Where to Start a Career Change in 2022
If you’re looking to make a career transition in 2022, you’re in good company. 2021 has been a huge year for career changes, and I think the trend will carry into the new year as well.
As a Career Clarity Coach, I saw a huge uptick in folks looking to make a change these past few years. Many of these people were helped along by the pandemic. In their isolation and time at home, all of the perks like the fun coworkers and the office happy hours were stripped away from their jobs, and they were left doing the actual work in solitude. As a result, I’ve seen an influx of people reaching out and saying, “Now that I’ve silenced some of the noise and have just been working on my job…I’m not so sure I even like it”. Yikes.
While it’s scary to realize that you’re not fulfilled by your work, this realization is the first step in your career change journey. Once you know that you want to make a change, you can start doing the legwork to make it come to fruition!
So, whether your desire to shift your career has stemmed from the global pandemic or something else entirely, I’m here to help. If you’re ready to start a career change in 2022, here are the top 3 things you need to do (from my perspective as a career clarity coach):
1. Figure out WHY you’re in your current predicament
While a majority of the folks I work with want to skip ahead to the “finding answers about what I want” part of our work, they’re actually jumping the gun a bit… I believe that the first, often most crucial step of our work is to figure out what got us into our current career conundrum in the first place.
Real talk: you’re at this exhausted, unfulfilled, and stuck place for a reason. Whether you’re a people pleaser who has been building your career off of what you “should” be doing, or you’re a “follow your gut” type of person who has been aimlessly accepting every job that feels right (resulting in a path with no clear through line), something you are doing has contributed to where you are. This may be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s often true. That’s why we need to begin by looking at the way you approach your career, and identifying any unhelpful patterns that might be leading you astray.
2. Figure out your actual career needs
To make a career transition, you need to get crystal clear on your specific set of needs, skills, and interests in your career. You need to turn inwards, and get a clear picture of what you like and dislike when it comes to your role (and what that means about you as a person). Are you the kind of person who lights up when you’re in front of a training room? Maybe you can try to incorporate more of that in your work. Do you love connecting with people 1x1? If so, are you doing that enough? These are the things we want you to think about, because having a clear grasp of your needs, interests, and skills is crucial in a career transition. You need to know what kind of path forward would actually make you fulfilled, and the most surefire way to do that is to turn inwards and clarify before acting.
3. Based on those needs, figure out exactly what’s currently going wrong, and what you want instead
Finally, when it comes to making a career change, you need to act. Based on your needs that you’ve clarified, you can now ask yourself WHY your current role isn’t a fit. Where are the gaps between your needs and your current reality? Is there a way to shift your role to be more fulfilling (AKA: more aligned with your needs)? If not, are there irreconcilable differences? Is there something fundamentally wrong with the role which means you could never feel satisfied there? If so, it might be time to look externally, and transition outside of your current company.
These are the three most important steps to begin with when you’re looking for a career change, in my opinion as a coach who has helped a lot of folks with similar transitions.
If these steps feel daunting, don’t worry! I’m here to help. Through my 1x1 coaching work and my self-study program Purpose Chaser School, I take clients through all three of the steps I’ve outlined above. So, if you’re looking to make a career change in 2022 and don’t want to go it alone, I’ve got you covered. Just shoot me an email at Chris@BeEmpoweredAchievers.com telling me where you’re currently at in your career and why you’re ready for a change. We can go from there and get you scheduled for a FREE exploratory call to see if working together is a good fit for you.
To making bold moves in the new year!
