Transitioning from one career to another can be tricky – particularly during a pandemic. Here are a few tips and tricks which helped me transition back into Public Relations. Hopefully, by the end of this read, you’ll be able to do a bit of self-actualising and find out what makes you tick.
They say love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life. However, the shock and stress of the Coronavirus pandemic has thrown job planning out the window. Remote work has now put everyone on an even playing field, and it’s an excellent time to explore your own field for a while; self-reflect and start thinking about the game you want to play. Start taking a few key steps to get back to work or take the plunge and start finding your new role.
Find your purpose: the process.
A reoccurring theme in many a conversation during lockdown is getting in “the zone”. Believe it or not, friends and family were talking about exciting things they were doing during the day, at home, at the farm, outside. In lockdown, we’re experiencing a mini-renaissance behind closed doors.
Have you experienced working in “your zone”? You’re at your best while working and loving what you’re doing. What is that thing for you? What drives you forward? Can you pinpoint it? I firmly believe in getting “in your zone”. Perhaps you haven’t had the time to stop, take stock and find out how you’ll pass the time.
Take the time out now and reflect on some of those moments. What were you doing? What are some of the skills that you were doing that could potentially transfer into an industry?
Finding your why.
Simon Sinek, a British-born American motivational speaker and author of five books, including Start With Why; a brilliant book to explore your motivations and inspirations. You’ll need to do a bit of work (apologies in advance) but, the work will be a great canvas from which to progress.
Sinek talks about finding your purpose: what is “your why”? Are there any resistances? Can you work through what stands in your way? Identify your themes. Is the job you’re applying for harmonising with those themes?
Plan, purpose, repeat.
Keep repeating this process, finding “your why” – finding your purpose. Continuously keep finding what makes you stand out from the pack; this is not a narcissistic thought, more like finding out what makes you feel comfortable in your skin. Remember to reward yourself when you chip away at each of these little traits. Enjoy the process; as Robin Williams said in Dead Poets: “Fertilising Daffodils.” Remember to reward yourself when you do this work and keep rolling towards the next destination.
Get help from your network.
What does your network look like? How will it help you? Who is someone that you can talk to about certain things? Start thinking about people you talk to every day. To whom can you speak about particular aspects of your job search?
Call on others for help; getting help from people is great; however, strategically working out what they can do to help and how they can do it is paramount. There is no use asking things of people that they can’t do. Be direct and relevant to how they can potentially help you. When they have helped, or even if it’s merely an ear, remember to show your appreciation. Everyone loves a “thank you” and an acknowledgement of how they helped.
The job search: find your people.
Do your research. The laws of attraction exist in job searches – it’s all about finding “the one”. What values is the company you’re applying for projecting? At the interview, check-in; do they live their values? When you approach your job search with purpose, you’ll uncover the right role for you. Start setting up Google Alerts, and Google News alerts to gain more information about the company to which you’re looking. Do your research. And when you go through the interview process, start evaluating what each company did to draw you closer. It’s a great brand experience for you – remember you’re interviewing them too. Each step of the interview process is a little gateway to stop, assess, reassess and make sure this is going to be the right company.
Practice makes perfect.
Get friends and family to give you a pre-interview check-in; how do you sound when asking the questions, you’ve prepared? How do you present at the interview? Get feedback on how you present yourself and set expectations early.
2020: a little different and, that’s OK.
In today’s context, don’t sweat the small stuff or the idea that you have to have a job to have a career; is a career job the be-all and end-all? Loads of little jobs can make up a career. People are working part-time, remote, three days with one role, two days with another. What’s the end goal? Plot that out and work backwards. Everything helps. You can start with your goal in mind and work towards it.
It’s all about tuning in to you a little more. Again, keep asking yourself: “What is something that I love doing so much that when time passes, it passes without me ever really knowing it?” My advice to you is: figure this out early while thinking about changing. You’ll always be streets ahead and well on your way to your chosen career path.
