stuck/

For free career insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator