The road less traveled requires some leaps and planning.

Here are 10 points to help you if you are making a career transition and are looking for encouragement and direction.

1.There is a reason why you have discomfort in your current line of work and have a desire to do something different...respect that and use it. Questioning is part of the process and so are the hurdles.

2. Remember that many people will not take the road less traveled and will continue to stick with what they know...it takes courage to move forward and do something that you feel called to do.

3.The sooner you can be involved at some level in what you want to do and build your skill level the sooner opportunities will come your way. Start somewhere soon!

4. Sometimes the passion you have will open a new door that you didn't know existed had you not originally started on your path.

5. Recruiters are in general going to see you in the field you are from...you will often need to use other job search techniques to be effective in landing.

6. Make sure all your marketing material including your resume, linkedin, 30 second commercial, transition phrase and other info supports where you want to go...not where you have been. Make it easy for someone to see you in your next role.

7. Look at ways to transition gracefully...examples would be doing consulting assignments, or having a side business while you continue to work at your current job. It could also include asking for leads from previous companies or contacts. It could also be working part-time at your old job while beginning to get your feet wet with your new endeavor.

8. Surround yourself with people who are in the field you want to be in and that can support, challenge and educate you. Who we hang out with...is who we become.

9. Having an open discussion with your family about how to make the career transition and handle the finanical aspect is critical to long term success and less misery in the future. There may be times when your dream job must be done in small bites because the timing is not quite right...but don't give up...keep working at it.

10. There is a process to career transition and once you begin to do the work, the universe will conspire to help you with serendipitous meetings and opportunities. There is no greater joy than doing the work you love and were meant to do.

Best of luck...Carpe Diem!

What should one look for when hiring a Career Coach?

 

• Coaching experience, number of individuals coached, years of experience, types of situations, why they chose to be a coach.
• Specific coach training, skills, experience, certifications, additional training and ongoing learning.
• Coaching specialties or type of clients they work with.
• General philosophy and style of coaching.
• The coach’s ability to listen to the underlying story and address in a variety of ways to meet your learning style.
• The manner is which they create a plan of action that will help you get to your desired outcome.
• Their coaching model, assessments they use and or process that will guide you through the process. Look for specific answers not vague generalities.
• Request coaching success stories, specific examples of individuals who have done well and examples of how they added value to their clients.=
• Assess their ability to listen and ask thought provoking questions that make you think and may even make you uncomfortable.
• Watch for the manner in which they hold congruency in their life. Do they walk their talk-how do they follow through, what is the “extra they provide”.
• Ask what professional resources and materials that they could include networking and research resources.
• Ask for references of other clients they worked with, listen to what others say regarding their reputation.
• Look for stylistic similarities and differences between the coach and you and how they might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your business.
• Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s specialty or the coach’s preferred way of working with an individual or team.
• Have a personal interview with one or more coaches to determine “what feels right” in terms of the chemistry.
• Find out what how the sessions are conducted, the frequency and cost.
• Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well; make some agreements up front on how to handle questions or problems.
• Remember that coaching is a partnership; so be assertive about talking with the coach about anything that is of concern at any time.