Career
Shift – What’s Involved?
Each of you has a working identity – and it has nothing to do with your title or how much money you make.
Working identity is the result of many years of work experience -- what you do, who you do it with, and the story that you tell about how you got where you are. Often, imbedded in that story is a “defining moment” – some turn of events where you settled in, believing that it was the right path for you.
According to Herminia Ibarra, author of Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Re-inventing Your Career, changing careers requires creating new experiences, new relationships and, ultimately, developing a new story about how you landed in your new role.
Ms. Ibarra, a former Harvard professor now at the French business school, Insead, interviewed scores of successful career changers and, in every case, found that these individuals experimented with new roles, networked beyond established circles of colleagues and friends, and from these activities, a new identity-story emerged.
In fact, Ms. Ibarra’s findings have created a new model for career changers: “test and learn” versus the traditional model promoted by most career counselors, “plan and implement”. She reasons -- quite rightly I think -- that’s it’s tough to go directly from your head (planning) into a new career (doing). You found your first career by bumping around a bit, so why should your next career be any different?
The
Biggest Mistake
As a
seeker of fulfilling work, you might feel that you should
intuitively know what it is you want to do for future work, and
even assume that there is only ONE right livelihood for you.
Too often, clients say that when that breakthrough livelihood
didn’t magically appear after some brief mulling, the conclusion
was “there is nothing out there for me”.
The truth is that those who “just know” what it is they want to do in life are relatively few – and exceptionally lucky. For most of us, significant career change only emerges as a result of a process of thoughtful work executed in a meaningful sequence. Often what results is not one, but multiple, interests that could play a role in shaping one’s new livelihood. ###
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© Copyright 2001-2008 PurposefulWork.com. Reprinted by permission of Patricia Soldati, an IAC certified coach, career counselor and certified professional resume writer who helps corporate professionals advance their careers. For information about her services, visit http://www.purposefulwork.com.
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PurposefulWork.com 2001-2008
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