When you’re feeling unhappy with your job it’s easy to think anything is better than this. You start romanticizing about the amazing professional world that exists beyond your desk; you submit your old resume to any online job posting that seems somewhat relevant, you email your distant relative saying I don’t care, I’m open to whatever you need. Soon you don’t remember what you’ve even applied for until you start receiving random rejection emails five months later. This dark pattern that so many of us find ourselves in is not the way out of your current role. Transitioning into a new role or industry takes thoughtful planning, and more importantly it takes time.
Your life may have recently taken an unexpected turn and you now find yourself joining video meetings with children screaming around you or working from your couch avoiding a 6th trip to the fridge. Like many of us, you’re probably home, and may find yourself with more time - so let’s use it! This time can be used to hunker down and give yourself a real shot at elevating your career and leaving the job you often dream about quitting. The steps below will help you outline and tackle this process with ease.
1. The first step is figuring out what is important to you in your work life, write out a list of all the things you do enjoy about your job or wish you currently had. Maybe it’s the people you work with, the flexible hours, the structure, the lack of structure, etc.
2. Once you have solid criteria for what you want in a role you can start organizing your journey. Research various companies that share your values and you will begin to come across dream roles that you didn’t even know existed. Soon you will have a tangible goal to work towards and can tailor your resume and applications to align with their ideal candidate. Each application you submit should be unique and thoughtful and highlight your experiences that are most relevant to the position. When you notice that 287 people have already applied to this role on LinkedIn, is your generic resume from 2014 going to stand out? Use this inconvenient time as an opportunity to set yourself up for success with a standout resume.
3. And finally, now that you have your job search organized; think about how to utilize the people around you. Perhaps your third cousin knows someone high up at that awesome company, you can send a brief email stating exactly what you’re looking for- help them help you!
The job search is intrinsically daunting, but the first step starts with you. Take this crazy time to take back some control: reflect on what you value and need in the workplace, create an actionable plan for yourself and let your network know what you’re looking for. Your dream job is waiting at the end of this mess!
Tips for Transition
01 : Identify what is important to you
02 : Organize your journey
03 : Help your network help you