Time to Relax, and Review!
Written by Pam Moore
If nothing else, the past few years have been tumultuous for most people. So, is it really the time to be reflecting on your career? Wouldn’t you rather be taking a break from the serious stuff over the festive season? Well yes, on one level. But it’s also the ideal time – when you’re relaxed – to be thinking about your career strategy.
Asking yourself a few pointed questions (is the professional path you’re on the right one for now? What about for five or so years ahead?) can lead to insights that require some action now. If you are at the top of your game, you may never have had to map out a career transition or engage in executive job search. Or you may have done that 10 or more years ago, but the actions you took then would not produce the same results today. Navigating executive job search is a whole different ballgame now and the Covid years added more nuances. If you’re eager to switch jobs or career within the next five years, or to grow in your current role, now is the time to be thinking and
strategizing how you will go about that.
Why do we advocate taking time out to reflect on your career when you’re relaxed? It’s because the process should not just be about taking stock of your skills and talents. That has its place – but if you want to create a career strategy that is a perfect fit, one that engages your energy and vitality and puts you in touch with what’s still possible for you, you need to start with some reflection that accesses imagination and vision. It requires being in a relaxed, unhurried, and centred state. There are a range of tools you can then engage with, and each provides some valuable feedback.
The research evidence is mounting that moving from right brain processes that put you in touch with your ‘ideal self’ to left brain analytical processes such as a skills self-audit, and then integrating the results, lead to the best outcome. Through subtle processes in our brains, that also leads to sustained action towards realising the goals you uncover. You don’t necessarily come up with a single path, but you do gain clarity on which paths to research and pursue further.
Accessing Your Imagination
Explore Ideas You Haven’t Previously Thought Of
In our Career Conversations practice, time and again clients remark on how going through this career audit process challenges their thinking, reveals possibilities they hadn’t first thought of and gives them confidence to explore ideas that maybe seemed a bit whimsical at first glance. Whilst senior executives are rarely lacking in confidence in their jobs, that is not the same as having the confidence to make themselves vulnerable and seek out new, untried possibilities. That’s an entirely different kind of confidence that benefits enormously from a clear-sighted self-evaluation.
What Next? Three Steps to Set Up Your Career Boost
1. Networking, Networking, Networking
Where you go from here entirely depends on what comes out of your review but one activity that is pivotal to any career strategy is networking. Career changes don’t happen overnight, and you increase your chances of hearing about opportunities by having a strong and active network. If you want to explore a new career direction entirely, networking, and informational interviews are once again a key part of your strategy. Even if you find that your goal is to position yourself better with your current employer, networking is going to be a key activity. So, part of your end of year review is evaluating the state of your networks and committing to spending 3 to 5% of your time on activating and strengthening them in the year ahead with purpose that fits your goals.
2. Visibility
A second foundational pillar is visibility. There are many ways to be visible both inside and outside your organisation. Participate internally in projects, committees or write for the magazine. Externally you can be active in industry associations, the local Business School, Chamber of Commerce, or professional institutes. One client who took this advice seriously was featured in Harper’s Bazaar, asked to judge a Women in Business competition in Amsterdam and became a guest speaker at Insead Business School.
3. Update Your CV and LinkedIn Profile
If you are going for a career change then updating your CV and LinkedIn profile is a must. The process itself is valuable to remind you of your strengths, skills and achievements and is a preparation for interviewing. It also helps you feel ready to jump when opportunities present themselves, which is a major advantage in this very competitive job environment. And finally, you would have to move on to a defined job search strategy and all that that entails.
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
– Walt Disney
We can help you put all this into practice. Connect with Pam at pam@careerconversations.co.za.