Career Pivot Guidance
Choose your most powerful path.
By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP
From a recent Harvard Business Review article.
Questions to ask yourself as you consider a career pivot:
What things do I like most about my current/past job(s)?
What are the jobs or careers of people I find fascinating, interesting, or successful?
What distinctive skills do people see in me, and what specific indicator(s) makes people see them (credentials, behaviors, experience, etc.)?
What are the most impressive elements of my resume? (Focus on unique and difficult accomplishments.)
What skills would I love to have acquired in three to five years’ time?
What things do I dislike most about my current/past job(s)?
What are the jobs or careers of people I find boring and uninteresting?
What new jobs or careers exist that require my skills and interests?
What organizational cultures resonate with me, because they fit with my own values, style, and preferences?
If I could have three different careers between now and retirement, which ones would I pick (if there were no obstacles or limits, and if I were a great fit)?
I actually talk to my clients about many of these topics.
From the above list, I think the 4 main questions are #4, #6, #7, and #8.
#4 is pretty much the foundation of everything I do with my clients. Except that I don’t use the word “accomplishments” because too many people take that to include personal achievement, like a new degree or family. Instead I ask, What is your impact? How have you improved a company since you were hired? This information feeds the Personal Power Profile that we develop and enhances the way executives talk during an interview, or any conversation about a position. This impact includes the results from both hard / technical skills and softer leadership skills. Unique and difficult accomplishments are your value-add, they’re what make you hirable.
#6 ensures that you choose wisely for your next job. I’ve had leaders tell me that they don’t want to be in their field anymore because they’re over their current company. With a little bit more conversation we usually determine that they actually want to stay in their field, they just want to work somewhere else. That’s understandable. This question also bridges me to the next question, which is “What is missing? What are you lacking in your current position that you really want? What do you crave?” I often think that people are going to just say “more communication” because that problem is so prevalent, but my clients will often get pretty specific and detailed about why their situation is frustrating them. The more detailed they get, the more I can help them find what they need.
#7 is an interesting ponder because it can either determine a better career path or it can determine #6. If someone that you know is going on and on about how slow work is, when you know that that person is a high-energy mover and shaker, then their job isn’t boring, it’s just boring to them. You might love their job. If you have the same big energy, then you might want to ask specifics about what they really don’t enjoy.
#8 is an excellent question and I advise my clients on options all the time that they didn’t know were possible. For example, the fractional/contract/temp executive position is always a possibility, and many executives don’t know that is an option. Another option is joining a Board of Directors. Short-term advisory or consulting positions are an option as well.
A career pivot can be daunting, but if you ask the helpful questions, then you won’t be wasting time in positions that are wrong for you. Do research and be choosy.
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Better job. More pay. More control.
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