Flourish - eMag - Feb 25 - Flipbook - Page 19
We can all yearn for something more when life
feels a little stagnant. And mentally, it’s good
for us to find a new challenge. The University
of Queensland states that most people will
tend to work 3-7 different careers before
retiring. So, with the new year in full swing, it’s
time to consider your next career move!
Is the new year an optimal time to
consider your next career move?
You may think that the shutdown period can
halt career progress, but on the contrary, it’s
often considered the best time. According to
Indeed, February is the peak hiring time for
human resource departments.
During the February rush, hiring managers are
back in action and reviewing job adverts posted
in December and January. As a result, this time
of year is optimal for brushing off the cobwebs
on your resume and start updating.
In addition, if you’re looking for your next
career step internally, this could be an excellent
opportunity to discuss your options with your
manager. Internal development is always a hot
topic, but in the new year, your C-Suit might be
considering its next steps and priorities for the
new financial year (in July). So, break the ice by
chatting with your manager to identify what
new opportunities might be on the horizon.
Reducing the anxiety associated with
finding your next career move
Many of us have been there: a sense of anxiety
looms when we feel stuck or unchallenged.
With the commencement of a new year, we
can often think it’s the dawn of something new,
whether in our personal or professional lives.
However, it can also feel isolating and
perpetually stagnating when we want change
but it hasn’t materialised. As such, we have a
guide for overcoming the associated anxiety
with finding your next career move…
Your go-to list for working
towards your next career
move
Identifying what you want: One of the
significant anxiety pokers when looking
at what we want in the future is the
unknown. You could have this intrinsic
yearning for more but cannot put your
finger on what that is. So, do some soulsearching and identify what it is that
you want. Ask yourself: Do you want or
need a career change? Do you want
more responsibilities? Do you want
fewer responsibilities? Do you need a
better work-life balance?
Network, network, network: One of
the best weapons in your arsenal for
planning a career move is talking to
those around you. Use platforms like
LinkedIn and reach out to those you
admire or are in a position you’d like to
progress to. Ask them what it took to
reach their goal/position and what
development plans they undertook.
Also, ask them for their perspective on
your desired change (essentially a pros
and cons list). Hopefully, this will help
you understand what you need to do
and whether the move is what you
desire.
Explore your opportunities to grow and
where you need to develop: By this
phase of your quest, you may know
what you want, so it’s time to work out
how you get there. Mood board your
weaknesses and strengths and identify
which of your strengths make you a
good match for your desired career
move. From there, locate which
weaknesses you need to address and
create a development plan. Your
manager may be able to help you with
this process and set you up for success.
It may just take a conversation…
