changing careers

A portfolio career for me!

January 27, 2015 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is a guest blog by one of our clients, Jenny Brewer. Jenny enjoyed a successful career setting up and running her own law firm and was a pioneer for women in the law. She didn’t want to retire but to enjoy a more varied and stimulating second career, but what? Like many people, Jenny was not sure about her transferable skills, where they were useful or how to market herself as an individual brand. We helped her to think through how to make it happen and she has! The rest of this blog is in her own words:

Careers, in short, have a shelf life; portfolio careers can be timeless

When I chose to step down from my Law Practice 2 years ago I had no idea what opportunities were out there for someone like me. In 1980 I had set up and developed my own Law Firm and after a good 30 years at the helm and an exciting legal career behind me, I was ready to move on. But what was I going to do? After a lot of thought and, I have to admit, quite a lot of anxiety and doubt, I could see that it would be difficult to focus on one thing. I wanted to be free of management, free of staff, free of overwhelming regulation: a Portfolio Career i.e. a variety of jobs or business opportunities rather than one long term job, seemed a very good starting point.

So what exactly is a Portfolio Career?

For many people, instead of working in a traditional full-time job, they have several part-time jobs (including part-time employment, temporary jobs, freelancing and self-employment). When these are combined, they may add up to the equivalent of a full-time job or a working life, which is as full as they want it to be.

Getting Started creating a Portfolio Career

It is not unusual to find it difficult to get started, it feels like taking a leap into the unknown, when in fact you will soon realise that the first step is often the hardest – after that it somehow “grows”. It’s often a good idea to ask a friend to help you or to consult a Career Coach who will make that first step feel quite natural.

I was fortunate enough to be guided by Rachel Brushfield whose help was invaluable. With her advice I was able to work out what I had to offer and the areas I wanted to get into.

So we looked at:
• My skills
• My interests
• Things that I have always wanted to do
• Things I have always wanted to learn/develop – no matter how varied.

The Future of my Portfolio Career

Two years on and I now have my own Business Consultancy, which is well remunerated. In addition, I mentor professionals – including women solicitors, and I teach speaking skills. During the last two years, I have studied for and taken a teaching diploma in speaking skills. I have met so many interesting people from different areas of life who I wouldn’t have come across when I was working as a lawyer. I have also been involved in voluntary work including teaching youngsters in school to express themselves through speaking.

It has been a wonderfully rewarding experience. I have learnt to say “no” to work I don’t want and to develop the additional skills I need to do things that I am now interested in. It has surprised me how many opportunities are out there to acquire work, to learn new skills and to develop new interests.

It is said that we all work and possibly live in silos, where we are seriously focused on our individual narrow paths. We need to be focused because our work demands it. Now, I feel as though I have stepped outside into the fresh air. I’ve become more worldly and more interested in everything around me and I feel I have far more to contribute, far more to look forward to and, perhaps, most importantly, much more to enjoy!

Jennifer Brewer
www.achievingsuccess.co.uk

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/

Copywriter to rocket scientist?

July 18, 2012 By // by DigitalJenIPC

A change in career can be a step or a leap. I was pondering how dramatic the career changes of my clients have been. They have been really varied – here are 3.

From design management to explore cheese holidays in France:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106787631322.html

From advertising to charity:

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

From market research to face workouts:

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

What is the most radical change in career you have heard about? Do share it.

If you are pondering a change in career, our bulletins are full of insights and tips:

Previous bulletins:

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

Opt in to receive future bulletins:

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1102862873131&p=oi

We especially LOVE helping people change career who do not fit in a box, who need to reposition themselves and who know they want something different but don’t know what.

Itchy Feet? Need New Career Ideas?

July 5, 2011 By // by DigitalJenIPC

I adore those moments of blinding insight. An oxymoron if ever I heard one. Moments of utter clarity about what someone REALLY wants to do. Most people fall into their career by accident and plod along, leading a half empty working life. Shame.

A client came to me looking for new career ideas. They knew they wanted a career change, they just weren’t sure what. My favourite challenge! I asked what she really loved doing. She replied: “I don’t know if it is significant but, when I was a teenager I used to babysit and I would clear out and tidy the cupboards. I absolutely loved it.” As she talked about it, she glowed with enthusiasm and her energy completely changed from 60 to 240 watts. The seed of a new business was sown.

Bingo, or Bob’s your Uncle. Whoever Bob is. That wonderful moment that informs a new career. Utterly exciting. Hugely rewarding. New career ideas are hard to come up with on your own. You are too close to yourself. A career that fits you is like finding a partner with whom you are compatible. It has an unquantifiable large impact on your happiness and fulfilment.

Here is an example of a career change http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106375841019.html

Do you like something for free? Thought so. If you have got itchy feet and could do with some new career ideas, why not download our free report, “Pain free career change“? Click on the link: http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/