In a world where the fear of starting over can feel paralyzing, I found myself facing a pivotal decision early in my career. Just six months into a role that promised growth but left me feeling disconnected, I grappled with the idea of leaving. The stigma of quitting so soon, the allure of financial stability, and the daunting prospect of beginning anew weighed heavily on me. Yet, the journey of listening to my intuition and prioritizing personal fulfillment over a paycheck taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, alignment, and the courage to pursue a path that truly resonates with my values. Now, nearly two years later, I reflect on this decision with no regrets, cherishing a role that feels tailor-made for me, amidst a culture and team where I thrive. This experience underscored a profound truth: sometimes, the hardest choices lead us to the most fulfilling destinations.
Beginnings mark change. Change means unpredictability and uncertainty, which means, limited control. Often you’re stepping away from what you know and walking towards what you don’t. New beginnings require a degree of vulnerability because you’re taking a leap of faith, and it might be alone. Starting again or starting something new is scary because:
We don't know how things are going to turn out
We are afraid of failing.
Failure is often viewed as being synonymous with laziness or incompetence but actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Failure is what you build on, not success. Failure is the best way to figure out what isn’t working, why it’s not working, and how to make it work. Failure is an opportunity for discovery, for learning and creativity.
Pay attention to the process and the things you can control such as your attitude and behaviour, accept the possibility of failure, view it as a roadmap to success, and endeavour to learn as much as possible.
In a world where the fear of starting over can feel paralyzing, I found myself facing a pivotal decision early in my career. Just six months into a role that promised growth but left me feeling disconnected, I grappled with the idea of leaving. The stigma of quitting so soon, the allure of financial stability, and the daunting prospect of beginning anew weighed heavily on me. Yet, the journey of listening to my intuition and prioritizing personal fulfillment over a paycheck taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, alignment, and the courage to pursue a path that truly resonates with my values. Now, nearly two years later, I reflect on this decision with no regrets, cherishing a role that feels tailor-made for me, amidst a culture and team where I thrive. This experience underscored a profound truth: sometimes, the hardest choices lead us to the most fulfilling destinations.
The kick-off call took place Sunday 23 July, 2017. If you were able to join, we hope you enjoyed the discussion.
Key Points
Making a career move/Starting your career
Have a plan in mind
What do you want to do?
What skills and experience are required to do it?
Do you have those skills?
No - How do you develop them?
Yes - How do you demonstrate them?
Make sure your LinkedIn is up to date
Recruiters and potential employers/customers are using LinkedIn, so you should be too!
Use a professional picture
Proofread for spelling errors
Make sure your profile is clear and concise
Demonstrate your capacity to deliver, and quantify where possible - show where and/how you made an impact.
Show that you are proactively looking for opportunities in the field that you wish to move into, e.g;
If you want to move into Finance, are you attending Finance events?
Are you blogging or featuring on Finance-related blogs?
Are you taking courses or looking for opportunities to develop your Finance skills?
Network, network, network!
See below for more tips!
Building your network
Be authenticand self-aware - people can tell when you are insincere or uncomfortable in networking settings
If this is you, some strategies may include:
Leaving events that become too overwhelming, and asking people for their contact details to continue conversation another time/somewhere less busy
Approaching people via email/LinkedIn to ask for advice or the steps they have taken to get to where they are. NB: Do your research - don't write to someone to ask them how they became a CEO if they have a published book that talks all about this for example.
Be vulnerable - show your human side. People are much more likely to open up to people who aren't afraid to show their vulnerability, e.g;
Share a personal story about a something you've experienced that might interest the person/people you are trying to engage
Learn how to read the room/the group
If you love networking and you are an extrovert, that's great! This means you probably don't have a problem approaching people and striking up a conversation. Be mindful of the fact that there may be other like you, who may be even louder. If you find yourself in competition for attention, ask for contact details of the person/people you are trying to speak to, and follow up later.
Find places where you already have common interests with groups and network there
This might be a cookery class, a sport, or a book club
Use your existing networks
Friends
Family
Colleagues
Discussion
Sometimes I arrive at networking events and everyone is already deep in conversation. How do I find people to speak with?
Arrive early if you can. This means that the room will fill around you, and people with naturally gravitate to you while the room fills up. It also means that you can speak to more people and you're more likely to make a useful connection.
How do I avoid pointless conversations and networking with no purpose?
Be deliberate in the type of networking you do, and be clear on what you hope to get out of the relationships. Are you looking for advice, a job, new contacts, new friends, a promotion? Think about what you can offer the person as well. How might you be useful to them?
How do I end long conversations at networking events to allow me to meet other people, and not be stuck talking to one person all night?
"It's been really great speaking with you, and I've really enjoyed the discussion. Do you have a business card, or can I find you on LinkedIn so that we can speak again?"
"Is there anyone else here that you've spoken to, that you can recommend? I want to make the most of this event and meet as many people as possible"
"Have you spoken to many other people? Is there anyone in particular you were hoping to meet?"
"Thank you for a great conversation, it's really nice to meet you. I'd really like to catch the speaker before they leave. I have a few questions I'd like to ask"
How do I network without seeming like a desperate job hunter?
Don't be afraid to let people know why you are at an event. They may know someone/may be able to introduce you to someone who can help or give you more advice. Be tactful, engaging and polite. Show an interest in other people, and try not to talk about yourself for too long.
It is fine to say that you are thinking about making a career move in the next few months and you are looking for opportunities to expand your network and meet new contacts.
No one talks to me at networking events. It's always so awkward.
Remember that most people in the room are pretending to be networking pros. They are probably just as nervous as you are. Think about how you might strike up a conversation that puts you both/all at ease.
Boolean: Recruiters use this tool to generate very targeted search strings to find the kinds of candidate CVs and/or prospect biographies desired for the roles they are trying to fill.Watch the video below to understand how recruiters use to search for talent (hires).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euSYpy3K19E
Boolean Bar is used by recruiters who headhunt online - check it out and think about how you might adapt your profile to show up in the best search results.
