Career success… that sounds great! Sign me right UP!

Hmmm… but how exactly do we do that? If you feel stuck in your career, are not getting paid what you are worth, can’t stand your boss or simply feel like you could be making a bigger difference, let me say this: I HEAR YOU, FRIEND!

I’ve put together 5 ways (that all start with R’s as to how you can start up-leveling your career today. Here they are:

1️⃣Reimagine: Let the imagination of the future be the driving force to pivot where you set fit for success.
-This often starts with deep exploration and research. Take the time to really let your mind wander!
-Mindset work in this stage is always good. What are some fears or limiting beliefs that may be holding you back?

2️⃣Reinvest: Invest in your professional development, revamp your resume, learn a new skill, become an expert in your field.
-This could start with hiring a career coach to really help you unpack everything that’s going on in your head.
-Once we have really hashed out what you want to do in your next role, we need to rebrand you with your deliverables (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile) so that you stand OUT from the crowd.
-How can you start learning the skills you need to be successful in that career path?

3️⃣Reposition: Reassess your professional storyline and decide how you will explain who you are and what you bring to the table.
-In my many years of experience in HR, I’ve truly seen some amazing candidates fall through the cracks because they were unable to clearly communicate the value they bring to a company or role. I really encourage you to do everything you can with your career coach to get crystal clear on what makes you unique and how you can help move the company forward.

4️⃣Relationships: Network and build relationships while getting to know people to develop positive interactions.
-60-70% of jobs are found through strategic networking.
-You need to ALWAYS network (not just when you need a job).
-Networking does not need to be sleazy, it’s simply a conversation with another human being. This is a major mindset shift we need to make! PS, I have some great templates to help you start the conversation – reach out.

5️⃣Rest: Necessary for your mental to keep going in your professional aspirations as it is necessary.
-Yes, you heard that correct – REST!
-Our mental health is key to the success of our careers. If we are burned out, uninspired, tired or exhausted, we are not going to show up our best selves.

?Have you ever took a step back to evaluate these aspects?

I hope this helps you gain career clarity so you can get out there and absolutely crush your goals.

Courtney

It’s okay to admit, “I can’t take this anymore….this is enough.”

If you are feeling this way, you may be experiencing career burnout.

What is career burnout? By definition, burnout is a reaction to prolonged or chronic job stress and is characterized by three main dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism (less identification with the job), and feelings of reduced professional ability.

Some symptoms of burnout can feel like:
-Viewing your job as increasingly stressful and frustrating.
-Increased impatience, irritability and annoyance.
-Difficulty concentrating and a lack of creativity.
-Increased headaches, migraines, muscle aches.
-Unable to keep up with work demands, feeling of wanting to give up.

I hear a lot of women feeling extremely guilty admitting that they are exhausted, burnt out and really don’t want this insane ‘work hard today, work harder tomorrow, no time for play’ life.

Now that we know what burnout is and often feels like, I want to speak some encouraging words to you:

⭐️IT’S OK TO TAKE A BREAK AND NOT WANT TO SELL YOUR SOUL FOR YOUR JOB.

It doesn’t make you any less of a professional.
Any less accomplished.
Any less of a business person.

It means that you are taking a stand on your mental health and saying enough is enough.

– Stop guilting yourself.
– Stop shaming other people if they need a break.
– We all want to enjoy our life outside of work too.

Congrats, you’re a human that’s ALIVE!

Have you felt major pressure and guilt when admitting you just simply need a break?

