Mid-Career High-Performers Avoid This Massive Career Change Trap
There are a number of things within our control when thinking about our next career move. There are also some factors that are simply way beyond our control. Making a successful career change is about finding the balance between the two and then taking action in the areas we can control!
In this post and video, I share a simple tip for high-performers looking to make a move in their career - get off the job boards! Counterintuitive? Maybe...
What have you tried so far in your career change?
The past few weeks, I’m hearing a lot of my career changers out there getting sucked into a huge trap. And I want to make sure you don't fall into it and can avoid one of the most common mistakes out there when it comes to making a mid-career change to find work you wake up excited to do.
One of the questions I ask nearly every high-performer during their career coaching consultation call is, “What have you tried so far? What's working? What's not working?” Here’s how this question usually plays out:
Erin: What have you tried so far? What’s working? What’s not working?
Career Changer: Well, one of the first things I did was hop on Indeed or LinkedIn Jobs and looked at look at the postings that are available.
Erin: Cool. How did that go? How’s that working?
Career Changer: Um. It’s not really. I'm not really seeing anything that excites me. I mean the jobs are “okay.” I don't know exactly what I could do, so I guess this helps. But the jobs actually all seem pretty far below my experience level. Maybe more on the entry-level side.
Erin:
Career Changer: Which I guess, maybe that's just what I need. Maybe that’s all I can get. I mean I don’t have experience in this specific area.
Erin:
Career Changer: If I want to make a change, I'm going to have to start over. Right? But I don’t know if I really want to do that. So maybe I shouldn’t even be considering this. I’m so far behind anyway. There’s no way I’d be competitive.
Erin:
Career Changer: Basically no one’s hiring and there’s nothing posted that interests me more than my current job. So, I guess I'll just stay in my current job. It’s not so bad. Yes, I pretty much dread it. And feel like I’m playing corporate bingo wasting my life. But you know, it's work. Work isn’t supposed to…it can't always be fun. And you know what, as I'm talking it out, I don’t think I have what it takes to make change and it might just be better to stay where I’m comfortable.
Job boards are a trap.
See how fast that took a death spiral?! Starting your career change process by looking at job boards is a TRAP. It will kill your confidence faster than trying on a swimsuit after a global pandemic.
I hear you, my skeptical friend. I can hear your innocent pleads of, “But, Erin, the jobs are on the job board. It'll at least give me an idea of what's even possible or realistic.”
No. Job boards are a trap.. There’s varying anecdotal data out there, but on average somewhere between 50%-80% of jobs are never posted. Never posted. Not on LinkedIn Jobs. Not on Indeed. Not on [insert your favorite job board of choice].
You won’t find inspiration on job boards.
If you're just starting to think about what you actually want to be doing for work, stop looking at job boards for inspiration. Because you won’t find it.
In your first courageous move of figuring this out and actually taking control of what you want and need, you're shooting your confidence by believing that this small sample of jobs is your only option. Without even realizing it, you’re artificially constricting your exposure to the types of work that are out there - likely the types of work that you will find really engaging! Please don't let that be you.
Design your own inspiration.
It probably doesn’t feel like it, but you likely have a better idea of what you actually want to be doing than you think. You might not have the words and sentences just yet, and that’s okay! There’s actually a very simple way to start to imagine the possibilities and get a bit of hope and motivation back into your career.
Here's an activity that you can do right now.
Grab a sheet of paper. Seriously. Do it. Now draw a line down the middle.
On the left, write down every single job that you've ever wanted in your entire life. This can go back to childhood. Every single job that you ever thought you might want to do. NO judgment. NO analyzing if you have the skills to be able to do it. Just write it down.
On the right side of that paper, write down every single person you've you've ever wanted to be or admired. Every role model you've ever had. This might be friends, family members, peers, celebrity figures, or other influencers.
Now, flip on your curiosity and the strategic part of your brain.
Start with the left side. What was it about each of those types of jobs or roles or work that made you curious or made you interested? What is the characteristic of that work that you found interesting?
Now the right side. What was it about each person that you listed that, at least for a moment in time, you wanted to be them or wanted to be like them? Can you pinpoint that trait or that characteristic that they embodied that you want to embody as well?
Now look for patterns in your whole brainstorm. What trends do you see? What images come to mind? Who do you want to be in your career and life? How do you want to show up in your work?
Taking back control of your career and confidence isn’t a quick fix.
There are certainly many more steps, like
discovering your strengths
finetuning exactly what you want and need (this activity gives you a starting point)
building relationships
testing if numerous options might be a fit
navigating the interview process
playing whack-a-mole with all of the things that get in the way
But I challenge you to start here.
Start with your vision.
Start with your meaning and who you want to be.
Finding work that lights you up is about taking back control of your career rather than reacting to a small sample of visible job postings that are below your skill and compensation level that really don't excite you. It’s time to get paid for what you do best.