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Article by Hallie Crawford

Not happy in your current job? Thinking about making a career change? Dynamic lifestyles and an uncertain economy are just two of many reasons to consider a new occupation, or even an entirely different field than the one you’re in now. Trust me; as a career counselor who has helped many people reinvent themselves professionally, I can assure you that you’re not alone!Maybe you’ve seen some layoffs at your company and “the fear factor” has you searching for alternate options and wanting more satisfaction out of your work. Perhaps you crave a more flexible work situation, one that allows you to balance home and career more effectively. Whatever your circumstance, one thing’s for sure: you’re unhappy or unsettled in your current job and you want to do something about it.When you start to get the itch, it’s time to make an assessment and begin to set early goals. You may wonder, am I really ready for a career transition? How can I best prepare myself for a change? But even before you delve into the components of a satisfying career, it helps immensely to cultivate a healthy and positive mental outlook. People who are successful at making a change are the ones who are willing to overcome their fears, doubts and insecurities in order to make it happen. You, too, can be one of these people…Keep these preliminary tips in mind before forging ahead on your path to a more fulfilling and rewarding career!1. Commit yourself to making a change.Something that is incredibly important to any change you make in your life is your level of commitment. You have to be committed. How committed are you to finding a career that fits, on a scale from 1-10? If it’s not at a 10, what do you need to do to move it up the scale? The time to ask yourself key questions is now. Do your research, so you know what questions to keep in mind. Contact a career expert who can help you become reacquainted with your goals and dreams. Explore career websites. Take personality tests. You will find that the more time you invest in career opportunities and self-discovery, the more committed to the cause you’ll become.2. Learn to overcome obstacles.To be successful in changing career paths, you need to learn to overcome obstacles you will encounter along the way. The obstacles I see time and time again for people wanting to make a career change are: not knowing what to look for in a job (so they take one that is “good enough” that they don’t truly enjoy) and negative beliefs–not believing they can successfully make the change. With practice, you can retrain your mind to see past perceived limitations, which are only a figment of your imagination anyway! With sufficient self-exploration, you will be able to pinpoint the exact qualities of the ideal career for you… and even the characteristics that you don’t want in a career.3. Get support.I was able to very successfully make my career transition into coaching in large part because of my own coach. She helped me create my plan, remain positive, move forward, identify what I wanted to do and learn to overcome obstacles. I’m being honest when I say: It really helps to have support from a group or a coach to remind you to stay positive and focused. My contact information is below if you’d like more information from me.4. Claim your life.My last thought for you… is to claim your life. There never is a perfect time to make a drastic career change, and you can always come up with excuses/reasons not to. You do need to take some kind of risk and perhaps step out of your comfort zone. The key is to minimize the risk and be smart about it. Get support from a career coach like me or someone else who can provide solid guidance and the resources you need to move ahead with your plans.If you have any questions about making a career change, discovering what type of career best suits your skills, or determining the key components of a career that fits, explore my website details below and then get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.All the best for a rewarding and fulfilling career doing what you love!Copyright 2006 Hallie Crawford. All rights reserved.