Now, here are some ways we can cope with career burnout:

1. Recognize the potential signs and signals (above) and be honest with yourself.
   Are you showing up in the best way you can or are you truly burnt out? Ask the people around you like coworkers you trust, friends or family to see if they have been noticing a change in your mood or tone of voice. Sometimes we can’t see how we are truly coming off so we need to get a pulse check from the people around us.
2. Take. A. BREAK!
   I mean this. The best way to deal with career burnout is to simply tune off, rest and recharge. I know we often feel guilty about taking time to ourselves or it can be viewed as not committed in the corporate world, but this is simply necessary. You need to use that paid (or unpaid) time off to recharge or else things will only get worse. Take a week! or 2 weeks! A month? Even better! Often we need more than a day off to truly reset ourselves and come back stronger than ever. You owe it to yourself.
3. Get back to things that bring you JOY.
   This may seem simple, but it’s extremely effective. What makes your soul truly happy? Working out? Hiking? Biking? Playing sports? Yoga? Date nights with your partner? Make a list of the top 10 activities that make you forget about the world. Then, do those things daily for the next 1 month! You will feel alive and reenergized again.
4. Eat healthy and exercise daily.
   When we are under extreme prolonged stress, our clean eating habits tend to spiral downwards. Next thing you know, we are eating granola bars, chips and cereal all day long because they are quick and easy. However, you and I both know this kind of food is not nutritional and does not fuel our body well. Same goes for exercising. We need to get that 30 minutes in per day! Make time to go for a walk, run, stretch, yoga or whatever make you sweat. This is so key to overcoming burnout and endorphins provide a lot of remedy to stress.

I hope this helps! Reach out if you need any help dealing with career burnout. I am on your team.

Courtney

If you have stumbled upon this blog post, chances are that you are wondering if it’s time for you to change careers.

Do you work in a bank, but find yourself daydreaming about being an artist? Do you feel like your life is stuck in a rut? These are just some reasons why you may need a career change. We’ll investigate these and some more reasons in this blog post!

Is it time to change careers? 4 reasons why it might be

You feel like you are not making a difference

The average Canadian works typically for nearly 40 hours a week. If you feel like you are not making a difference in this huge chunk of time, then you might need to call it a day with your current job.

Make a list of your primary job duties, and consider how the company would do these duties if you were not there. If there are some distinctive things that you do that nobody else in the office would be able to, there might be a reason to stick it out with your job.

However, if you feel like you could be easily replaced, it might mean that this job is no longer the right path for you, and your fate lies elsewhere.

You dread Monday mornings

Everyone looks forward to the weekend. However, if you feel yourself pining for Fridays all week and then get a sense of pure dread every Sunday evening, it might be time to shake things up and seek a new line of work.

Make sure, however, that you take the time to assess whether you are just feeling some weekend nostalgia, or if you are seriously unhappy in your line of work.

If you just feel a bit tired at the thought of going back to work, and wish you could spend another day doing as you please, that might be a sign that you’re just enjoying your weekend life. If you quickly adapt into ‘work mode’ once you’re on the way to work, this might show that your work life is actually ok.

However, if it’s a struggle to get through Mondays, and the dread of going to work occupies most of your Sunday, it may well be time to make a change. 

You have a hobby that you wish you could spend more time on

Most people have some hobbies, that’s true – but some people manage to make a job out of their hobbies.

For example, avid photographers might take the plunge into selling some of their prints, and eventually become a self-employed photographer.

If you have hobbies that you think you could monetize and find yourself wishing that you could spend more time on them, it might be worth taking a gamble and leaving your job.

Your job isn’t worth the money any more

Some people stay in jobs for the money, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. For some people, it is essential – especially when they have mortgages to pay off, student loans to pay back, and families to feed.

But, if you are comfortable enough in your financial situation, and you can’t motivate yourself to go to your job for the money alone, it might be worth taking the plunge and changing careers.

Many people who change careers end up accepting a pay cut but are happy to trade it for more job satisfaction. As long as you don’t rely on the money, it might be worth putting your happiness first.

Conclusion

If you resonate with any of these signs or are just troubled with the idea that your job may no longer be suitable for you, it might be time to change careers. If you would like some advice about changing careers and are based in Vancouver, British Columbia, please reach out to us.

If you feel unsatisfied in your professional life, whether that be because you are job hunting or if you feel like you are not meeting all of your career goals in your workplace, you could try hiring a career coach.

