Blog

A new year is often associated with new beginnings. With every new beginning, however, there first has to be an ending, a neutral zone, and then a new beginning (as per Bridges' Transition Model). It's like walking through a door; you leave one space, step across the threshold (the neutral zone), before entering into a new space.

We can use this analogy when we think about the skills and experience you gain throughout your career. There may be skills that you used earlier in your career that you don’t use now. You may want to consider using those skills again, just in a different way. It's helpful to remember and reflect on all the skills that you have that could be transferred. From the perspective of your career this doesn’t have to mean a complete career change, just a career shift; focusing on the skills & competencies that you know are your strengths and give you energy (as per my recent article If I Only Had a Heart). Also, reflect on when you were at your best. As mentioned in the above linked article, look back through your career and think about roles you loved and identify themes - what were the reasons you loved that job?
 

Think about all the skills you have. List them, then list all your strengths. Hopefully, these two lists should be largely the same. What would you say are your top three strengths, and do they equal your top three skills? If you were to ask people who you trust, what would they list as your strengths? Think about your social media presence too; your top three skills should be reflected as such on your LinkedIn profile and any other employment-related platforms you may be using.

If you're thinking about changing career altogether, then composing a functional CV instead of a chronological CV could serve you better. Instead of the roles you've held with certain companies, you focus on the skills & competencies you highlighted above that could be transferable and add value to a different role.

It's certainly something to consider if you're feeling unmotivated and/or less than energised with your current role, when the Monday blues seem to be lasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Realise the wealth of skills, strengths and experience you have;
Aspire to recognise and remind yourself of these; and,
Do consider how you could use these skills in a different way. As Vivian Greene once said, “life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain”.