If you are thinking about making your next career move, then today’s reflections are for you. While I help the majority of my clients get new and better jobs, a small number of individuals are not successful in making their next career move.
Reflecting on this, I wondered what it is that makes the difference for the successful and the unsuccessful job hunter. Is it lack of skill, lack of motivation or lack of belief?
Taking action is where the magic happens
Considering the results of my clients, I believe job hunting success comes down to your willingness to take action. This is where the magic happens.
When you make the decision to try and reach out to professionals such as me, you will begin to learn the specific actions that are required to be successful in the modern world of job hunting. Times have changed and it is no longer okay just to flick your CV to a few old colleagues. A proper job hunting strategy requires a plan and lots of action.
Taking action is a personal decision
The process of choosing to take action is hard to explain because it is not something someone can teach you. It is not something you can pick up by googling it or watching an instructional YouTube video. Instead, it is a very personal and internal decision you make to act or not to act.
Taking action helps create clarity & purpose
For my clients, action creates clarity. It creates purpose, it creates motivation and, most importantly, it creates self belief. This is a powerful combination which leads to successful outcomes.
By having a clear game plan and agreed actions, my clients are accountable to themselves to make the necessary steps to achieve their job hunting goals. There is nothing half hearted about their efforts. As they take action, they receive feedback (positive and negative) which propels and influences their next steps.
It’s not easy, but it is those who keep going, are open to a potential change in direction and take the time to de-brief with me along the way, who achieve greater job hunting success.
3 steps for making the magic happen for you
If you’d like to embrace this magic for yourself and experience the benefits of taking action, there are 3 key things you need to do:
- Embrace ambiguity and trust the process!
Being okay with not knowing exactly where you are heading is hard! That’s why clients who trust my process succeed.
The clients who do what they are meant to do, take the advice, push themselves and follow the game plan will succeed.
Those that fight it, walk away, argue and push back – will struggle to make their next career move.
- Get mentally tough!
When people first begin their job search or decide to think about their next career move, they often do not realise the mental toughness required to go the distance. When I help clients successfully secure a new job or make a career transition into another industry, they have climbed a mental mountain that they perhaps did not realise they would need to traverse.
I see many people get disappointed during the job search journey. In so many ways, it is your ability to climb this mental mountain and take action that will influence your success.
- Ask those who have taken action
And finally, if you do not believe in the magic of taking action, I encourage you think about someone in your life, either at work or in your family or social circles, who’s taken action and achieved greater success in the last 12 months. Take the time to give them a call, or buy them a coffee and ask them what happened. Why were they motivated to make the change?
It is my hope that their answer will give you a taste of the magic you can also experience when you decide to take action and live the life you imagined for yourself.
This is your year. If you are ready to take action, I would love to help you make your next career move.
I am a passionate Career Coach who works with individuals in the explore and search phase of their career journey, helping you realise your strengths through my career coaching and training programs. I enjoy showing people the path to greater career satisfaction and providing insight and tools to help you make your next career move.