How many careers have you had?

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How many careers have you had (so far?!)?

I’ve done some research and discovered that we can expect to have between 7-10 different careers, and up to 15 different jobs in our lifetime.

I think that’s pretty amazing. If I had known that (and also how having many careers has only enriched my personal development and relatable work experience) when I felt under so much pressure to decide my future at 18 then I would have taken it all much more relaxed.

Let me think back at my different careers… swimming teacher for toddlers when I was in high school & uni, then started a primary school teaching degree (dropped out), worked in a bank, then in inbound tourism for Japanese. Now getting more serious with a communications / marketing career where I worked for over 15 years: hotel, logistics and engineering marketing and employee (internal) communication. My favourite parts of this career were in employee engagement and internal communications (I loved it so much that I did my Strategic Communication master at this time, focusing on the link between internal communication and employee engagement).

….Now I’ve found my perfect career – coaching.

In fact, I’m so sure that my coaching career will be long-term, that I’ve made the very very big decision to start my second master, this time in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology.

Until my last move to coaching, I kind of just went with the flow and took opportunities as they came up (and felt right at the time). Now through having my own coaching and doing psychometric tests to know myself and my strengths and talents better, I’ve actively sought out the right career for me.

That’s exactly why I’m offering the same to my clients – because it works!! And takes a lot of the risk out of changing career.

How many careers have you had so far? How did you know that you needed to change? How did you make the change? What support did you have? I’d love to hear your stories.

Personal values list

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Knowing what our personal values are helps us to understand what motivates and fulfils us, and therefore can guide our behaviours, decisions and actions to be aligned with who we really are. I like to think of them as our personal code of conduct.

It can also help us reach our goals. Research demonstrates that when we know what our values are and design our goals with them in mind, it sparks higher levels of motivation and effort to achieve them.

I’ve collected a list of values and added them below. It’s by no means exhaustive, but can be a great starting point when you’re ready to determine your own. The idea is to eventually get them down to 5-6, which, in my experience, can take quite some time! Start by combining those that are similar and choosing the word that resonates with you best. For example, achievement and accomplishment are similar but do have slightly different nuances, but which one feels more like you?

Then you can review them with the following questions:

  • What motivates you?
  • What fulfils you?
  • What must you have in your life?
  • What do you often say about yourself?
  • What about you drives others crazy?!

So, which values do you think apply to you?!

P.S. My values are empathy, integrity, fairness, generosity, kindness, authenticity, support and professionalism 😉

AccomplishmentEnergyOriginality
AchievementEnjoymentPassion
AdventureEqualityPatience
AmbitionEthicalPeace
AmbitionExcellencePerformance
AuthenticityFairnessPersistence
AuthorityFaithPlayfulness
AutonomyFamePleasure
AwarenessFamilyPoise
BalanceFearlessPopularity
BeautyFocusPower
BoldnessFreedomProfessionalism
BraveryFriendshipsPurpose
BrillianceFunQuality
CapableGenerosityRecognition
CarefulGivingReligion
ChallengeGratitudeReputation
CitizenshipGrowthRespect
CommitmentHappinessResponsibility
CommunicationHard workSecurity
CommunityHealthSelf-Respect
CompassionHonestyService
CompetencyHumilitySimplicity
ConfidenceHumorSincerity
ConnectionImaginationSpirituality
ConsciousnessIndependenceStability
ContributionInfluenceStatus
CooperationInner HarmonyStructure
CourageInnovationSuccess
CreationInsightfulSupport
CreativityIntegritySustainability
CredibilityIntuitiveTeamwork
CuriosityJoyThoughtfulness
DecisiveJusticeTolerance
DedicationKindnessTransparency
DependabilityKnowledgeTrustworthiness
DeterminationLeadershipUnderstanding
DevelopmentLearningUniqueness
DisciplineLoveVitality
DiscoveryLoyaltyWealth
DriveMeaningful WorkWisdom
EffectivenessOpennessWonder
EfficiencyOptimism
EmpathyOrder

Meaningful work: how clarifying your life purpose can lead to work you love

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A client recently had a huge breakthrough in one of our sessions – she defined her life purpose. She said it was like fireworks going off!!!

Life purpose is essentially our why – it’s about who we are, our reason for being, the impact we have on our world – and why we do what we do. It may sound a little out there, but I can attest, that since I’ve worked out my purpose, making decisions has been much easier, as has finding the right work for me.

