Pre-Covid, most of us lived busy, non-stop lives. When Covid hit, many workers chose to stay in their jobs due to the uncertainty created by the pandemic. This along with widespread burnout, a re-evaluation of priorities and values, and the reluctance of some to give up remote work led to the ‘great resignation’ post-pandemic.
The world is no longer sitting tight awaiting another wave of Covid, kids are back to school, and we are still experiencing economic growth. Now is a good time to start reflecting on your career.
This presents an invaluable opportunity to think about whether you really are happy in your job.
Here are 7 steps to take to reevaluate your career:
Be strategic. Give yourself the necessary thinking time - If you are not allocating time to this, you are not planning it correctly. Don’t go pulling any ripcords until you know your game plan. Examine your situation. Ask yourself what’s working for you and what’s not
Identify your strengths. You need to do an objective analysis of what you have to offer – this means auditing your strengths and thinking about how to play to those strengths in a career.
What makes you feel good? Your preferred work environment is the next thing to consider. Think about the kind of work that makes you feel good – what are the skills you would like to be using every day?
What are your values? Consider your values and the type of culture you would like to work in. If you value autonomy and trust for example, a conservative, rule-bound organisation won’t be a good fit. If hitting sales targets isn’t doing it for you anymore, think about what else motivates you. Be realistic.
What interests you? About 20 per cent of most peoples’ work is boring, even if we love what we do. There will always be some stuff that we just have to do. Look for 80 per cent interest and connection with a role. Make sure that work isn’t draining the life out of you and spitting you out at the end of the week. It should give you energy.
Do the maths. Before you do anything, do the sums. You’ve got to know what your bottom line is, what income you need to keep things going. There may need to be a little sacrifice in the short term for long-term gain. Investing in upskilling is going to cost us. We may need to consider doing the job we don’t want to do for a while longer until we are ready to make the jump.
Set Goals. You’ve got to have a vision. What does success look like for you in 12 months, 2 years, or maybe your master career plan is five years away. What steps do you need to take now to get there? Maybe you could take a sideways move to reshape things. That’s a sacrifice, it’s not a money move. There has to be some sacrifice in career change.
Here are 10 questions to help you reflect on your long-term professional goals and aspirations:
What does success look like for me?
What makes me happy?
What kind of work-life balance do I want?
What sort of fulfillment do I want?
Is earning a certain amount of money important?
How much money do I need to live on?
Do I want the freedom to move?
What do I enjoy learning about?
Do I want to work in a workplace?
Do I want to work for myself?
“The pandemic has given us a rare chance to stop and re-evaluate our priorities. We are not willing to tolerate a career that is not working for us. Now we want what’s best for us.” says Jane Downes, founder of Clearview, to The Irish Times - you can read the full article here.
If you are looking for purpose in your work and want to align your career with your values and personal brand, talk to Clearview today. As part of our recent rebrand, we are offering 50% off your first session for the first 20 clients!