I’ve worked with 100's of women on their careers – many of whom have come to me looking to make change and create a career that aligns with their version of success.
Sometimes the easy part is dreaming up the vision for the future but when it comes to taking practical action, they feel stuck and challenged about what they can do in the short and medium term to move themselves closer to the bigger goal or vision.
This picture-perfect vision can feel a long way off from our day-to-day roles and like a mountain of change to climb.
They are often clear that change needs to happen and they want to do something different – perhaps move industries, career change or go for a different role internally but getting there feels daunting.
Here’s where the tiny, tiny actions come into their own.
Below I’ve created a list of my top small actions you could take right now to start changing things up and moving towards your new career direction.
List out 4-5 recent work-related accomplishments/achievements – what were the common strengths you demonstrated? It’s worth understanding how you bring your strengths to the fore and how these might support you in a different role or organisation.
Go shopping on Linked-in - find 10 jobs which sound interesting (not necessarily in the same fields or industry you're currently in), print out the profiles and highlight the aspects that appeal to you:
what are the common themes?
what appeals to you?
how do the attractive parts compare to your current role?
Schedule time each week/month for a career strategy session - keep this date with yourself to think, reflect and plan your next move
If you’re considering starting a new venture or fundamentally changing your career (perhaps returning to studying or starting in a new industry) it’s worth thinking about your ideal working day:
where are you?
what tasks are you involved with?
what kind of people are you interacting with?
when do you do these key activities?
what boundaries would you like around your day?
It’s key to have clarity on this because whilst the move might tick the boxes from a big picture perspective it’s worth considering what practical day to day changes it will involve and how this might get you closer (or farther away) from your ideal day.
If you’re looking to move roles laterally / internally, put your hand up for a project internally which sits outside of your comfort zone/current role, but which will expose you to different colleagues, stakeholders and parts of the business. Gaining exposure to new stakeholders and taking on a project that will demonstrate your skills and willingness to try something new could open up doors or new possibilities not currently on your radar.
Make a financial plan for the next 1-2 years:
what do you need to earn?
what's possible in terms of taking a break?
what do you need to plan for if you intend to retrain?
Think about the company culture where you have thrived the most? What's important to you? Where do you do your best work?
Map out your perceptions of your career attainment across your working life:
when in your career do you think attainment was at its highest/lowest?
what was going on for you during these times?
If you’ve enjoyed this list and would like more ideas like these then you can download my FREE guide with 50 ideas to help you navigate your first steps towards career change.
Career change can feel difficult so I created this list as a way of providing a bit of inspiration for where to start.
If this feels overwhelming or you don’t know how to turn these ideas into an action plan for you, then please do reach out, happy to chat and discuss how I might be able to help.
At Elevate Her, we offer career coaching for professional women. Find out more by booking a discovery call by clicking the button above.