How to reveal your life purpose

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to help work out what your life purpose is:

  • What’s been the main impact that you’ve had on people around you?
  • How have you contributed to your local community?
  • How have you helped others, and even changed their lives?
  • What’s your unique contribution to the world?
  • What do you want your legacy to be?
  • Who do you really admire, and why?

To give you a little guidance, some examples are:

  • I ignite positive change in our world
  • I support others
  • I am a teacher of spiritual wisdom

A short disclaimer: this is not an easy task to achieve. I mean, it’s a pretty significant thing to understand why you exist! And the process can take some time, but it’s oh so worth it.

Connecting life purpose with meaningful work

Now that my client understands what we life purpose it, this knowledge will be like a guiding light to help her find a career with much more meaning than in the work she does now.

Over to you…

Does your work have meaning for you?
Is it aligned with your life purpose?
Do you know your life purpose?

Applying your valuable skills, experience and knowledge to a new job or career

Applying your valuable skills, experience and knowledge to a new job or career

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Which skills, knowledge and experience do you already have that can you apply to different jobs or careers?

If you’re considering a job move or career change, but are really doubting your abilities to move to another field, evaluating your transferable skills, knowledge & experience can help to boost your confidence and be a significant step towards your rewarding new career.

Many, many different skills and types of experience can be applicable across many different jobs or careers. Here’s an example from me: I worked in marketing and corporate communications for over 15 years, and studied both marketing and strategic communication. So I have a clear skill set, knowledge and experience in terms of communication and understanding of corporate strategy. What I do now as a career coach is totally different in terms of work environment, outcomes, skills and knowledge that I utilise. But, as I am a business owner, the knowledge, experience and skills that I’ve collected in my previous career support me in understanding how to market myself, what elements are needed for a business strategy, amongst others.

Your skills, knowledge and experience are so valuable! Whether you’ve spent over 15 years utilising, learning and improving your skills, or even just a couple of months, what you’ve gained has been a big investment in terms of time and energy. So, by understanding what they are, and what you can take with you to a new job or career, you ensure that your investments do not go to waste.

Here are some practical and easy steps you can take to get a clear picture of where you stand right now, and identify what you can, and would like to, take with you to future jobs or careers:

1. Conduct a skills, experience and knowledge audit

If you’re feeling a little stuck and are beating yourself up for not already being perfectly qualified to for your dream job or to start a new career, take a look through your CV and make a list of which skills you’ve gained and implemented in each position. Make other lists of experience and knowledge that you’ve acquired throughout your work life and education.

2. Reflect on what you enjoy and are good at

Once you’ve made your lists, it’s important to reflect on which skills, knowledge and experience that you enjoy. Who wants to move to a new career and not do what they like to do?! And what are you good at? How can you integrate your talents and strengths into a new career? The StrengthsFinder and VIA assessments are great tools to help you identify your strengths.

Make a wish list of what you’d really, really like to be doing in your new job or career. Highlight the ones that are your highest priority, and even update your CV to reflect this where you can.

This step can also be a big eye-opener if you’re currently not sure about what kind of work is right for you. You can used your highlighted list of preferred skills, knowledge and experience, to do some research into which kinds of careers or jobs you could utilise these on a daily basis.

3. Identify any gaps

This may come at a later stage when you are clear on which direction you’d like to go in, but working out which skills and experience that you don’t have (yet!) can help you to develop a training or work experience plan to get you the work you desire.

Useful Resource: Strong Interest Inventory Assessment

If you’re needing some support with your audit, the Strong Interest Inventory Assessment, identifies careers that are suited to you, based on your interests and preferred skills. So it can really help you to efficiently pin down what you like. It also offers insights into what kinds of skills are required for different jobs, and can then help you to easily identify any gaps that you currently have.

Over to you….

  • Have you already done a skills, knowledge and experience audit?
  • Do you already know your preferred skills, knowledge and experience?
  • What are your talents at work?
  • Which of your skills, knowledge and experience have been most easily implemented across different jobs or careers that you’ve already had?
  • Which would you most like to implement more regularly?
  • Are there any obvious gaps that you know how to fill?
  • Do you need support to understand how to fill gaps?

 

Guidance With Assessing and Amplifying Your Skills, Knowledge and Experience

As a Certified Career & Leadership Coach I can assist you with assessing your valuable and transferable skills, knowledge and experience so that you can:

  • Position yourself for a promotion, job change or career change
  • Determine what jobs and roles best suit your interests, skills and knowledge
  • Amplify your skills and strengths to improve your well-being and fulfilment at work

Book a free consultation with me to discuss how I can best guide you with this.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

Kelly.Â