Guest Post: On Career Transitions
How to be mindful and successful in your pursuit of a new challenge.
If you are going or planning to go through a career transition, there are elements of fear, (self) doubt, and risk avoidance that are intrinsic to our human nature. Acknowledging their existence is the first step, continuing to act in their presence and ultimately making progress are the following ones. You may be asking yourself: how do I move through those steps and successfully pivot my career?
After 17 years in a large international corporation, I decided to resign and explore new opportunities. The reasons for my resignation were relevant, but more important is the mindful process I went through to land my next job. It certainly required a lot of courage to abandon my comfort zone (well-established reputation and network, full understanding of the business culture, good position/title), and be brave enough to pursue my career development.
My determination to succeed was heavily based on solid preparation, coming from extensive expertise in multiple areas of the business (different roles and responsibilities, diverse business models) combined with a recently acquired Executive MBA degree. In addition to that, effectively translating that expertise into my resume, LinkedIn profile, and interviews provided recruiters with a consistent understanding of my capabilities (what I can do today) and potential (what I can do tomorrow).
I must emphasize that seeking and relying on supportive platforms can enhance your humble confidence: your network to connect you more efficiently with recruiters and hiring managers; mentors and career coaches to share best practices, all act like sounding boards, and provide you with reality checks. The no’s will undoubtedly come, and mental sturdiness will demand additional efforts to stay firm and not give up. This is the moment I share my wholehearted appreciation for everything my family did to support my transition.
The job search is pure statistics, i.e., the more you apply, the higher the chances of success. The optimal combination of quantity and quality must be reached; therefore, it is essential to know what you want and don’t want. Consider being flexible/adaptable: after a sequence of no’s, I paused my interviews and reflected on my learnings, which led me to change the scope of target jobs/companies and, ultimately, find my next (now current) job.
Be mindful and successful!
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