Career Change and Using an “Architect” to Build a Strong Design

Adult job/career change has become the norm rather than the exception. Changes in technology alone make certain of it. Think back 15 years ago and think what you would have thought if someone told you they wanted to become a “webmaster.” Also remember that 15 years ago being a billboard artist was a viable profession. No more (or at least very limited).

Career/job change tends to promote anxiety for us because most of us, as human beings, don’t like change of any kind. We often resist change that looks like it is for the better. We often elect to stay with “the demons we know.” However, change is becoming inevitable for most of us and we are best served by approaching it strategically. This often means calling in an expert career counselor to help you design your next position so that it will be the best fit for you.

A good career counselor will use his or her skills in psychology, objective assessment, knowledge of the mechanics of job change and search, and life experience to help an individual make good choices and decisions based on solid information. Like a building, a new career should be built on a solid base.

Many of us fail to realize that we possess many valuable “transferable skills.” A transferable skill is one we can take with us to a different setting and still put it to use. Take effective communication skills as an example. An effective communicator can employ those skills in a variety of work settings. An effective communicator who has worked in sales might work well in corporate communications as an example. Another job of the counselor/coach is to help the person to discover, define, and describe the value of their unique transferable skills.

A good counselor should assess your interests as well. There have been two varying schools of thought about jobs. One is to find out where the money is and go there. The opposite is to find out what you love and do that. I take both into account, with a slight lean towards finding what you love. Here are the reasons:

“Where the money is” is a moving target. Think “dot.com.” The second consideration is that if you like what you do, you will tend to do it well; and people who do something well generally rise to the top of the earnings heap for that particular area. Sure, there are lots of rich attorneys out there, but there are also many making $50,000 a year or less.

In summary, a good “architect” for your career change should supply you the tools and design to build a solid foundation of information and knowledge that take much of the risk (and anxiety) out of choosing something new.

I let people select from a menu of options. I can provide help with the process of determining what good career choices may be for you. I can help with the process of investigating and narrowing down options. I can help you build a more effective resume. I can help you with search strategies. I can coach you in interviewing and negotiation among others. YOU decide which services are right for you. You will never get a “hard sell” from me. I want people telling others that got good value from my services, not that you got sold a prepackaged bill of goods.

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