Here are my recommendations from my work after more than 25 years in the industry and my experience as a career coach that you may find helpful if you are considering a career change.

Reflect and take time

It's time to increase self-care during your life transition! Women are notorious for ignoring their own needs. The best way to support yourself as a woman in a lifestyle change is to practice excellent self-care. This means taking care of all aspects of your physical, mental and emotional self. Give yourself plenty of rest, relaxation, good food, appropriate exercise, meditation and lots of support from friends and/or a professional such as a career coach for women. Take care of your inner communication!

Recharge your batteries

Slow down! Even when life comes at you fast and demands decisions, you will find that you make better decisions when you slow down a bit, allow yourself to be more mindful and present, take time for a few deep breaths and live in the moment. There is no need to rush into critical decisions that will affect the rest of your life. Take your time and be gentle with the adjustment process that comes naturally with a career change.

Self-acceptance and self-love. Women tend to be hard on themselves and expect themselves to know exactly what to do and how to solve every situation perfectly. This only leads to feeling ashamed or afraid to find your way. It may look chaotic for a while if you try out a few ideas. Allow it to get messy, because it will, whether you let it or not.

Review your options

Where are you going? It's one thing to know what you don't want, but do you have a good idea of what you do want, review your vision board. Make a list of jobs you have considered. How realistic are these possibilities? Be honest with yourself. It's okay if you don't have a definitive goal, but you should plan a few steps. If you think of your plan like a ladder, sometimes you can't see what's at the top until you've climbed a few steps. But don't mistake your lack of direction for a lack of information about how to change direction. If you know you want to pursue a job in health care, you should have an idea of why it's for you and what kind of job you're aiming for, even though you may not know exactly how to get started.

Redirect your energy

Stay open to possibilities. Living in a state of possibility means being open to the concept that everything will work out for your best. It also means being ready to expect the many good things that will come your way. Life is fluid and will sweep you along. You can relax, let go and trust. You can practice mindfulness, mindful living and true self-acceptance as often as possible. This might not be the time for the perfect career plan!

Remove obstacles

Your family, friends, colleagues and even strangers know you hate your job and want to change, but you haven't yet. So, what is different today? What has changed that gives you the power to act? What prevented you from making a change before? Do the obstacles from three years ago still exist? Do you have new excuses - I mean, "obstacles" - in your path? If so, why? And what steps do you plan to take to get around them?

Rewrite and update your CV and fill in missing skills

Is it really necessary to get another degree or certificate before you start your career? Women in particular find this step difficult. Check the job descriptions for the career you want to pursue. Pay attention to the skills and education that the employer requires or prefers. Check your previous jobs to see if you ever had the opportunity to perform the tasks listed. If you look closely, you may find that you already have the necessary experience. Check your skills. Look at what you know and how your skills could be transferable - think about how they could help you find the next job. At the end of this process consider to fill your gaps. Identify if you lack skills, knowledge, expertise, etc. and think about how you can address this. This may mean taking additional training, courses or short courses, or simply doing your own research or networking. This brings me to my next point:

Reactivate your network

You should do this all the time, not just when you are thinking about a new job. If you have to build your network first instead of maintaining it, it will just take a little longer. Networking (both online and in more traditional ways) is important for anyone looking for a job, but especially for people in transition. Follow associations and follow companies, professionals and thought leaders on LinkedIn. Networking may help you find jobs that have not been advertised.

Research opportunities

Don't assume the grass is greener on the other side, but make sure you research first so that the decisions you make are based on fact and not fiction. If you can afford it, don't rush the process. Opportunities present themselves when you open yourself up to them. So, take some time to screen potential candidates and make sure they match your future goals. Do an initial comparative assessment of several areas to identify some targets for in-depth investigation. You can find a wealth of information on the internet by simply Googling the jobs that interest you.

Reach out and apply

All the planning in the world won't magically bring you the new job. You've built up a network of people who can give you references or contacts but it's them alone you need to apply for the job you want. Depending on how different your new job is from your old one, it may take a little longer to get the job you want, so don't get frustrated. Be aware of the current economic climate and the size of the job market in your new industry. Don't be too hard on yourself. Lean on your mentors, your sponsors, other volunteers and professionals in your network.

Refocus your energy

Stay open to possibilities. Living in a state of possibility means being open to the concept that everything will work out for your best. It also means being ready to expect the many good things that will come your way. Life is fluid and will sweep you along. You can relax, let go and trust. You can practice mindfulness, mindful living and true self-acceptance as often as possible. Start to focus on the application process. Practice before the interview because then when you have that all-important interview, don't mess it up. Use the S.T.A.R. approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or a similar approach to formulate some examples and practice them before the big day. This way, when asked, you can clearly explain how you have added value or solved problems in the past.

Ready!

Always have your goal in mind! And act as if you are already there.

The good thing about career planning/transition is that as difficult as it may seem, we are prepared for it.

A career coach can help you through this process and support you with everything from finding your dream job to brushing up on your interview skills. If you need support on your journey reach out and we see if my coaching and mentoring can support you. If you want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee and forward my work to your network.