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Are You Considering Changing Careers?

Here are some mistakes you should avoid:

Everyone makes mistakes, but according to Forbes Magazine in its’ April 2012 article entitled 5 Career Changing Mistakes, it makes sense to take care when changing careers. It pays to be honest about one’s contribution to the current challenges and in line with that, it is important to hold yourself accountable at a higher level. Change requires the clarity to understand what you want, and the courage to make radical alterations in your world view and to potentially restructure your entire approach to work itself. And, it is important to hone your skills and build confidence to face the uphill challenge career change often demands.

People often feel at a dead end in their current position and seek to change careers in order to alleviate their dissatisfaction, but it is a mistake Forbes warns, to make any change without first evaluating your circumstances and reclaiming your power which means fixing broken relationships before you terminate your current employment; it makes no sense to take unresolved issues to the new job. Also, career change requires that you have a sound financial plan before it makes sense to pull the trigger; often it will be some time before you regain the earning power you had at your old job.

Many people want change but do not want to change themselves; decide what you expect to realize from an upending career change. Do you know what kind of challenge makes you thrive or have you examined your personal standards related to your values and integrity? Do you clearly understand what compensation and benefits are non-negotiable to you?

It is ironic, but if you closely examine your core values and abilities, it may be that you don’t need to change jobs at all; it may be that internal, not external change is required. This can be a real problem if you go through all of the trouble and financial risk to change jobs only to realize that you were really unhappy with yourself not your old position. Whether or not you plan to change jobs, self-examination can be an extremely valuable tool that can save you a lot of grief and help you avoid unproductive habits and mental attitudes that will hold you back no matter where you work.

Review by Bill Westcott – November 12, 2013

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