Your Career Change Checklist

So here you are at a crossroads (potentially) your current career path just does not seem to be working out as you had first planned. You find it hard to get out of bed in the morning and do your best work. Your boss is a jerk! Your customers hate your guts! You’re just not “juiced” by your current position. Before you start to feel like there is something wrong with you personally, don’t! This happens to everybody at some point in their career. The key here is to find some time to do some serious reflection and take inventory. Perhaps a career change is in order; maybe you just need to take a different view of the situation. The following are some questions you might ask yourself when you are in the mood to answer them honestly.


Here are the questions:

1. Why did I accept this job in the first place? What got me excited about it? Was it the job itself or was it an entry point that could get me to the level / position I really want? Is that opportunity still there? Am I doing everything I can to perform at a high level in order to deserve success? 
2. Do I like the people I work with? Do they seem to treat me fairly? 
3. Are the career advancement opportunities still available? Do I feel like I am on a track to earn one of those positions? If I am not on a track, how can I get on it? 
4. Am I being compensated fairly and competitively with the marketplace?

Ok, let’s say you have reflected on these questions and were honest with yourself and your answer kept coming back…time to make a move! Now you have some more questions that you have to ask and reflect upon. And this time, you’ll have to get some serious input from others close to you. Here are some things to think about:

1.   Do you know and can you articulate what you really want to do career wise and what path you have a burning desire to go down? Can you clearly explain why and it can’t be just about the money? 
2. If your skills sets don’t match up perfectly, but you are talented and trainable, will you step back in rank and maybe pay in order to get where you want to end up? This is sometimes necessary. 
3. Will you be willing to move for this opportunity? If so where would you go and where would you not go? Relocating can be fun and invigorating, but it can also be temporarily stressful. Think about the good and the not so good! 
4. This a big one…Is your spouse / family / significant other on board with career change and a potential move to another area? Really on board?

If you have gone through this interesting exercise, one thing is for sure. You should be much more clear and hopefully have plans regarding your career. We help hundreds of people a year take the next step in their career and we may be able to help you too. But first, be sure to be clear on what you want and where you want to go, this helps everyone involved.