Dragging yourself to an unfulfilling job is so last generation–Don’t Do It! We spend about 1,920 hours a year working. Millions of women before us fought for our right to work and progress in a professional capacity. What would they say to us if they saw our lack of zest? Work is an opportunity to fuel your passions. It’s also the primary ingredient in maturing a fulfilling career, rather than just a job.
An unfulfilled working mom is a hazard to her workplace, family, and her future. Make the change! Switching careers may seem like an intimidating task but taking the process step by step and evaluating potential possibilities with optimism can result in dream job career success. Today is the best day to start!
“Find out what you like doing best, and find someone to pay you for doing it.” -Katherine Whitehorne.
Dream Job In Close Reach
One silver lining the pandemic has afforded is completely normalizing career transitions. Now is an ideal time to switch it up and turn a dream job into a fulfilling career. Companies worldwide are welcoming more diversity than ever before. Keep in mind, workplace diversity is not only race, gender, and ethnicity integration, employers are embracing experience and skillset diversity too. Employers value out-of-industry perspectives to enrich processes, customer relationships, and product ideas.
In a recent LinkedIn Business article, “Why Career Changers Make Great Hires,” Ritika Puri writes about the advantages of hiring career change candidates. New hires from a different professional background infuse more creativity into the team. Similarity produces sameness and our global career landscape coils away from that; businesses seek out exciting and edgy ideas.
Another benefit that excites employers is the passion that backs career changers. Most have had to take the initiative to cross-train, learn specialized skills, and earn certifications in order to branch away from their forged career path. This self-starter drive is marketable within itself because an employer knows that those actions will perpetuate to produce impactful work. An employer also sees career changers as an opportunity to level-up their teams to mentor and lead. Understanding an employer’s perspective can prompt a career changer to view themselves as a team asset and likely bring that mentality into the hiring process.
Read More: Everything You Need To Know About Career Planning
Evaluate Your Skills And Interests
The idea of a dream job gets lost for most somewhere between the introduction of AP courses and high school Career Day. Many neglect their dreams and strap themselves to a black and white career reality. Career Theorists encourage reverting to those untainted interests and dreams in times of work uncertainty. By encouraging exploration and discovery of the ingredients that make a dream job, people can find what they may have lost along the way. Finding clarity in these career bare essentials is the first step toward a successful career shift, turning a dream job into a career.
Take An Interest Inventory
Think about interest and skill trends that have stood the test of time. A common career exploration activity is mapping jobs and listing out responsibilities to find commonality. For example, jobs as a babysitter and camp counselor show an interest in planning and child development. What did you enjoy or dislike about these roles? Tracking past to current work trends helps to define your unique version of a dream job. In cultivating a dream job career move, it’s important to gravitate toward work that is inspiring and meaningful.
Use LinkedIn To Research And Grow
Research is the most confidence-boosting act a career switcher can do. LinkedIn is the place to do it. There are two ways to gain clarity through career choice knowledge on LinkedIn. The first is finding people in the role of your dream job. Diving deep into the companies they work for, skills they’ve attained, self-branding strategies and content are key indicators to fuel an entry-way into their industry.
Another option is to let LinkedIn do the work. The professional social media platform has recently introduced the “Career Explorer” feature. The algorithm matches skills and experiences with various career avenues seeking the same. “For example, a food service worker could see that his or her peers often transition into customer service specialist roles, a rapidly growing sector that requires about 70 percent of the same skills, according to the tool. The tool also suggests open positions in your geographic area,” said Charlotte Cowles of the New York Times. Keywords such as job titles, certificates, and skills, are vital pieces to build a dream job vision.
Read More: 10 Profitable Jobs That Don’t Require A Degree
Lean Into Your Transferable Skills
Transferable skills can serve as the professional facelift needed to make a career shift towards your dream job. Transferable skills are work functions you have done in the past that fit the career of your future. For example, a human resources professional considering a career shift to a position in education would really build-up the communication, administrative, and training they had done because the hiring manager for an education job will want to see those skills. The research to fully understand the next position is key in capitalizing on transferable skills. Using the information gained on LinkedIn and interesting job posts to collect as many transferable skill possibilities and placing them at the forefront of job search documents is a sure way to get hiring managers’ attention.
Set Your Vision
Mentally move forward and career opportunities will follow. A forward-thinking mindset is the first step in building strong career shift content. The first stop to execute a career vision is in LinkedIn and resume summaries. What does your career look like in 1-5 years? Write from the destination, not the starting block. Sprinkling in transferable skills and impactful accomplishments is a gamechanger in setting a clear channel to achieve a dream job. The action of revamping a career summary will push the blocks of change in motion, setting up a walkway to dance toward an exciting career change.
Celebrate All the Little Wins Toward the Finish Line
Not all moments look like a musical; setbacks are hard and career visions may get murky. Tracking small wins is a motivating way to stay on track and lay the foundation for building a dream job. Break down these steps into micro-goals and take time to celebrate the small accomplishments on the way to big success. In addition, career changers should share their career goals with a support system, ask for accountability check-ins, and seek help from a career coach. Pushing through doubts and uncertainty can be hard alone, so be prepared with a positive team.
Read More: 10 Ways To Start An Effective Goal Strategy
Jumping into a new career is brave and well worth the work. Take the time to celebrate each baby step along the way and keep moving forward. As moms, work has to really mean something, so follow your passion and your career will thrive. Look at your career change the way your kids look at cake at a birthday party- strong desire and excitement. Your professional future holds work worth celebrating! Some days may feel like an uphill battle and the best remedy is collecting all the small victories and letting them shine toward a brighter future and your dream job.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article Your Kids Do Benefit From Having A Working Mom.
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