A career coach is a trained professional who will be able to look at how you work and make actionable tips on improving. Through detailed discussions with you, they will discuss your work blocks, and together you will decide the best path forward.

In this article, we will look at the benefits of hiring a career coach and when you should think about hiring one!

The Benefits of Hiring a Career Coach

There are untold benefits of hiring a career coach if you are in a rocky careers patch and need guidance. Here are just a few of them!

Understanding yourself better

One of the main benefits of hiring a career coach is that you will understand your professional self better. Career coaches will work with you to pinpoint what kind of employee you are and how you work best. You can use this information to assess what jobs you would like to go for in the future.

Finding the right employer

It’s essential to find employers that you will mesh with. By working with a career coach, you’ll be able to discern which employers will suit you best and then prioritize applications for these certain businesses.

Settling into a new role quickly

Career coaches are incredibly valuable when it comes to settling into new roles. Not only will a career coach help you find a suitable job, but you can use their advice to manage your time, meet people, and feel more comfortable in your new position.

Helping manage your expectations

Knowing what you expect and need out of a workplace is crucial to achieving workplace success. A coach will give you a good idea of what you should ask for in the workplace, and what you shouldn’t expect as a norm.

When to hire a career coach

• If you are entirely switching industries, you might benefit from speaking to a careers coach to get some advice on transferring your skills to your new job.
• If you keep having unsuccessful interviews. You should work on interview skills and first impressions, which a careers coach will be able to help you with.
• If you don’t have a career goal. A career coach will help you to work out what you want to do career-wise, and work out an actionable plan with you about success in your industry.
• If you feel negatively towards work. This might be because of a bad exit, whether that be a dismissal or quitting, from your last company.
• If you are job searching and feel lost about what to do, particularly if you have never searched for jobs before or have not done it for a long time.

As you can see, there are so many benefits to hiring a career coach – and a lot of times in your professional life when you may need one! If you are based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and feel like you could use career advice, please get in touch.

How to Stand Out from the Crowd & Move Beyond the Job Boards by Networking

Networking is one of the best resources for professional success and career development. A good network can help provide possibilities for advancement, job leads, and opportunities for personal improvement.

In fact, according to a recent survey, 85% of critical jobs are filled via networking, so it’s essential to be highly networked for both employers and job seekers. How can you step outside the unproductive cycle of job boards and network with new people? Check out our top tips below to stand apart from the crowd.

Attend Events

The easiest way to network with other people is to attend events in your community. Ensure that you pay attention to the events that local businesses or organizations are hosting in your city, and try to attend as many as possible. Bring some business cards so you can introduce and connect with new people. Events create a comfortable, laid-back environment where you can connect without any pressure.

Create Events

If you find that your city is not providing any community events, you could host your own events. You could create a workshop, host exhibits, happy hours, or host a panel of business speakers. Not only is this a powerful tool for your entire community, but it’s also something you can add to your resume or use as a talking point.

Prepare Your Elevator Pitch

The best way to leave a lasting impression when networking is to create instant interest in your business and projects. The first question people will likely ask when they meet you is, “What do you do?”. If you can’t answer that clearly in under one minute, you’ll lose interest. Know what you want to say beforehand, so you can easily connect with others.

Volunteer Your Time

Volunteering allows you to meet people who share your passion, while helping others in toye community. Pick a cause that’s important to you and find ways to volunteer your time. There is no pressure to network in a volunteering situations, so you can form genuine connections with the other volunteers around you.

Open Door Policy

Networking can start in your own office. If you have a private office, try to keep your door open as much as possible. Make it clear to others that it’s okay to stop by and say hello. By making yourself available to others, you’re literally opening the door to networking opportunities and deeper connections.

Offer value to others

The easiest way to network with others is to offer value to their work. Once you find out what they do, check your network to see if you can connect them with someone who may help their business. Providing value to others will help create meaningful connections and help you stand out from other people.

