The beginning of a new year is always a busy thrill. Not only do me make countless resolutions to exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and read more books, we also kick off with more anticipation and determination to make the year better than any preceding one. It is also a time when we make most of our observation and evaluation regarding our life situation, be it financial, job related, personal or interpersonal.
In reality, many of us look at the New Year as a fresh start for our jobs; a blank page to fill with more productivity and better outcomes and more often than not, that necessitates making some changes, including a whole new career.
It happens often; we reach a point where we feel neither productive nor satisfied at our jobs. It could be that the gas pedal is no longer working and our career journey has slowed down alarmingly. It could also be that the passion for our old job has tamed down and is ceasing to light up. Or it could even be that we feel weighted down by a poor salary or a lack of support.
Well, you should know that just thinking about changing your job is a good thing; it means that you are striving to improve and to meet your goals. Also, the first few months of every year are a great period to start making such changes and to look for a new job as many companies have their hiring needs and plans prepared.
However, before you embark on a new career journey, the career experts at Bayt.com, recommend you to answer the following questions to make finding your new job much easier:
1. Why are you considering a new job?
Answering this question is fundamental. You cannot seek something you do not know. Why do you want to find a new job? Are you unhappy with your compensation? Do you need more career development and training? Are you in the wrong field or industry? Or are you simply seeking to break your routine and do something more exciting? These questions should mirror your career map. Try to picture your dream job and see which of these elements your current position does not tick off.
2. Where do you want your job to take you?
This is something that you have ideally done as early as before searching for your very first job. A career map is always handy. After you have found out what makes you unhappy about your current job, you need to specify what it is that makes you happy. It may sound redundant but you need to know what you want and what you do not want in a job. Are you looking for a challenging job that teaches you something new every day? Or are you looking for a stable and familiar job that guarantees a comfortable income? These questions will guide you in the right direction as you perform your job search.
3. Do you have what it takes to land this job?
Most likely if you are seeking a new career opportunity, you are striving for something better. With that in mind, switching your job and taking a new career path will come with some challenges, risks, and demands. You need to be fully prepared to invest the time and effort to make the move. You may need to spend extra time searching, networking, and filling out your job applications. Whenever you find that higher-paying, more-challenging, or better-fitting job, you will need to prove that you are worth that upgrade.
4. Are your skills transferable?
There are many skills that you can easily apply to almost every job and industry. These include time management, attention to detail, team-work…etc. However, many skills that are seen as non-transferable may impose a challenge when you look for a new job. These include more technical skills and applicable experience. This is where you need to assess whether your skills transferability is convincing enough. Perhaps you need to conduct some self-assessments, or enroll in a few online courses before applying to a job in a new field.
5. Have you found the perfect fit?
Yes, you do need to start your job search and scouting before leaving your current position or even having the discussion with your manager. You need to plan this process well in advance to make sure that it is worth the risk. What companies and career opportunities have you looked at? You need to truly dive into the culture and the details of the prospective job to make sure it fully addresses and resolves your existing concerns. Ideally, you should have a few jobs that you are excited about and are willing to take the risk for and then start applying.
If you feel that you need a job change, chances are you actually do! But make sure that you have the planning done ahead of time in order to have a smooth and prosperous career transition.
