Here are 5 signs that you might be ready to call in help to enable you to secure your ideal next role:
- Not knowing where to start
Do you have a desire to go back to work after a career break or change your career direction but feel overwhelmed or perhaps lost before you even complete your first job application?
Getting some help to think through more about your desire and motivation to work is highly recommended. Our motivations can be quite different from person to person and change at different stages of life. If you have a young family, your motivation might be financial or a desire to have some adult company; perhaps it is to return to a professional role that you worked long and hard to gain your qualifications. If you have awareness of your motivations, you will be better able to target what you want to do and create a plan to make it happen.
- Applying for lots of different roles
Are you applying for lots of different roles across a range of industries, professions and contracts? Perhaps edging your bets that one of them might just be successful and that’s the direction you will follow.
It would be useful to speak to someone that can help you work out what it is that you want. What would be your dream role? What would you be doing? Where would it be based? What would the working environment be like? What would be your working hours? Who would be your work colleagues? Knowing what you really want can be a useful starting point to re-starting your job search.
- Not getting called for interview
If you’ve applied for a few jobs but haven’t been shortlisted for an interview it might be time to get some help to review why this might be happening.
Is your c.v. up to date and has it been tailored for the role that you are applying for? Does your covering letter (or email) contain a summary of how you fit the criteria for the role? Have you adequately explained any gaps on your c.v.?
- Getting rejections after interviews
Getting a phone call, email or letter to say that you weren’t successful at an interview will affect the confidence of the strongest amongst us. If this happens multiple times it can be devastating and stop us on our mission to secure our ideal job.
It is useful to seek help from people who will be supportive and help you manage your mindset. Each role that you didn’t get is an opportunity to for learning, gaining feedback and moving you closer to securing a job that will be right for you. It may also give you the impetus to take specific actions such as gaining some interview practice or thinking about your initial impact and work on something as straightforward as your hand-shake and eye contact.
- Getting a job offer and then deciding it’s not what you wanted
Congratulations – you’ve been offered a job … but then you get the sinking realisation that it’s not the job for you. If this happens, I would strongly advice not taking the job but learn from your experience and go back to the drawing board. What are your motivations? What is your ideal job? How are you going to find it?
We spend so much of our precious time working, and I am sure you will agree that it is worthwhile investing the time and energy to successfully secure your ideal role that works for you and your family. If you are a returner, career changer or simply looking for a new role, there is lots of help and support available – perhaps from a friend, family member, the internet or using specialist career coaches, such as Career-Mums Partnership.
Visit www.career-mums.co.uk/returners to find out more about the help available from Career-Mums.
