TIPS FOR A MORE ASSERTIVE CAREER MOVE*
Have you realized that, like it or not, career moves are necessary in life? The reasons may vary greatly, and in order for you to be more assertive on your decision making process, and to focus on more secure and productive results in the medium and long run, I want to share with you a few tips when it comes to professional transitions.
TIP #1 – DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOURSELF? This answer may seem simple at first. Usually when professionals undergo a career transition they probably think they know themselves quite well already. I usually pose the following question to my prospective outplacement coaching candidates: “Do you know your behavioral/personality profile? Let’s talk about that for a minute?” At this point individuals will look at me and express different reactions, including natural response of “WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? BEHAVIORAL/PERSONALITY PROFILE? DO I REALLY NEED THAT?” In short, to know and understand what your behavioral/personality profile looks like is the first step for any professional to be able to make a career move that actually makes sense now, and in the medium and long run. I often joke with clients telling them that we must first look into their “x-ray”, which is in other words – their behavioral/personality tests, and then we move forward with the next steps in our conversations. Anyone who knows me will confirm that I value the tests and assessments as true guides in our career developmental work. The truth is that for an individual to know and accept their history and behavioral styles, it is the beginning of his/her journey, and one of a significant and profound change. In this case, one could truly say that self-knowledge is indeed power!
TIP #2 – IS YOUR PROFILE IN SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL MEDIA UPDATED? As mentioned above, to know yourself is an important step towards your personal and professional development. Therefore, one of my suggestions when it comes to professional transitions is that you convey to the world who you really are – at this very moment. Updating your profile in the professional and social media will be of great assistance to you in terms of networking and creating credibility. In a sense, any contact of yours may know – in real time – where you are working now, where you have worked, what exactly you are looking for in your next job or assignment, your hobbies, your socio-cultural interests and a lot more; just think of the possibilities. A crucial tip here is to remember to keep a very close line between who you really are and your internet profile descriptions. Be transparent and realistic, because – just between us – there is nothing more unpleasant than to schedule a meeting with you “Mr.(s) X” and guess what? – “Mr.(s) Y” shows up! So try – as hard as you can – to align your expectations, needs and values, with a good picture of yourself, and a genuine historical profile in your social and professional media platforms.
TIP #3 – UPDATE YOUR VIRTUAL SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS. Let´s pause for a moment: a) if you followed my first tip and got your behavioral/personality test/profile done, you already have a good idea of how to react in certain situations, what your strengths and improvement points are, and so you probably know yourself a little better by now; b) if you followed my second tip, you are also up-to-date with your biography/picture in the professional and social networks; then let’s think together c) what is missing now? You must update your contacts, your connections in the social and professional media platforms– that´s it! This suggestion is actually a complementary tip to the previous ones. You may wonder how you should go about it. My plan here is: to review and reconnect with your old contacts, current ones – and perhaps even more vital – make new ones! This action will make an incredible difference in building up your energy level during this time of transition. Think of the effect of drops of water into a pond. It is as if you were making a deep cleaning in your own life, by taking what does not belong to you anymore and throwing it away, and at the same time, bringing closer to you the good vibes. Why not allow them to resonate and create even better connections and smart opportunities that come and go in line with growth and expansion of everything around you? Give it a chance and try it – I bet you will not regret it!
TIP #4 – GET OUT OF YOUR ROUTINE AND COMFORT ZONE: SCHEDULE CONVERSATIONS IN PERSON! Be honest with me here: when was the last time you scheduled a coffee or lunch in person with your contacts, your fellow University colleagues to catch up and to discuss market strategies, or do a marketplace reality check? And why not to find out about new employment opportunities for you? That’s right, let’s get to it – YOU! It is crucial that you get out of your comfort zone now and draw a line amongst your behavioral/personality profile, your connections and work options in companies and/or offices, and – most importantly – to double check where exactly you would fit best. It is not an easy task, as this proposal is directly linked to organizational environments and cultures. What do you really want, what does the market offer you today, and how you would fit into this equation? Remember, a good deal of research and creativity at this stage of your career move will make all the transformation a bit easier – because after all, we are talking about your own future here, and it must be taken care of seriously now. You definitely need to get out there and acquire the most amount of knowledge for your decision making process to be the smoothest possible. The time for assertive behavior and sharp attitude is now!
I could definitely go on and give you various other ideas, but I would prefer to stop here, because I know that you already have much work ahead of you. And as I say Always – “One thing at a time, one step after another and mini goals after mini goals will make all the difference in actually reaching your main objective.” As I constantly highlight as well – “Keep up with your focus, strength and determination, and all of these will ultimately lead you to your goals,” but also remember: Do you really know what is your behavioral/personality profile? How does the process of updating your information in the professional and social networks work? And the updating of your own contacts? And still, let´s reflect upon this – What kind of organization would you really be a perfect fit for? Do you know where to go? Come on – it’s your time, so take the reins of your own life and seize the moment – your full success is right there, it just depends on you to grab it tight. Best of luck!