Related Career Articles

Article by Hallie Crawford

Sometimes we’re so busy taking care of business that we forget to take care of ourselves. Yet, if you’re amidst a major career change, there is nothing more important than listening to your Inner Voice and tending to all the little things your body, mind and soul is asking for and needs. Here are some great ways to nourish your whole self and stay balanced while successfully navigating through your career change.1. Keep a career journal.Career coaches like myself frequently recommend journaling as a way to manage your career transition while keeping a healthy perspective. Devote at least one night per week to writing down your thoughts about your transition, recording milestones in the process, and letting go of emotions by putting pen to paper. Write whenever you feel inspired – even if it’s every night. Your journaling tool could be a plain notebook, diary, scrapbook of writing entries and mementos, or even an online blog where you invite others in a similar situation to ponder your musings and offer their opinions or share stories. Every so often, go back and read your previous journal entries to remind yourself of where you’re going and where you’ve been, in terms of the career you envision for yourself. You will most likely be pleasantly surprised at the progress you’ve made!2. Set boundaries.Life can get a little crazy when change is happening all around us. If you’ve still got one foot in your former professional role and the other foot has stepped into the future, you may feel unsure of whether you’re coming or going! This is natural, especially in times of transition. The trick is to set boundaries for yourself as a way to curb the feelings of overwhelm. One boundary could be, turning off some of the channels of information overflow. For example, if you’ve signed up for new career membership associations or email newsletters, you could create a special email address for this purpose alone. This way, personal pursuits can be kept separate from your daily responsibilities, helping you to feel less distracted and stressed. Time can be another boundary that keeps anxiety at bay. For instance, you can make a commitment to not to think about anything career-related after 8 p.m., instead reserving another time slot for this purpose. Your commitment could be, “I will work on my career transition from 5:30-7:30 at least twice a week.” By setting and maintaining boundaries between your career goals, everyday responsibilities, and leisure pursuits, you will feel more in-control of your life, balanced and at peace with yourself and the process.3. Exercise your body while you expand your mind.So many of us spend the majority of our days sitting in front of a computer, both at our jobs and at home. It’s no wonder that insomnia and being overweight has become a problem for millions of Americans. As always, but especially at a time of career change when stress levels are higher, regular exercise is vital to your well-being. Make it a priority to engage in some kind of aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week and use hand weights to tone muscles and keep blood flowing. Pilates, Tae-Bo and yoga are all excellent ways to reduce tension, properly align the body and keep energy flow on an even keel. No matter which type of exercise you choose, you can use this time to “work on” the more pressing issues in your career and the changes you are making. Think about it, how many times have you sat in front of the television, not hearing or seeing a thing because you’re consumed with what’s happening in your life? Taking time out to reduce your stress level by exercising… while focusing on your goals, stumbling blocks or major decisions, will ease your body and mind and help you feel good both mentally and physically. Some of my best ideas have come to me when I’m out exercising and thinking out of the box.4. Get support.Sometimes when we share our vision of the future with friends, family and coworkers, we are met with resistance, hit with frightening and discouraging “rumors” about the career marketing or industry of our choosing, and can feel like the wind was just knocked out of us. This is not a healthy way to feel when trying to break out of established ruts and make a motion for improvement in our careers. For this reason, if you’re serious about finding a new job that has you springing out of bed each morning, you’ll want to invest in a career coach. Many people who decide to make a bold move in their career, start up their own business or return to school to learn a new skill or trade, do so with the help of a career coach or counselor. You will find that a career counselor can give much needed practical advice and guidance, while offering an objective viewpoint on your personal situation. For more information about coaching and to explore my own career coaching tools, tips and services, visit my coaching products page. I’m here to help.5. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.As mentioned above, when you’re doing something big and out of the ordinary like changing your career, sometimes it seems there are naysayers at every turn, thwarting your efforts and tossing a wet blanket over your plans. This is exactly what you want to avoid if you’re serious about leaving your old job behind and starting fresh doing something you love. Yes, you CAN do it, and yes there is money to be made in almost any profession. It takes time and effort to get there, but trust me when I say that millions have manifested their own career destiny, and you can too. The idea is to keep the Negative Nellies and other defeating influences at bay. If there are certain people who seem to react unfavorably when you discuss your plans and dreams, stop sharing with those people. Instead, focus on friends and colleagues who lift your spirits and help further your cause – these are the ones who will help you get where you want to be, faster and with the least amount of effort. Other negative forces are bad habits, addictive and destructive behaviors. You’re on a plan for self-improvement right now anyway, so make it a goal to quit any harmful habits you may currently engage in like smoking, excessive drinking, binge eating, unhappy relationships, or other activities that distract you from achieving happiness.There are so many things you can do to keep your mind, body and spirit functioning at peak performance during this exciting time of change. Remember that, even though your current focus is on your career, deciding what you want to be when you grow up, and how to best navigate the transition, you are still a human being who deserves a balanced life of learning, new experiences, solitary time, activity and spiritual growth. Remember to give yourself these gifts and you will feel whole, at peace, and ready for whatever comes your way.Copyright 2006 Hallie Crawford, Authentically Speaking. All rights reserved.

Article by Diarmuid Haughian

Choosing a right career of your interest is one of the most crucial decisions of anyone’s life, and you should give significant amount of time before choosing your career option. Unfortunately, several people often make mistakes while choosing right career for them. Often this wrong decision is due to lack of career advice, awareness or the circumstances around them. In order to make the right career decision, you have to make proper career planning. Choosing a career path for anyone is extremely important and life changing, and thus, needs thorough brainstorming. By following a dynamic and flexible approach, you can turn your career dreams into reality.

