Why you’re really finding it SO hard to make your next career move!

I have had many conversations this past two weeks after I sent out an email inviting people to join me on a call to review their job search.

What really came through was just how stuck so many people are. And just how hard they’re finding it to make their next move.

If this is you, here’s what I reckon is really going on.

If you’re unhappy in your job for any reason – say you’re not fulfilling your potential –  say you’re being overlooked – say you’re being micromanaged – even bullied, perhaps you don’t feel like you fit the mould, perhaps you can’t see anything within the organisation that you can do, the job’s not meeting some lifestyle needs, or you’re over stressed and over worked – then you’re actually in a position of job pain.

You may not describe it as job pain, but I do.

I reckon after listening to so many stories like this, over the years in my work in careers, I’ve earned the right to call it out and put a label on it.

via GIPHY

Here’s why you find it hard to make your next career move when you’re in job pain.

When you’re experiencing job pain – you can get focussed on “fixing” what’s currently going wrong at work, because solving that will keep you safe. But this can mean, you don’t have much creative head space to see the wide variety of jobs that might be available to you in the future.

So, you stay stuck.

When you’re experiencing job pain, you may find it hard to imagine that anything outside of where you are now, could be any better for you, because you’re taking what exists for you now, into the future.

So, you stay stuck.

When you’re experiencing job pain, you find it hard to focus on the amazing things you’ve done, in fact you forget. So, you can’t sell yourself.

So, you stay stuck.

When you’re experiencing job pain, you run round super busy to fix things and do things. Perhaps you’re proving that you’re worthy and capable. Perhaps it’s a distraction from where you are now. But you don’t stop to consider why you’re doing all that running.

So, you stay stuck.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

It’s familiar to me, because I’ve been stuck in bad places in my own career. I also hear people’s stories and watch them do this almost every single day.

To me almost the worst thing to do at this point in time, is unfortunately what almost everyone does – and that is update your resume with your current role and apply for a job online.

I say unfortunately because rarely have I seen a resume that reflects all that people can bring to the table and one which highlights the true impact that they have made in their career.

I say unfortunately because the online application process is not designed to screen you into a job, where the recruiter looks at all you can offer to determine your transferable skills. Instead recruiters are most likely to focus on what you’ve done more recently. And if you’ve not recently done what they want to see, you won’t get a call.

I say unfortunately because as I mentioned before, most people in job pain cannot see the full range of possibilities around what they can do.

I say unfortunately because research shows that many candidates get ghosted, which is exactly the opposite of the confidence boost you need when you’re in job pain.

I say unfortunately because one of the best ways to find a job where you’re not perfect on paper is to build connections with people doing what you want to do – so you can see whether you’re a fit and build the relationships where you get referred into a role.

I say unfortunately because employers trust people who are recommended to them far more than they trust applications that come online, so you end up spending a lot longer in the market than you need to.

If you’re in job pain, there is a much better job search strategy than trying to sell yourself to someone who’s likely to ghost you along the way.

That’s why I created the Straight to Shortlist Challenge.

I’m not asking you to start with presenting the best version of yourself to sell yourself into a job that’s not right for you.

We start with unpacking what’s great about you (always a lot more than you think) and get you to work your way through to finding people who can help you make your next move.

You don’t need to be an expert in what you want to do next, you just need to be curious about what other people do. And from there you’ll find many people who’ll not only start looking out for you, they’ll start cheering for you along the way.

If you want to find out more about how the Straight to Shortlist Challenge could work for you.

Book a get hired faster job search review zoom with me now.

Click here to book

Together we’ll work out what’s keeping you stuck and if you’re the RIGHT candidate for the Straight to Shortlist Challenge.

I’m actively recruiting for the challenge and have space for 3 more people.

So you’re interested because you want to get unstuck, you know what to do.

via GIPHY