Careers can be confusing!
Should I stay in my current job? I don't love it, but it's not terrible either …

Or

Should I look for something else that feels right for me? A job I'll love!

And

If I decide to look for something else, where do I start?

 

Today, I will be discussing some things to think about as you mull over whether you should continue in your existing role, or whether you should look for something else.

 

how you can enjoy what you are doing day each day at work

 

and how to build a great career along the way.

 

It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? And yet the seemingly simple task of knowing what to do next in your career is, can, in reality, be anything but easy. I’ve talked about this on a previous podcast:

This all means we sometimes get stuck in our careers. 

We think maybe what we're doing isn't right for us but we're not sure what we should do next. It all gets a bit confusing, doesn’t it? 

Knowing what you don't want is not the same as knowing what you do want.

So, that uncertainty around our jobs and careers and how to manage the transition between your present role and something better is what this episode is all about. 

So let's get Started

The way I want you to think about your current job is to think about it in terms of 3 aspects. These are:

-       Your Role,

-       The organisation you work for, and

-       Your Industry

And, we are going to look at each one in turn.

And thinking about your role, and just the role, I want you to think about the different aspects of that role. And, I’m going to ask you some questions, which will be in the show notes of course, but you might want to grab a pen and note your answers or, if it’s not appropriate just note your first responses.

So, here we go …

And remember this is all about the role.

Firstly,

Do you find the role interesting?

Does the role fully utilise your skills?

Is there enough challenge in the role to keep you fully engaged?

If you moved to another company would you want to do the same or similar role?

OK, so no hard and fast rules here but if you generally agreed or, you strongly agreed with these questions then it more likely that you are in the right role. 

However, if you disagreed with these questions then it is most likely that you are not in the right role.

And thinking about your organisation now,

Do you feel excited to work for your current organisation?

Do you feel like you fit into the organisational culture?

Is there a good fit between your values (things that are important to you) and the values of the organisation?

Do you feel like the financial compensation you receive in your organisation is fair?

Do you have confidence in your organisation’s management and leadership?

And, if you generally agreed or, you strongly agreed with these questions then it more likely that you are in the right organisation. 

However, if you disagreed with these questions, then it is most likely that you are not in the right organisation.

Finally, let’s turn our attention to the industry that you work in. This is the broad categorisation defined by the primary business activities. So, this might be the construction industry, local government or the charity sector for example.

Do you find the industry you work in interesting?

Do your values closely align with the industry you are in?

Does it feel like the industry you are working in is where you are meant to be?

Do you often fantasise about changing your career and moving away from your current industry?

Would you recommend to other people that they start work in your industry?

So, if you generally agreed or, you strongly agreed with these questions then it more likely that you are in the right industry. 

However, if you disagreed with these questions, then it is most likely that you are not in the right industry.

So, you now should have an idea or indication as to whether you are in the right role, you are working for the right organisation and also whether you are working in an industry that is right for you.

If you want a metaphor, then think of it this way. You might be in the right seat on the right bus which is heading down the right highway. Or you might be on the wrong seat, bus or highway, or any combination of those things.

And in the second half of the podcast, we will look at the different combinations that arise from these questions and what do about it. 

Welcome back. So we are now going to look at some of the different combinations that arise from the work you did in the first part of the show, related to your role, your organisation and your industry.

And, in actual fact, there are 8 different combinations that are possible, and these are fully outlined in my Should I Stay or Should I Go Guide which I have just mentioned in the break and which I link to each week in the show notes. So, if you haven’t taken a look at this FREE guide now might be a good time to do that.

And to give you a taste of how the guide works I am going to work through a couple of the eight scenarios by way of an example.

Ok, so here is scenario 1:

So, let’s say that you like the organisation you work for and also the industry you serve, which is great, but … you feel like you’re not in the right role.

So, what are your options in this situation?

Well, firstly, start thinking about what sort of role you would be interested in doing. Maybe you have a good idea of what that role would look like already? If you don’t know what role would interest you, here are some questions to help you.

What skills do you want to use in this new role? 

How much challenge do you want? 

What are drawn towards in your organisation? 

What do you think you could be good at? 

If you could create a role for yourself what would it be?

Having an idea of the types of roles that you would be interested in means that you can discuss your options with your manager. Are there internal roles that you could apply for? Are there any secondment opportunities?

Your manager can also help you to look at whether there are some learning and development opportunities that could support your move into a new role.

So, hopefully, that will give you some options to look at if you are in the wrong role. But let’s say an internal change of role looks unlikely. Or your manager is not very supportive. What are your options then?

Well, one option could be to take a longer-term perspective – just because there are no interesting roles in your current organisation doesn’t mean that won’t change in the future. It could be that several opportunities do come your way in the next 12 months.

But, failing that what are your opportunities? Well, if you can’t find a suitable role in your existing organisation you might have to look at other organisations in your industry that could offer you a role that would be attractive. 

Essentially you would follow the same path as those who are not in the right role and not in the right organisation. Which for our purposes is scenario 2.

And in this case, looking outwards from your current organisation, you might know which organisations are suitable already but if not then there are lots of resources you can use to find opportunities. 

These include:

-       LinkedIn

-       Indeed

-       Monster etc

And, I always recommend researching the organisations you would like to work for first rather than just looking at who is recruiting. If you are making a switch to a different organisation, then you want to ensure it’s the right fit for you.

So, having identified one or two suitable organisations then see if you can speak to other people that work there or connect with employees on LinkedIn for example and see if you can find out more about the organisation, if they are recruiting and who the key people are in the organisation that could speak to you.

You will need to update your CV, start making some preparation for interviews etc but focus most of your energy at this stage on finding and connecting with desirable organisations.

So, there you have 2 examples of what to do – the first example of when you are in the wrong role and the second example when you are in the wrong role and the wrong organisation.

And, as I mentioned there are 8 different combinations that are possible, and these are fully outlined in my Should I Stay or Should I Go Guide. So, if you haven’t taken a look at this FREE guide now might be a good time to do that

So, a summary of today’s episode would be to

Take time to look first at your role, then your organisation and finally the industry you work in and decide whether they are right for you or not.

Then use the detailed instructions I have provided in the Should I stay or Should I go Guide to take action based on your results.

You can find the guide here.

This will support you in deciding: Should you stay, or should you go and if you do decide to make a change what you should next.

 

So, thanks for listening, and

 

Please let me know what you thought about the content

 

As this is a new podcast, feedback really does help me to shape future episodes, and make the content as relevant and helpful as possible.

 

You can email me at mark@bravocoaching.co.uk and you can find the show notes at bravocoaching.co.uk/podcast

 

If you are interested in working with me, you can book a free discovery call on my website.

 

And to remind you that you can download your free Should I stay or should I go guide here. 

 

If you have enjoyed the podcast, I would love for you to share the episode with a friend or share it on your social media. It would also really help me if you could leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you download your episodes. Currently, I have Ten 5-star reviews on Apple podcasts, and it would be great to have your honest feedback. It does really help me to find more listeners.

 

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Have a wonderful week and I will speak to you again in a couple of weeks time.

 

Bye for now.