Do you need a career transition or just a change of scenery? I can’t tell you how many people get this wrong. Either they overshoot, feeling they need to make a much more drastic change than is really necessary or they apply for similar positions that will never feel any more rewarding than the one they’re in now.
So let’s talk about 4 factors to explore when considering the question, “Do you need a big ol’ career transition or just a change?”
4 Factors to Consider
- Manager.
- Position
- Organization
- Industry
With each of the four, consider all the things you like and don’t like. Make a list. Imagine you could cure the things that bother you and start fresh. Would that be energizing?
For instance, you like your role, company, and industry and mostly respect your manager, but you and she are stuck in a negative pattern. If that’s the case, you might not need a drastic change. Rather, you might benefit enormously from mindset work, a personal branding upgrade, or to improve your skills at managing up.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Manage up from within.
Take Mary. She is burned out and frustrated by the way her boss and manager see her. She dreams of leaving her career, escaping to something simpler. But when we did deeper, her work is on purpose, she’s talented at it and feels called to it. There’s more she can learn from and contribute in her current organization. She can foresee a few different eventual paths within her current industry.
Her best bet, at least for now: to improve her experience from within her current industry and organization. To job craft so her position is a better fit, including campaigning for a promotion and to hire someone to replace her former role and tasks. And mostly, to improve her skills and personal brand and skills at managing up.
Job craft within current organization (and/or a new one).
Or Don: He came to me reading to leave his position and organization because he was so undervalued. But as we crafted a new resume, I learned that he hadn’t informed his employers of his full skillset when he applied, so that he wouldn’t appear overqualified. That tactic had helped him land the job when he needed it, but now he wanted a broader role and was qualified to do it. Could he find the new position in a new organization? Very likely! But first he decided to ask for a new role WITHIN the organization. As soon as they learned about his skillset, they were eager to make the shift. They’d only known a limited version of his personal brand.
New industry or full career transition.
Or Maddie: She’s stressed, burned out, and always second guessing herself in her current role. Upon further inquiry, we clarified that, although her manager lacks some important skills, a new manager wouldn’t be enough to cure her frustration with her ill-fitting current role. So, we deduced that changing teams wouldn’t be enough of a change. She’s considered every role within her organization, and can’t imagine thriving in any of them.
Her next steps: to continue in her current position as she explored new organizations and new roles within her industry. But she won’t stop there. She’ll also explore completely new industries and is open to a major career transition.
Bonus factor when considering a career transition.
- Bonus factor! Is it time to hang your shingle? We’ll talk about that more another time, but maybe, just maybe, you don’t want or need another manager, position, organization, or industry. Maybe you need to start your own business, big or small.