If you’re still feeling stuck when it relates to networking, your career path, or your current job search, you’re not alone. At Pursuit Career Coaching, I will help you stand out from the crowd, uncover your purpose and teach you to negotiate to rake in thousands of dollars. Ready to make a change? Let’s chat!

Know what my single biggest piece of advice to achieving career hunting success is?

It’s a complex, yet VERY simple concept.

Ready?

It is: BECOME OBSESSED.

Yes, become obsessed. 

It’s that simple. If you want to accomplish something, get great at something, or attain something, you need to become obsessed over it.

In the career searching realm (whether laid off, unhappy in your current role, switching industries etc.),
this means getting creative with the ways in which you market yourself. Think about yourself as a brochure that is currently sitting on your grandma’s kitchen table that no one reads and is heading to the recycling bin soon. Instead you want to be the billboard poster on a New York Times Square building that 900,000 people read every single day. We need to get you to THAT level but it doesn’t happen through the traditional ‘apply online’ method you may be limiting yourself to.

Here are some of the ways in which becoming obsessed with your career search can translate into landing your next career role.
1. Make a list of top 25-50 companies that are a) currently hiring and b) you are interested in and align with your career trajectory. The reason we want to make two separate lists is because while the companies that have a open role posted online and have a clear immediate need to hire should be focused on, other companies may have a need for the role you are looking for too but don’t have it posted online. It’s important to have a solid idea of the specific role you are looking for, down to the title within the companies.

2. Once you have crafted the list of companies you are interested in joining, make every effort to research and understand the industry, each business and ultimately find out what challenges the company may be navigating right now (especially in the middle of a pandemic). When you have obsessively researched the companies you are interested in, you are going to craft problem solving and tailored deliverables that makes you stand out from all of the applications by a MILE (eg. similarly branded cover-letter, resume, PowerPoint presentation, brochure). The deliverable should be appropriate to the industry and role you are applying for. I remember in one of my past roles, we were hiring for a Vice President, Strategic Communications. This was a high-profile role making a SUBSTANTIAL income for a very large employer. Do you know what one of the candidates did that not only made his application rise to the top of the application pile but also landed him an interview within one week, second interview within another week and ultimately a job offer? He created a company branded resume brochure that not only highlighted his past experience but also talked about what he could do for this potential employer. It. looked. awesome. Oh, and know what else? He spend the time and money (I’m sure less than $10.00) to print the flyer off in color so it looked professional and fresh then hand delivered it. Clearly he was passionate, driven and stood out in my mind (even years later). Make it your goal for this to be you.  

3. Make a list of employees within each company you have obsessively researched and start networking. You need to find people who not only know about the role but could potentially have an impact on hiring for it. Time to fire up LinkedIn. Does their profile list their email? If not, can you find it through a email hunting tool? Phone number? There are many tools you can use to source someones email such as Email Hunter and Mailscoop etc. Once you find your potential influencers (the list you created), it’s time to do some stalking so you can effectively reach out and build that relationship! The key is to understand what is kosher to bring up out of the blue and what isn’t. People are OK with you checking out their LinkedIn, but they may be a little weirded out if you mention that picture from Friday’s party that you saw on Facebook. If it exists on LinkedIn, it’s fair to bring up as a ice breaker. Next, you move to crafting the networking email. This can be an extremely nerve-wracking part in the process but this is one of the most important steps. Some ice-breaker topics include:

• Their non-traditional background
• People you know in common
• An interesting career transition
• A current or past project of theirs
• The same school or program you attended
• A blog topic they wrote
• Something interesting from their personal website

Here are some sweet cold email templates that can help you make the introduction easier: how to cold email like a boss.

Now, if and when you get email responses, use those networking skill to grab a coffee, ask them about their experience and display what you crafted and how YOU are the ONE they should recommend.

_________________________

Chances of getting a response through traditional ‘apply online’ methods? <5%

Chances of getting a response from BECOMING OBSESSED? My guess is 95%

_________________________

This is career coaching 101.