Contemplating a Career Change? Do this first!

Think about whether it’s the JOB or the CAREER you want to change. Sometimes we think we want to change our careers because we are frustrated or unhappy with our boss, the company we work for or our ability to get promoted. It’s much easier to change jobs than it is to change careers, so be sure to evaluate whether you may like your job better if you were doing it at another company.

Take a few minutes to think about your career values. Career values are one of the most important factors for you in contemplating your job or career satisfaction. It’s important to know what yours are so that you can evaluate how your current job/career lines up and to see where some of the disconnects may be in your job/career happiness. Here is where you can find a career values worksheet you can use from the 52Weeks.com.

Choose your top five “non-negotiable” values and evaluate whether your current job lines up. Some examples of career values include: salary, flexibility, commute, company mission, growth potential. Think about your career values and how they would be met through a job or career change. Two values that are important to many employees are salary and flexibility, but often times these are at cross purposes so it’s important to be realistic.

If your current job isn’t in alignment with your career values, look at why. Does the company’s mission not jive with your own? Are there limited opportunities for promotion? Ask yourself and your network whether you could find those values within another company or industry while keeping the same type of job. For example, continue as a Global Marketing Director but in technology rather than retail. It’s nearly always an easier transition to go for the same type of job at a different company than it is to change careers completely.

Check our Instagram next week for your road map to a career change.