Your Guide To Finding The Right Career Path For You
As a professional woman, you’ve enjoyed some successes, tried new things, overcome failures, and worked to advance your career.
You have thicker skin than when you were younger, far more patience, and a bevy of skills and experience. I’m willing to bet you also maximize profit potential and make your work stand out. More importantly, you have a better understanding of who you are and what you want in life and your career path.
Your 30s, 40s, and even 50s are the perfect years to explore new career paths. A career change is an opportunity to inventory your talents, showcase your achievements, and discover a position or industry you truly love. In 2023, a whopping 70% of the workforce is actively seeking a career change. Now is a great time for you to capitalize on newly open positions and discover opportunities for rapid advancement.
Don't Shortchange Yourself
It's easy to make the mistake of making a lateral move. You might want a new position that places you in a better work environment. This may get you out of a toxic workplace, shorten your commute, or offer a more flexible work-life balance. But, your new career should: make your life financially easier, give you more responsibility and freedom, OR improve your overall life quality. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to grow! Although lateral moves are sometimes incredibly smart career decisions, this is only the case when they're made strategically.
The best way to avoid shortchanging yourself is to know your worth. Make a list of all of the things that you've accomplished in your current position. Then, list the skills you’ve honed throughout the years that you may typically overlook. These might be skills you've developed by handling problems that weren't originally in your job description, or skills you've fostered as a consequence of your life experiences. Next, look for industries in which your current skill set is in demand. The skills that have gotten you to a certain point in one industry might be exactly what you need to get to the next level in a different industry.
Step Back From It All
If you are in a situation where you have the luxury of time, take a few days or a few weeks to take the pressure off yourself, step back, and breathe while you evaluate the bigger picture of your career. It can be easy to go into “panic mode” when you’re desperate to change careers, or if you’re feeling less confident than usual. Allow yourself some time and space to pause, reflect, and reevaluate your goals, priorities, and desires.
What does your mind naturally gravitate to when you allow yourself to rest? Where do you wish you were when you feel under-stimulated and need an activity to invest yourself in? When you're ready to answer these questions honestly, you'll be on the right track to finding your ideal career path.
Network Like There's No Tomorrow
The best opportunities for career path change often come from making and maintaining the right connections. In fact, 85% of all jobs are through networking. When you know the field you're interested in, join networking groups or women's business organizations specific to that industry. Identify contacts you've made who can give you their insights into which companies are thriving, which positions pay best, and how to get your foot in the door. You may be surprised to discover just how far other success-minded women are willing to give you a helping hand. Be intentional about developing connections with others that will help you strategically build your network and create new career opportunities.
Hire A Career Coach
Making a career transition can be a frustrating and discouraging process at any age. It can lead to impatience, self-doubt, and negative thinking (“junk thoughts”). Working with an experience Career Coach can provide you with an improved mindset, realistic expectations, support, and expert guidance to help you develop an intentional job search strategy. You don’t have to be alone in your job search. Proactively seek out support so you can make this process as efficient as painless as possible!
