5 Tips for Figuring Out the Next Step in Your Career - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 5 Tips for Figuring Out the Next Step in Your Career - Introvert Whisperer 5 Tips for Figuring Out the Next Step in Your Career Perhaps it’s how the stars have aligned, but recently I’ve had a number of people tell me that they needed to figure out what their next step is in their career. The good news in hearing this is that these people are giving some conscious thought to their career. It’s really easy to ignore it and just show up to work everyday giving no thought to the career. The tough thing is that figuring out your next step can be as complex as rocket science. There are just so many things to think through, like income, lifestyle, work content, responsibilities and retooling. To make it more complex, there are usually considerations for potential opportunities at your current place of business. How do you wade through all of this to gain any kind of clarity? Here are some tips for you to consider: Overarching Direction First, what general direction are you headed? Sounds simple, but it’s really important. Your choices can be: Moving up looking for promotion or more responsibility? Something different? Same level and work but a change in things like commute, travel or work pressure? By defining your general direction up front, you’ll be able to see the next few steps. Think of it like vacation planning. Do you want to go somewhere warm, culturally different, or historical? Each option poses highly different choices. The same is true for your career. There may be some slightly overlapping elements but the core direction dictates different steps. What Are Your Goals for the Next Step? Do you want to be making more money, or is job structure the driver? I know this sounds funny to hear, but making more money isn’t always the big driver. One of the people making this statement to me is very satisfied with their paycheck. They would like to maintain the income but kick back and stop working at such a break-neck pace. Sometimes you sacrifice work/life balance to get to a level and then you need to maintain the level to improve the “life” side. Sometimes you’re working to get to that level. Figure Out Your Timing Tolerance One of the things that happen to some people is they think if they wait long enough, the universe will present an opportunity. While I do think this happens occasionally, it’s also the stuff regrets are made of. Too many people wait for something to happen, only to wake up, look around and realize that all that time has passed and nothing happened. In fact, too much time passed and now they’re faced with a totally new set of considerations. There is a rhythm to careers. About every 2-3 years, substantial changes either do happen or should happen. If you are in the mid-point of this window, now is the time to figure it out. I estimate it usually takes about a year for all the planning and actions to culminate into a change. Immerse Yourself In One of the Options The problem with always standing back to think about things is that it doesn’t prompt a decision. When a decision is not forthcoming, you need to change your behavior. Pick one of your options and “try it on.” Speak to others doing the work you’re thinking of. Figure out what your path from here to there would be. Really drill down on the option as if you were pursuing it in earnest. Sometimes, this can really inspire you or makes you put the brakes on. Either way it ends up, you’re better off than you were when standing still. Be Change-Ready Change is not a comfortable state of being. Many people avoid that discomfort at all costs. The thing is, if you deliberately put yourself into changing situations, you will be more adept and open to making change. The reluctance to make change is often the reason for not moving forward. (Tweet this!) This is very toxic to great career management. Go to top Do you know what your next career step is?   Many people don’t. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook on how to construct your Career SMART Goals â€" that will help you put together your actions and keep you accountable.   Get your copy now and start your action plan today: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential. If you’re thinking about what your next career step should be, congratulations! Now, do more than just think about it. What will your next step be? Share in the comments! Image: Flickr