Following are few guidelines that you need to follow in order to bring your career on the right track, and have a highly successful professional life.• Career planning should start at a very initial stage, i.e. at school level education. The children should be made aware of the importance of career, and should be mentally prepared to handle the entire pressure. Often teenagers neglect the importance of career, which results in loss of their career future. They can opt for vocational courses as per their interests during vacations, which may be useful in the long run.

• You can take career guidance from a well qualified career planner. These planners inform you about all the available career options as per your educational qualifications. They also consider your ability as well as interests while short listing the career options for you. The career planners analyze the market and emerging trends, and provide you with details about all the prospective career options where you can step into, and build your career.

• Do not rely completely on your elders or parents. Though, they are considerate about your progress, but they might not be aware of all the vast technological areas and expertise emerging these days. So, it may not be a wise decision to follow their advice blindly.

• Do not jump for any job without properly researching about the company and pay package. Several fake companies offer lucrative career options, and you may land up in a job scam. Such companies ask for hefty amount of money in return of a high-paying job, and vanish as soon as the candidate pays the money.

• Once landed up with a job, stick to it for a longer time frame as several highly recognized companies avoid hiring people who switch their jobs very frequently. Apart from this, also start looking for another job if you think that your company is experiencing some financial issues.

Article by William Davis

When you were a kid, people were always asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” If you’re now an adult and people are still asking the same question, it might be time to consider a career assessment.

Trying to choose which path to take, or attempting to take a peek into the future, can be nearly impossible. It’s hard to imagine where you want to be twenty, ten, or even five years from now. You need the right starting point for charting your future course. Career assessments can be great tools to help you get a better sense of the types of jobs and activities that might be a good fit for you. However, sometimes a person who takes a career assessment can misunderstand, misuse or mistake it as a “test” that holds a different meaning.

* This Is Not a TestThe word “test” implies that there are right or wrong answers. There are no right or wrong answers in career assessments. Your goal in taking the assessment should not be to answer every question “right”, but to provide accurate responses that are true to your individuality.

* Choose Your Path WiselyCareer assessments do not tell you what you should do; rather, they suggest possible career path options. No matter which career test you take, its purpose is not to tell you which specific career to pursue. No tool holds that much power. All a career assessment can do is suggest ideas about which careers you might want to explore in more depth. Think of it this way: If career assessments could accurately determine which occupation to go into, why wouldn’t everyone be taking them? Some career assessments offer results that include a list of potential careers that might be a good match for you. Thoroughly explore all the occupational suggestions that show up in your test results, not just the ones you are familiar with. If you narrow down the results into your personal “wish list”, you could be missing out on a great opportunity.

* Garbage In Equals Garbage OutA career assessment’s results will only be as good as the information you put in through your responses. You need to give honest responses to get quality, reliable results. Respond in terms of the way that you actually are, not how you wish you were or hope you will be in the future. Make sure the responses are yours, not those of someone else in your life. Consider your results with an open mind and answer them with clear judgment.

* Caveat EmptorThere are many career assessments available online. Some of these tools are valid and quite reliable, but many are not. You need to be choosy enough to filter out the junk. Be a smart consumer and explore career assessments with a dose of skepticism. Make sure that the test you’re about to take has been well researched, lives up to its claims and meets your expectations. This is particularly important if you are paying money to take the assessment.

* Don’t Get Test-HappyIt’s easy to convince yourself (or your parents) that by taking many different career assessments, you’re actually doing something about planning your career options. Don’t fall into the trap of taking so many tests that you’re not actually making any progress on your future. You can spend so much time analyzing your analyses that you end up being more confused than you were before you took the assessment. Go easy on the number of career assessments you complete. There are many ways to spend your time more productively, like in exploring your career options, gathering information, speaking to professionals or reading about your potential fields of interest.

Career assessments have helped many thousands of people to get a clearer sense of where they might fit in the world of work, however many thousands have also felt that they were better off without the assessments. It depends on the person taking the assessment, and on the quality of the assessment itself.

Your future is full of possibilities, and a career assessment is a tool to help you along the way. Be confident in providing your responses, and in choosing your career path.